This is it. This is the one. This is my favorite pinball machine of all time.
From the first time I played it at Castles N’ Coasters in the early 2000’s, I realized that of all the games that I’ve played, this one is the most representative of me. Two of my favorite things – monsters and rock music -rolled into one of my other favorite things: pinball. If you were to ask me to create an original “dream theme,” this would be it.
Funds were tight in 2012, so acquiring this game involved the most “nooooooo!” moment of my time in this hobby, which was selling my Addams Family pinball machine (itself a total steal that I pulled off back in 2004) while leaning on a favorable tax return. I’ll get you back someday, Addams Family! You’ll see… *edit: it happened!
After being pointed to a pretty smoking deal on Denver’s Craigslist (I think the game itself originally came from South Dakota), I was able to get this “holy grail” game in my collection. Barring some sort of wild unforeseen event, this is a permanent fixture in my lineup.
As far as modifications, I’ve added a Color DMD, a Laseriffic topper, LED lighting (including slingshot spotlights and LED strips at the top of the playfield and under the apron), mirror blades, undercab lighting, leg protectors, a “Rock Me” launch button, and a plasma disk mod.
I’m admittedly biased, but I find everything about this game to be exceptional: great fan layout, smooth flow, gorgeous artwork, awesome dots, hilarious voice work, and a rule set that’s easy enough to explain to non-pinball players, but challenging enough to engage pinheads. Aside from maybe Medieval Madness, in my opinion, there is no other complete package out there that’s on par with Monster Bash.
It’s alive!
Zombies Ate My Arcade 