Williams

Johnny Mnemonic

Pinside Rating

This game received 337 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.816 _/10

7.816

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #120 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.197

Artwork: 7.122

Sounds/Music: 7.478

Other Aspects: 7.963

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 8 of us have rated this game.

7.977

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Found 184 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 184 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.377/10

11 years ago

ALR

canea

Pinside member

11y 94,150 1,905 22

JM is a fun, fast game that is known for being a flow beast. If you're having a bad day or are new to the game, however, you'll end up bricking almost every shot right back between the flippers at lightning speed. Almost every missed shot - off the lower ramp, off the middle posts, etc. - has the potential to drain and drain quickly. There's nothing better than racking up three or four combos on this playfield, but that exhilarating speed is a double-bladed sword.

Skill shot is a joke (simple lane change), and the modes are all very similar (shoot this or that ramp or loop) so there's no real incentive to choose one over the other on your way to Powerdown. The Spinner Millions scoring anomaly might frustrate some players, but it's really just one more fun thing to shoot for and since it requires 3 combos and then not losing the ball while you hit the difficult spinner shot repeatedly, its not exactly a gimme. The polarizing glove feature is basically a sexy ball lock, but it does provide some interesting strategy on how you choose to load your balls up. Video mode is accessible through the glove, and while it's nothing to write home about, it's a mildly entertaining and slightly broken Pacman style chase game. My only complaint about the playfield is the narrow little alley behind the left ramp that the ball is forced down after leaving the jet bumpers. It's slow and clumsy and far more offensive than waiting for the glove in my opinion.

Which leaves us with the theme. I'll say this for the design team: they were given a crummy movie, told to make a pinball machine out of it and they did a heck of a job. All the movies elements are represented in ways that almost make you remember the movie fondly (almost). The voice actors do decent renditions of Keanu ("Who ARE all these people?") and Ice-T ("Don't be a zombie, play pinball!") and while things occasionally get repetitious, nothing really grates soundwise. And yes, the dolphin is on there.

Overall, a fun and often difficult game if you can tolerate the theme!

canea edited previous rating on February 25, 2015.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.190/10

11 years ago

RM

Cybergoonie

Pinside member

Phoenix, AZ

12y 67,400 1,194 4 6

JM is a highly underrated Williams pin that can still be purchased for a decent price. People like to complain about the main glove gimmick of the game but it really ads a lots a fun to the game IMHO. Pin prices are on the rise & this pin will not be immune to pinflation down the line. A true keeper in my collection.

Cybergoonie has owned this game in the past.

8.657/10

11 years ago

TAM

tamoore

Pinside member

Grayling, MI

11y 123K 6,661 37 58

Update:

After playing this game for a month, I think I've got a good handle on it and want to update my review.

Theme: First, I'm really glad the theme is so generally unappealing. It's the reason this game isn't much more popular and therefore way more expensive.
Audio: The music is really good and the stock audio is quite fantastic. A couple of the callouts are wonky, and the fake Keanu is pretty apparent.
Lighting: Really cool. LED's make the inserts pops, but I wouldn't put LED's in the GI because of the very cool 10 step fading GI system. There aren't a ton of flashers, but the ones there are quite effective in creating a nice light show.
Toys: The Glove. 2nd coolest ball lock toy in all of pinball?

Game Play:
This game is all about strategy and you have many paths to follow. Once you hit the Crazy Bob hole, you can either start a mode with a shot up the middle, or put a ball in the glove by shooting the right loops. If you shoot for the glove, you're given a very quick sneak peek of contents of the ball lock matrix. Pay attention here, and you can place the ball in the matrix to light extra ball, or get the video mode, or score a bonus, etc. Also, the position of ball dictates what the jackpot shot will be in multi-ball. Have a favorite shot? Place the ball in the position on the matrix that matches your shot preference. 3X higher jackpot scores can be achieved by placing three balls in a row tic-tac-toe style.

Going for the modes? Hit Crazy Bob's, and then shoot up the middle. There are five modes to play to get to Power-down wizard mode. It's not easy to get there, and I haven't done it yet - but I generally play for starting multi-ball.

There are also other in-game combo modes to go for.
Yakuza Strike is a ramp combo mode, where if you hit the ramps 3 times each, starts a mode with huge scoring bonuses for each shot.

If a ball comes down the left inlane, 'Throwing Stars' is lit, and if you hit the right ramp or right orbit, you get one of six increasingly better awards.

The right inlane lights 'hit me', which gives you a few seconds to hit the left loop for a bonus.

I've heard of the problem with spinner millions, but I'm not even sure how to light spinner millions. I've got it a few times, and it does really spike the score.

There are a few other modes that you can get from the matrix by placing balls with the glove.
Quick multi-ball, which is a 2 ball multi-ball mode.
Video mode, which is a very hard to control pac-manish mini game that gives the opportunity for some big points and an extra ball if you can get to wave 2. Some luck is required, as the mode is nearly impossible to control.

Some cameo appearances are also featured. If you shoot the right and left loops often enough, Rudy shows up and gives you a 15 second 'Frenzy' mode. If you hit the outer loops repeatedly, Skull says "Again!" Nice touches.

In my opinion, this software is as solid and complete as any pinball machine software I've ever played.

So, finally, this game is about pure ball flow. The loops are frighteningly fast, and the ramps are easy to hit and very smoothly return the ball to the flippers. The game just sings when you're hitting the shots. Such a fun experience.

What stops the flow? The slingshots are sensitive, and the ball becomes very hard to control if it gets into them. The Crazy bob sinkhole slows the game down a bit, and despite how cool the glove is, it does slow down the pace of the game. If there is one thing I'd mark down in the game play department, it would be the hot/cold cycle of the pace. It is 100 miles an hour and then all of a sudden, it's crawling. There are ways to speed it up by hitting the flipper buttons, but it still feels too slow.

This is probably my favorite game now. It's not going anywhere.

Old Review:
What are you doing?

I'm making a long distance telephone call.

I'm not sure what's going on in this game, other than it's fun to play. Loop this, loop that, ramp ramp spinner loop, loop fast fast fast.

I like it.

It's a real 'just one more game' kind of experience...

tamoore edited previous rating on May 19, 2013.
tamoore has owned this game in the past.

9 Pinsiders starred this!

8.080/10

11 years ago

RUS

Russo121

Inactive member

Uk

12y 41,400 760 6 23

One of the fastest out there. Loop smashing on this pin is beyond a joke. That said, i do love playing it and just cant seem to drag myself off it. Awesome game for not too much cash. Great stuff.

Russo121 edited previous rating on July 13, 2014.
Russo121 currently owns this game.

9.396/10

11 years ago

DDW

lg

Pinside member

Fond Du Lac, WI

11y 31,400 28 8 10

Just got this. It fun and fast. The moving hand to drop balls on the button pad always makes it fun. Good flow. Will be a part of my collection for a long time.

lg currently owns this game.

7.884/10

11 years ago

TIM

TurboTim

Inactive member

11y 27,650 89 1 12

Go to crazy Bob's!

TurboTim has owned this game in the past.

8.976/10

11 years ago

BDS

pinball_erie

Inactive member

Erie, PA

12y 67,900 1,297 7 9

Absolutely love this game. FAST,FAST,FAST !!!! This pin routinely kicks my ass and I love the glove. People complain it slows the game down, but I feel it is an occasional break from the frantic pace of this pin.

pinball_erie has owned this game in the past.

8.501/10

11 years ago

KDM

mantz88

Inactive member

Newkirk, OK

11y 29,150 259 1 7

This truly is a great game. The shots are fantastic and super smooth. The sounds, light, and visuals are very good. The rules are very clear and dont take much time to learn. It has 4 different multiballs. 2 quick multiballs (2 balls), the normal 3 ball, and 2 4 ball multiballs Powerdown Mode (wizard mode), and Midnight Madness. The hand toy is a great unique feature.

As you can probably tell by yourself the artwork is absolutely terrible. A great game wasted by a bad theme. There is also a bit of fun factor being able to make fun of the dumb quotes on this machine while playing it. As im playing TAF all I can think is how there are more features on JM. This would easily be a top 10 game with a different theme.

If you are on the edge about pulling the trigger on this game DO IT! Get this game while the price is still low. By far the best bang for you buck machine.

mantz88 has this game on the wishlist.

5.252/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,456 51 1011

I really wanted to like this game, I really did...

The Pros:
Great pf layout and the Glove is a great toy when operating as it should. Fast as lightning orbits and ramps keep you on your toes. The playfield sings when properly maintained. Multi ball is a blast and the powerdown mode rewards good play up to that point with longer timers for wiz mode jackpots.

The Cons:
The spinner rules blow... donkeys. My least favorite Youssi package. Even if mystery programmer could dive in to get to the spinner score and put a timer on it... or reduce the score by a decimal point or three... this game would be so much better. I have heard of people physically altering the spinner so that when it, would only rotate a spin or two. Which works... BUT THIS IS A SPINNER!!! There are other items that are less glaringly obvious, but c'mon!

The Takeaway:
Who was in charge of play testing this game? Really. I'd like to know, because they should be lynched in the name of pinball justice. Goerge... you blew this one. JM could have been REALLY good.

2 Pinsiders flagged this. 2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.692/10

11 years ago

DRC

vtec16

Inactive member

Norcal, CA

16y 65,400 631 3 71

This is about the fastest pin around. It has to be one of the top 5 fastest machines ever. The layout and flow are great. Hit the outside loops 5-6 x's in a row if you can....by the 3rd loop the ball is moving so fast you can hardly see it, if at all. I own this game and it never fails to get my heart pumping. I find it very hard to walk away from. Of course like everyone else I would have wanted a different theme for this....Matrix. I think this is a great pin...that can be underrated due to the theme.

Edit 11/14/12: Finished POWER DOWN mode the other night.....it was so fun my heart was pumping like crazy :) Also midnight madness is killer. I had it happen the other night totally unexpected, loved it.

vtec16 edited previous rating on November 14, 2012.
vtec16 has owned this game in the past.

8.884/10

11 years ago

MTC

BigBangBack

Pinside member

Reading, MA

11y 59,350 629 28 8

Super fast, wicked fun, terrific rules. Game offers players many strategies to choose from. I love how going further in modes pays off with huge bonuses. The Matrix clues are a fun way to stay engaged. Multiballs are incredibly challenging because every shot goes right back to flippers in a darn hurry. One of Gomez's best, and personally, I think the theme is pretty neat. Yes, the movie may have been horrific, but if you can look past that and just see an action star with a gun in a sci fi future world against crazy villains, its great. The movie tanking was the best thing to happen because it allowed me to get this machine for a fraction of what it would be if it was a Matrix Trilogy theme or something.

BigBangBack edited previous rating on December 16, 2013.
BigBangBack has owned this game in the past.

6.549/10

11 years ago

ZAK

pharoah007

Pinside member

Ottawa, ON

12y 21,900 22 5 9

FAST

almost every shot feeds back to a flipper.

pharoah007 has owned this game in the past.

7.940/10

11 years ago

MPT

plowpusher

Pinside member

Yutan, NE

13y 129K 1,553 21 58

POWER DOWN ROCKS

plowpusher has owned this game in the past.

8.424/10

11 years ago

SKY

Skypilot

Pirates Life Pinball Co

11y 155K 6,687 32 1

I restored one a few years back and eventually traded it when I was looking to play everything. I have a medium sized collection now and have brought Johnny back!

Skypilot edited previous rating on June 03, 2015.

8.355/10

11 years ago

ATE

AdamTheGamer

Pinside member

11y 56,150 270 2 133

Great game, extremely fast, and worth the low price it goes for.

AdamTheGamer edited previous rating on November 13, 2013.
AdamTheGamer has owned this game in the past.

8.510/10

12 years ago

JIM

BackFlipper

Pinside+ Addict

Sugar Grove, IL

12y 105K 2,178 36 34 1

If it wasn't for the awful artwork, this could easily be a to 10 game. The "fun-factor" is through the roof. The magnetic hand operated by 4 flipper buttons dropping the ball into a tic-tact-toe board is one of the TOP 3 pinball creations of all-time. The super high scoring is very cool. The theme is below average but so what. Pinball should be fun and this game delivers.

BackFlipper has owned this game in the past.

9.220/10

12 years ago

GRH

Trident

Pinside member

Winston Salem, NC

13y 51,800 462 1 16

Great game for the price! lots of modes and great sound. like the hand it adds a different element to the game play. really fast pin!

Trident has owned this game in the past.

8.948/10

12 years ago

FAV

bemmett

Pinside+ Addict

12y 127K 3,976 127 2

Really underrated game overall. Plenty going on and some cool modes. Gloves are neat but kind of lose their appeal after awhile, just slows the game down too much. Can't stand the video mode but very few are ever that great anyway. Overall a really good game and definite sleeper that stands up well even in a lineup of "A" games.

bemmett edited previous rating on December 03, 2012.

8.980/10

12 years ago

MJM

mminnoch

Pinside member

San Luis Obispo, CA

13y 40,900 123 5 12

When I purchased my JM, I thought I might be flipping it within a year. Was i ever wrong. This is a fun pin and I have enjoyed learning the rules. The speed of the shots has caused me to laugh out loud. It can get pretty crazy! My LEDs on the play field look fantastic. This game is sure to last a long time in my humble collection.

mminnoch currently owns this game.

8.524/10

12 years ago

HAZ

hank527

Pinside+ Addict

13y 128K 5,437 249

Great game that moves very very fast. If you are good at shots the pace is blistering. Crazy bobs and the glove are the only things that slow this game down. It is very unique and fast. I finally got one for at home and am enjoying everything except for the mini game as I think this is lame. I love the Funhouse reference and the easter eggs are really fantastic. I think like many others if this were a matrix themed pin it would be a top 20.

hank527 edited previous rating on March 31, 2012.

8.416/10

12 years ago

DL

dennisthemenace

Inactive member

Unknown

12y 20,250 6 30

it plays top 20

that is all you should care about
but because of the theme you can buy 10 jm for 1 MM
but mm doesn't play 10 times better
in fact it plays 5 percent better IMO

dennisthemenace has owned this game in the past.

7.076/10

12 years ago

B R

BLACK_ROSE

Pinside member

Lexington, NC

14y 116K 8,818 3 60

A Fast & Very High Scoring Pin.. The Robotic hand is a Good Touch. The Ramps are a Bit to short , and the Video mode is Hard .. JM look's Awesome in Led's .. I'd Own it again !!

8.704/10

12 years ago

???

stevebighead

Inactive member

Medford, OR

13y 40,400 382 9 16

Bought it. Loved it. Sold it. Now I am a quest to find another as I did not realize what a gem I had. Way better than many games ahead of it. Must find another!

stevebighead has owned this game in the past.

8.175/10

12 years ago

MAK

teachp8

Inactive member

13y 57,800 146 2 97

This is a terrific, fast game - it keeps you on your toes and the flow is awesome. The glove does slow things down a lot but that is a good thing to give you a breather before you get back into the groove. I'd love to own this but in a small collection next to TS it would be too similar - also fast and brutal. It's easy to rack up BIG scores on this one though!

7.896/10

12 years ago

JTB

The_Gorilla

Pinside+ Frequent

Pleasant Hill, IA

13y 116K 5,603 2 161

I now know why this is #1 Bang for your Buck at the time of this writing.

EDIT: Discovering the spinner secret soured me.

The_Gorilla edited previous rating on March 17, 2013.
The_Gorilla has owned this game in the past.

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