I love my Demolition Man. And it's a great party game for non-pinheads, because everyone loves the gun grip triggers. It seems that game always draws people to it first. Kids especially love the grips. Plus, it can be challenging if you're a good player.

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I own all 4 of the games in your poll and my personal favorite is judge Dredd i Just love the game with all the toys and ramps. It also has good rules and judge Dredd remains one of the games I play most in my collection.

Its all opinion so take this for what its worth.

I had Drac, DH, TFTC and a bunch of other games so we have some similar taste.

I enjoyed DemoMan and miss it. I played tons of shadow in league and didn't like it.
Judge Dredd has a funky layout and while I love the theme, it is fun for a while but overall doesn't hold my interest.
CFTBL is lame in my opinion, not fun at all. Its about as fun as Hook, maybe you like that game, maybe not.

DemoMan has fun ramps, some fun multiballs, a cool elevator/claw, some nice animations. I'm voting foe DemoMan

It's a tougher call than you'd think.

Dredd kinda sucks so I'd forget about that one.

But Shadow and Demo Man are both a ton of fun.

Personally, for the price (cheaper) I'd probably go with Demo. I like Shadow, but despite the fact that it's a little "deeper" I always get sick of it faster when I have one. Demo is just a ton of fun, I love going combo-nuts. It does play better with the claw disabled in my opinion.

Come get the JD in parma and play it

Keep in mind dredd isn't a movie theme, it's based on the comic. Demo is also far and away a better movie than either Shadow or Dredd, regardless.

Like...what's up with the Dredd movie anyway? It's super cheesy and tries too hard. And, it's basically a shittier remake of Demo Man anyway. It's like, the exact same plot!!! The only cool thing in that movie was the old robot he buys at a thrift shop. And as any EM guy will tell you, that was bullshit anyway. You aren't gonna just grab some 100-year old robot out of a thrift shop that hasn't worked in decades and just fire it up and it expect it to start killing people for you. Ain't gonna happen. Really? All the stepper units worked, just like that? Come on bro!

And gooddamn....WAY too much Rob Schneider in that one. It's unbearable.

In my opinion Shadow is a top 10 game if not hamstrung by theme. Even then it has great theme integration and does the best it could with what it was given.

The game has everything. Ton of shots, difficult wizard mode, three multiballs, arguably the best upper playfield ever, fun (and quick) video mode, a sweet ball lock, even a hidden easter egg mode. Pulling off a super jackpot is just as rewarding as making the Final Battle, and maybe even harder.

While DM can be had cheaper, I still think there's more bang for buck in Shadow. It can be an ass kicker, but you have BSD so you are already use to that sort of thing anyway.

Have owned them all. Here are my thoughts;

Creature is a rare combination of great theme and great game. People who like Mode based games tend to dislike it, because it plays more like a system11. I happen to like the building objective of achieving multiball, and then trying to qualify the jackpot and superjackpot while building the multiplier. It's very difficult to do. Somewhat expensive, though.

Demoman, I didn't care for. It looks great, but there's a lot of cool looking ramps and stuff, but a lot of times that a ramp shot ends in a wait. I can't remember everything, but I wrote a review about it in the reviews here that spell out my issues with it.

The Shadow takes itself too seriously. It's really fun for a bit, and the ramp lane changers are cool and it's fun to combo and orbit. But for some reason, I had enough after a very short while. The ball-lock is cool. I traded it for Creature.

Judge Dredd is the only game I've bought twice. Lots of combo shots, and a funny theme. There are a ton of modes, but they all feel different. The Dead World is really cool too. Lots of humor and great artwork. For the money ($1400, folks!), it's the keeper in the bunch.

If anyone has a $1400 Judge Dredd for sale, I'll be there yesterday!

I've owned all 3 and sold them all. The only one I missed was Shadow. I bought another Shadow and don't plan on ever selling this one. To me it is probably my favorite game of the 90's era. Great rules and a unique layout which is fast and fun. I'd rank Shadow quite a bit higher than JD or DM.

If I had to pick between the other two games it would be a tougher call. I think JD is the better game overall but I think I enjoy playing DM a bit more. DM is a game you don't have to think about too hard when playing. You can kind of jam out and get into the flow and keep playing the various multi-balls over and over. The handles are cool as well. JD has great art and a better theme and a cool layout but I'm just kind of over the game. I should probably like it more than I do but I feel it does many things good but just isn't great in any particular aspect.

For me: Shadow > Demo Man >> Dredd

That said, you stated this was for others to play... including the casual player. In that case I'd actually recommend Demo Man as the #1 selection based upon that criteria as the extra buttons on Shadow can be confusing and DM has a much easier / quicker fun factor (but not as much long term playability in my opinion).

I could never get into Demo Man. With all the ramps and shots it seems like it would be fun but just seems dull to me. Dredd looks pretty cool but not a game that makes me want to keep hitting the start button.

Shadow is not for everyone but it's the better game. The ramp diverters are really cool and there are many ways to play for points. It's a very tough game so novice players really struggle with it. Really tough to have two extra buttons to use when you are just trying to keep the ball in play on a game where missed shots typically result in a drain. Finishing any mode is a real challenge so it's not a game that you can beat easily and then get bored with it. It can get frustrating but very rewarding when you crank out a good game.

I would agree with this. Shadow is the best game of the group, but probably not the best game for you based on your description. Shadow is similar to BSD in that they both are challenging and the non pinball player will most likely give up on them before they appreciate / understand why they are so good. DM has lots of MB, great shooting ramps and the handles are fun and unique. Because of this DM seems to be a go to game for everyone.

Shadow probably the best although I love Creech, but it's very polorizing.

JD is wide for no reason and never really seen the appeal.

For me Demo is by far the worst.

Shadow and Creech by a million miles. I have had them both for a while and really have no plans to let them go. JD is cool, but did not last very long at my house. DM is fun to play at shows and stuff, but would never own one.

I would rate them:

1. Shadow - I own it and it's a keeper. Super fast. Lots to shoot for. The diverters on the ramps are great. The upper playfield is a lot of fun. Great ball lock. Good amount of code for a challenging game.

2. CFTBL - I own it and it's a keeper for me as well. Very unique layout. Adds variety to my collection as it doesn't remind me of anything.

3. DM - I owned for several years. Great flowing widebody. Fun ramps. Good bang for your buck. Solid game.

4. JD - I have the least amount of time on this one. I like the deadworld mod that locks the balls. There's a ton to shoot for. Maybe it's the code, but this pin just doesn't come together for me.

I've owned all 3. The only one left is JD, but that is only because I had to sell Shadow to fund the gameroom build out before I ever got JD. If I could only buy 1, it would be Shadow. I love the challenge, it's a unique game and I don't even mind the theme. JD is a close second for me because it is so loaded from a features perspective. 4 flippers, ramps and wire forms everywhere, tons of orbits and alley shots. It's crazy fast fun. Demo Man, I like the game, like the theme, I've played the game a thousand times but it didn't last a month in a home environment for me. Just too much of a repetitive one trick pony for me. Once you got that right ramp shot down, it wasn't "if" you could get through Cryo Prison, just how many times could you do it and how high could you get your Super Jackpot. It's a fun game and I would still play it once in a while on route, but it's not something I would want to own again. I haven't owned Creature, but have certainly put my time in on it. That game is too much of a one trick pony for me as well. It's just about getting your multiplier up so you can hit a crazy big Super Jackpot. There is no wizard mode and lighting FILM, finding the girl and getting a jackpot then super jackpot is not that hard to do.

Don't forget the super game feature on JD. That alone earns my vote based on the new player criteria. It's a win win for me regardless though, as I know the op and it's one more game I don't have to buy

I'd agree. Out of all of these if you want to appeal to the widest amount of people it is JD or DM. However, the Super Game on JD wins out. It's a great way for kids and novice players to get to experience a great multiball. I sold my JD and my wife has said she wouldn't mind seeing another one come in again. Her and my son really liked it.

Shadow is way to hard and frustrating for most casual people. However, Shadow is the only one of the three I currently have in my collection and I'm enjoying it, but not even the rest of the family enjoys it much. Wife has told me on more than one occasion to sell it when I'm bored and buy something else.

Funny, my wife would never let me sell The Shadow. It's her favorite game, by far!

I'm not sure why others find it frustrating. It's fast and difficult to beat but that's what makes it fun. I also find it to be the most intuitive game to understand and that's a big plus for non pinball people.

Sounds like you made your decision and it's easily the one I would and did chose. It's a keeper in our house.

Margo? Lamont? Margo? Lamont?

Anyone for Peking Duck?

Flippers ... use the flippers!

shadow is one of the greatest pinball machines ever made. The other two get old quick

Any game with a secret laugh mode can't take itself too seriously.

I've owned over 250 machines and I still own a Demo Man, so that must mean something. Love them loopin' combos.

All I can say is all 4 games are BAD ASS with a LCD ColorDMD!!!!!
Thank you Dmod for helping making them colorful.

I would say Dredd all the way, as Shadow is cool but kinda overpriced IMO, and DemoMan is cool... but not as cool as Dredd... and then you threw CFTBL in there, which is a GREAT game and the one I would take for sure, although it costs as much as two Dredds... or a Dredd and a DemoMan...

What the hell, I say get Dredd and DemoMan!

1 shadow
2 dredd
3 DM