Top 10 EM Pinball Machines of All Time ~ (According to Pinside User Reviews as of 1/6/2021)

[@ericligotke3542]

I love my trail drive. I paid twelve hundred about ten years ago to get it, had to get a new backglass. But it’s in the top 4 of my em games now

[@joanstehlik235]

Wow, none of my top games mentioned.😢 No old chicago, wizzard , air aces, pat hand or capt. fantastic

[@jacooosthuizen3593]

Great video!

[@JIm-w1b]

Oh there are so many pinball machines that belong in the top 10. I would name 1966 Williams Hot Line for sure, Gottliebs 1969 Target Pool , Williams OXO and Space Mission, Atlantis, Sky Jump, so many, many of them more

[@borna430]

wait a min, you mean Bally Wizard and Surf champ didn't make it to your list?

[@CaptNRetro]

not my list..based on pinside user reviews

[@viccamppinball]

Thanks for sharing your top 10 picks for the EM games. I have a Lady Luck in my collection of 40 + machines and for sure Lady Luck is at the top of my list also.

[@CaptNRetro]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@larryhowell3971]

I played a lot of EMs in high school in the early 70s. By far, the best game to play and watch was Gottlieb Lady Luck 1968. The most innovative game play I ever saw. I remember it almost caused fistfights to get on the machine. Never boring. The artwork, unfortunately wasn't very colorful, which probably hurt its popularity. I can imagine the relay logic ladder diagram is a site to behold lol. You are truly playing blackjack against the machine.

[@larryhowell3971]

My mistake... a Williams machine :>)

[@joycekoch5746]

My favorite was my own bias of two machines I had as a kid at home. The first was 2001 made in 1971 and the second was Aces and Kings from 1967.

[@roscoem9178]

Pinside ratings are almost all given by people who own the games, so couls there maybe be a bit of a bias there?

[@CaptNRetro]

I agree..i just report the list..I don't make it..but I'm about to do my own! thanks for watching!

[@HiNRGboy]

the 60's EM's seem to rate the highest don't they lol.. I love the EM's from the mid 50's through the late 70's I've never been partial to decade or manufacturer.. Too many good tables you'd miss out on.

[@townlinetim876]

I really appreciate seeing these machines. I’m only just getting into pinball machines because the Captn put the bug in my ear.

[@CaptNRetro]

keep crawling bug!

[@HiredGunTrio]

Excellent video on EM’s! Hurdy Gurdy is awesome! And yes! Three perfect 10’s for a rating is well said! 🎸🎸🎸

[@CMRetroGaming]

Cools stuff. I would be down for the Apollo table, it looked super cool.

[@CaptNRetro]

I just picked up a capersville tonight!

[@jimgraham1404]

Thank you

[@ruben_santos]

Those old school machines look great.. 🤘

[@CaptNRetro]

Thanks for watching buddy!

[@freddierodriguez2608]

Do a video of the top 10 new era pinball machines 🤔

[@CaptNRetro]

already have one..top 10 of all time as of december 2020

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

Gameplay wise Surf Champ/Surfer and Outer Space are very good

[@magsblack8344]

I’m still watching this video. Currently on Number 6. So far, not a single Gottlieb game has been mentioned or covered, which I am not surprised by, but do find a bit disappointing.

[@CaptNRetro]

Gottlieb has always been called the King of the Ems in my little corner of the world, i am partial to Bally designs and art..to each their own..but yes, I also found it odd if they are so loved that so few sit so high!

[@HiNRGboy]

@@CaptNRetro what about Williams being king of Em's lol

[@kamnili6159]

1975 Bally Wizard and 1976 Surf Camp are the only two best EM machine of all time.

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

Yeah Surf Champ is great for an old table

[@BM-jy6cb]

One Gottlieb out of ten machines? Even if you don't like Gottlieb gameplay, their artwork under both Roy Parker and Gordon Morison was much better than the competition. And no 1970's EMs?

[@CaptNRetro]

these rankings are based on the Top 100 Em games over on pinside and user ratings..I don't make the list, I just report it!

[@overratedprogrammer]

I might be getting a mibs, gonna check it out

[@davidlanger3295]

What, no ‘King of Diamonds, ‘Buck-a-roo,’ or ‘Kings and Queens?’

[@DavidSmith-rc7hs]

Great vid

[@CaptNRetro]

Thanks so much!

[@robfassi3297]

I hate to say it but pin side is very inaccurate

[@HiNRGboy]

they are all great tables listed though.. there's just a ton more that could be here too

[@Souldiver66]

Yep, as the place to go to get Pinball information is the IPDB, of course. Jay does such a great job!

[@covercalls88]

The only EM I ever owned was Spanish Eyes. I disliked the shorter flippers on the older EM, so the ones I would rate higher are the later pins.

[@HiNRGboy]

yeah but FIREBALL..

[@sodapopinski690]

Here's the problem with Pinside and IPDB ratings. There are a-holes that purposely try and sabotage the ratings of some of the most beloved games of all time, posting under different names and giving ratings of ONE STAR to presumably try and skew the ratings downward. I'm not sure if they are just malicious type people (the same bitter and angry types that thumbs down every video they watch) or they want to try and lower the perceived value of certain machines so they can get a better price on one when they buy one. Anyway I don't know anyone personally who is seeking out most of these games on this list. They are just not that popular to pinheads who really are into EM pinball collecting. Any Gottlieb wedgehead would sell first over these ho hum games from a serious collector. In short, this list is worthless to people who are really into this hobby. Not trying to sound snobbish, just keeping it real.

[@VaxxedStories]

Later EMs such as OXO have the large flippers and much faster gameplay, so I have no interest in these older ones.

[@Torter23]

No disrespect, but as others have mentioned those ratings have no correlation to real concensus among pinball enthusiasts. If it were the same group of say 50 peeps rating most of the games it might have some comparitive value. Saying you're just reporting the list is somewhat misleading as it indicates some sort of weight to the list, and an actual poll of top 10 EM's among enthusiasts would yield nothing close to this. You do a fine job, but a better approach in this case might have been to simply go by production numbers as the most popular machines had more produced (with some caveats, as the 70's had higher production than the 60's and some single player popular machines had lower runs than the multiplayers. I only reply here not to disparage you, but to express sadness that someone familiar with only modern games and wants to check out the EM world would be sorely disappointed if they used this list as a guide. I can tell you off the top of my head that a top EM list from enthusiasts would most likely consist of (in no particular order) tables like Jacks Open, Royal Flush, El Dorado, Atlantis, Surf Champ, Jack in the Box, Spirit of 76 and other 70's Gottliebs. Bally's Fireball would be a contender. For the 60's probably Slick Chick, Crosstown, Kings and Queens, Majorettes.... Remember, in the 70's the pinball industry made more money than the movie industry and Gottlieb dominated, as they did in the 60's. Bally took the lead in the early solid state era and held steady with Williams until the latter's domination from mid solid state era to DMD (though Williams and Bally eventually were essentially the same company). Even Pinside concedes these ratings have no bearing to concensus. Even picking one person who had rated dozens of EM's would have given you at least an internally consistent list. Again, no disrespect but as a longtime involvement in classic pinball and a livelihood involving statistics and polling, this sort of thing will certainly yield a rambling post from me. Best wishes.

[@CaptNRetro]

Take it up with Pinside dude

[@Torter23]

@CaptNRetro Just trying to educate you that this problem exists at pinside, ipdb, and all niche collectibles sites with ratings. The comments are what's important for people actually shopping for them. I'm just saying for future content of anything along these lines you could even do highest market valued (which is tied to greatness and/or rarity). It's not an issue with pinside, it's an issue with the interpretation. Just trying to be helpful.

[@CaptNRetro]

you are welcome to make whatever content you wish on this platform..I was looking at a list..i used said list..I'm sorry you don't agree with said list..make your own @@Torter23

[@Torter23]

@CaptNRetro ok...last attempt. I was trying to be encouraging. It has nothing to do with me agreeing or not with the list. If you had done your top 10 or a group of people you asked for their favorites or whatever, no problem. I was expecting your list, in which case I would respect your opinions. But self reported ratings on sites like that is no better than if you picked 10 random tables. It's not noteworthy and actually a bit lazy. I was trying to just give a heads up because my daughter and I have enjoyed your other content. If I didn't have a positive opinion of your other work I never would have responded. No ill will intended. If anything I said might help in future, great...if you think I'm full of s**** that's OK, too. Otherwise, I have no conflict.

[@808zhu]

Now do your Top 10s.

[@CaptNRetro]

coming soon

[@808zhu]

@@CaptNRetro Thanks for the vids. How's that Nightmare On Elm Street pin coming along?

[@CaptNRetro]

@@808zhu it's waiting on a few things..and getting all kinds of upgrades!

[@moogooguypan2514]

Is this a joke? None of my favorite games are here

[@markanderson6787]

Why in the fuck would you show the best games by showing a virtual pinball playfield.

[@CaptNRetro]

because not every game on the last has actual video footage of it online, I could only find Virtual versions..I'm sorry I disappointed you so much