Best 2nd Pin to buy

I would suggest Williams IJ, everyone that has one keeps it a long long time

Since you already have a "Fast" game, I'd complement it with something with modes... The Addams Family , Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure , Twilight Zone , or get something pretty tough like White Water or The Shadow

Whatever game does NOT complement HS2, so you can later sell your wife on a 3rd game

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Having only room for 3 machines myself, and also owning two of the 3 (TZ and Indy) games on your wishlist, I figured I'd offer up my two cents. I would definitely consider two main factors in your quest for a second machine: your budget and game variety.

Budget:
The games you've listed are all potentially great options, but they vary quite a bit in price. Indy and TZ are the most expensive at around $6000-$8000 (Indy tops out higher than TZ), then Addams ($5000-$6500), then Whitewater ($3500-$4500), shadow and no good gofers ($3000-$4000), and finally Dirty Harry which can be had fairly cheap ($2750-$3000).

Game variety:
Getaway is a fun game, but it's fairly shallow from a depth (ruleset, variety of shots, code) perspective. I'd definitely recommend a deeper and potentially more challenging game as your #2. You definitely want something that will hold your interest and will simply feel like a different experience from the getaway. Personally, the shadow is a tough and unique game and goes for a lot less than some of the others you've listed...people seem to love it (I would like to own one at some point) and it's definitely challenging. To me, whitewater is a bit shallow as well, especially for how much they're going for these days. It definitely has more complexity than getaway, but the shot selection isn't all that varied.

Hopefully that helps ya.

There are currently nice examples of a Dirty Harry and Shadow for sale in northern va right now. Also, I know of an Elvira that is coming available soon too.

Don't ask Pinside for help. Don't listen to the hype. Play some games locally, and pick the one you like. If you don't know of a local group of pinball players, find one. Local groups and networking are your easiest way to play a wide variety of games and in some cases, also purchase. It's the only way to decide what games should be in your collection.

It's like me asking you what kind of muscle car, painting, or Harley I should buy? The answer should be the one that makes me happy.

No one else's experience or opinion should really determine these things for you. Sure, others may be able to help you not pick a "lemon" but none of the titles you listed are lemons so get what makes you happy.

To Snyper's point, there are 2 leagues near you, COTU has 4 or 5 pins, and you can play all those that you listed if you take a day trip to flippers. I'm with the others... get some game time on something deeper and see what calls out to you.

addams family with indy a close second. both have lots more to do than getaway. but, there are lots of other pins to check out other than your list of games on the poll. go play as many different titles before making a final decision

Since the Mrs. is interested then I recommend Addams Family. It's a great all around game for both experienced or novice players. The rest of the choices are Ok, IJ and FT being good also.

Go on the pinball locater and find some spots to play some of these games. Nothing is worse than getting a game in the house, playing it and having that "oh shit I hate this game and it must go as soon as possible feeling". Try to think of the attributes of the game you have and what would best complement it. If it is fast then get a slow mode based game. If it is simple, get something complex.

The bottom line for me is that you need a minimum of three games to cover the major categories.

And don't fall for the hype on the BW games. Yes they are good but you can get 2 just as awesome games for the same price you'll pay for an IJ.

for the price DH all the way!

Think he means Bally/Williams

If you want to play test any that I own just give a shout. I have Addams, Fish Tales, Whirlwind, Taxi and some others.

If you only have space for one more then it makes sense to get one you really like!

LOL.

Regarding the categories. Each game has it's own fundamental attributes. There are maybe 15-20 attributes. I'm just saying that a good small collection should have games that are fun but different enough from each other that you won't get bored. For example, a collection of No Fear, the Getaway and Fish Tales for me would be miserable because they are very similar to one another.

I started out believing the hype about games because I really didn't have a lot of personal experience in the hobby. So I chose some of the highly rated games and tried it out. It became not a lot of fun because I discovered that there were a lot of overlapping attributes and the recommended games, for twice the price were really nowhere near twice the fun. My experience has led me to believe that a lot of new players own a lot of the same games because they are "highly rated" and they don't have enough experience to actually know what they want in a game. The longer, older collectors usually have the most exciting lineups.

When I choose a game these days I am looking to fulfill some need that blends with the rest of my collection. Does I need a fast game, a game with a lot of ramps, a game with cool toys, a tournament game, a game kids will like, a game my wife would like, underplayfield ramps, multiple levels, fun games, serious games, drop targets, balanced scoring, etc etc. No single game has all of the attributes so it takes a long time to mix and match.

Good luck with your search...

Everything on your list are good pins that are easy to move down the road if you want something different. Consider price and whats available within driving distance.

Of your list I voted TZ and IJ both are great!!

However I like less maintenance and I like newer pins (like new) so my go to rcomendation today is TWD pro, Met pro or if you prefer more deep and more stuff going on in pin Tspp or LOTR.