Get the classic, get Centaur if you have the chance. Personally I usually don't enjoy EEs to much, but Centaur has great gameplay and to me it's one of the best looking machines ever made. Plus it's hard to get, at least in Europe.

BSDs are readily available, and I think the game is good but pretty one-tracked for a DMD. There's plenty of better games on your wishlist in the same price range - one of them being Centaur...

Never pass up a chance to get a Centaur! I did and regretted it. Took me 3 years to find another one.

I have both. Very hard decision there.
Centaur by a whisker because its more rare and its a true classic.

BSD because it's the better pin! I'd love to own both though.

Beg, borrow, steal, find a way to get both, your future self will thank you!!!

Both are great pins. BSD is probably easier to find.
Centaur is probably unmatched for that generation. Superior to Fathom IMHO.
BSD is a great but hard pin. Very good theme with an excellent implementation.

What's an "EE"?

Bsd because there's so much more to do and a way better pinball. centaur is slow definetly classic but painfull to play after a nice dmd game rare doesn't = fun

And you rated Stern Star Trek 1.000 and ACDC 2.220 because they are slow and painful to play too?
ratings.png

Early Electronics (1978-1989)

no they suck too!!!

Id go BSD, I have one and love it just a fun, hard and challenging game. That being said I've been looking for a Centaur to fix up myself do can't go wrong either way really.

Despite Centaurs very cool art package and above average gameplay for the time, BSD whips Centaurs ass in every way possible. I have owned both and sold both. Miss BSD like crazy, Centuar was cool, but I won't have it back again.

Ask yourself why you want a machine.

People buy machines for many reasons.

Centaur is way cooler than BSD... But I think BSD is WAY better in terms of gameplay. It depends on your taste.

I personally despise the Centaur art. Some people love it. I enjoy playing it every time I get a chance, but to me it looks like something the heavy metal kid drew in his history text book while not paying attention to the Vimy Ridge lesson!

BSD is also pretty garish looking, but I personally really like it. It's got a campy gothic horror vibe.

For me, it's BSD by a mile. It's generally much cheaper than an equal quality Centaur, and you're getting a lot more for your dollar in terms of gameplay.

Who cares about a beat up cab?! As long as it's reflected in the price.

That's tough... Both are fantastic games. Centaur is in my top 3 early SS Bally games, and BSD is in my top ten B/W DMDs.

Looking at your collection, I say go with Centaur. It keeps your collection more diverse, and bridges the gap between Fast Draw and Station. Plus, decent Centaurs are a fair bit harder to find than nice BSDs.

Had both BSD is still here. Centaurs gameplay is somewhat limited IMHO. Knock down targets to get multiball advance mutiplier to get mutiball to release and multiball has no real purpose, just more balls in play. BSD on the other hand getting triple stacked multiball play, nuff said and the animations and sounds are awesome.

BSD is incredibly fun!

Dracula is very challenging and has that, "one more game" factor that is so difficult to describe. Centaur is a good game, but is an entirely different game. BSD will punish you for poor strategy or missed shots; Centaur rewards accuracy but is more forgiving. It is a question of what you're looking for. That being said, Centaurs are more difficult to find, for sure.

Centaur. Cannot match that reverb sound. Killer artwork.

No contest.
Centaur.
-mof

I wait for multiball to play the high-risk area of the table: Queen's chamber.
I also think it's the best implemented and most fun multiball of all time.
-mof

I think Centaur is better than most pins in it's era than BSD is in B/W games. I say CENTAUR!!!

BSD is a must in any collection.

Most Centaurs are setup to be an endless multiball flailfest. Put in the home ROMs, raise the slope and adjust the outlanes for less successful bounce-ins. Much more challenging and fun. Centaur is just uber cool.

That said, apples and oranges here. Both great games, go with the era you'd rather have in your collection.

Duplicate, sorry

I originally felt the same way, but having played some Fireball Classic recently, I realized the two are very much alike with respect to multiball: very fast/tough games, so having that second ball in play is crucial to longer ball times. The third-fifth balls are not really necessary, just the ability to enable the lower "guardian" ball is enough. I understand the reason for balls 3-5 though - absolute chaos on the playfield (I think Faris & Patla mentioned this in their audio interview but don't hold me to it). Personally, when I get mine it's being set to no "shoot again" balls, so multiball will be essential for a good game.

^ This sums it up in a nutshell. The game and artwork are great but that sound is unique, and kinda hits you over the head with its coolness. I could just listen to that spooky attract mode voice over & over without even having to play a game...."Guardian Feature! Chamber Feature!"

When reading a which pin to buy A or B thread, I usually chuckle when someone suggests get them both. If you could get them both, there would be no need for the question. Having played a lot of both titles recently, I'd lean towards ......... get them both. Haha! Both are classic and feel unique; challenging but rewarding. Get whichever you can for now (maybe Centaur if it would be harder to find). Then start saving for the other title.

BSD.

I've never been a big fan of Centaur. There are some games of the same era that I enjoy more. I'm not saying it is a bad game, there are just others I find more fun to play.

BSD on the other hand, was a grail game for me. I looked for a while to find a decent one. And when I did, happiness. It's been brutal to me over the last 4 years. Nasty games, with the occasional amazing game tossed to me like a bone. The highs of those great games are what make the BSD a pleasure. It's game after game of a mess, And then the skies open, and Thirrrrrttttyyyy Milllllllllliiioonn rains down. As long as the game is setup right (nasty), that callout is rediculous when you get it.

My vote is BSD playwise but for collectablility I say Centaur. They will be much harder to find, id grab Centaur now and BSD when you have more cash.

Congrats!

Centaur is the winner for me.

Both were boring to play for me. I owned bsd for awhile and couldn't get into it as much as I tried.

Centaur was painfully boring and slow to play. Although some players enjoy the slower play and pins from this era. And nothing wrong with that.

If I had to choose it would be bsd unless there is a third option.

I set mine to a high pitch and she is fast, once you get the rules down its a serious shooter and the coolness factor is off the charts.

BSD is better but buy the Centaur. You can always find another BSD and/or sell the Centaur.