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| Such an underrated Gottlieb System 11. I've owned several system 11's (e.g.,
Joker Poker, Pinball Pool, Count-Down) and this may be my favorite. In my
opinion, ranks favorably with the other late 70's / early 80's solid states.
Takes a few games to catch on to how to increase scores via the rules that drive
the relationships between the roto-target, the two sets of drop targets, the 2
sets of 2 top lanes, the bonus ladder and the bonus multiplier. Plus there is
that unique outlane setup and the challenging gate shot to spin the roto and get
the ball to the top lanes. My guess is it's low sales were driven by it's rules
being more complex and less intuitive at first glance requiring some games to be
played to get a handle on how to improve ones scores - definitely more
sophisticated than the other System 11's. Plus there was the marketing issues
with the U.S. boycott of the Olympics in the year this Olympic themed game was
released. | | Art | :  7 / 10 | | Audio | :  8 / 10 | | Playfield | :  9 / 10 | | Game Play | : 9 / 10 | | Overall | : 8.4 / 10 |
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| Torch is another very underrated System 1 machine. Personally I prefer the
game play of Torch over machines like Joker Poker which just didn't do it for
me.
Artwork is OK, theme isn't anything to rave about but it is the game play
that keeps you coming back for more. Like many other System 1 machines, the
goal seems to be very straightforward and simple but the machine repeatedly
kicks your butt making you want to have 'just one more game'. These machines
were designed to take your money and they still do it.
I have recently got a Torch project machine, I was going to get it running
and flip it but I can't see that happening. For the right price I would
definitely recommend a Torch machine. Cleaned up and dialed in, it plays
surprisingly quick.
I cannot recommend a Pascal All In One board highly enough for any System 1
machine you are planning on keeping. | | Art | :  5 / 10 | | Audio | : 7 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 9 / 10 | | Overall | : 7.6 / 10 |
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| nothing much to say here | | Art | : 5 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 5 / 10 | | Game Play | : 5 / 10 | | Overall | :  5.6 / 10 |
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| This is a hard one to rate...the artwork is just a bit "off" but the playfield
has so many of the devices that made Gottlieb the king prior to this release.
While the outlanes are a bit skewed, if you play it right, this can work to your
advantage. The Roto-target has to have a good spin otherwise it stops in the
same place everytime and that inhibits your ability to build bonus. Not as bad
as some have mentioned but far from the best. | | Art | : 7 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 7.8 / 10 |
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| Back around 1981 when I was in college, there was a Torch machine in the lobby
of my dorm. My friends and I fed quarter after quarter into that machine and
just couldn't beat it. Whenever we'd walk by and hear the attract mode tune, it
was as if the game was taunting us! It seemed the game had a personality all
its own. Maybe the artwork isn't the greatest, not many toys on it either, but
the sound is mesmerizing and the gameplay keeps you coming back for more. I knew
then that if I was ever going to own my own pinball machine, Torch would be a
fun one to own. Well I've owned Torch for about 6 months and it's as much fun
now as I remember it was almost 30 years ago. It's as much fun to play as my
Firepower is or my STTNG, it's just got simpler rules.
You want to get the ball thru the 2 blue and/or green inlanes to light the extra
ball lanes which alternate on/off whenever thier corresponding slingshot is
hit. Completing one drop target bank lites up 2 corners of the bonus multiplier
grid on the playfield giving 2X bonus. All 4 corners lit give you 5X bonus.
Using the roto-target to fill in the rest of the grid can get you to 10X bonus
(not easy to do)! It requires some strategy to know when to go for the roto-
target and when to make it spin. When the bonus gets to 20,000, sending the ball
thru the gate back up to the inlanes or back to the plunger scores 10,000 of the
bonus so you can build it back up. As with Lucky Hand/Jack's Open, some finesse
is needed to keep the ball from draining on the sides since there aren't any
return lanes.
In response to another person's comments, (which prompted me to write this, my
first ever review of a pinball machine), sure you can trap or hold the ball, but
you have to have some skill! If the gap between flippers on a Gottlieb is
larger than on a Bally or Williams, that's something I'm not aware of. One
thing I am aware of is that I will always carry the Torch! | | Art | : 8 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 8.0 / 10 |
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| Very confusing artwork. The rules for this system 1 are very involved compared
with the more simplisic games like Dragon or Charlies angels. Plays very fast
but doesnt allow for very generous flipper holds. A neat last ditch effort for
Gottlieb and this operating system. | | Art | : 6 / 10 | | Audio | : 9 / 10 | | Playfield | : 9 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 8.0 / 10 |
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| Was I ever wrong about this pin. At first I really hated it, based mainly on the
scary looking woman (Elvis on Estrogen) at the bottom. I recently got one in,
went through it, and discovered that unlike th vast majoity of system 1 games,
this one has some rules. It is a trick to accumulate bonus multiplier and the
audio is second only to Buck Rogers for early Gottlieb ss sound. Glad I took the
chance on this one and hope to play it for some time. | | Art | : 6 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 9 / 10 | | Overall | : 8.0 / 10 |
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| I will always have a soft spot for "Torch". I purchased my first "Torch" sight
unseen from Gary Flower back in 1983/4. I had to sell that one when I emigrated
and have recently replaced it with one from the famous (and now defunct) Time
Travel Warehouse in downtown Vancouver, BC:)
This is a fast playing game that requires absolute precision to complete the
drops and making the roto-target. Getting 10X is not as easy as it looks! This
games has all the features I look for: ability to collect bonus during a ball,
resetting drop targets when the bank is complete and player can earn Extra Balls.
It's really worth getting the top rollovers completed ASAP to light the drops for
extra scoring (1K for each number spotted in grid) and extra ball in side lanes.
As previously mentioned there is some strategy involved as to whether to shoot
for Roto or try and aim for re-spin.
An under-rated System 1 game. Don't go comparing it to later model Bally/WMS
games - take it for what it is; a souped up EM and you will enjoy the experience!
Best regards
Woz | | Art | : 8 / 10 | | Audio | : 9 / 10 | | Playfield | : 9 / 10 | | Game Play | : 9 / 10 | | Overall | : 8.8 / 10 |
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| be sure that most gottlieb's gap between flipper is WIDER than williams ot bally
machines, that's part of thier philisophy to make games SHORTER.
and Torch is is a good example of a game made with the operator in mind...
player's fun didn't seem to care for gottlieb on 70's and early 80's... they
realized about that later, but TOO late.
a drain monster, almost impossible to aim (which is the one of the main skills in
pinball playing)... which more can I say? yes: stay far form torch, go get some
williams | | Art | :  3 / 10 | | Audio | : 3 / 10 | | Playfield | :  4 / 10 | | Game Play | : 4 / 10 | | Overall | : 3.6 / 10 |
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| as boring as most Gottliebs from 70īs and early 80's (there are honest exceptions).
i agree with someone who said that Gottlieb's philosophy was "more for the
operator, nothing for the player", and this is not the exception: in this case,
you can even hardly stop the ball with the flippers. nasty (not to mention the
classical enormous gap between flippers).
if you want to PLAY with capital letters, grab a Williams or some Bally's.
Gottliebs are NOT to play, but to blame.
almost disgusting to play this.... uhmmm... i wonīt continue cos' I donīt want my
account to be banned, but imaginde the worst. | | Art | :  2 / 10 | | Audio | : 2 / 10 | | Playfield | : 2 / 10 | | Game Play | : 2 / 10 | | Overall | : 2.0 / 10 |
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| There is nothing enlightening in this game. The playfield design is dull and
lacks good shots. I might be cruel, but if you have problems with this game...
torch it- Punballer | | Art | : 5 / 10 | | Audio | : 5 / 10 | | Playfield | : 5 / 10 | | Game Play | : 5 / 10 | | Overall | : 5.0 / 10 |
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| Well .This is a game that has grown on me .After lots of time spent restoring
the game i thought i had wasted my time and money..After a few weeks of play i
can now say this is a great game .Can be a fast game and its great as you can
often pick up a good score with the high bonus.Takes a bit of time to get used
to as when playing the game you often have to take your eye off the ball to look
at the targets you want on the Roto unit.Look out for the outlanes as the ball
often drains on these.If you try and catch the ball with the flippers often the
ball goes back up and drains as well.Have a look at the pictures.
So system 1 Fans start looking for this Game... Andy | | Art | : 7 / 10 | | Audio | : 7 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 7.6 / 10 |
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| I was always loving this PNB. I played at this TORCH PNB a lot of times during
the 80's and as i found it in an amusement park I asked the owner and he decided
to sell it to me. Me, my family and friends love this machine. It's my favourite
one and I play a lot with it. My son 16 y.o. also loves it. I like mostly the
ROTOR TARGET. Anyway, I just love it!! | | Art | : 8 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 9 / 10 | | Game Play | :  10 / 10 | | Overall | : 9.0 / 10 |
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| Fun theme and not devlish and no scantily clad women. Good family fun
especially with the Olympics going on. Very fast play and roto-target and
bonuses are fun to try for. My seven year old has the highest score and that is
3x his brothers highest! | | Art | : 8 / 10 | | Audio | : 5 / 10 | | Playfield | : 7 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 7.2 / 10 |
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| This machine is everything an early eighties pinball should be - bright, quirky
and fun. For all itīs apparent lack of features, it does give a rapid and
interesting game play. Perhaps the one aspect of the game that proves the most
challenging is the large distance between the criss-cross rotor feature and the
flippers. The sound is solid and the artwork is great in spite of itīs
starkness. A rather odd machine, but a particular favourite of mine. | | Art | : 8 / 10 | | Audio | : 8 / 10 | | Playfield | : 6 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 7.6 / 10 |
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| | Art | : 3 / 10 | | Audio | : 6 / 10 | | Playfield | : 8 / 10 | | Game Play | : 8 / 10 | | Overall | : 6.6 / 10 |
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| | Art | : 10 / 10 | | Audio | : 9 / 10 | | Playfield | : 9 / 10 | | Game Play | : 10 / 10 | | Overall | : 9.6 / 10 |
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| | Art | : 5 / 10 | | Audio | : 5 / 10 | | Playfield | : 5 / 10 | | Game Play | : 6 / 10 | | Overall | : 5.4 / 10 |
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| | Art | : 6 / 10 | | Audio | : 4 / 10 | | Playfield | : 7 / 10 | | Game Play | : 7 / 10 | | Overall | : 6.2 / 10 |
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