I remember my first game on FG. Three plunges, three balls that drained without me getting a flipper on it. Did not leave me with the “just one more game” feeling lol. I was still a noob with no nudging skills (marginally better now haha). I should really give this game another try....

My collection has focused on that era for a while. There is no right answer. Get a game. Play it, fix it, then trade it when you are tiring of it. Each one has something to offer.

I watched the PAPA video on YouTube. Even he had a brutal time.

Harlem Globetrotters is pretty awesome.

I can see the attraction to any of these. But I will say the problem with HH is that 80% of the gameplay is spent on the main level, which is boring. And following Black Hole, the lack of multiball is a disappointment.

Joker Poker

Haunted House might not have the best rules, but it is an amazing spectacle and new people love it. Black Hole is just fun.

Centaur; Fathom; Quicksilver; Stargazer; Seawitch.

Gottlieb Circus is a great '80's pin as well as later Punk or Pink Panther both hard to find but a blast to play.

Love the 80s solid state games. There were so many pins released during the 80s from Bally, Stern and Williams its crazy. I own Alien Poker, TriZone and Firepower and all great games. Id like to get a Gorgar, but also would like to venture out to grab a Galaxy and Blackhole.

Bang for your buck, the most underrated early Stern in my opinion is Trident which can be had for under $1k in good condition. I've had mine for nearly 20 years and have no intent of ever selling it. Multiple scoring strategies, interesting bottom layout, controlled drop targets, two spinners.

Just make sure you adjust the tones on the SB-100 tones. The tones on mine have been pleasant since I got it. I only recently learned these were adjustable. The default tones are horribly annoying and likely drive many away from MPU100 games. I can't remember specifically, but maybe that's one reason I desperately sold my Magic many years ago.

Love my Phoenix. Not that popular keeps the price low!

I’ll vote for Blackout. Just picked one up a month or so ago and can’t stop playing it. Drop targets, great spinner shots and super cool Blackout light sequence. Fantastic game.

Some of my personal favorites include...

Centaur for multiball stacking, hitting drops in order, plus captive ball inline drops and in/outlane switching.
Blackout for orbit shots and spinners. Maybe the best flowing early solid state?
Barracora for the intelligent rule set, as well as hitting drops in order and a good spinner.
Flash Gordon for it's interesting yet brutal layout loaded with features.

Bally and Sterns had some killer artwork and mostly interesting layouts.
Williams had awesome sounds, and although the artwork (which is still good) wasn't as good as Bally IMO, some may argue that they shoot just a little better in regards to flow.
Gottlieb machines are 4th best IMO, but they still have a charm to them and I still like to play them.
The best Stern machines will be harder to track down compared to Bally and Williams.

A majority of what I enjoy are Ballys. They had some real quality machines especially from 79 to 81. But you can't go wrong with nearly any game from that era.

Blackout is a good one. A great pin at a value price.

Seawitch has become my favorite game. Hard, fast and fun. I think Completist has one for sale. You can come up and play mine sometime if you want.

Fathom is cool. Mine needs a flipper rebuild and I think it will be much more enjoyable.

I’d stick with the advice already given. No need to think too far outside of the box. Keep it simple

I really like laser cue.

I don’t have as much time on Laser Cue as I do other early solid states , but the times I have gotten to play it I did enjoy it.

I think that's a solid choice. Doesn't pop up too often. Good layout and typical kick ass Williams sounds. Theme is odd but tolerable.

Agree with your Trident pick. Had mine for years. Another really good early
Stern is SPLIT SECOND. Has an upper PF with flippers
and some unique features found on few other pins.
Steve

The key ingredient is how they *play* though. They look amazing, no doubt--but these games really shine when you get the whole experience.

If sound isn't to your liking, you could possibly install a custom sound package...though it will take quite a bit of work and technical expertise. I personally love the cacaphony of sounds when my lineup is getting played, but to each their own.

I wouldn’t overlook Joker Poker. It’s a great Gottlieb and that’s not just my opinion. It’s the opinion of many others. Also, a great value for the price.

I am on a classic stern kick, Big Game and Catacomb are fantastic. I have a dracula on the way and would pickup a meteor if a nice one popped up.

Embryon is my favorite bally

I used to own an Embryon. I really wanted to like it but it didn't last with me. Hard for me to say that because I love Ballys.

What is it that makes it special for you? I felt like the playfield was a bit too open and it's features didn't tie together very well for me. Not crazy about captive balls being the main feature.

Artwork is killer. Maybe I will regret it one day. Favorite Bally widebody is Paragon with Future Spa in a close second. Want to play Hotdoggin' someday.

Hot doggin is alright, But I think Paragon is the best Bally widebody. Embryon is neat but doesn’t really do it for me either.

Sinbad. 4 flippers, 10 drop targets. Big score or little score, depending on hitting the single drop target. Cheap to find too, around 1000 to 1200. Add a ni wumpf cpu, and get skill shot, ball save and many more upgrades from original board

I love the early SS games, especially the Stern Electronics pins. I have a Seawitch and I don’t see it leaving my collection anytime soon. My buddy has a Meteor and we play the hell out of it. I’m hoping to also grab an Alien Star one of these days. A lot of good value options and they look amazing as well. All good stuff.

Congrats! Looks awesome. Hope you enjoy! In my opinion, having at least one early SS is almost a must in any collection with at least 3 pins. Again, nice choice.