Episode 117 - The UNDISPUTED Top Ten Games of All Time List

Alex ranks Medieval Madness, The The Addams Family, and Godzilla as top 3 best pinball games ever made, claiming objectivity over opinion.

Synopsis

In this episode of Wedgehead A A Pinball Podcast, host Alex presents an "objective" ranked list of the 10 best pinball machines of all time, emphasizing factual metrics over personal preference. The top five entries announced are Medieval Madness (#1), The The Addams Family (#2), Godzilla (#3), 8 Ball Deluxe (#4), and Whitewater (#5). Alex argues these games are definitive based on cultural impact, longevity, sales performance, design excellence, and enduring playability rather than subjective taste.

Highlights

• Medieval Madness only sold 4,000 units originally (released 1997) but resale prices keep rising despite repeated remanufacturing by Chicago Gaming.
• The The Addams Family sold 22,000 units and is the best-selling pinball machine of all time.
• Godzilla from Stern is on track to pass The The Addams Family in total sales.
• Godzilla is the most common game on location and in home collections in 2026.
• Firepower was on the original top 10 list but was cut as the hardest decision; it would rank #11.
• The castle toy destruction in Medieval Madness creates a unique memorable impression that surpasses any other pinball mechanical moment.
• The The Addams Family didn't perform as a major cultural event: it was the 12th biggest movie of 1991; Sleeping with the Enemy (24% on Rotten Tomatoes) earned more.
• The The Addams Family established the blueprint for modern mode-based pinball design that all subsequent games copied.
• 8 Ball Deluxe represents the masterclass in drop target usage with three distinct drop mechanic types (in-lane, money drop, bank).
• The co-host Alan agrees Whitewater is excellent and the podcast has a full episode in agreement about why it's 'the fucking best.'

Entities

• Chicago Gaming Company· company
• Stern· company
• Williams· company
• Attack from Mars· game
• Eight Ball Deluxe· game
• Firepower· game
• Frontier· game
• Godzilla· game
• Medieval Madness· game
• Mystic· game
• Sleeping with the Enemy· game
• The Addams Family· game
• White Water· game
• Pinside· organization
• Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
• AJ· person
• Alan· person
• Alex· person
• Brian Eddy· person
• George Gomez· person
• Joe Kaminkow· person
• Margaret Hudson· person