Fun Fact: The Phantom of the Opera had an option (as far as I known) to put a bumper directly in the center of the flippers. It changed the game dramatically considering that the space in between was a bit wider than most tables at the point of release. (1990?) One of my favorites. I think it's the Only one that is in my Top 10 that wasn't made by Williams.
Oh man, poor old Cyclone. I absolutely love that little table. It sounds like a tiny funfair and even the ramps are made to make the ball look like it's just a park visitor, leaving the queue lines in the typical zigzag fashion - or even just skipping out after having a fun ride. Get the high score music and it's just happiness in audio form, even more than usual. Ranking it below Starship Troopers, never mind as bottom rank, is tragic :(
I recently acquired Pinball Arcade. One of its biggest charms is that you can play actually tables instead of fictional ones. Unfortunately I do not know many tables. For season 4 only the Adams family was a familiar one. My wishlist would consist of Star Wars (1992), Lethal Weapon, Hook, Guns 'n Roses and Back to the Future.
What you didn't mention about Xenon and Centaur was that they were among the first tables to have proper voice acting as opposed to tables like Gorgar, Firepower and Black Knight where all the dialogue was spliced up to save space. Also, I find it hard to believe that Xenon would actually be made in 1979 like what the flyer says, when it looks more like it was made in 1980 at least. I mean, there's no way a table with that much quality would be possible in the 70s!
It hurts so much that I have only just gotten into pinball - and now most of those wonderfull tables have become unavailable. Yep, I know that seasons 1 and 2 are still available on disk - but how will I ever be able to play ADDAMS FAMILY or XENON (the only table I played as a child)? Gee, this shows how important material data storage is - and how fast things will just dissappear if we rely on streaming services and downloads...
Thanks for the ranking- I agree with most of yours- My personal favorite was Jackpot. Your right Cyclone is boring and I cannot stand Starship Troopers. The bug screaming alone drives me nuts. Red and Ted and Jackbot are the two I play the most from this season. Addams is ofcourse great also. The one I have the hardest time getting a really good score is Phantom but it is fun.
Yeah, Phantom had a center bumper in between the flippers at my arcade. It helped a LOT. I'm not sure if that was an option or if for some reason the owner of tbe arcade just decided to do it.
Surely Zen Studios will release The Addam's Family sooner rather than later, maybe already in Volume nr3? All volumes will contain at least one so-called "hit" in pinball-land. :) Only downside is... it will take ZEN about 6 years to hit the number of tables already released by Farsight. Hopefully a few non released by Farsight (Indiana Jones, Flintstones, Popeye...)
I really wish that they had released more seasons of Pinball Arcade on disc before they lost the license. I don't game much and just discovered those games.
If the Addams Family music wasn't done by MC Hammer, the feel for the movie would have been better. Same for Batman with Prince doing the sound track. Having pop stars instead of original music for a movie may sell more tickets at the time, but it hurts a movie in the long run, making an old movie feel even older.
