Rudy: Not limited to Sandra being on the backglass.retina
scan, car
crash, secret awards on handles, and multiball jackpot sequences are all
fun too.
8Ball: Excellent software compliments a very good
PF layout.
Drac: very tight shot to start multiball or get
an EB. All sorts of
> combo possibilities, and great variety on Multiballs. Excellent flow
> resulting in a fast-paced, exciting game
Buzz: Smooth and fast, yet not quite satisfying.
Minuses:
Rudy: Sandra's sexier than the artist's rendition.
Multiball/Ball Freezes
from claw award is the only choice when wanting to put up a big number.
8Ball: Artwork is really bad but I heard it was
rushed out at the last
minute. The ball often bounces out of the left orbit scoop making
multiball difficult, (The left orbit isn't an easy shot in the first
place!)
A ball coming back down the R ramp will threaten to drain SDTM
Drac: More often than not the rollover lights at
the upper-right part of
> playfield are burnt out making it very challenging to relight Claw and
get
> Bonus X (probably due to design flaw). Flippers often become weak on
many
> location examples of this game so anyone but John Shields would then
have
> a hard time hitting the ball up the ramps
Buzz: Nothing to do but choose lock freeze from
crane which really unbalances the game
Game: Diner
Designer: Mark Richie
MFG: Wms
Reviewer:
Rudy
8Ball
Drac
Buzz
Total
Art-Backglass
7
9
7.5
7
7.5
Art-Playfield/Cabinet
7
8.5
7.5
7
7.5
Sound
8
8.5
8
8
8
Rules
7.5
8
8
7
7.5
Playfield Design
7
8
8
7
7.5
Replayability/Longevity
7
8
7.5
8
7.5
Total Score
7.5
Pluses:
Rudy: Good quotes from the non-PC guests. Interesting
backbox
action
with the jackpot clock and wiggly characters. Game play is pretty
solid.
8Ball: Cool BG with dine time wheel and animation.
Great sounds and
speech, B-B-B-Baby! Get into Rush mode during MB and shoot ramps for
500K each. 12 mil dine time countdown jackpot is cool.
Drac: very humorous sound bites, fun and innovative
cupola shot
Buzz: Number one! Clock jackpot is original.
Minuses:
Rudy: Left ramp somewhat rapeable due to chance for
EBs
8Ball: A little too easy to get into MB. Usually DINE
is spotted so
one right ramp for "R" lights lock. If you don't spin the cup it will
camp back on DINE after MB is over
Drac: Scoring can be somewhat one-dimensional if player
chooses to shoot
left ramp
continuously during single ball or "Rush Hour"
Buzz: Balls get stuck at criss/cross
Game: Dirty Harry
Designer: Barry Ousler
MFG:WMS (date on backglass says '94 though I think was
released in '95)
Reviewer:
Rudy
8Ball
Drac
Buzz
Total
Art-Backglass
5
5
6
5
5.25
Art-Playfield/Cabinet
5
4
6
3
4.5
Sound
5.5
7
7
8
7
Rules
6
7
8
9
7.5
Playfield Design
4
6.5
8
8
6.5
Replayability/Longevity
4.5
6
7.5
7.5
6.5
Total Score
6
Pluses:
Rudy: Quotes by Clint himself
8Ball: Some good modes and entertaining speech quotes
Drac: Funny sound bites like "Thanks Meathead",
and well-balanced scoring
Buzz: Decent ruleset. Awesome Multiball intro
Minuses:
Rudy: machine if tuned right plays good, but most
have gun, jets, and
left ramp problems. No real flow to the game
8Ball: Top lane lights nearly impossible to see when
playing. Software
has a unfinished feel as well as the drab art. Has that "rushed out at
the last minute, we spent too much money" look/feel.
Some DH's had nearly impossible to make ramps (ball almost always came
back down the ramp.
Drac: Gun often malfunctions and right ramp on many
examples is > mis-shapen (or at least adjusted incorrectly coming off the
assembly line)
so that ball comes back down ramp at flippers or down the middle.
Buzz: Gun is awful compared to other gun games. Ramps
reject ball to often on good shots. Horrible art.
Game: B.S. Dracula
Designer: Barry Ousler
MFG: Williams
Reviewer:
Rudy
8Ball
Drac
Buzz
Total
Art-Backglass
7.5
7
10
5
7.5
Art-Playfield/Cabinet
8
7
10
5
7.5
Sound
9.5
10
11
9
10
Rules
8
10
11
8
9.25
Playfield Design
6.5
10
9.5
5
7.75
Replayability/Longevity
7.5
9
11
5
8.25
Total Score
8.5
Pluses:
Rudy: Cool Mist Multiball effect. Volume seems
to amplify when 3
multiballs played simultaneously. Jackpot screams cause goosebumps.
8Ball: Awesome stackable multiballs with 2X &
3X JP multiplers too boot.
Very challenging PF with many tight shots and smooth ramps. Deep rule
set with premium sound and quotes. One of the best multiballs since
Centaur. Mist MB is killer.
Drac: I could fill an encyclopedia with the pluses
(I am Drac after all) --
but for starters how about Mist Multiball,stacking different Mulitballs for
exponential scoring, and a blood-dripping red DMD ....
Buzz: Nice flow. Mist MB is an awesome effect.
Minuses:
Rudy: : left ramp may be impossible to make if semi-weak
right flipper.
Results in possible SDTM.
8Ball: Only one, the art could have been better.
Drac: A very difficult game for operators to maintain
due to the
complexity.
Buzz: Not many shots. Ugly DMD. Plastic houses are
distracting from playfield.
Game: Dr. Who
Designer: Phutz
MFG: Bally
Simpsons Equivalent:
Martin:
Smart yet annoying
Reviewer:
Rudy
8Ball
Drac
Buzz
Total
Art-Backglass
7.5
4
8
7
6.5
Art-Playfield/Cabinet
8
6
9
7
7.5
Sound
9.5
9
4
2
6.25
Rules
8
9.5
9
9.5
9
Playfield Design
7.5
9
9
9.5
8.75
Replayability/Longevity
7
9
9
9
8.5
Total Score
8
Pluses:
Rudy: time expander 3 tier assembly is awesome.
Daleks taunt you during
multiball. Fun cycling the upper ramp. Excellent sounds.
8Ball: Combine PF multipliers with MB and video mode
for big points.
Radical sounds of Daleks going off when collecting jackpots. Ramp
sequence shots leading up to Sonic Boom is very cool.
Drac: 4x Playfield Scoring, Sonic Boom is awesome
Buzz: Time expander is awesome. Makes for great variety
during multiball. W-H-O combo is great
Minuses:
Rudy: Video mode can be shot over and over which takes
away from the
flow of playing pinball. Time expander often develops problems
8Ball: Art is very bad. Metal on metal(tm) outlanes
are very deadly.
Drac: The Daleks garbled speech
Buzz: Video mode is good but seems to take precedence
over playing physical pinball
Daleks are annoying as hell as well as the background music.
Game: Dr. Dude
Designer: Nordman
MFG: Bally
Reviewer:
Rudy
8Ball
Drac
Buzz
Total
Art-Backglass
9
8
8.5
9
8.5
Art-Playfield/Cabinet
6.5
8
9
9
8.25
Sound
6.5
7
9
6
7.25
Rules
5.5
7.5
5
4
5.5
Playfield Design
6
4
6
4
5
Replayability/Longevity
5.5
6
7
5
6
Total Score
6.5
Pluses:
Rudy: Another really good backglass from this era.
Mixmaster is
pretty unique.
8Ball:
Drac: Gift of Gab sound bites,Mixmaster.
Buzz: Great art and "S U P E R D U D E!"
sounds
Minuses:
Rudy: : game a no flow. Mixmaster is pretty
useless,
but you need to shoot it for scoring. SuperDude status' carry over
from game to game, becomes SuperDud in difficulty to achieve
8Ball: PF has no flow, too many dead end shots. Mixmaster
is a POS,
you can send 10 consecutive balls into it and only get a few total
switch hits. 0 skill all luck in mixmaster. Drop targets should be
renamed: Drain Targets. Nordmans worst PF design.
Drac: Due to larger slotted flippers, challenge is
reduced. Ruleset has
few high scoring options
except the multiball and shooting the Mixmaster.
Buzz: Mixmaster about as fun as a lobotomy . Right
John S.?
Martin: