Top 5 Greatest Pinball Machines From Bally/Williams (SDTM, 2025)

Straight Down the Middle·video·7m 23s·analyzed·Mar 11, 2025

Analysis

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TL;DR

SDTM ranks top 5 Bally/Williams games; Medieval Madness #1, Attack from Mars #2, Shadow #3.

Summary

Straight Down the Middle hosts rank the top 5 greatest Bally/Williams pinball machines of all time: Medieval Madness (#1), Attack from Mars (#2), The Shadow (#3), Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (#4), and Addams Family (#5). The discussion emphasizes design quality, theme integration, toys, modes, and lasting cultural impact, with notable observations that three of the top five were designed by Brian Eddy. Hosts also tangentially discuss potential modern remakes and theme variations.

Key Claims

Addams Family is the best-selling pinball machine of all time
high confidence · Host states directly: 'It's like the best selling pinball machine of all time. It's pure fun.'
Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, and The Shadow were all designed by Brian Eddy
high confidence · Host notes: 'One, two, and three are Brian Eddy games. I know that. Just says something. That says a lot.'
Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is a wide-body machine
high confidence · Host explicitly states: 'And it's a wide body. Yes.'
The Shadow has a cult following and was initially considered a B-list game but has become recognized as one of the greatest
high confidence · Host describes: 'It was like the, uh, the cult following. It was, you know, it was kind of that weird B-list... It has become one of the greatest of all.'
Brian Eddy is experiencing a comeback with Dungeons & Dragons pinball
medium confidence · Host states: 'I think Brian's on a comeback though with D&D. Okay. I think this is going to be a turnaround.'

Notable Quotes

“Addams Family is royalty. It is. It's royalty up there with Medieval Madness.”
Host @ ~2:30 — Summarizes cultural status of Addams Family in pinball canon
“Indiana Jones may be one of the greatest themes for pin. It's like Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars. It's right there.”
Host @ ~5:00 — Articulates top-tier IP themes in pinball design
“One, two, and three are Brian Eddy games. I know that. Just says something. That says a lot.”
Host @ ~16:00 — Recognition of designer's impact on elite-tier pinball machines
“The Shadow is the underdog... It is greatness. It really is. It's so good.”
Host @ ~10:00 — Defends underrated game; exemplifies cult appreciation pattern
“You can't get around it. Wonderful. And it's the same thing as number one. They kind of go. They like two peas in a pod.”
Host @ ~17:00 — Describes Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars as complementary design peaks

Entities

Medieval Madnessgame Attack from Marsgame The Shadowgame Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventuregame Addams Familygame Brian Eddyperson Straight Down the Middleorganization

Signals

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sentiment_shift: The Shadow represents a pattern of cult appreciation: initially underrated B-list game that has gained recognition as genuinely great through community play and re-evaluation
high · Host notes: 'It was kind of that weird B-list... It has become one of the greatest of all'
?
design_philosophy: Hosts emphasize toy quality, playfield mechanics, theme integration, and achievable wizard modes as markers of elite pinball design; Brian Eddy's work exemplifies this philosophy
high · Detailed analysis of magnet use in Addams Family, ramp diverters in The Shadow, toys in Indiana Jones, strobe multiball in Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars
$
market_signal: Hosts express interest in modern remakes of classic Bally/Williams properties (Indiana Jones, Back to the Future 3) but acknowledge IP licensing complexity
medium · Discussion of potential Indiana Jones, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Back to the Future 3 pinball possibilities; mentions uncertainty about modern remake feasibility
?
community_signal: Brian Eddy's design legacy dominates this ranking; three of top five games attributed to him, signaling his outsized impact on 1990s Bally/Williams design standards
high · Hosts explicitly identify Brian Eddy as designer of Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, and The Shadow; suggest this 'says a lot'

Topics

Bally/Williams legacy and design excellenceprimaryBrian Eddy's design impact and career trajectoryprimaryPinball theme licensing and IP suitabilitysecondaryCult appreciation and overlooked classic gamessecondaryPlayfield mechanics and toy designsecondaryModern remake/retheme potential of classic gamesmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Enthusiastic celebration of classic Bally/Williams machines; hosts express genuine affection and nostalgia for these designs. Some light-hearted debate about rankings but fundamentally positive tone throughout. Tangential tea/coffee discussion slightly breaks enthusiasm but returns to positive.

Transcript

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I know Bal Williams doesn't make pinball machines anymore but damn it GRE that's some of people's favorite it was a crown jewel yeah like the '90s B Williams that's where it's at and they've made so many and they were some of the most popular pinball machines ever made they set a standard so we need to tell these people what the top five are we did this years ago but we were wrong now we're right coming in as the number five greatest B Williams pinball machine this a hard one first cuz you you really pushed this one into it I had theater of magic and it didn't make the list it's not on the list m- it was usurped by The Adams Family yeah hey Absol I mean it's hard to it's like the best selling pitball machine of all time it's pure fun it is good fun Adams Family is pure fun it is it sounds good the call outs are really good the modes are still fun I'm not saying the house is the hardest thing to run through but it's still just it's great it's this great nostalgic fun that just feels good yeah and and just go and then just listening to you know the sound yeah it it it invigorates you oh yeah yeah where I like it see see you're smiling right now talking about look how clever because I love the there's no magnet use like this I mean the magnet I love that you did the curled that's what it does too the magnet use say it can throw a ball up a ramp like it's just so cool got to get the fuses on there so it don't burn your play field but it's really cool and then even like even when you hit it up the ramp like the little train thing it does the knocker and St like theater magic might have great toys but then Little Phantom Flipper the little flipper that kicks it the swamp Adams is just Adams Adams Family is it's royalty it is it's royalty up there with medieval Mana so it it deserves on the list of the top five greatest thank you uh number four greatest B Williams pinball machine of all time is Indiana Hilton Jones the pinball Adventure you talking about a game that's loaded up and well-rounded so crazy greatness in theme greatness in toys greatness in modes even video mode artwork is even beautiful in its own way one of our very few a-rated near perfect machine and it's a wide body yes and it kind of feels like a wide body it does it does yeah but I mean it's still just got a lot going on the airplanes and the yeah yeah that's what I'm saying the Idol dude it's so much cool Indiana Hilton Jones may be one of the greatest themes for pin it's like it's like Jaws Jurassic Park Indiana Hilton Jones Star Wars it's right there I like to see them redoing Indiana I would like I'd like a modern is the L we need I agree we need something I would honestly like listen and people this might not be a RAC cup of tea but those three movies are so Starling I don't like green tea oh you don't God mind it I C oh God I'll drink it tea I don't coffee British tea oh like that's dirty water like ear what is that an Earl Gray that they drink it's a little r i like a good old country sweet tea where it feels like my teeth are shrinking oh no I can't I drink I only drink unsweet tea I can't do all that oh no I love that terrible but I would I would do all I would do all three movies you imagine a temple of doom that's just Temple of Doom Last Crusade get it that's fine John Youssi what I'm saying it works I don't know if the third one's I mean I you didn't like the oh my God I loved it well then what you bitching about it's not it's not the first to no but I mean still we could you could there's a lot you could do with it I like Back To The Future Three I'm say I do too I mean I wouldn't make a pin of it but well it's still fun the third greatest Valley Williams you should re redeem a Cactus Canyon into Back To The Future Three that would be great and you just put the DeLorean where the train is oh that would be good or put a little DeLorean with the train pushing it that would be good idea I want to do that sorry it's not a bad idea no it's not and it's achievable and I like that theme I know I'm trying to think what would be the topper instead of Bart oh Biff that be Biff's ass it would be it'd be the cowboy Biff yeah Cowboy Biff whatever his name is I think like cowboy Biff what is this this is oh more to come the third greatest valy Williams pinball machine is the shadow oh the underdog the shadow it is it is greatness it really is it's so good even though the theme is weird uh if you look at the theme as more like early radio storytelling oh it's kind of a Terri it's the movie is horrible yeah it is but it's still a great pen and honestly the theme lends itself very well to it Curry I too but it's so good man it's just upper Play It's the toys the ramp diverters it is just I remember when we first got into pinball it was like the uh the cult following it was you it was kind of that weird Bee list Johnny pneumonic yes there were a few games that it's even surpass Johnny pneumonic though yes 100% it has become one of the greatest of all the sanctum God knows that we're we are a dirty sanctum is originates here straight down the minute and it's uh yeah where it takes the ball and soow wonderfully call out it's it's great if you've never played the shadow you you got to get on one of those that's that's B Williams and it's a wizard mode that's achievable like you work towards it you will achieve that wizard mode it's tough and to complete it's tough too you got to hit every switch and again but it's perfect it is it's just perfect the number two greatest B Williams pinball machine of all time is what Chicago game it's the same thing Chicago game coming it's it's attack from Mars y it is yep it's just greatness how do you get around it no you can't get around wonderful and it's the same thing as number one they kind of go they like two P's in a p we should have switched them around for this one we should so then that way we Medieval Madness I think you can own both so I'm argue you can't no I think you can I like the rules a little better on Attack From Mars there's more toys on no you can own both of those the humor is maybe a little better in Medieval Madness but it's great in attack for Mars yeah you know what's crazy one two and three are Brian hady games I know that just says something that says a lot m I think Brian's on a comeback though with d and d okay I think this is going to be a turnaround number one Medieval Madness number two attack for Mars God I love those really and they give the best toys come on the strobe multiball yeah I love it it's just nothing it hits you can't you cannot miss with any of those five games in the balet Williams list for the top the best stuff [Music] f [Music]