For a family of novice players I think a Monster Bash would be perfect. We love ours.

You'll love pretty much ANY first pin as long as it's reliable. No wrong choice.

Take a ride to "The pinball Store" located at 145 Pepe's Farm Rd.
Milford, CT 06460 (203) 877-0348
Play a bunch of them and buy it while there, they have a large stock of pins NIB and used. Just call first to see if their hours are different because of C-19.

TMNT has to co-op modes so the family can play as a team, you might want to check that one out.

this

Check your Pinside inbox, I just PM'd you

Also, make sure to give Hot Wheels a look. It's priced very well and folks are digging it.

You have to play them, Im just about a year into owning machines, have bought 4 NIB that I didnt care for because the hype caught me. aka(money down the tube)
Find one that has replay factory, one that you just cant walk away from.
Frustrating but not enough to quit.

Yes on all 3. Get em

I would definitely recommend playing each game you’re interested in and buy the one your enjoy the most. There’s no wrong choice, as each game has its own unique features that make it special. Hope you can find a theme you all enjoy. You could buy a game used if you want to save money, I recently sold a Jurassic park pro for $4800

I own and lik JP but it is aimed at more of the experienced type of player. Rules get complicated and tough to complete anything. Like others said, MB is a better fit for the family and less experienced players. It is more shallow but so are most of the classic games. People still love them. If you start to get bored of it, swap it out for another game. Any one game will get boring after a while no matter how deep.

Fun time picking a pin!!! Make sure it feels like a nice shooter!

Dont buy MB if you have concerns on how it shoots. Buy a fun game for YOU

Maybe a Stern
Walking Dead
Star Trek
Keith Elwin JP or Maiden
Game of Thrones Premium?

Sterns do shoot really fun.

Only advice is you dont play the art, you play the game.

Normally correct, but I'd avoid Munsters
Not good enough for the money.

Monster Bash is perfect for your demographic.
Attack from Mars is excellent too - IMHO a bit better than MB.

MB by a mile. If the fam is into it, secure that sucker and let them get into owning a pinball machine and having fun.

It will be easier then to throw a bunch of their shit away to make room for the next one.

You have solid choices but I would opt for Dialed In, since you said an option is something used.

MB is a great game not sure it would hold interest long term as a single pin. JP is much harder, and complicated and I don't know if that would be a turn off with your group. DI has everything, I just love the game.

I own or have owned all three mentioned. Anyway that's my 2 cents.

Good luck

Glad to see some suggestions for Hot Wheels. That is an ideal family game - great shots, full package, great support. MB is a great option too. I’d maybe wait on JP until you’ve had more time on some other games - the rules can be a little obscure and complex for a novice gamer, and it may turn off your family a bit. You need a solid win on the first game so the second one shows up much easier.. haha

Try downloading Pinball Arcade to try some virtual pinball. Though it's not like playing a real machine, this will give you a basic ideal for what you might like. I have a 70,000 in 1 Multicade that plays virtually any format or pinball title made. Sometimes it's great to play a machine that you know you will never own, but to have the insight for how it plays w/ rule progression. Just played Asteroid Annie, Stern Star Trek & Attack From Mars last night. Give it a try >>>

Yeah JP is NOT the game for newbs

Elvira then. No brainer. Fun and easy

Have you played Deadpool?
That is by far my favorite that I have owned.

I own both Jurassic park and Monster Bash, and I am married with 3 kids. Here's my advice:

Firstly, try to play as many pins as possible and narrow it down. If it isn't possible to play them, try to watch online videos, read about the rule sets, and look up reviews. It seems like you have already done this a bit, but you seem to have questioned MB also...so I would say make very sure beforehand, since pins aren't cheap.

Second, buy what appeals to you the most...not the kids, wife, or friends. You are the one buying it and will likely be playing it the most, not anyone else. Buying family friendly pinballs is good, just make sure you love it first. Kids and wives lose interest fast.

Lastly, I really don't recommend buying NIB. I suggest getting a HUO game to save money. I find that HUO games from collectors cost far less and are better playing already because they are dialed in. Every pin will need maintenance somewhere down the line, so find a reputable tech in your area. If you have a few tools on hand and a willingness to do small fixes, that doesn't hurt either.

Having said all that, here are my specific recommendations for the two games (and more recent titles):

A JP pro's average price according to pinside is 5200, and a premium is 7200. A classic MB is 7000 and a monster bash remake LE is 7700. If you just need to clip the extras off, the JP pro is far less than the rest, but it seems like that's not a problem since the other options are in the same range. If you get MB, opt for the LE remake. It is the best MB ever made in my opinion (and for the majority of others). Is costs very little more, and it is newer...so the issues will be little to none.

If you opt for the JP, the premium is MUCH nicer, but it costs 2k more than the pro. You have to decide if the toys and art package are worth it. I think they are. Besides, if you are spending the much anyway...you should get what you want.

JP is deeper, but MB will be more kid friendly. Both have great lighting, sounds, themes, and rule sets. Both are family friendly. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

Attack from mars or Willy wonks would be 2 more you could consider with family, newness,
and quality considerations (but I think think both JP and MB are better, however).

No one can give you a definitive answer, but that's my 2 cents.

NGG

No, those games are not even close to good alternatives.

SE is the original way the machine came and is perfectly fine. <--Sorry I was confused, the cheaper Classic edition is the OG. Don't feel like you need to stretch your budget becasue the CE is great.

No. I have a TMNT and it is not for novice players. To fast and shots are hard to dial in for beginners. Coop is great though and the game is badass once you get the shots down but the theme is the only friendly thing about this game. Deadpool is a easy game id recommend for family use. Monster bash would be a good easy game. The Data East games your looking at are ok starter games if there priced right and in fully working condition and when they break which they will you can learn how to do repairs and not worry so much since there older cheaper games.

i was at automated last tuesday.. i updated that deadpool with the newest code.... oktoberfest is really fun....

Medieval madness, everyone in the family will like and the castle is straight forward.
Simpson pinball party. Lots of gadgets, quirky and fun.
Wonka standard. Beautiful. Smoth ramps, Camera, theme, daily high scores.

Monster bash gets bland rather fast.
Jp is great, but is a hard shooter, also if you have kids, premium for frekkin moving dino.

No, that is NOT correct. The SE (Special Edition) has a larger display and color graphics. The CE (Classic Edition) has the standard mono-chrome display.

I think you are getting confused by JJP's naming scheme (which uses CE for Collector's Edition, and SE for Standard Edition).
CGC's naming scheme is different.

If kids that old, don’t worry about too complex. Most people are horrible at certain pins, forever. MB is decent but I prefer JP. If go JP, get the premium. It is well worth the upgrade and has something for all skills. If they like a certain film or band, that will definitely have an impact. Although, I’m not a fan of the JP movies but the pin is one of the best.

Correct on all fronts thanks! I always confuse them.
Changed in post.

Be careful about pricing on used Sterns. The pro editions could be had new in box for less than 5K very recently (maybe even now if you know who to buy from.) It is common practice for people to buy Stern machines new, play them and resell them for what they paid or a bit more. FWIW the published price for Stern machines is not necessarily the street price. Also shipping costs are the original owners sunk cost. It doesn't make the machine more valuable. So if you bought a game for 4500 and it cost 300 to ship it you have a $4500 game. Not a $4800 game. If buying used ask to see the receipt to get an idea of what you should be willing to pay.

Where the hell are you getting nib for $4500?

Who the hell keeps receipts of games they buy? If someone asked to see a receipt of a game of mine for sale they would get shown the door. They know what they are willing to pay for it regardless of what the original price was.

I don't want to derail this thread but buyers especially new to the hobby don't need to and shouldn't be over paying for used machines.
Over the past year or two prices have really shot up. But that doesn't mean that a title that was released in 2018 (Iron Maiden, Deadpool) should be priced like Led Zeppelin. Ask for the receipt. Know what you are buying. A game that was sold for 5500 with free shipping is a 5200 machine.

That's cool. FWIW I have every receipt for every NIB purchase I have made. In general I keep receipts for purchases in excess of 1K.
And if you can get someone to pay you for playing the machine that is great for you. Not so much for the hobby.

I've taken a loss on every NIB ever bought but don't have the insider secret distributor list you claim exists for $4500 NIB games.

I have lost on my sales too and the days of 4500 games are past, but not long past.

I made 100 on GB due to that slow down in production back then

I had the same question a few months ago. Went back and forth between JP, Dialed In, Wonka and WOZ. I wanted one the whole family could enjoy. I opted for Wonka LE and I am not disappointed. I love the game, theme, shooting, modes and difficulty. But the best part of it is, my 9 year old daughter loves it and plays more than me. It's in my office and she will come in throughout the day to shoot a game, and it makes me so happy. Not that your kids will react the same way my child did, but Wonka definitely struck a nerve with her. We have had Addams Family since she wass a baby and she will play occasionally, but not like she plays Wonka. Good luck with your search.
Best
Joey

Man that's awesome you have a place close by like that to try out all the newer pins. That's the best way to do it so you know first hand what you like and don't like in each one of them. Avengers would definitely be a better fit than Alice Cooper from the stand point of ease of playing and shots. Ha not sure my wife would play Alice Cooper with me, but who knows everyone has their own tastes. But like others have said your going to be the one playing the pin 95% of the time so in my opinion theme to me counts a lot when I'm looking at pins to purchase. For instance I want to love TMNT but the theme kills it for me as I was never into them and just hearing the music playing drives me crazy. Though the pin fits everything I love in that it's brutally hard and a fast shooting game. Still waiting on my Avengers but almost everyone has said how well it shoots and it sounds like your enjoying it from that perspective as well. I would think for a family pin that would be more acceptable over the Alice Cooper, but I'm not knocking Alice as I love his music and think the pin looks amazing.

If he decides to get the Spooky pin and needs anything for it, at least Charlie or one of his staff will answer the phone and help him with his issues or parts order. Try and get help from Stern on anything... Crickets.
To the OP, Charlie is the founder and owner of Spooky Pinball and will personally answer your mails and will talk to you on the phone about anything to do with his products.

Both are very good games, but AIQ is the easy choice because it is far more family friendly, has easier shots (so newer and younger players will gravitate towards it more), and it will likely be easier to maintain in the future since it is a Stern.