Hi All....

I am currently thinking about what my next move might be on the EM side of the house.

I currently own 4 classic Gottliebs - and I CERTAINLY have a list of more of those to keep an eye open for...BUT.....since I have 4 already, I would like my next game to be a Bally or Williams Classic.

What Bally/Williams EM games do YOU own that have stood the test of time in your collections?

To give an idea of a few games I have my eye on....I really like Williams Fan-Tas-Tic (1972) and also Williams Doodle Bug (1971). Both these games have visual appeal AND ALSO provide interesting games. Each of these games also throw a curveball due to non-traditional flipper arrangements. Fan-Tas-Tic has the pop bumper between the flips and Doodle Bug prevents "cradling" of a ball on the flipper due to the separation between the slingshot and the flipper. On both of these games, knowing when NOT to flip is as critical as knowing when to flip.

I do not have to have a non-traditional flipper setup - those 2 games just happen to have it.

I ALSO LIKE Bally Rocket III (1967). I have played it at Silverball Museum. This game has the oddball "spinning bumper" and non-traditional layout at the top of the game where the ball enters play. I should also mention an earlier Williams game - Beat The Clock from 1963 "the first multi-ball game". This is a VERY tough game due to the flipper arrangement.

THOSE ARE SIMPLY EXAMPLES - what Bally/Williams classic EMs would you suggest?

Thanks for reading - PennSkier

Thanks to everyone who is chiming in with ideas on this.

Williams Gulfstream and Bally Old Chicago definitely go on my list - I love both of those games.

Williams Dealer's Choice recently terrorized me when I played it at St. Peters Village Arcade - I could not complete the 1-9 buttons + the 10-J-Q-K-A targets no matter how hard I tried. TO ME, this is the sign of a challenging game that would be a good one to own. I am adding Dealer's Choice also to my list with an asterisk* LOL - for the color scheme. The black backglass (who does that?) + shocking pink are truly an odd color scheme - not the vibrant/bright that I normally am attracted to. Having said that, I like some oddball stuff in my collection - so let me play it some more and we will see.

Super Star - I also hate the art - I think it just screams "tacky 70s" - is that the general consensus? Why do so many people dislike it? Just curious.

@Poppapin - Thanks for reaching out on Williams Soccer. I think you are one step ahead of me - right now I'm just trying to come up with my game plan BUT - I will be making a "research trip" to Silverball Museum in the next week or 2 - and they have that game. Let me play it and I will let you know if I am interested (if you still have it).

I need to look into Bow and Arrow, Grand Prix and Spanish Eyes.

I appreciate the suggestion about the early production model of Freedom - but right now, I think there is enough coming together that I probably don't need to hunt and peck for a rare game. Not at this point in my collection-building.

ONE THING I DID NOT SAY in my original post.... A "nice to have" for me would be a game with an Asymmetrical playfield in order to diversify my collection. The 4 Gottliebs that I own (World Fair, Roller Coaster, Hearts & Spades and Volley) are all perfectly symmetrical - you could fold them down the middle like a Rorschach ink blot LOL.

So keep the ideas coming - and I am continuing to listen and will have my short list together after a few more days of consideration.

-PennSkier

I'm giving this a one-time BUMP to see if any other suggestions surface. Original posting was somewhat lost in the shuffle of PinExpo posts & activity.

Thanks!

Thanks EMsInKC - Yes - I am hoping to hear a few of those that people own and that are "keepers" - my recent purchase of 1964 Gottlieb World Fair is fueling some of this (I love it!) - though on this mission I am specifically looking for recommendations other than Gottliebs - owning 4 Gottlieb EMs already.

I really appreciate everybody's suggestions. Many of them I am familiar with and some of them I need to "research". I know Silverball Museum has a few of them.

I was happy to see a few people getting on the topic of earlier 60s games. I've enjoyed both Beat The Clock and Tradewinds at Silverball.

I'm going to soak on some of this for a few days and then I will try to put my "short list" together - I will share it here. Since some of these games are not easily abvailable, my gameplan is to have a shortlist of about 10-12 games any of which might be the next one - if and when I find the right thing in reasonable cosmetic condition and operable.

I'm not really into project games at this point. Plug & Play LOL.

Thanks, PennSkier

Silverball Museum trip today! Research on this very topic. I will report back.

So here is a quick "Photo tour" of the RELEVANT GAMES to this topic that I played at Silverball Museum on Saturday (I will do a separate thread/topic that is a more conventional Trip Report).

Magic Town - Add a Ball version of Magic City -this one will MAKE my short list of games to look for... I've always liked the game play as well as the stunning visual appearance. It shares the unconventional "pop bumper between the flippers" setup that Fan-Tas-Tic also has. Add-A-Ball always preferred for my home collection BUT it's not a must-have.
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Williams Wing Ding - Gorgeous artwork and great gameplay - BIG plus is the backglass animation that "racks a ball" when you hit certain rollovers or land in certain kickout holes (when lit). Not an easy game - BUT I went back to this game 3 or 4 times during my day at Silverball - which always is a clear signal that it would be a good candidate for home.
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I should note that there was a Williams Alpine Club right next to some of these others - great visual appeal BUT I could not seem to warm up to the gameplay - so no photo of that one - not a candidate for my home collection.

Williams Doodle Bug - From the prior discussion, this one is definitely a contender! There is no more to say! (I should note that my gameplay on this yesterday was NOT ideal - it was as if Doodle Bug spat upon me and mocked me. Even a game that I desire to own - and some that I ALREADY OWN - have days like this.)
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Williams King Pin - I had a fun time playing this on Saturday - it is a fun game with great visual appeal - I have played it before and always enjoy BUT it seems to fall just short for me overall - so this one will not make my list. It is a game I could potentially warm to, though - but for now - off the list.
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Williams Big Star (i.e. Super Star) - In spite of our previous discussions in the thread above, I stepped up to Big Star and gave it a "fresh try". I proceeded to kick its ass with a score of 154,000. When I can do this with a game that I am not familiar with, that is normally an immediate disqualifier - it's not a game I would bring home because it is "too easy" and will not keep me occupied at home. (A sidenote - I had the same experience with the "modern game" The Shadow about a year ago - I had never played it and the first time out I scored north of 2 Billion - so this can happen with any era game). FURTHERMORE, the entire time I was racking up the 154,000 score on Big Star, the HORRIBLE dark purple/orange and black color scheme was driving me up the wall. So Super Star/Big Star is off the list. I tried.
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Williams Beat Time - This game certainly challenged me better than Big Star - but I feel like it is a bit "thin" on playfield features. Aside from the rotating target in the center of the game, it feels quite generic to me - a longstanding opinion I have held about this game but I gave it a fresh look yesterday. This one will not make my short list.
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So my trip to Silverball did yield a few more candidates for my "Short List" of 60s-70s EMs to seek out.

In the next day or 2 I will finalize my "short list" and publish it here - it will include those mentioned with photos in THIS message as well as a few others from our discussions above.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this discussion along! - PennSkier

@schudel - No need to apologize about Big SuperStar - it's why there are many many games to suit from. Some games appeal to some of us while others do not. You've got a great game that you enjoy - so what's not to like?