James McFatter
Author Profile

James McFatter

James is a writer at Kineticist. He’s been playing pinball since he could reach both flippers on his dad’s Paragon (not an easy feat), has been playing competitively since he could drive himself to tournaments, and routinely talks ears off about any and all sorts of pinball minutia. Aside from pinball, he works as a software developer, collects board games, and spends his winter weekends skiing all over his home of New England.

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Pinball Tutorial

Swish! Learn How to Play Bally’s 1990s Basketball Tribute, NBA Fastbreak

Learn how to play Bally's NBA Fastbreak pinball machine.
Pinball Tutorial

Flying High: The Most Detailed Guide to Genco’s 1935 Flying Colors You’ll Ever See

In an era where e-sports have been widely adopted, there's something really fascinating about competing on a machine that's significantly older than video games.‍ So today, I'm treating you all to a true classic, Genco's 1935 legend, Flying Colors.
Pinball Tutorial

Ghosted: Learn How to Play Stern's Difficult 2016 Release, Ghostbusters

Learn how to play Stern’s difficult 2016 release, Ghostbusters
Pinball Tutorial

Flying Dangerously: Avoid Icarus’ Fate With Our Led Zeppelin Pinball Tutorial

Given how much pinball and classic rock go hand-in-hand, it might come as a surprise that a band as influential as Led Zeppelin didn’t get their own machine until 2020.
Pinball Tutorial

Taming the Beast - Learn How to Play Bally’s Widebody Classic, Paragon

Learn How to Play Bally’s Widebody Classic, Paragon
Pinball Tutorial

Legacy of the G.O.A.T. (Mastering Elwin’s Rookie Release: Stern’s Iron Maiden Pinball)

Learn how to play Stern's 2018 release, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast.
Pinball Tutorial

For Those About to Rock: How to Play Stern's AC/DC Pinball

Released in 2012, AC/DC was one of the first games to come in three differing versions (Pro, Premium, LE), and marked a shift towards simpler layouts and more straightforward rulesets which secretly harbor extreme strategic depth.
Pinball Tutorial

Choose Your House: How to Play Stern's Game of Thrones Pinball

Learn how to play Stern's Game of Thrones Pinball machine with this detailed yet approachable guide.
Pinball Tutorial

Go get 'em, Tiger! Mastering Stern's Spider-Man Pinball Machine

Based on the Sam Raimi trilogy of Spider-Man films, this game hit the scene to coincide with the release of 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man by Stern Pinball is considered one of the greatest DMD-era pinball machines of all time.
Pinball Tutorial

Become Queen of the High Seas with the Black Rose Pinball Tutorial

James breaks down the rules and strategy for Bally's Black Rose. It’s a great theme, has great music and callouts, and has a bunch of great rules and shots which lead to big payoffs should you manage to overcome this game’s tricky design.
Pinball

Ten Pinball Machines Even Weirder Than You

Every now and again, we see some absolutely insane layouts, designs, or gimmicks which send a machine down in fame - or infamy - for their unusual nature.
Pinball Tutorial

Challenge Accepted: Moving and Grooving to Williams' Banzai Run

Learn how to play Williams' 1988 classic pinball machine, Banzai Run.
Pinball Tutorial

Party Hard: The Simpsons Pinball Party Tutorial [Advanced Guide]

This is a late-game guide for The Simpsons Pinball Party, and it assumes that you understand the main objectives available to you at the game’s outset, such as how to start modes, lock balls, and the like. If you’re new to the game, I advise you check out this beginner’s guide first.
Pinball Tutorial

Party Hard: The Simpsons Pinball Party Tutorial [Beginners Guide]

Pinball Tutorial

Call Your Shots: Learning Bally’s Eight Ball Deluxe

Bally's Eight Ball Deluxe is a simple target-shooting game with elaborate bonus rules. Learn how to play the game in our latest pinball tutorial.
Pinball Tutorial

Tempting Targets: Unraveling the Secrets of Bally's Mata Hari Pinball

Mata Hari is a quick-playing game, a classic Solid State, and a very simple pinball machine that relies heavily on masterful flipper control. Learn the secrets to a high score in this tutorial.
Pinball Tutorial

Multiballs of Madness! How to Play Bram Stoker's Dracula Pinball

Learn everything you need to know to play Williams' 1993 classic pinball machine, Bram Stoker's Dracula!
Pinball Tutorial

No Skeletons in Our Closet: The Ultimate Guide to Bally's Scared Stiff Pinball

Learn how to play Bally's Scared Stiff pinball, the second in the Elvira trilogy of games.
Tournament Pinball

Pinball Tournament Formats: A Comprehensive Guide

Looking to take your pinball skills to the next level? Check out this comprehensive guide to pinball tournament formats! From Best Game to Card-Based Qualifying to Pingolf, this article covers the most common tournament formats as well as some wacky unsanctioned ones.