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RetroforceGO! records episode 96 tonight: Pinball photo

In somewhat of a departure from the norm, this week's episode is not about videogames. I say "somewhat" because it's not entirely unusual for the show to not be about videogames, even if that's our topic every week. But this time it's, you know, on purpose.

Instead, we'll be talking about pinball. Some of our younger listeners probably don't even know what that is, but our second season is almost at a close and it's something we've always wanted to do. So with the ladies away at SDCC, we'll be joined once again by our friend Conrad Zimmerman, and it'll just be us dudes. Talking about our shiny, metal balls. Hit the comments with your fondest pinball memories and your questions for us.


Continue: More RetroforceGO! stories





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83 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Isay Isay's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:53
Isay Isay
Was Tommy the best or worst thing to happen to pinball?

Has there ever been a console/handheld specific pinball game that has ever captured the feel of actual pinball?

Pachinko vs. pinball - who wins?
ryu89's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:55
ryu89
Was NES Pinball the classic that I remember it to be, or do I have some retrose tinted glasses on?
spot the spy's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:56
spot the spy
isay isay says pachinko vs. pinball but what about thier amazing love child peggle? do any of you play and pr like it?

and can you please do a chrono trigger episode?
eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:56
eternalplayer2345
What's the most memorable pinball machine that was based on some other thing? I always remember simpsons pinball for some reason.

What would your dream pinball machine have on it in terms of what's it's based on.

Does anyone actually like those pinball machines that are obnoxiously loud?

Talk about how awesome multiball is!

I have never been able to trigger a tilt, they were just so heavy for me? Could any of you do it?

What's your favorite pinball video game? I actually love the pinball machines in sonic adventure for some reason, especially nights!
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:57
Magnalon
What's the weirdest pinball table you've ever played on? Larry King Live's Pinball? Pewee's Playhouse?

Also, from a scale of 10-11, how amazing was Pinball Quest? for the Famicom? (Hint: 12)
Draconianviper's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:58
Draconianviper
I remember the classic clinks and clunks coming from the pinball section back when arcades were the norm. The sounds and the impacts are probably what drew me to those games. And the variety in terms of themes gave most a uniqueness such as multiple ramps or landing in a rotating ship to be spat out a random direction made them all exciting. Do you think that if pinball machines were as accessable now as they were then(more arcades or 7Elevens), would people play them as much?

Also...You're out of balls! Try to win one! Only won those minigames once.
eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:58
eternalplayer2345
one more question!

Why isn't there a pinball machine based on "the accused"?

also sonic spinball is horrible
Xhumation's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 12:59
Xhumation
Pinball was illegal during the prohibition era because it was considered gambling.

If you could make any aspect of gaming illegal what would it be?
for me..unskippable cut-scenes
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:00
DaedHead8
What is the greatest real life pinball machine ever? My favorite machine was the Elvira machine, but that's probably because I was 11 the first time I saw one.
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:00
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask
Awesome :)

Shaking the table: Cheating or Pro Strategy?

And on a quasi related note:
What are your favorite pinball video games? The only ones that come to mind or Microsoft Pinball, Metroid Prime Pinball and Pokemon Pinball for the original gameboy (the latter is particularly awesome (I still play it to this day >.<), and somewhat notable for it's use of a rumble pack) Is it an under represented genre, of does virtual versions of the game just not work as well?
Issun's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:00
Issun
What is your most fond memory concerning pinball (machine or game ?
Chad and Dyson, were you happy when Metroid prime pinball was announced and what do you think of it ?
Also, what would be your dream theme for a pinball machine ?
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:01
AgentMOO
Guys, what's your favorite movie/tv adaptation to pinball?


Also what is your opinion of those crazy display screens that go beyond the basic red scrolly text, and do minigames or lengthy animations? Are you purists about the game, or do you think the crazy graphics add to the experience?
garison's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:01
garison
Do any of you guys have aspirations aspirations to own an actual pinball machine? And if so, what pinball machine would that be (it doesn't have to actually exist).
MiOdd's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:03
MiOdd
True or False.

Gottlieb's 1982 Haunted House pinball table is the greatest thing ever.




btw, the answer is True!
Issun's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:04
Issun
Damn it, eternalplayer, I'm too slow on this one ;)
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:05
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask
Also, might it be possible to get a RFGO Rendition of Pinball Wizard going? ;3
Issun's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:07
Issun
If someone made a fully functionning Retroforce themed pinball machine, what would be inside (bumpers screaming amaaazing ?)?
Dead Movie Star's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:07
Dead Movie Star
I <3 Pinball.
ouched's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:10
ouched
Besides Chocobos, Slurpees, and Dolphins, what would appear on and in the Retroforce GO Pinball machine?

Which of you would have the high score?
Happy Chainsaw Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:10
Happy Chainsaw Man
Super Pinball: Behind the Mask for the SNES

I played it back in the day, and thought it was the greatest thing ever. I dug it out yesterday, and I couldn't stand to play it for more than five minutes. Does anyone else remember playing this one, and what did you think of it?
Giant Enemy Crab's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:12
Giant Enemy Crab
Whats your Highest Score in a Pinball game, and which piball game is your favorite?
wilbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:12
wilbo
have any of you played dragons fury?
that is my favorite pinball game ever!
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:12
AgentMOO
Also will you talk about pinball games for handhelds and consoles? Kirby's Pinball Land was so awesome:

P3T3Y's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:14
P3T3Y
I have the high score on Conrad's Devil Crush (Virtual Console), but he laid the smack down on Alien Crush...or is the other way around?
parsleyboots's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:15
parsleyboots
Which have you played/do you play more: real pinball or video game simulations?

(I've definitely played more Revenge of the 'Gator than anything else.)
d0nfil0fi0's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:15
d0nfil0fi0
FACT: Pinballs based on movies are better than videogames based in movies. Now, have you ever played a pinball machine that's better than the series/movie its based on?

Also, what's the biggest videogame pinball cameo ever: Seeing Mario and Peach in "Pinball" or the "Nights" bonus round in Sonic's Adventure?
seifd's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:20
seifd
I've never understood exactly what tilt means. Can one of you explain it to me?
parsleyboots's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:20
parsleyboots
Also: Tommy or Tilt?
Sonic9jct's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:20
Sonic9jct
Am I the only one who played Pokemon pinball for its amazing music more than the gameplay?

Also, are there any franchises (movies, games, TV, etc) that you always felt would make a good pinball table or game? For example, I think Wallace & Gromit could make for a good board or Metal Slug Pinball could be an addicting game.
phantomile's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:21
phantomile
Ahhh I miss the little diner down the street from my house that used to have this awesome pinball machine. I haven't played one in years since they tore that building down a few years ago.
Virtual pinball just isn't the same.
SetoChaos's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:21
SetoChaos
Sonic Spinball and Pokémon Pinball = Win.
Toucan Gourmand's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:28
Toucan Gourmand
For some reason the only pinball machine I can still remember is the one for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
What Pinball machine(s) stick out most in your memories and why?
Are there any virtual pinball games worth mentioning?...what are they?
Rabspat's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:28
Rabspat
Metroid Prime Pinball is a really strange addition to the series. What game do you think would have the most hilariously awkward transition to pinball?
Double J's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:29
Double J
Have you ever seen the "UltraPin Pinball Machine"?



It's a "digital" pinball machine. Instead of being a real pinball game with ramps, lights, etc, it's a screen with the picture of a pinball table and on-screen balls, flippers, no actual moving parts whatsoever. Although they do mimic classic pinball machines from companies like Bally and Williams, they aren't much more than a video game designed to feel like a real pinball machine.

Is this a cheap way to cash in on a dying franchise? Or a good way to preserve it?


Check this site for more information: http://www.bmigaming.com/ultrapin.htm
spoonybard101's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:29
spoonybard101
What is your favorite table gimmick (i.e. the triple playfield in Haunted House or the magnetic Thing in the Addams Family)? Also, have you ever talked back to a machine that spoke (i.e. Gorgar, Black Knight, or PinBot)?
Analoge's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:36
Analoge
What do you think about pinball video games, such as Pokemon Pinball or Sonic Spinball. Do you think they're better, or at least on par, with actual tables?

Personally, while I'll go to an arcade and love every second of a traditional pinball table, I don't think it translates well at all to video games.
MuddBstrd's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:46
MuddBstrd
When I was in college, the dorm I lived in for four years (all students lived on-campus at this particular institution) had a large lounge area where students could congregate. Unlike most dorms though, ours banned things like TVs in order to promote more social behavior. The only three furnishings in the lounge were couches, a gigantic homemade bar, and a PinBot pinball machine.

It was not uncommon after a long night of drinking for people to consume In-N-Out and play PinBot, all while yelling drunkenly back at the machine whenever it would mock you. The machine unfortunately succumbed to wear, tear, and a crowbar swung by an asshole, but the culture it helped promote was really awesome. Pinball machines are really social ways that even today's games really can't match.
doctor insidious's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:48
doctor insidious
There have been so many countless remakes of pinball in video games, however, are any of them actually as good as the real thing? I feel as if the visuals, sound, and feel of pinball would not be remake-able on a console or handheld. In other words, the pinball wizard would suck at video game pinball
teknomcr's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:49
teknomcr
Do ya'll think that as pinball tables have evolved, that they have lost their original appeal because of so many things going on?

I think one of my favorites growing up was Whirlwind by Midway. It had the fan on the top and blew air at you when you were doing good. The Baby Pac-man game/pinball hybrid was fun too. There needs to be a pinball hero w/ real sounds and flipper buttons to make video game pinball sims more realistic.
Char Aznable's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:53
Char Aznable
Do you guys use the trapping technique for extra control over where your ball was heading? This is basically where you keep the ball in place with one flipper while planning your next move. It always gave me a moment to regain my composure during an intense pinball game.

When launching the balls at the start of your turn, do you try to use finesse to get them in a specific spot, or just go crazy and pull the plunger all the way back?

What are your thoughts on multiballs? Is there a single greater joy than unleashing an onslaught of three balls at once toward those unsuspecting targets and blinking lights?

Happy Chainsaw Man, I TOTALLY played Super Pinball: Behind the Mask and thought it was the greatest thing ever. I haven't gone back to it since those days, but I'm sure it's aged horribly.
Cadtalfryn's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:56
Cadtalfryn
Here, this is for you guys:



As gaming has evolved over time from the pinball machines, to the video arcades and the home consoles the interfaces and tools the player has to play the game have grown more complicated.

From keeping the ball in the air and racking up high scores, to getting the ball past the opponents paddle in Pong, to pressing forward and evading enemies in platformers and shmups and beyond to more modern and far more complicated ones. However, it seems like the more complicated games get, the easier they are to have some semblance of mastery over. You see plenty of experts around the Fighter, FPS and RTS scenes, but how many Wizards have you encountered? Do you find this to be true or is there something else to it?
eYak's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:03
eYak
Not pinball-related, but Steam just put up the Space Quest and King's Quest collections - at a decent price, no less! How amazing is that?
JusticeDude's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:06
JusticeDude
Sorry this isn't pinball related, but are any of you guys going to MAGfest this year? I strongly suggest you do because it's AMAZING!
smurfee mcgee's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:11
smurfee mcgee
What's your favorite machine? High score?
When's Destructoid getting a machine?
Isay Isay's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:14
Isay Isay
What's you favorite pinball-esque level (like Casino Zone) in a nonpinball game?

To add onto Char's question, did you pull the plunger out or smash it in?
Isay Isay's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:16
Isay Isay
@ eYak

Why did they have to use that zombie from SQ4 with their screenshots? That guy always scared the crap out of me when I was younger.
MatCD's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:22
MatCD
The user formally know as Kapkomi here. Sorry for any confusion my new name will cause, but you have to admit, the old one sounded really stupid. Not to say that MatCD sounds that much, but if you knew my full name you'd understand.

Anyway, have you guys ever play home version pinball? I'm talking about the machines that were about the size of a large book or a small board game.


this

Personally, I thought these things were terrible. You could never get the right balance and there wasn't enough going on in such a small space to hold my attention.
KIHP's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:23
KIHP
Where did you enjoy playing pinball the most, why did you enjoy that place was it the lights, the music, or just who you were with. Example: funspot has the whole pinwall and is constantly playing awesome songs like centipede, pinball wizard, jukebox hero etc.
Also if there was a retroforce pinball machine how would you guys look for the machine picture.
MatCD's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:23
MatCD
sounds that much better
Los255's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 14:27
Los255
If you can make your own custom Pinball machine, what game, characters, sounds, lights, etc would you include?
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