I'm with Black Rose on this. BSD and HSII are his keepers. I've got my HSII. On the lookout for a project BSD at a reasonable price. These are my two favorite "bargain" WPC's.

From a financial point of view...there's no comparison. A decent BSD can be had for around the 2k mark. IM? 5k? More?

I know the OP said this wasn't a buying advice thread because, if it was, hand's down, BSD all the way just because of the "bang for the buck" factor. You could have 2 1/2 BSD's for the price of one IM. Then you'd have more than double the "thiiiiiiirrrty milllllion" factor.

As far as the theme goes. Well, I think the Dracula movie is ok. Campy, but certainly not terrible and the art direction is top notch.

The first Iron Man, IMO, is what got Marvel Studios to where it is now. If it wasn't for the huge success of that film we would not be seeing the onslaught of new Marvel films...for better or for worse. I really liked the first film but the sequels I can leave at the door step.

As far as the "it" factor goes, Bally/Williams games from the 90's know how to make you feel good when you accomplish something. From the light show to the sounds, they made "Jackpot" feel like one. Hell, even when Dracula yell's "EXTRA BALL" and the bells chiming when you can "shoot again" just gets me going even after I've heard it so many times.

What's IM got? Digitized animations from the movie on the DMD. Meh. Don't get me wrong. IM is a fast and brutal player but it just not have the "it" factor that BSD does.

Now, I just have to sit and wait till Allentown to go Dracula hunting. Daddy wants a BSD.

You're absolutely right! While on route, when it was new, I can't imagine BSD being a popular title. What with T2, TAF and HSII also out in that era.

The use of LED's really brightens this game up and the "discovery" of how to play it has really improved its appeal.