When I first saw The Shadow pinball machine, the movie and the theme didn't appeal to me at all. The backglass was particularly uninspiring, but I really liked the cabinet art. It was almost as if the backglass was an afterthought. When I stepped up to the machine for the first time, inserted a coin and played my first game, it just felt good. Despite having dozens of machines to play, I found myself coming back to it time and again.
After now playing this machine many times, it is apparent that The Shadow has excellent variation. Although it doesn't quite have the flow of some other machines, I definitely wouldn't call it slow either. There are multiple and varied ramp shots, aided by the fantastic ramp diverters, and the playfield is really well balanced overall. The ramp diverters took me some getting used to, but once I got the hang of them, it now feels natural. The upper playfield is fun and I also like the video modes. In fact, I love almost everything about this machine.
I can't wait to purchase this one when I start my collection. When that time comes, I will invest in one of the alternate backglasses, and I am sure The Shadow will reside in my collection long term, due to its replayability, variation and balanced gameplay.