Data East

Hook

Pinside Rating

This game received 124 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 6.949 _/10

6.949

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #262 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 6.907

Artwork: 7.275

Sounds/Music: 6.487

Other Aspects: 6.837

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.

7.121

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Found 68 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 68 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.266/10

7 months ago

WPG

guymontag451

Wedgehead

Portland, OR

13y 92,800 1,006 25 170

Hook is one of those "what if" type of pins. I feel like the left ramp is one of the coolest in pinball, and the score and sound effects are incredible. The art is in the typical style of Data East, which many people do not like. But I do genuinely like this art package. Like most DE games, this game is crippled by its limited code, and unbalanced rule set. It's also super dark, but with some LED mods to add some more GI, this goes away.

I would love to be able to change the rule set, and tweak some of the balancing, because I really think that it could have been an excellent game. The layout is there, the movie is a massive family favorite for all generations, and even the animations are pretty good. Just wished this game had the polish that B/W gave their games during this era.

5.442/10

1 year ago

???

qbert1021

Pinside member

Oakville, MO

4y 31,400 1 11 42

I don't find Hook to be very enjoyable. The art and lighting are very poor which does not put me in a good frame of mind before I've even started. The shots are not exciting and neither are the rules or the theme. All in all it's a bit of a drag. When compared to the Data East machines that followed (Lethal Weapon 3, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Jurassic Park) this one is a dud for me.

3.631/10

1 year ago

JMD

JmcteerPin

Pinside member

Austin, TX

2y 17,250 5 2 14

Complete and utter dumpster fire. I almost bought one of these once and am glad I went with Goldeneye instead. First of all, maybe the worst theme of all time. Worse than Hardbody. I mean, the movie sucked so hard. A peter pan reboot/sequel/?? starring a clearly-doesnt-want-to-do-this Robin Williams? Who's bright idea was that? Back to the pin, there are absolutely no fun toys or gimmicks. The scoring is unbalanced and insane. The windcoaster shot sucks, and it's the closest thing to "interesting" in the whole game. Annoying, repetitive callouts just keep coming. That damn clock keeps ticking. I referenced it in one of my other reviews - I get why beginners like it, but I see no value in it other than that.

6 Pinsiders flagged this.

8.429/10

1 year ago

BEN

OuterLanes

PBA

2y 30,900 2 22 6

I purchased this purely for the theme. This is my youngest son's favorite game. The 5.0 code with the 5.1 display rom does a great job expanding on the enjoyability, the rules and adding a tad bit more of difficulty. One of the downfalls of the original code was repeating the windcoaster ramp and waiting for x20 bonuses. the 5.0 code adds the need for a bit more strategy.

This game has one of my favorite pinball "moments": BANGARANG!! Getting that lock and nailing those plunge skillshots is so satisfying. This game looks great with LEDs, and I love imagining Dustin Hoffman doing all of the Hook-voiced callouts. The theme for this game for me is off the charts! I get a kick out of all of the DMD animations. Losing marbles to the outlanes and the slingshot are both funny. The croc-clock hurry-up and the baseball mode are fun and simple goals. My favorite games are typically mode and sub-mode heavy, this does not align with that. Unless you upgrade to pinsound you miss out on the John Williams score :(
This game is a great shooter for anyone learning how to play pinball. It's rare I turn it on to play it by myself anymore, but LOVE playing a few rounds with my sons, as it's the easiest for everyone to just turn on and start flippin!

OuterLanes currently owns this game.

5.914/10

2 years ago

LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 221K 9,414 108 1 1

A terrible missed opportunity and one of DEs worst games next to BTTF

4.026/10

2 years ago

VEE

Veemonroe

Pinside member

London

2y 55,550 205 7 176

Played at Plonk Crazy Golf in Hackney, London.

I’m not sure whether the illumination was off and it was just badly maintained, but it was entirely forgettable except for the fun spiral ramp and the skull in the centre of the playfield. The epitome of ‘meh’.

8.704/10

2 years ago

???

patje

Inactive member

Mol

2y 15,400 48 7

I like to play that game...Simple but fun.

7.604/10

2 years ago

EJH

ehex9

Pinside member

Saint Albans Town, VT

3y 46,650 5 7 179

Another great Data East title. The looping ramp is awesome and the theme is well executed.

7.136/10

2 years ago

???

Pin2jam

Pinside member

Sydney

12y 24,500 6 18

Great fun game that is easy to understand and fun to keep hitting the ramp.

Pin2jam has owned this game in the past.

6.710/10

3 years ago

GTX

gdonovan

Pinside member

7y 185K 13,230 70

For some reason this Data East title did not gel with me- The artwork is superb, the playfield setup interesting, the music catchy, the light show great and there is lots to do.. but it just didn't pull me in as some other DE titles do.

I have revised my review downward, this title just doesn't have staying power in my collection. Perhaps if I was a fan of the theme it would be a different story. Pity as it is a very nice looking pin, the artist did a great job. Maybe some call outs by the actual actors would have helped? Can't put my finger on it. The rules are fairly deep too.

gdonovan edited previous rating on July 26, 2022.

7.056/10

3 years ago

RAD

DumbRecords

Pinside member

Springfield, IL

6y 49,400 14 8 29

Never played before owning. I love the Hook movie as I was the right age went it came out. I know a lot of people aren't into it. Because of that I was willing to look past any shortcomings because I love the theme so much. However after owning for a while I stopped playing. The big spiral ramp is great and easy enough to hit. The multiball is fun, and the unique skill shot is interesting. However I got tired of playing as the mode start scoop is really hard to hit and I typically only get it by accident, which leads to games being pretty linear. I had the updated ROMs installed so it wasn't a one shot game anymore, but it still didn't do it for me after a while. I do like the sound package on this game, the intensity and excitement never lets up in that dept. Also build quality is a bit of a concern. One time it was just sitting and started to smoke. Turned out a solinoid got stuck and blew up the transistor and other components on the driver board. There really needs to be a fuse there. After fixing it up I started wondering if it was going to be a time bomb until it does it again.

DumbRecords has owned this game in the past.

7.584/10

3 years ago

KEY

Keithisonfire

Pinside member

Victoria, BC

7y 27,750 17 30

I have a bias towards this machine because it’s the first machine I played when I was a kid so it has a nostalgia factor.
But I’ll try to keep it real here...
-The wind coaster ramp needs a strong shot to make it around but it’s very satisfying to get.
-The skull shot in the middle is rewarding to hit for the light show.
-The music will get your adrenaline going and the artwork is fantastic. Playfield is gorgeous in my opinion and the cabinet art is some of the best in pinball.
But I just don’t think the gameplay holds up...
It does better in a large collection.

Keithisonfire has owned this game in the past.

6.914/10

4 years ago

CHS

brobra

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 119K 2,894 27 1

Hook is a well themed game and has some fun shots. I feel the ramps and skull shot can get repetitive as well as some of the call outs. With this said, I think it's a fun and entertaining game. The voice overs are quality, the theme music is done well, and the artwork from playfield, plastics, cabinet and toys are all detailed and very well themed. The skill shots are fun, and the clear messaging is nice. Good game design concept; perhaps a little flat in proof compared to some of the greats from the era. Definitely a challenging game with a fair amount of depth; but could have had some much more. Hook is a class "B" license when compared to "Pirates".

6.806/10

4 years ago

MJL

Layercakes31

Inactive member

4y 34,800 6 1 10

The saving grace to this game is the amazing body artwork and playfield! Beautiful artwork for both and it has a great theme! Now, it really doesn’t hold true to the movie Hook, but rather the Peter Pan theme in general.

Play is actually pretty decent, I’m surprised that it has so many features and it’s quite fast paced. The music...turns me off. It really doesn’t fit the pirate theme, it’s more video game-ish than anything. Overall, a fun game to play, kinda priced a little higher than it often should be.

7.299/10

4 years ago

???

dex82

Inactive member

Unknown

7y 13,000 3 31

Simple and fun PIN i like music 90 style

6.929/10

4 years ago

JMS

JimStaub

Inactive member

6y 28,650 3 2 25

It looks great but I can't seem to get a kick out of it.

7.633/10

4 years ago

TIM

insx

Inactive member

Wickford

19y 47,300 414 13

I owned Hook for a while and it kept my interest for a lot longer than I expected. The rules are pretty simple but somehow the game manages to be a lot of fun. To my mind, the rule set is very similar to something like Rocky and Bullwinkle and yet I couldn't wait to get that one out of the house. I can't think of one thing that's particularly amazing about Hook but it somehow manages to be greater than the some of its parts.

insx has owned this game in the past.

8.847/10

4 years ago

???

hockeymutt

Pinside member

Egg Harbor Township, NJ

6y 46,100 834 4 11

Not sure why this game gets ragged on so much, it’s a steal for the price, easy for beginners to walk up and play have the updated rom and plays great. Slowly swapping my collection all to early data east. Maybe I’m a bit bias.

hockeymutt has this game on the wishlist.

8.480/10

4 years ago

???

Grandplace

Inactive member

Johns Island, SC

4y 15,500 5 6

Loved playing it! The kids and grands very much enjoyed playing it too. Sounds could be better. Could use a little more shot variety.

Grandplace currently owns this game.

6.770/10

4 years ago

ADM

PinDoctor82

Pinside member

5y 77,050 278 6 104

As a huge fan of the movie, I was disappointed with this pin. It felt remarkably slow to me and that's the biggest issue I had. I realize that not everybody prefers fast pinball, so there is definitely fun to be had here. I had admittedly lost interest by ball 3. There are a nice amount of shots to hit but I couldn't see myself returning to play this pin repeatedly. It's far from terrible, just not memorable.

6.859/10

5 years ago

JAS

pinheadaustralia

Pinhead Australia

5y 40,150 3 81 23

Cool theme. The ramp is pretty sweet but apart from that there aren't too many memorable shots. A good pinball machine for non-pinheads to get into!

pinheadaustralia currently owns this game.

8.208/10

5 years ago

ML

Malibro

Pinside member

Kalmthout

5y 28,550 24 7 14

Nice pin esp. for kids. Beautiful ramp with lights. Sound is good but repetative. Good for a few games bit once the kids left the house sold it. Good as first pin for kids to get intothe hobby. Gameplay is nice but nothong special.

Malibro has owned this game in the past.

8.060/10

5 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,128 23 271

The artwork is one if the best in pinball. I enjoy the gameplay, ruleset, and shot selection. I wish the sounds were a bit better, and i would like to see better toys (mods perhaps?) Overall fun game!

Daditude has owned this game in the past.

6.759/10

5 years ago

BAD

Diospinball

Inactive member

Joliet, IL

6y 74,300 1,336 9 75

I am rating this after playing this game for probably about 40-60 minutes. I found the shot layout to be unique, but ultimately not very fun. Not a lot of shots in this game. You have the left ramp, the right ramp, the center skull, the left lane to the right of the left ramp, and that's really about it. Also, I found the rule set to be a bit hard to follow or understand. Not a lot of lights or really anything to guide you. The skill shot is interesting... But, difficult to pull off. But, what is cool is loading the multiball. That was and is a cool concept. For me it just needs more shot variety. And I while nothing was horrible about the art, it just the theme doesn't appeal to me. The playfield looks amazing though. Love the roller coaster ramp and love the skull in the middle. But, having that skull in the middle really takes away from the shots you can have in the game. One thing though the music is really good, and while I find the callouts to not be amazing and repetitive. They have a sense of energy that works with the game. It all moves fast. This is a pin that I wouldn't mind playing again. But, I would need to have a collection of like 100 games to ever consider to have this in my collection. Just doesn't hold or bring me back. I got the replay on it and then I moved on.

7.724/10

5 years ago

MBC

radfordian3505

Pinside+ Frequent

Radford, VA

6y 89,550 763 9 52 1

great game hate that I traded it awhile back.will get another one if I ever come across a good deal on 1

radfordian3505 edited previous rating on December 30, 2021.
radfordian3505 has this game on the wishlist.

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