Re: Question: Why is TZ so great?

Clock Chaos is boring? Although it can be risky to shoot the clock, I
always enjoy trying to get the Rudy quote during this mode and have fun
trying to keep it going as long as possible.

Possibly not in-and-of-itself, but coupled with Clock Millions, Clock
Ten Millions, and other stuff which emphasizes the clock, it's just
"More of this thing? Not *again*..."-syndrome incarnate. The Rudy
quote, while decent, isn't enough to make me want to concentrate on
hitting the clock target for any extended period of time. The clock
was *overused* in this game, to the point of running it into the
ground, IMHO.

Heh. I definitely appreciate well though out rules and TZ does that
about as well as any game. I like the base rules as well. Such as
every 10 robots lights the camera (copied in many subsequent games),
every 10 hitchhikers lights right ramp, "GUM" and "BALL" light lock and
gumball. These rules work well and are all things that a player will
want to do. There's nothing to rape here, unless you are expert in
multiball. And, yes I will geek out over the minutia 'cause I enjoy
that too. :)

Well-thought-out rules are good, and are appreciated by me, as well.
I'm not claiming that Ted Estes failed, or didn't know what he was
doing, or didn't make it deep. To the contrary: TZ, especially
considering its vintage, is a coup of software interactivity.

I'd like to take issue with your adoration of the "Every 10 Robots
light the Camera" rule, though, and in the same sweeping motion, the
other "spotting" rules you mentioned. You're forgetting that Bear Kick
ramps in TAF spotted mansion rooms every 10 hits as well, so you're
giving TZ credit where it isn't due. Such things preceded it.

I do enjoy TZ's awards, especially the spiral, clock chaos, fast lock
(I like getting FH or BR music going), battle the power, hithhiker, and
super skill shot. The only one that I really do not care for is 10M
and if I am bold enough, I can be awarded that one with the skill shot.
I always have fun battling the power, playing powerball mania (where
hopefully I will battle the power some more), and playing regular
multiball (which makes use of many different shots). Stacking up
scores of hitchhikers and having the game count them down is enjoyable.
I will try for dead ends even though the ball might end up in the
deadly jet bumpers. Gotta go for the car through the wall animation.
Whenever spiral is lit I will usually go for it, as I want to battle
the power often. Battle the power rocks, as do the spirals.
I find the piano and slot to be tougher shots than TAF's chair.
Getting modes on TZ is challenging enough to make it satisfying when
LITZ is achieved IMO.

I think my biggest issue is probably with the door panel values
themselves. TAF's were far more instantly interactive (modes,
hurry-ups, Quick MBs) than TZ's overreliance on the clock, and lighting
things that could be lit in several other ways during the game. I
appreciate things like The Spiral (which, with the magnetic stoppage,
is probably my favorite mode in the game), Super Skill Shot, Town
Square Madness (which is certainly a big risk/big reward mode), Fast
Lock, Greed, Hitchhiker, and such. Wearing me down are awards such as
Battle the Power, 10 Million, Clock Millions/Chaos, Super Slot (needed
some different places to shoot, a la Fester's Tunnel Hunt in TAF), The
Camera, Lite Gum Ball, and things like that. About half of the door
panels are, to put it bluntly, uninspired, making the journey to the
*very* inspired LITZ a generic pain.

You mentioned some things which can be interesting in a vacuum, but as
part of the whole package, they leave me a bit underwhelmed.

I don't know what to tell you. If you don't enjoy spiral
breakthroughs, double jackpots, triple pickups, defeating the power at
the last second after smacking it around at 1M a switch, picking off
the door panel EB before collecting another EB, or collecting huge
bonus at the camera, I just guess you won't appreciate TZ.
A shame. ;)

You need not "tell me" anything, and there's no shame on my part, for
sure. I'm a big enough boy to know what I like and what I don't, and
to a decent degree, I'm able to explain *why* I like them, and why I
don't. As can you, which is why I can very much respect your opinion
on the machine. There are certainly elements of TZ that I enjoy and
respect, and we're certainly not talking about a machine that I view in
the same realm as AFM or anything. I *like* TZ, but I don't *love* TZ.
The elements don't mesh for me, much as they might work independently
one from another.

When a game is thrown around as a "Top Ten Game of All Time, For Sure,"
though, I'd have to be "the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the
wrench, the pain in the ass," ("Die Hard" fans, anyone?) and say why I
do or do not agree with that sentiment. ;)


Aron

.

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