My Top 5 Pins

The Kineticist is a good, relatively new pinball site on the internet. Some of the their content is really well-written, while some of it leaves me scratching my head. But overall I like the site. Recently they pinged media members (podcasts) to get them to present their top 5 pinball machines of all-time. Although I am not part of this media group, I thought it would be a fun exercise to explore for myself. I did a top 50 back in 2019, but the pinball landscape has changed greatly since then. I'd also say that my tastes have changed over time. Just for fun, here were my top 5 back in 2019 and keywords that indicated what I liked about each game:

5. Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast: great shots, art

4. White Water: ramps, topper, bigfoot, sound

3. Twilight Zone: toys

2. The Hobbit: theme immersion, LCD screen, controlled drop targets, sound, light show, rules, dragon!

1. Attack from Mars (Remake): great shots, large DMD, topper, light show

For this new revision, I decided to define the criteria of what a favorite game would be for me, in order to get me really thinking about it, and to form an honest opinion, not one influenced by Pinside rankings or the opinions of others. My favorite pins should meet every criteria. Here's what I came up with, in no particular order:

1. Needs to give me that "press Start one more time" feel after I play a game.
2. Has a theme I really like. It doesn't have to be licensed theme. If it's a band pin, I have to like their music. The playfield art should be good, if not great. I don't really care about cabinet art since it isn't seen as much. No annoying sounds or callouts.
3. Shots feel smooth and makeable. Doesn't matter if it's got a lot flow or if it is stop and go, the shots just have to feel good. No clunk!
4. A good variety of shots with plenty of toys, mechs and ramps. Toppers are a big plus.
5. A good ruleset with plenty of things to strive for.
6. Fairly reliable pin that doesn't break down all the time.

In looking at my previous list, The Hobbit falls out due to its long playing time. I still love the game, it's just that games last so long that I usually have no desire to hit Start again. Twilight Zone drops off due to shots that feel clunky to me compared to the games in my new top 5, and the amount of maintenance required to keep everything running smoothly. White Water is gone due to a ruleset that while not bad,  just doesn't quite measure up to modern games, and a lack of interactive toys other than Bigfoot.

Here, then, is my new top 5 and an explanation as to why each pin makes the list...

#5: Attack From Mars

Still a timeless classic that never gets old. I used to have this rated #1 but the quality of pins released in the last few years results in this game falling a little short on code and art. But the fact that it still makes my top 5 speaks volumes about its greatness.

#4: Metallica

Last year my company flew me down to Los Angeles to see Metallica's All Within My Hands special charity concert, their first since Covid hit. It rekindled my love of Metallica songs, and I sought out the game on location and spent an hour playing it. Metallica is loaded with toys, has a great ruleset, great soundtrack (duh!), and great shots. A stellar effort from Borg and Lyman that I moved from 29th up to 4th.

#3: Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast

I previously ranked this as #5; now, I have it at #3 and want one in my Barncade. The more I play it, the more I think it's one of the best games ever made. It doesn't hurt that I like most of the songs chosen to go in the game. I used to claim that Dennis Nordman was my favorite designer, but now I think that honor belongs to Keith Elwin, with John Borg running a close second.

#2: Rush

This could be bias since I now own one, but this game is just incredible. Rules, shots, steampunk toys, ramps galore, the ability for each player to choose their starting song, lighting, stellar music from one of my most influential bands growing up - it's simply an awesome game. Sure the cartoonish band member art in the middle of the playfield almost sinks it, but there's enough steampunk stuff to overcome that. I just can't stop playing this game...I play it more than Godzilla!

#1: Godzilla (Stern)

An obvious and cliché choice, but that doesn't make it not true, and lots and lots of other people agree - this is the best game ever made. The different paths that the ball can take, the kooky but endearing theme, the sounds (playing in Japanese is a blast!), Zombie Yeti's superb art, the deep ruleset, the toys - it all comes together perfectly. I love the wizard mode that is reachable through the flipper selection when you have the topper (I was one shot from beating it before running out of time). But it's the mods that really put this game over the top. By the time the mod makers are done, this will truly be a Neon Tokyo world under glass.

Honorable Mentions:

The Hobbit - see above

Alice Cooper - love the haunted castle theme, art, and music, shot geometry holds it back

White Water- see above

Tales of the Arabian Nights - a beautiful game and theme that always entrances me and punishes me for not buying one back in 2007-2008 when I started building the collection, and like White Water, rules are good but not as deep as modern games

AC/DC - This comes closest to knocking Attack From Mars from my top 5, but the bottom playfield is not great and unlike most, I'm not a fan of the Lucy art and prefer Aurich's "Helen" art