Which pinball machine would you get?

pookdolie

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Yup, another of these threads.

I'm not *there* yet; I'm just doing some daydreaming at this point.

If you had a choice to acquire one, which of these would you buy? I've included my limited impressions of them...

Family Guy - Enjoy the game play, like the theme (and love the TV show).

Simpsons Pinball Party - I've only played this a couple of times, but I'm a big Simpsons fan.

Attack From Mars - Had the feeling of a pinball classic the first time I played one. Seemed to be very good depth, too. Thoughts?

Whirlwind - Love the theme, and overall just seemes like a solid machine with good repeat gameplay.

(This would be for home use, and would be the only one I'd own. So, depth of the game is important. Thanks for any input!) :cool:
 
TSPP it would be for me...simply more to the game than any of the others and I enjoy it more.

And you can't have just one pin, get that idea out of your head right now...it's just NOT possible.
 
I personally would end up with the family guy. But only because Im a big fan. ANd the idea of one isn't going to happen. Like all the other arcade guys soon you will be selling your games to make room for more pins. They all say it wont happen but it will.
 
Attack From Mars. Sweet Invaders from Space Theme hearkening back to 1950's B movies. Not necessarily a 'timeless' theme but definitely a classic one. You can't really say that about the 2 cartoon based pinballs, even if you currently like the cartoons they're based on. As to whirlwind, I find that machine a bit gimmicky and I get dry eyes easily, so that damn fan would push me to the brink of insanity. AFM, FTW.
 
So, I'm gonna save the next poster the trouble and vote for Whirlwind now. lol

Thanks for your input so far. BTW, I only would physically have room for one pin.
 
So, I'm gonna save the next poster the trouble and vote for Whirlwind now. lol

Thanks for your input so far. BTW, I only would physically have room for one pin.

Then don't get Whirlwind, IMO. It's available on the PS3/Xbox Williams Collections and perfectly playable if you really have a jonesing for it. I don't really feel like it's good enough to hold the ONLY pin spot.

I haven't played AFM, but I love Revenge from Mars, which is pretty much a sequel to it.
 
Then don't get Whirlwind, IMO. It's available on the PS3/Xbox Williams Collections and perfectly playable if you really have a jonesing for it. I don't really feel like it's good enough to hold the ONLY pin spot.

That's good feedback. Thanks!
 
I don't remember the ruleset exactly on WW, but I swear on the PS3, I shot that skyway ramp more than 50 times in one game. Also got REALLY good at exploiting the extra ball off the middle shot up by the pop bumpers. I'll have to look at that when I get home and see what my score was last time I played...
 
Yup, another of these threads.

I'm not *there* yet; I'm just doing some daydreaming at this point.

If you had a choice to acquire one, which of these would you buy? I've included my limited impressions of them...

Family Guy - Enjoy the game play, like the theme (and love the TV show).

Simpsons Pinball Party - I've only played this a couple of times, but I'm a big Simpsons fan.

Attack From Mars - Had the feeling of a pinball classic the first time I played one. Seemed to be very good depth, too. Thoughts?

Whirlwind - Love the theme, and overall just seemes like a solid machine with good repeat gameplay.

(This would be for home use, and would be the only one I'd own. So, depth of the game is important. Thanks for any input!) :cool:

Probably TSPP, because it is so deep and there is so much to the game. That said, I like the theme of FG much better than TSPP. AFM is pure fun and for whatever reason, doesn't seem to get old. Whirlwind is good too, but it would finish 4th in this race.

TSPP
FG
AFM
WW
 
You do realize you have a gigantic range of costs there, right? :) AFM is literally triple the cost of WW, with the other two falling in between, just in case you didn't know that already. There is also a huge range in play styles, so it's tough to give recommendations without knowing what you prefer in a game. You have one of the fastest, most flowing games in AFM, and one of the most stop-and-go games in TSPP with the other two falling in between. You really have apples vs oranges vs bananas vs avacodos here! :)

As for the games themselves, if everything else was equal I would pick AFM no questions asked. It is an amazing game. The only thing that holds me back from buying one is the price. I wish I would have bought one a few years ago before they skyrocketed. As much as I love the game, I don't see it being worth what they go for now. If you are looking for depth, this wouldn't be the top of what you listed. Actually it's probably 3rd in depth, though I'm not super familiar with FG's ruleset. There is plenty to do, but it isn't really a deep game...it's pretty straight-forward.

Whirlwind is a very close second for me. I adore that game...it's a classic through and through. The price is also very reasonable. However, it has by far the smallest ruleset of the games you listed. It has plenty of depth for its era, but can't compete in rule complexity with the others, which are much newer with more technology in them. That doesn't stop it from being a great game though, and for the price you really can't go wrong.

The other two are about equal for me, and neither are really high on my favorites list. I probably prefer the gameplay of FG a bit, but I like the theme of TSPP much more. TSPP is known as being one of the deepest games ever made, if not THE deepest. You will most likely never see everything there is to see in this game. I believe there are only a handful of people in the world who have ever seen the wizard mode (with the glass on). You gotta respect that. However I find the playfield to be a bit of a mess and have a hard time getting into the game.

Family Guy also does not have my favorite playfield design, though I do enjoy parts of it. The mini-playfield is genius and a lot of fun. There seems to be a lot of depth, but not on par with Simpsons. The rules are fun though, and it is enjoyable to bat the ball around. If I liked the theme more, I could see really getting into this one. I haven't played a Shrek (which is the same game different theming), but I love that theme, so I could see falling in love with that one.

So I'd say if you are going for depth, TSPP is the clear winner. If you are going for pure fun and excitement and money is no object, AFM is the way to go. If you want an all time classic and are willing to sacrifice depth for fun and character at a budget price, WW wins. I think FG loses this one unless you are a huge fan of the show and are willing to go middle of the road in rules, price, and fun factor.

So all that said, and it was probably no help at all... :)
 
You do realize you have a gigantic range of costs there, right? :) AFM is literally triple the cost of WW, with the other two falling in between, just in case you didn't know that already. There is also a huge range in play styles, so it's tough to give recommendations without knowing what you prefer in a game. You have one of the fastest, most flowing games in AFM, and one of the most stop-and-go games in TSPP with the other two falling in between. You really have apples vs oranges vs bananas vs avacodos here! :)

As for the games themselves, if everything else was equal I would pick AFM no questions asked. It is an amazing game. The only thing that holds me back from buying one is the price. I wish I would have bought one a few years ago before they skyrocketed. As much as I love the game, I don't see it being worth what they go for now. If you are looking for depth, this wouldn't be the top of what you listed. Actually it's probably 3rd in depth, though I'm not super familiar with FG's ruleset. There is plenty to do, but it isn't really a deep game...it's pretty straight-forward.

Whirlwind is a very close second for me. I adore that game...it's a classic through and through. The price is also very reasonable. However, it has by far the smallest ruleset of the games you listed. It has plenty of depth for its era, but can't compete in rule complexity with the others, which are much newer with more technology in them. That doesn't stop it from being a great game though, and for the price you really can't go wrong.

The other two are about equal for me, and neither are really high on my favorites list. I probably prefer the gameplay of FG a bit, but I like the theme of TSPP much more. TSPP is known as being one of the deepest games ever made, if not THE deepest. You will most likely never see everything there is to see in this game. I believe there are only a handful of people in the world who have ever seen the wizard mode (with the glass on). You gotta respect that. However I find the playfield to be a bit of a mess and have a hard time getting into the game.

Family Guy also does not have my favorite playfield design, though I do enjoy parts of it. The mini-playfield is genius and a lot of fun. There seems to be a lot of depth, but not on par with Simpsons. The rules are fun though, and it is enjoyable to bat the ball around. If I liked the theme more, I could see really getting into this one. I haven't played a Shrek (which is the same game different theming), but I love that theme, so I could see falling in love with that one.

So I'd say if you are going for depth, TSPP is the clear winner. If you are going for pure fun and excitement and money is no object, AFM is the way to go. If you want an all time classic and are willing to sacrifice depth for fun and character at a budget price, WW wins. I think FG loses this one unless you are a huge fan of the show and are willing to go middle of the road in rules, price, and fun factor.

So all that said, and it was probably no help at all... :)

Damn, jedi, you saved me a bunch of typing! I would have the same recs, for the same reasons. Not a fan of the FG or TSPP layout and shot selection. AFM is funny, great flow, and some good modes to aspire to.

I'll throw a curve here and say that if you want the flow of AFM, the depth of TSPP, and a few playfield quirks like in FG (a challenging 'real' mini-pf), plus a boatload of drop targets, then you may want to consider World Poker Tour. :D
 
You do realize you have a gigantic range of costs there, right? :) AFM is literally triple the cost of WW, with the other two falling in between, just in case you didn't know that already. There is also a huge range in play styles, so it's tough to give recommendations without knowing what you prefer in a game. You have one of the fastest, most flowing games in AFM, and one of the most stop-and-go games in TSPP with the other two falling in between. You really have apples vs oranges vs bananas vs avacodos here! :)

As for the games themselves, if everything else was equal I would pick AFM no questions asked. It is an amazing game. The only thing that holds me back from buying one is the price. I wish I would have bought one a few years ago before they skyrocketed. As much as I love the game, I don't see it being worth what they go for now. If you are looking for depth, this wouldn't be the top of what you listed. Actually it's probably 3rd in depth, though I'm not super familiar with FG's ruleset. There is plenty to do, but it isn't really a deep game...it's pretty straight-forward.

Whirlwind is a very close second for me. I adore that game...it's a classic through and through. The price is also very reasonable. However, it has by far the smallest ruleset of the games you listed. It has plenty of depth for its era, but can't compete in rule complexity with the others, which are much newer with more technology in them. That doesn't stop it from being a great game though, and for the price you really can't go wrong.

The other two are about equal for me, and neither are really high on my favorites list. I probably prefer the gameplay of FG a bit, but I like the theme of TSPP much more. TSPP is known as being one of the deepest games ever made, if not THE deepest. You will most likely never see everything there is to see in this game. I believe there are only a handful of people in the world who have ever seen the wizard mode (with the glass on). You gotta respect that. However I find the playfield to be a bit of a mess and have a hard time getting into the game.

Family Guy also does not have my favorite playfield design, though I do enjoy parts of it. The mini-playfield is genius and a lot of fun. There seems to be a lot of depth, but not on par with Simpsons. The rules are fun though, and it is enjoyable to bat the ball around. If I liked the theme more, I could see really getting into this one. I haven't played a Shrek (which is the same game different theming), but I love that theme, so I could see falling in love with that one.

So I'd say if you are going for depth, TSPP is the clear winner. If you are going for pure fun and excitement and money is no object, AFM is the way to go. If you want an all time classic and are willing to sacrifice depth for fun and character at a budget price, WW wins. I think FG loses this one unless you are a huge fan of the show and are willing to go middle of the road in rules, price, and fun factor.

So all that said, and it was probably no help at all... :)

This is AWESOME feedback, thank you!

I'm not sure if price will / would be an issue or not. That'll be determined down the line...

Damn, jedi, you saved me a bunch of typing! I would have the same recs, for the same reasons. Not a fan of the FG or TSPP layout and shot selection. AFM is funny, great flow, and some good modes to aspire to.

I'll throw a curve here and say that if you want the flow of AFM, the depth of TSPP, and a few playfield quirks like in FG (a challenging 'real' mini-pf), plus a boatload of drop targets, then you may want to consider World Poker Tour. :D

This too - thank you.
 
Simpsons is the deepest, but the likelyhood of you ever experiencing all that depth is slim to none. Such a great design with a little flow, a little stop 'n go, satisfying shot and amazing modes. The only knock would be the Whitestar sound hardware, which makes the game sound a bit more compressed and "video gamey" compared to SAM Sterns or WPC'95 games. This bothers some people...but, it's still a great sound package with lots of voices, music, sound FX, and bass.

Family Guy is plenty deep, not as deep as Simps, but it's final mode (Sperm Attack) is much more likely to be seen than Simpsons' final mode....but - it's still challenging as hell (IMO) and even though I've owned the game since 2007, I have never been to the final mode on a stock 3 ball game. I cheated once w/ a 10 ball game just to see it...hehe. It's REALLY cool...I wish I could get there on my own. There's a mid-point Wizard Mode though...TV Wizard, that's more reasonably attainable - and very intense. The rules to advance require more Skill than Simpsons. Simpsons requires you to just have started modes to keep advancing...you don't really have to do well in the modes. Family Guy requires a lot of specifics to advance toward Sperm Attack. Has one of the best sound packages of any modern pin with tons of custom voice and the clarity of the SAM hardware.

AFM - It'll cost you the most. It's fun, butter smooth and flowy...has great sound...but -as an only game I think it would get repetitive.

Whirlwind. A classic, will be way cheaper than the others...but - again - I think it would get old as an only pin if you need some depth in your game.
 
Simpsons is the deepest, but the likelyhood of you ever experiencing all that depth is slim to none. Such a great design with a little flow, a little stop 'n go, satisfying shot and amazing modes. The only knock would be the Whitestar sound hardware, which makes the game sound a bit more compressed and "video gamey" compared to SAM Sterns or WPC'95 games. This bothers some people...but, it's still a great sound package with lots of voices, music, sound FX, and bass.

Family Guy is plenty deep, not as deep as Simps, but it's final mode (Sperm Attack) is much more likely to be seen than Simpsons' final mode....but - it's still challenging as hell (IMO) and even though I've owned the game since 2007, I have never been to the final mode on a stock 3 ball game. I cheated once w/ a 10 ball game just to see it...hehe. It's REALLY cool...I wish I could get there on my own. There's a mid-point Wizard Mode though...TV Wizard, that's more reasonably attainable - and very intense. The rules to advance require more Skill than Simpsons. Simpsons requires you to just have started modes to keep advancing...you don't really have to do well in the modes. Family Guy requires a lot of specifics to advance toward Sperm Attack. Has one of the best sound packages of any modern pin with tons of custom voice and the clarity of the SAM hardware.

AFM - It'll cost you the most. It's fun, butter smooth and flowy...has great sound...but -as an only game I think it would get repetitive.

Whirlwind. A classic, will be way cheaper than the others...but - again - I think it would get old as an only pin if you need some depth in your game.

Great input; thanks! Yeah, I've heard good things about Family Guy's depth from everyone I've asked, and you get a sense of it even as a casual player. Design-wise, some of the things on there really feel inspired - like the off-kilter music which plays during Stewie Pinball, for instance. I appreciate stuff like that, so I'm sort of leaning that way.

SNPP is so damn busy, but it's got awesome things going on for sure. If I played it more out in the wild, I'm sure I'd get more into it.

AFM: I'm not surprised it's so expensive today. It reminded me of when I played Eight Ball Deluxe as a kid - it felt like the "Pac-Man" of pinball, something that could appeal to everyone. People remember it, and it seemed to have unisex appeal, too...
 
Great input; thanks! Yeah, I've heard good things about Family Guy's depth from everyone I've asked, and you get a sense of it even as a casual player. Design-wise, some of the things on there really feel inspired - like the off-kilter music which plays during Stewie Pinball, for instance. I appreciate stuff like that, so I'm sort of leaning that way.

SNPP is so damn busy, but it's got awesome things going on for sure. If I played it more out in the wild, I'm sure I'd get more into it.

AFM: I'm not surprised it's so expensive today. It reminded me of when I played Eight Ball Deluxe as a kid - it felt like the "Pac-Man" of pinball, something that could appeal to everyone. People remember it, and it seemed to have unisex appeal, too...

Yup, AFM is a pretty straightforward, appealing game. But a bit pricey these days, alas. Good call on the Simpsons--definitely play it enough to see if you like it. I'm not a fan of TSPP, despite having played it a lot and being a fan of Keefer-programmed games in general. I want to like it, but the playfield is all over the place, shots aren't very satisfying to me. Same for FG. For me, it's in the same category as TZ: a very popular game that I've played a ton over the years, but I just don't like the feel of it.
 
AFM has one of the cooooolest multi-ball light shows of all time. Goes all dark and the flashers strobe on the ball. I was talking about it the other day and then did it at the arcade and a couple friends had never seen it...wtf!?
 
I would first ask, how much experience you have with electronics as part of the decision process or how readily available is a repair tech. I have been a collector since 1989 when I bought my first machine. I know a lot of people who get into,this hobby and then have a broken machine sitting in their house for years because they don't know how to fix it and don't know anyone who can come into their house and repair it.

For a first pin, I would look for genres that have less issues.

The most reliable are the electromechanical machines pre 1977. These machines are less fun and less complicated, but far more likely to operate without issues.

The early 80's machines had a fair amount of issues due to being new to the solid state technology. I would recommend staying away from these.

Probably the most reliable period IMO is from 1989 to 1993. These machines were fairly complicated but were built off of third and forth generation boards. They also did not have some of the newer technologies like infrared sensors, electronic flipper boards, security boards.

A new Stern pinball would be the most reliable being brand new. I would not recommend used Stern pinballs based on the low quality of operators that exist today who do not maintain their equipment. I have also seen a poorer quality from Stern in recent years. Many machines I play on site have issues.

That's my two cents. I know you are getting machine specific recommendations. My feedback is more machine independent.

Good luck with your endeavor.
 
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Great input; thanks! Yeah, I've heard good things about Family Guy's depth from everyone I've asked, and you get a sense of it even as a casual player. Design-wise, some of the things on there really feel inspired - like the off-kilter music which plays during Stewie Pinball, for instance. I appreciate stuff like that, so I'm sort of leaning that way.

Yeah, David Thiel is an amazing sound & music wiz. The Stewie pinball music is a creepy music box & electric guitar version of the FG theme song. Fun fact - David did all the awesome sound FX in the original Q*Bert!!!! ...and I have a Q*Bert machine in my office at Family Guy/Fox Animation. Circle of life. :)

Chris Granner did Simpsons' music...he's one of my favorites, too. The Comic Book Guy "Hurry Up" music can get kind of annoying though...but I guess that's the point - you wanna hit the damn shot to stop the music...lol.
 
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