Had high hopes for this one. I’ve had almost every JJP and this is definitely at the bottom. It’s a beautiful machine, but that’s where it ends for me. The shots are difficult. Hell, the main shot to start a mode (the scoop) is difficult to hit even when machine was perfectly level. I do appreciate the designer’s continued attempt to be innovative with design but unless you’re a tournament player, this is not an approachable game. At no point (other then shooting the scoop to start a mode) did I understand how to progress through the game. I get complexity is good for home use but this one was just too much.

The upper sling shot on left is too brutal, otherwise excelent pin!

This is a tough review for me, because my bias against this game is incredibly high. I love the godfather franchise and understand what JJ was trying to accomplish, but I absolutely abhor this game. I know a lot of people complain about the “mushy” flippers on JJ games, but that is not usually a complaint I parrot, except on this game. It feels off to me. The progression is boring, and every time I have played this game something has gone wrong. Whether it be a switch not functioning, a toy not operating, or a ball getting stuck, there is always a problem. Home buyers beware. Please test it in the field before you take the plunge on such and expensive game.

Its a solid game.

This was a fun game, but I'm just not into the theme and look of it. It's down right, but just not my taste. I liked the gangster in the back a lot. Like all JJPs the light show was top notch, but the casino slot machine sounds just did not fit the theme at all. It took you out of the game. One thing I did like is how the right wireworm brought the ball out into the lane in reverse as normal, nice little touch. The stainglass affect on the playfield did not look as good as it did in pictures, but overall the art was good. I think ulmitely you need to be a big God Father fan to get this.

This machine surprised my wife and I both. We played it all night. Couldn't get enough of it. Might be getting one now.

great step up for Eric on this design. it is far better than GNR, and I really like GNR. I own both games, and am purely surprised that Eric outdid himself so handily with this design. great work JJP

Have only done a couple quick games. I want one. lots of fun, shots, dude catching a garote in the car, the return rail on the right, super cool!

I played a Limited Edition for the first time this past weekend and I must say that being owner of a Collectors Edition, this machine seemed quite beautiful...

My review regarding the gameplay does not change obviously since I simply love this game, but I was struck by how beautiful the limited edition is, plus it had the additional accessories and that is what caught my attention the most, including that new topper and artblades, the limited edition has nothing to envy of the collector's edition, and both are definitely a work of art and a very pleasant game.
Personally, I am very happy with this title, I’m very pleased to have it in my home.

Regards

I always seem to have mixed feelings on JJ games and this is no different, as it just looks better than it actually plays for me. Don't get me wrong, as there is nothing awful about it, but it doesn't live up to its appearance, which is spectacular. The sounds and call outs are uneven, going between movie scenes and generics. Sound quality is disappointing. You can play as any one of the 5 families, but I didn't really see much difference. The rules were confusing, but I did something right as I went over 100 mil on my second game with what seemed like an endless supply of multiballs. Lower right quadrant is risky, everything else is fairly open and safe. I don't find the same challenge in JJ games as I do in Stern.

I played it on location (Zelky's North, Rehoboth Beach, DE) and popped it easily a few times, but I left my last credit up as I really didn't feel like playing it again today. That said, it can be unfair to form opinions after only a handful of games, so I will go play it some more and update the review as I learn the game better. FWIW though, I can't imagine my rating getting anywhere near the numbers it is churning up now. I haven't been here long, but it seems that every new game goes top 3 right away! Still, I will update again after another 20 plays or so.

Nice pin , fun to play , but far from my favorite JJP

Love this game.

I own the CE but played the LE on location while I waited impatiently for my game to arrive. My thoughts below are copied from that rating. The game is identical minus the topper and cosmetic additions. They made a masterpiece here.

“I'm a month into Godfather and keep coming back for punishment. To me, this is Eric's best game to date by far. He kept some of the best elements of his previous works and then continued to dial in the shot geometry, speed, depth and all things that separate JJP from the pack. Best shooting JJP in my opinion and I've owned them all for long periods minus Toy Story.

The game is mean, but forgiving enough that you can nudge and stay in the game. You have to nudge to stay in the game. Shots are fast and tight. Multiballs are plentiful, yes, but they do have meaning. If you use them to accomplish the tasks they are intended for, then they have purpose beyond wrist cramps, but that is completely dependent upon the player.

I absolutely love and hate the risk/reward element that made it over from GNR into this game. The ability to keep modes going and combine the bonus of weapons and the 2x and 5x shot to cash out for high scores is a great tension builder and keeps you coming back. Something I hope they do is start tracking the jackpots you lost as well. Those are even more meaningful in my book.

My only fear is that they don't continue to build onto the game and flesh it out. The building blocks are excellent for this game but it still needs some polish, some sound effects, some more visuals and cues to separate the modes and multiballs to add more meaning. I hope JJP continues to pour into this title as it deserves it. I can't think of a more beautiful game ever built.

Excellent game Eric.”

Played this at location. Not enough to get into rules. Beautiful machine and felt solid. Artwork and shots were very nice. The rules look deep and I’m sure it’s like many Jjp s a machine made to explore slowly

I enjoyed playing this, but not as much as I had hoped. The shot diverters are cool and the randomness they create is fun and adds a plus for variety. This is unlike any other JJP in that it plays pretty fast and flipper strength is great. There is a great deal of kinetic satisfaction hitting the main gangster and for some reason I just love the fountain.
The rules are complex and confusing (like most JJPs) this is a game you could spend hours and hours with. Its accessible for medium to novice players and multiplayer is really fun with a crowd.
The pin is gorgeous in person...just truly good looking. But....I felt a little like WOZ in that this pin should touch all the bases...but its just not pulse pounding fun. Def a pin I will play on location again...and maybe after I understand it better I would own it. But for now its just not fun enough to compete with the alternatives available.

For Fans of the movies a must play!

I love this game

jjp godfather pinball does the job.. very fun ..

Eager to play this after all the hype and pretty disappointing. Everything was under expectations for the theme, company, the wait, et. Not a bad pin by any means, but what could have been…. Layout is very open then cluttered in some areas, the call outs in particular are annoying and repetitive. The playing resembles much more as a gangster theme than The Godfather in particular. The music is mostly poor. Just not for my taste.

Another fantastic game from Eric. Everyone who comes over can't quit playing it. The shots feel great, and the game is addictively fun.

So far, I am really enjoying my experience with The Godfather. The layout is unique, and it shoots different than every other JJP game before it. Flippers and slingshots are vastly improved and actually have a nice "snap" and power now. Art is simply stunning on both models, no complaints there.
Right now, my only concern with the game is the sound. Ever since Thiel left, the audio packages on JJP games have been consistently going downhill. The music is very solid (although the repeating of the tracks is a little too noticeable) but the sounds effects (or lack there of in some cases) are not up to par with past titles. The callouts are satisfactory and the main narrator ("choose your family") does a good enough job. The "bad guy" speech though is really really bad, and the fact that they give the option to completely disable it says a lot. I feel that with some code updates this can improve, but I do worry a little given JJPs track record. Should the audio be improved, I will update my rating.
Overall though, the game is excellent. It does help that I feel that The Godfather Parts 1 and 2 are likely the best movies there are and they are well implemented (with fight speech and graphics turned off) so the theme is an A. Right now, it is not a masterpiece. With a few updates though, I think it might be able to get closer. We can only hope they take some extra time with this one!


Edit after selling machine:
Unfortunately, they really have done nothing with the code since I wrote my previous comment. I've found that I simply don't really enjoy shooting this game as there's nothing all that satisfying about it. Some of the code and layout decisions really perplex me.

Beautiful addictive game. One more master piece to have in collection!

This is a hard pin to rate. The theme is fantastic if you like the Godfather, and I do. I really like the lighting, but my eyes hurt from the brightness and I have the LED's set to low...never had that issue before. The flippers feel good as others have stated, but it's still a JJP and I am really a Stern girl, I like the snappy flippers and being able to nudge Stern machines a little. JJP pins are HEAVY, and I really can't nudge the pin too much for it to make a difference. It was really tough for 2 guys to move the pin into my house. JJP's weigh about 100 lbs more than a Stern I think. I love the cabinet art, the backglass, playfield. I thought the machine gun guy was hokey until I spent some time on the pin and now I kind of like him. I LOVE all the diverters but still haven't figured out how to move through the modes and make them change during game play. The rules are sort of confusing, which is a double edged sword because it's interesting enough to make me want to watch some youtube videos and learn how to progress through the game better. I had a Wonka LE for a short time and I think that pin might be even prettier than this one, but that one really feels like you are driving a tank and I never could get over that feeling. A Stern is like driving a sports car. BUT, the flippers do feel much improved on this pin, so I have to say I like it better than Wonka for that reason alone. I'm really on the fence on this pin, and plan on revising this review once I figure out the rule set a little better. -OK so...after a month...I don't go to this pin for casual gameplay and I was starting to think that I need to dump this pin stat. Prices have plummeted on the secondary market so I decided to give it some time. I like simple rule sets and that is just not how pinball is going in general. I watched part of a youtube video. Then I spent a couple hours over a few days and finally started finding the shots and understanding the slightest bit about the rules. FUN! It's not like my other pins that's for sure. I love the gangster theme, it is pretty bad ass. I'm still a little ticked off that an LE doesn't have side art blades or a proper Statue of Liberty. This pin is gonna need some mods. For $12k you would think they could include some side art! What I found this week is once you dial in the skill shots off the plunge and can make a few shots that are called out to you while playing, it starts being a LOT more FUN. It's not a game you can just walk up to and bang some pinballs around. And maybe that's ok...if you have some time to learn it and dial in the shots, and that IS PRECISELY what this pin is all about... I generally love a pin I can walk up to and bang around and get some instant gratification. This is NOT that pin for me. But Godzilla Premium was not that pin for me either if I'm being honest. The difference is, I freakin LOVED GZ Premium from GO, even though it took a while to dial in those shots, and I had some mechanical issues with that pin that took months to resolve. I generally 'know' if I love a pin or not from the first 5 minutes. And some pins that I love still don't last long in my small collection. It all boils down to 'Do I love to play that pin every day or every couple of days, or even once a week or not?' It's going to take a little more time on Godfather to know and some more effort...and some mods. Deadpool is still my favorite all time pin. I knew from the moment I shot the first ball! Iron Maiden is NOT a theme I like, but I knew I liked playing it on the first ball, and here we are over a year later and I'm still modding it, tweaking it, loving it. It was NEVER supposed to be part of my permanent collection! Godzilla? I bought and sold it 4 times! Mostly because I was so pissed off at the mechanical issues I had with it...didn't sell it until it was fixed but it took a LOT to get over the bad taste in my mouth. Elvira HOH? Had a bad one, loved it but just couldn't get the optos right all the time. Sold it once it was fixed. Hard to love a pin that just doesn't stay fixed long. GF had a ramp issue out of the box. My tech told me what to do, how to bend the shit out of that ramp and I just did it because out of money and it actually worked! Feels pretty solid now. The cabinet art has a scuff out of box that I am trying to polish out before asking for new decals. I WANT to LOVE this pin. I traded a Monster Bash LE for it, and I freakin LOVE Gomez! BUT, MB just doesn't have that 'one more game' factor that I need in my small collection. I love playing it and looking at it, but I wanted to play the other pins more all the time and pins are so expensive, I cannot afford to keep any pin that isn't giving me a return on investment in complete utter joy all the time. I don't know if GF will last in my collection, but it has won a spot at least until I can master it a little bit more! It has shown me the FUN factor finally.

Good and fun. Really could use more callouts and movie assets. But it is a crazy fun shooter. Have played this at a handful of locations as they have rolled out. Music isn’t great either. But the progression structure and movie assets, were used, are nearly perfect. This pin could be the sleeper of 2023 - if they invest heavily in future code and asset integration.

I like the theme . The openness of the play field is great . It's on my want list .