Bally Pinball is BACK!!!

[diskoboy]

For those that didn't know - Bally sold the rights to their pinball division to a company in Australia.

http://www.pinball.com/

Two rare favorites are about to be re-manufactured for a limited time. Those pins would be Medieval Madness and Cactus Canyon.

But the kicker (no pun intended) is an all NEW Bally machine is in development! I find thier theme a bit odd, (It's based on the Crocodile Hunter), but it's so nice to have the best maker of pins, in the world (not a big fan of Stern, or Data East/Sega...) back in action!!

http://www.pinball.com/croc_hunter/croc_add.htm
(EDIT - Oh, and that 'translite' is a 23" plasma)

The only drawback is since this company is located down under, expect to pay a MASSIVE fee to import them.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Oooh, new Medieval Madness tables being manufactured?

If I win the lottery (would help if I actually played it) I'll be sure to pick one up!

Lucky Aussies! Enjoy defeating the King of Payne!

[Atari 5200]

Criiiiiikey!!

[Baloo]

It's great to see someone else making pinball machines now instead of Stern, I can't stand Stern machines, most of them are designed so poorly. I hope this new company lives up to the Bally name.

Also great to see Medieval Madness getting another run, that pin's pretty pricey right now. Fantastic machine overall as well.

[Goblin]

Before anyone decides to send a deposit in I would check Rec.Games.Pinball on usenet (or google groups). This guy in AU is discussed from time to time and supposedly it has been years since he has taken deposits and really no one has anything to show for it yet. This seems to come up quite frequently there so do a search, the consensus of most there is that this guy is in over his head. Remaking parts is one thing, but machines from scratch is going to be tough even with the rights.

I would love to see another manufacturer come back into the game, but that is rather unlikely at this point. There is one group that is doing a licensed remake of the King of Diamonds EM machine with a solid state controller. Unfortunately their price is somewhere close to what new Sterns go for so I couldn't see picking one up myself (plus I don't enjoy EMs much). I don't mind Stern, they have some very good tables (TSPP, LoTR, Spiderman) and a some duds. My next is likely going to be an LoTR, sometime early next year.

[Clownzilla]

Originally Posted by Baloo

It's great to see someone else making pinball machines now instead of Stern, I can't stand Stern machines, most of them are designed so poorly. I hope this new company lives up to the Bally name.

Also great to see Medieval Madness getting another run, that pin's pretty pricey right now. Fantastic machine overall as well.

Stern makes junk because they are the only people left in the pinball market and have no competition. I would even welcome back Gottlieb with open arms!

[Baloo]

Originally Posted by Clownzilla

Stern makes junk because they are the only people left in the pinball market and have no competition. I would even welcome back Gottlieb with open arms!

Gottlieb had some great machines, like the Super Mario Bros. one. Classic.

Stern just makes garbage. They don't have any machines that are actually of really superb quality.

[DreamTR]

Wow, I'm shocked at some of the stuff I am reading.


Gottlieb new style 90s pins = bad. The playability is not good and trashy licenses and easily broken parts don't help.

Williams/Bally 90s stuff always great. No complaints. A couple of their later games I think are very overrated (see Cirqus Voltaire)

Stern stuff uses the same old Williams designers and a few of the pins are very good (Spider-Man, The Sopranos, Batman The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones). They were an old Data East/Sega factory but the parts are now Williams/Bally. The only reason it does not "feel" like a Williams is because the software is old Sega stuff and the panel that holds the glass is of a different material.

The company in Australia making these is supposed to charge $5000-6000 a pop shipped. I don't really get how people that collect arcade machines pay this much money up front and wait YEARS and think it is ok. Even regular sellers of games frequently take their time on arcade stuff for some bizarre reason and a lot of the community is ok with it.

[Clownzilla]

Originally Posted by Baloo

Gottlieb had some great machines, like the Super Mario Bros. one. Classic.

Stern just makes garbage. They don't have any machines that are actually of really superb quality.

Undoubtedly, Gottlieb made some good stuff (I love Haunted House and SMB) but Bally & Williams were just SO good that there was no comparison and they were in their own league. I have to add though that there is one Stern machine that I find neat. The mall where I live used to have the Nascar pinball machine by Stern which I found pretty fun (it broke WAY to often though). I loved how you could make the ball race around the "track" on the outskirts of the table while Sammy Hagar's "Can't Drive 55" blasted through the LOUD speakers along with race car engine noises and a cheering crowd. Sure, it was cheesy but it was pretty exciting

[diskoboy]

Originally Posted by Baloo

Gottlieb had some great machines, like the Super Mario Bros. one. Classic.

Stern just makes garbage. They don't have any machines that are actually of really superb quality.

The only Stern tables I like were/are: 24, Simpson's Pinball Party, and the 1981 classic, Lightning.

So they weren't all garbage...

Gottlieb, on the other hand - the only good table I can think of, by the, would be Haunted House. 99.9% of Their 80's and 90's tables were absolute garbage.

[DreamTR]

Don't forget classic crap like Shaq Attack and Street Fighter II! I can't believe anyone would think 80s and 90s Gottlieb stuff is good...before then, yes, but anything else is a joke.

[Baloo]

Originally Posted by DreamTR

Don't forget classic crap like Shaq Attack and Street Fighter II! I can't believe anyone would think 80s and 90s Gottlieb stuff is good...before then, yes, but anything else is a joke.

Shaq Attaq really wasn't that bad, only thing annoying was that guy who said "SHOOT THE SPINNER!" every 5 seconds.

[DreamTR]

Originally Posted by Baloo

Shaq Attaq really wasn't that bad, only thing annoying was that guy who said "SHOOT THE SPINNER!" every 5 seconds.

...I think you need to play some Williams pins more. Heck, even Data East pins in the late 80s early 90s were good compared to Gottlieb

[Blur2040]

Originally Posted by DreamTR

...I think you need to play some Williams pins more. Heck, even Data East pins in the late 80s early 90s were good compared to Gottlieb

Oh, cmon...Gottlieb wasn't that bad in the 80s. 90s...OK...all their DMD games are crap...but I've yet to make a System 80 game I don't like.

[Clownzilla]

Here is the OFFICIAL list of best pinball machine makers:

1 (by a long shot). Bally/Williams/Midway
2. Gottlieb
3. Stern
4. A slanted board with two sticks on the bottom for flippers
5. Sega/Data East
6. Atari

[Baloo]

Originally Posted by DreamTR

...I think you need to play some Williams pins more. Heck, even Data East pins in the late 80s early 90s were good compared to Gottlieb

Oh, I've played Williams/Bally pins before, they're fantastic. Some of my favorites from them:

Cirqus Voltare
Medieval Madness
Creature from the Black Lagoon
The Machine: Bride of Pin-bot (although I can't stand the sound on this one, it's ear bleeding)
Monster Bash

But I think Gottelieb made some good stuff too. I like Super Mario Bros., Haunted House is pretty good, Spirit of '76 is great, but there is some so-so ones on there like Cue Ball Wizard.

[diskoboy]

Originally Posted by Clownzilla

Here is the OFFICIAL list of best pinball machine makers:

1 (by a long shot). Bally/Williams/Midway
2. Gottlieb
3. Stern
4. A slanted board with two sticks on the bottom for flippers
5. Sega/Data East
6. Atari

I'd reverse the last two.

I enjoyed Hercules and Superman - But that was the late 70's very early 80's.

The only Data East table I even remotely liked was Rocky & Bullwinkle. I even hate the original Simpsons pin.

And I'll give Gottleib SOME credit... They had some amazing electro-mechanical and early solid state pins, but as they moved into the 80's, they just started making some really bad pins. Namely during the period after Columbia bought them. And some of the art on their backglasses were downright laughable.



Need I say more?

[Sosage]

Originally Posted by Blur2040

Oh, cmon...Gottlieb wasn't that bad in the 80s. 90s...OK...all their DMD games are crap...but I've yet to make a System 80 game I don't like.

I realize this goes right up against everyone's desire to have a pinball to trash, but Street Fighter II was a good 90's Gottlieb game. I don't just mean this as someone that loves the video series either. Really good, simple, shooter heavy machine. Vastly different from almost everything else I've played.

No one should say shit about earlier Gottliebs without mentioning Haunted House or Black Hole. Classic games for a good reason.

With that said, obviously Williams/Bally were king. Almost anything Steve Ritchie designed is bad ass (except maybe Rollergames). Firepower is still one of my personal favorite machines. Too many good games from W/B to list off, even if I don't mention any of his games.

Stern is hit or miss, especially now since they dumped most of their FT designers. Spider-Man is probably my second favorite Ritchie game. LOTR, Simpsons and Family Guy are considered pretty deep games (perfect for the home, considering they are impossible to end game). Sopranos is one of those sleeper games that wound up being really fucking good. Batman is alright. Definitely not my favorite, but it isn't bad.

Then you have shit like Indiana Jones, that just fucking blows.

Oh yeah. Stay cautious of that Australian MM/CC deal. People have had thousands of dollars stuck in that project for years and have yet to see any sort of progress at all.

[Baloo]

Originally Posted by diskoboy

I'd reverse the last two.

I enjoyed Hercules and Superman - But that was the late 70's very early 80's.

The only Data East table I even remotely liked was Rocky & Bullwinkle. I even hate the original Simpsons pin.

And I'll give Gottleib SOME credit... They had some amazing electro-mechanical and early solid state pins, but as they moved into the 80's, they just started making some really bad pins. Namely during the period after Columbia bought them. And some of the art on their backglasses were downright laughable.



Need I say more?

Well, I think everyone's had their share of bad backglass:

[diskoboy]

Holy shit, that Skateball backglass is hilarious.

I can understand the Hardbody one. It screams 80's tacky, it just didn't age well. Rachel McLish is actually still pretty hot, BTW...

[Baloo]

That Hardbody one looks horrendous IMO.

Skateball looks like Bernie from Weekend At Bernie's with a helmet and on a skateboard. Then there's that random guy in the back wanting to get it on with that girl without the bra on.

[Ken Layton]

Originally Posted by diskoboy

For those that didn't know - Bally sold the rights to their pinball division to a company in Australia.

http://www.pinball.com/

Two rare favorites are about to be re-manufactured for a limited time. Those pins would be Medieval Madness and Cactus Canyon.

But the kicker (no pun intended) is an all NEW Bally machine is in development! I find thier theme a bit odd, (It's based on the Crocodile Hunter), but it's so nice to have the best maker of pins, in the world (not a big fan of Stern, or Data East/Sega...) back in action!!

http://www.pinball.com/croc_hunter/croc_add.htm
(EDIT - Oh, and that 'translite' is a 23" plasma)

The only drawback is since this company is located down under, expect to pay a MASSIVE fee to import them.

Old news.

It's already been at least two years with nothing to show for it. I think everyone will get ripped off.

Those machines aren't going to happen IMO.

[diskoboy]

Originally Posted by Ken Layton

Old news.

It's already been at least two years with nothing to show for it. I think everyone will get ripped off.

Those machines aren't going to happen IMO.

Here's hoping they're legit, but you may be right...

As I said before, The Crocodile Hunter is quite an odd choice for a theme, considering he's been dead for almost 3 years now.

I also find it quite odd that a pin company is based in Australia, of all places. It's as if we just lost another industry to "outsourcing". Pinball was born and bred in Chicago, IL., and it just sounds weird having to order a Bally table, or replacement parts from several thousands of miles away.

[Sosage]

Originally Posted by diskoboy

Here's hoping they're legit, but you may be right...

As I said before, The Crocodile Hunter is quite an odd choice for a theme, considering he's been dead for almost 3 years now.

I also find it quite odd that a pin company is based in Australia, of all places. It's as if we just lost another industry to "outsourcing". Pinball was born and bred in Chicago, IL., and it just sounds weird having to order a Bally table, or replacement parts from several thousands of miles away.

IIRC...I'm pretty sure I read somewhere...I may be wrong but...I believe CH was well into the design stages when he was still alive. 3 years...that sounds about right considering no tables have been produced since that company came onto the scene.

Outsource is a strong word. There needs to be a product being produced before we can officially consider the industry outsourced.

[diskoboy]

There is a decent market for pinball. Europe has a massive pinball fan base. But all the companies that bailed are afraid to get back in, but Stern. And even now, they're only catering to home markets with low production runs, and sub-par tables. They could always jump on the new 'virtual table' craze, since they would be cheaper to produce and have minimal down-time.