Obviously, it's up to you. here's my opinion on the three:

MB: coolest art, best music, neatest idea for a theme. Somewhat shallow rules, though.

AFM / MM: MM has the best toy. In fact, the castle might be the best toy in all of pinball. Otherwise, the games are so similar in layout and ruleset that it's hardly worth debating between the two. What do you like better, aliens or knights?

All three games are available for accurate representation FREE PLAY on Pinball Arcade Underground.

You can evaluate them personally.

If you are not aware these games are EXACTLY the same design with slightly different modes, along with different voices, music, and sounds.

Essentially the same design team as well.

I agree with both pez and knight. It's really up to you. All are basically a fan layout. Add the game that you'll enjoy most. Can't go wrong with any of them.

We've had all three. MM came first and is the only one of the three we still own. MB is beautiful but a bit too shallow. AFM is very similar to MM in both rules and layout, but MM rule set is a bit more refined and has the better toy. I'd have another AFM in the future, but in a small collection it feels pointless to have both AFM and MM. Wouldn't have another MB anytime soon.

I own all 3 and afm has the most staying power for me. It's faster, the shots are tighter, and the code to rule the universe is more unique. MB is a fun game but you can see all it has to offer on your first game playing it. MM has great toys but I just don't enjoy it as much as the other 2.

As blackknight said they are essentially the same design for all three so for me it all comes down to the depth of ruleset.

I currently have all three and would rank MB as the weakest in terms of ruleset, with AFM and MM being so close to each other as the perfect blend it would be almost impossible to put one higher than the other.

Maybe AFM by a whisker due to the alien theme.

AFM
MM
MB

Metallica is way better than any of those three but very similar. Owned AFM and MM. They got old

Get a WCS. It's better than all three and you can get 2.5 of them for the price. I've got AFM and play WCS way more.

You can't go wrong with any of them. I was faced with this same decision recently and went with Monster Bash because I actually felt it offered more variety. I realize they are all similar and did take into account that most people felt MB was shallow. And, I agree that the MM castle and AFM mothership are better toys, but I kinda felt like that was it, just one big toy on each. MB has a bunch of smaller toys and I enjoyed shooting all the monsters better than just shooting the castle or ship. If you have kids you can't go wrong with MB. My family actually plays my other machines even more now because MB got them so into pinball. I just did a review of MB a couple days ago.

https://pinside.com/pinball/archive/monster-bash/ratings

MM has better theme/art/callouts/toy than AFM, but I prefer AFM's rules. No boring royal madness to mess up your streak, no problem with accidentally starting Madness. I've played MB the least, but I've gotten to the wizard mode twice. Only game where my actual tournament strategy is 'get to mini wizard mode'. Woudn't want to own one.

If I had to pick one of the three, i'd go AFM simply because of strobe multiball.

I have all three. I am not going to compare them because they are all top rated and loved games. So it is going to come down to a personal preference for theme, dots, music and call-outs. I just want to join the thread because I like saying I have all three.

There just isn't a ton of code for the game. You have the 6 main monster modes and that is really it. You do have a mini wizard mode and the final wizard mode but both are just normal multiballs without and real progression. You just keep shooting jackpots until you lose the multiball. It's a great game and really fun to play but it is pretty shallow. Similar to Scared Stiff in that way but scared stiff has a progression based wizard mode which makes it stand out. I still love playing both games though. To me MM is the one that falls a little flat on code. It has deeper code but it's just shoot this shot 3 times, do it again, do it again. 3 great games though

How is MB winning this poll? I sold that game after a few years as it got boring and repetitive for me quickly, even though I am a monster fan. It's a fun game and all, but I still dont get the hype and wouldnt put it in the same class as AFM or MM. Having said that, I like AFM the most and MM may be too similar to have both in a small collection...

I honestly wouldn't spend the money any of those command, then. You already have the superior game. Looking at your collection, i'd go IJ next.

Of the 3 games I have the least amount of time on AFM, my problem is that I own MM so it never made sense to buy AFM... But I want an AFM!.. Can the two machines be together in a small collection??

I voted MM, but it's a toss up between AFM and MM.

MB gets very repetitive in a home environment. Except for the MBs, it's basically collect the monsters by making each shot and then shooting the shot to collect the monsters. Fun to play on location, but really gets old with many plays.

I love AFM and MM. Both are great games. I used to like AFM more than MM, but I think I lean towards MM now. Rules are similar, so I'm going for the visual on this one and the castle is one of the best toys in pinball.

100% yes.

MB will bore you in a week

MMR is a good choice for a home use pin.

[Coin mech joke here]

Absolutely. I have both and they both are the two most played in my small collection. Obviously very similar, shots are exactly located the same. MM seems a little bit deeper, AFM plays faster.

image (resized).jpeg

You have AFM BigD. Nuff' said.

Medieval Madness has the worst music of the three...other than that it wins in every single respect, and Monster Bash is so far behind AFM it's not funny. I've only played a handful of sessions on MB and I'm bored with it already.

Layout: MB has possibly the most boring layout ever (yes, worse than Wrestlemania). It's pretty much a 'perfect' fan. Every shot is a gimme. AFM is better since the shots start higher on the playfield, and require more precise shooting to nail consistently. MM has shots of various lengths, a challenging catapault shot and pop-up trolls.

Ruleset: At the risk of turning the thread into a broken record, MB is shallow. Very shallow. Kind of like South Park but with better production values. Stacking all monster modes is a challenge, but basically pointless when other strategies are easier and just as profitable. AFM has the most variety in goals. MM seems to be the deepest.

Everything else: All three games are easily explained to non-pinhead guests. All have good callouts and sound effects. MM & AFM are funny, MB less so, but still very quotable. Artwork is consistently good across all 3 titles (although AFM's saucers are kind of bland). MM's castle is easily the best toy across all 3 games.

Price: This is the killer. None of these games are good value. MM and AFM are very good games, but you can get other games just as good for less than half the price.

LOVE IT! AFM would definitely be a grail pin for me.

MB.....noooooooooo way man. It's flat out BORING. I do think the theme couldn't be better.....I love monsters and rock n' roll. But the pin itself just doesn't last in value for the $$$ it brings. I get the love for it though.

I know. I'm afraid if I buy one I'll then want 6 more! But I agree that would be the best use of mod money.

AFM and it's not even close. And not that this matters for someone on the hunt for a high-end game but AFM is also the cheapest of the bunch.

They all have fairly similar layouts, great art, themes, dots, sounds.

AFM has the best software by far. It moves you around the playfield requiring you to make all shots - every shot is equally important. It's not incredibly deep yet the replay value is off the charts. The flow is fantastic, and it's an excellent loop pass game. Most importantly it's just fun, fun, fun. Newbies can play it to bash the saucer, better players can avoid the saucer and work Total Annihlation for big points and the hurry up 1 billion, as well as going for multiball and Super Jackpots. Good strategy game with the martian bomb and multiball stacking, and deciding when to go for multiball points or try to take out a saucer, and you always feel like you can get in a groove on 1 ball and turn a crappy game into a good one. Just the right amount of EBs available in factory settings to Rule the Universe as you can expect to lose a ball or two chasing the saucers at the end of a game. Perfectly balanced game in that you can play it the smart way, for points, and on a great game you'll come close to Rule the UNiverse and can decide at that point to go all in and work the saucers.

Idiots and poor players will cry "I get tired of shooting the saucer all the time!!!!" but they don't know how to play it (or lack the skills to play it right) and are complaining about the wrong game, they should be dissing MM.

MB is really cool but it's just too shallow and easy after a while. Fun to play but doesn't have the replayability.

MM has a great toy and people think it's a laugh riot (though I find the "humor" to be a bit overrated and the game overall isn't as fun or funny as MB or AFM), but the software....no matter how many times you play it you'll eventually come to the realization that the only way to play for points is to focus on the castle, and it indeed gets old. In home use you'll surely eventually focus on the wizard mode just to see it but out in the real world if you want to win, it's castle all day, with the occasional multiball you'll use to attack the castle some more. The Trolls are another neat gimmick but they suck, If I actually want to win I usually just time them out.

You don't time anything out on AFM because it's 100 % awesome. It's also got the best theme and sound of the bunch.

I had to thumb up your post just because of the mere fact I have all 3 as well.

I had a MB, it was a cool game and all, but it was also shallow and easy. It does a great job of making you feel like you're some amazing pinball player whether you are or aren't, the way the jackpot call outs are...

MM is one I have not landed and plan to eventually. What's not to love about it, I mean c'mon...

no hesitation for me, this is MM.
The best toys ever. great rules, i really love the MB concept. The Troll are so well integrated in the playfield (much more than hobbit imo).
but the atmosphere with sound, music and callout is amazing.
AFM never did it for me, the aliens are quickly boring me.

1-MM
2-MB
3-AFM

like pinside top 100

I'm the opposite. MM does little for me. Just not into medieval stuff I guess. Not sure AFM all that either but sure is fun. Like SciFi a lot so maybe that's trick. MB is a lot of fun for me. Still not worth the big bucks, though. I can see it getting old but would be fun in a big collection. Any of these games would be easy to sell so see no reason to try them out if interested.

4 Other choice

Here IS a creative and original better choice.
Slugfest!
Go play one.

Great home machine especially for families.
Roughly 4X cheaper than any of the the "Big Three" you listed.

Hot Shots Basketball is another keeper, if you can find one in excellent shape.
Goes for under $1500-2000.

People need to understand that "cookie cutter" collections came out of opinions in the late-1990s.
Before that nobody cared and there was no "Top 10" list even through the 1991 transition of the Mr. Pinball website.

Lucky to have all three, AFM for 15 years, MB for four, MM for three. Play all three regularly. If a quick pointless game of fun and great shots I go to MB. Super smooth game. Want sore wrists and only a slight chance of the wizard mode, MM. Probably the most complete game ever, certainly from WMS anyway. If want jiggling martians, the best humour and crazy speed, then a freshly cleaned AFM.

Yes, the layout is similar, although the ramp shot entry method and return quite different, and rules are very different. All three themes are first class, and each, when set up well, rewarding in very different ways.

Price has nothing to do with value or fun.
This is not a valid justification.

JM has the same depth/quality/speed/toys as AFM or MM. It is also a WPC95.

The part of reason a machine may be "famous" is people have not played multiple unique titles in their lives and cannot give full comparisons. That was the justification creation of this post.

People can post opinions, and they do not have agree with others.
That is something I do respect.
Most people here do not.

I have both afm and mmr. I've had my afm for about 2 years while mmr has only been here about 6 months. Out of both I play Afm more but my tron and met get play more then both afm and mmr combined. I actually started to think about moving my mmr just because it's so similar to afm too get a twd or IM