Eight Ball Deluxe Limited Edition

Bally

Eight Ball Deluxe Limited Edition

Pinside Rating

This game received 55 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.857 /10

7.857

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 2nd in the game group "Eight Ball Deluxe". The group itself ranks #94 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.206

Artwork: 7.215

Sounds/Music: 6.537

Other Aspects: 8.292


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 3 of us have rated this game.

7.268

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This title is part of group: "Eight Ball Deluxe"


Found 29 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 29 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 2.

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8.419/10
1 year ago
I finally added this game to my collection, and zero buyers remorse! It plays floaty, then BANG! super fast! The audio music is certainly dated, but the call outs are decent and not overly chatty. Drop Targets are so fun, and there are a bunch of them and they are central feature to scoring well. I don't think I'll ever sell this game.
10.000/10
1 year ago
Love this game, I own it!!
8.644/10
1 year ago
Great game! Was in my collection for many years just ran out of space to keep it. Highly recommend this classic machine.
9.222/10
1 year ago
Played several times at the newly-opened Medway Pinball Club.

A stone-cold classic gameplay-wise. Has loads of challenging drop targets - both on the target bank to the right and for the multipliers. The third flipper adds an extra dimension.

Not wild about the cabinet, theme and artwork, but it 100% has that “one more game” feel.
8.389/10
1 year ago
my favourite, banzai is nr 2. this game is great, so hard to score ultra high points too. the simple fact is it’s drop target heaven. placed well too, left orbits is sweet, sound so nice. great old lady she is. mostly floaty games but can whip up and whiplash you out so fast too.. has fast moments and the out of symmetry slingshots are draining you lots if you are not prepared. got mine on 3 balls, super tight tilt.. too bad you scratched! what a great pin. played more than my medieval madness or addams fam. my 2 boys love it too, my youngest really gravitates to it. my older boy loves my tommy. my nr4 fave since i got rush le. it’s a pinball players, skill shot pin. back to the days of you must have skill. the eight ball can drain you, your multipliers killer to get, drops out hard after 2x.. get the c or d if you dare.. it’s hard to master, like banzai, tommy.. hard to master.. this one has the 3-4 hour black hole effect on me and my youngest.. captivating great old sleek and sounding game.. i want another one. like my banzai must always have one playable..
8.028/10
2 years ago
Same game as the earlier versions although the cabinet design is horrid. Makes working on it a nightmare.
7.014/10
2 years ago
Eight Ball Deluxe with a Mr. and Mrs. Pacman cabinet. Its still awesome!
7.722/10
2 years ago
Probably the most iconic billiards themed pinball. So much so that it was brought back in this "Limited-Edition."

The cabinet is the obvious difference between this and its predecessor, I don't mind the new look but I am partial to the original.

Definitely a winner in the addictive/one more game category. A game with simple, intuitive goals; easy in the beginning but gets more challenging the longer you play. I always find myself needing just one or two more targets to achieve a fantastic score. . .

Solid State 80s sounds/voices are not for everyone but I like them in this sort of game, period correct if you will.

A version of a Classic that fits in just about every collection.
8.112/10
3 years ago
A good friend of mine has this game and I covet it. It stayed with me part of a summer while I was getting it working and sorted and I fell in love with it all over again, the last time being in 1983....
The art package is fine, not outstanding but fits the theme and the era well. The sounds are great! Love the voice that tells you where to shoot next. But the real star of the show is gameplay....
This game can be brutally fast. I've seen shots straight off the pops blow right past the flippers before I could even react. The inline drops are a nice touch and entice the player to go for a fairly dangerous shot. But the row of seven drops along the right is where all the action is. And the third flipper up high on the left is perfect for a crossfield shooting gallery whenever the ball rolls back down from the left arch shot. What really makes this bank special is the memory targets so each player in a multiplayer game gets the targets reset to how they left them. No Multiball, EBD doesn't need it. This may possibly be the best single ball machine ever made . And since this is the section for the LE game, I gotta say I prefer this version. It's harder to transport and service, but I like the looks of the cabinet and having the displays all together down low is neat. Would I recommend it? Oh hell yeah, but good luck finding a deal on one.
9.032/10
3 years ago
Bally had three production runs of this classic for good reasons and I'm sure a fourth would be well received (are you listening over at Chicago Gaming???)

From a player's perspective, EBD in any cabinet is EBD. 39 years after the initial release it remains a great game for two reasons: 1) absolute "just one more game" factor 2) each time you play the results are different--3 or 5 bail matters not!

From a collector's standpoint: the LE cabinet has its own unique personality--especially among other machines.

From a service tech standpoint: never had problems servicing an LE, Mr. & Ms Pac-Man, or Centaur II in the leftover Rapid Fire cabinets. Certain things are actually easier to service in the LE cabinet.

BTW: I actually uncrated the early production EBD's that shipped with *white* pop bumper caps and had the lower guides on the outlanes and flippers (similar to Flash Gordon).
8.261/10
3 years ago
I love this game. Great artwork, lots of drops, fun callouts (one of my favorites in ALL of pinball), and that one more game feel.
The LE is actually far cheaper than the original, and I like it even better because of the quirky design.
7.646/10
4 years ago
solid game. very cool head on this machine.
9.116/10
4 years ago
Classic Bally ss game, with wide appeal.
8.132/10
6 years ago
What a classic! I love the call outs and it is still a challenge to really beat this machine. The limited edition has it’s own appeal and it has really grown on me.
Pros: almost every one that comes over gravitates to this machine. The eight ball shot and the bank shot (at least 4 and 5x shots) are pretty challenging and far from automatic. Great speech for its day.
Overall a nice open shooter with nice play field art.
Cons: Limited edition backglass too small. Fluorescent light behind backglass is a bit lame but I understand an LED rope light can dress it up some. Sometimes the drop targets won’t drop when hit hard (perhaps weak springs on mine). Limited edition a bit harder to work on.
8.523/10
6 years ago
Everyone knows Eight Ball Deluxe is an awesome game, but I love the Limited Edition Cabinet even more. A little more unique in the lineup than just a bunch of cookie cutter cabs. The head design also reduces playfield glare considerably.
9.162/10
7 years ago
always one of the most fun games to play- the LE has one of the ugliest cabinets ever.
8.358/10
7 years ago
I really love playing this game, and never get tired of it. Lots of challenging shots, and it's not easy to set yourself up for a high score. I like the backglass on the original EBD, but for some reason, I like this Limited Edition better. I just think it looks cool. Maybe because it's so different from most other machines.

I had this in my collection 25 years ago and sold it because I was young and moving a lot. Have been keeping my eyes open for another one, and when I find a good one, it will be back in my collection permanently.
7.671/10
8 years ago
Not really a theme that tugs at the heartstrings but this is a classic Bally, 'Shoot the Eight Ball!' the electronic voice tells you. One of those games everyone seems to want to own and I can see why.
8.464/10
8 years ago
All time classic. I have had this game for over a year and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. Drops everywhere, and a tough eightball shot. Just one more game feel, and a great game to learn shooting skills on as you can utilize all the tricks to gain an advantage in this game.
8.333/10
8 years ago
Awesome game play. The non-standard cabinet and smaller backglass are not quite as aesthetically pleasing to most, but the game play is identical, which is what really matters. A true classic!
8.298/10
8 years ago
A lot of people really hate this style of backbox design from Bally... I'm not one of them.
7.570/10
9 years ago
Good Game. Same as regular Eight Ball Deluxe but different cabinet. Classic 80's pool theme game.
7.827/10
9 years ago
One of the greatest games ever made as far as the actual game play is concerned. The game is fast, very fast, fun and trains your reflexes. The rules are simple but the shots are challenging. The annoying voice tells you what to go after. This is helpful if you don't know the rules but gets old very quickly after you figured it out. On the down side, the machine is not much to look at. The cabinet and artwork are goofy. What were they thinking? That's a real shame, such a great game deserved better artwork and cabinet. The regular edition was way better in terms of looks.
The play field offsets nicely against the fast moving ball, flippers are strong, the 3 bumpers work well together in the confined space up top. The side targets are relatively easy, the 8 ball and bonus multipliers are a bit more difficult.
After you take the side targets down you're left with stand up targets which is cool. There is really not that much "stuff" on the playfield but it all works together well for a coherent whole. A game for the advanced skill level that never gets old.
8.626/10
10 years ago
Pros: I love the inline drop targets. (warning: I am biased! I love all inline drop targets!). PF design. Use of the third flipper. Overall illumination.
Cons: some quotes become repetitive. Theme does nothing for me.

Overall, a classic game that fits nicely in a tourney.
9.158/10
11 years ago
Eight Ball Deluxe LE is a damn fine game to play.

The Pros:
A great game to look at. I'm not much for Country music, but that bar on the BG looks like a fun place to be. Margaret Hudson did one of her best packages for this deck. Goerge Christian put together a brilliant game design that outshines his best seller Eight Ball with incredible shot selection and addictive action. 12 drop targets including 4 inlines and a standup that get progressively more difficult the further you go up the shot lane. A 3rd flipper that you actually can and want to use on a PF with no ramps or tunnels underneath it. The amount of skill needed to sharpshoot single drop targets at such a steep angle is no small matter. I love standups behind drop targets.

The Cons:
How can those pop bumpers shoot the ball back between the flippers so fast from a direct shot? That's 2/3rd's up the playfield and back and it still beats me to the punch! Must work on reflexive twitching skills! A 2 ball multiball with a lock from the saucer is the only thing that I can think of to make this game better. 2x PF scores would be way schweet! I prefer the art pax on the original head. This game looks good in the smaller size, but it is more of a business card (to me) than a BG.

The Takeaway:
If some people think this game is too easy... there are a number of software options to adjust the gameplay with. Steepen it up, wax the PF and put on a new set of rubbers to make this game as fast as you can and see how long your 3 ball games last. A true player that has everything in it that a classic Bally has. Great play, great art and the feeling that you always want to go for another game. There seems to be a number of "haters" on this game for various reasons. "This game is a drainer... it was made for for the operators (duh)... it hurts my mangina..." in relation to how this game plays. Well, me belief is that this game is (Warning, Warning... incoming rant... Warning, Warning) ETERNALLY CHALLENGING!!! THIS IS WHAT A MASTERFUL GAME DESIGN DOES... IT GIVES YOU ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU COMING BACK FOR MORE EVEN WHEN IT MAKES YOU LOOK SILLY! SO GET OVER IT AND PLAY LIKE YOU SHOULD! IF YOU PLAY AS YOU SHOULD AND PLAY CONSISTENTLY ON A CHALLENGING TABLE, YOU WILL BE A BETTER PINBALL PLAYER. PINBALL IS A GAME OF LUCK, BUT THE BEST PLAYERS MINIMIZE THIS BY PLAYING WITH SKILL!!!

With this I will leave with the immortal words of Norm from "This Old Pinball" on T.O.P. #4 - "Pinball Ain't Dead, It Just Smells Funny": "SO PLAY BETTAHH!!!!! (Monkey screeches follow...)"

Rant off... I feel much better now.


Update:
This game rocks. I can see why it was one of the best, most popular and highly produced of it's era. It is a great game from a theme, players and operator's perspective. This game is so good, that I don't even mind the wacky cabinet. The single flourescent bulb behind the bg is a sign of things to come... Before The Addams Family, there was Eight Ball Deluxe!
There are 29 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 2.

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