Congo- fun. Volcano shot very cool.
Fish Tales - fish cast reel is awesome. Short ball times with lightning flippers. Real ball buster.
Johnny Mnemonic - surprisingly deep game. Play is broken up because of glove.
Funhouse - classic. A little outdated for my taste but Rudy is hilarious,
Roadhouse - I love Lawlor. Never got to play this much. Looks fun. More talking heads though.

I've owned them all, and the good thing is they all play very differently. Makes it difficult to choose, but RS is the only one still in the collection (but most recently purchased, so a bit unfair). I think RS has the most to do of them all, but JM would be a close second just because of the speed of it. Sure, glove slows it, but is good tactically for multiball video mode (my favourite one). Congo has the best music (especially with and external subwoofer). FT and FH I would describe as fun, fast and kitschy.

Funhouse: Owned it for a while. I liked it, just not enough to keep.
Congo: I've not played this a whole lot, but I generally like games by this designer. The lower playfield is wank, but it's got some good shots.
Fish Tales: I Really don't like this game much at all. Cool ball lock, but the symmetrical ramps bug me.
JM: Great game to own for a while. Some good flow with a lot of quick ball returns to the flippers and decent shot variety due to the diverters. People dog the glove, but placing balls into the 3x3 matrix is an important and strategic part of game play. The video mode is one of the better in pinball, I think.
RS: Two heads. Lots of stuff to shoot for, but I've never been able to get much into the game. It's probably better than the chance I've given it.

I totally agree, it makes the game seem less organic, and too structured. And this in turn bores me.

Regarding Road show, this game is too reliant on bonuses, and it is too easy to not bother playing the modes, just churning through them to get to the next. I'd vote JM or Congo.

I enjoy FT, RS, and FH in that order, and FT costs less. Easy choice.

I accidentally voted for Congo (never vote after rolling out of bed). I would have voted FH if I bothered to read.

I voted for FT. I enjoy pins with short ball times. I just checked mine last night average ball time for me is 44 sec. It also has easy to understand rules, great campy artwork, and a fantastic sound package.

In order:

Congo (by far)
FT
JM (very close with FT. JM is one of the most complete pins out there)
FH
RS

I have owned congo, fh, jm, and have a lot of time on FT. Limited time on RS, but wasn't a fan of the wide body.
I traded my FH for a congo. Congo is killer imo. FT is just damn zany fun. JM was a bit too serious for me, theme wise, but is very complete with the modes, midnight madness, and cool powerdown wizard mode.
Wasn't a huge fab of FH> not a fan of Lawlor at all.

Mostly agree with the above. Congo is just fun to play as long as you don't take it too seriously. Great layout and a lot of unique features. Funhouse is as classic as it gets, at least for me. I would love to get one but getting too expensive for a simple game. FT is brutal but full of charm. The sounds/music puts me in a good mood every time. I haven't been able to get into JM or RS but they do offer a lot of pinball for the money. The talking head thing worked in Funhouse but not so much in RS. The artwork and video mode sour JM for me.

Roadshow has the best story line, heaps going on with it, JM is great, very addictive great player. They would be my 2 choices.

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JM is great game with decent rule set and awesome flow.

RS has unbalanced scoring, but is the most fun to play of that bunch. If you like playing modes, it has a ton of them! I'd go with FT next because it's tough as nails and has that just one more game quality like IM. It also has scoring balance issues...in fact most of the games listed do. It's a toss up between the rest for third best.

Hmmm...Well throw that JM piece of trash out immediately....shouldn't be allowed to collect the ball juice from the others.

I'd say Congo or FT for fun. Funhouse is a classic but I never really loved it. Roadshow is a big game that is decent but not super.

Seems like people are all over the place on this one. For me JM is #1. Congo and FT are also great choices.
1. JM
2. Congo
3. FT
4. RS
5. FH

Congo is pretty good in terms of balanced scoring.

And 10x harder to find than the others

A couple nice looking Congo's in the Marketplace right now...

Only one of the two that has pics is for sale. The other is for trade (& $6k trade value desired).

Congo is great, but it sure as hell isn't worth the $4k I see them listed for......and $6k is insane

Can't say anything on JM, seen one but never played. FT just doesn't do it for me. I've had a couple of okay games but the shots seem limited and it just hasn't ever done it for me. RS has always felt clunky though I like all the shots, the theme though just puts me off after a couple games. FH and Congo though are both winners. I give the nod here to Congo despite loving FH. Congo has some really challenging shots, a couple skill shots, the tough volcano shot, several modes. The only negatives for me on Congo are: poor GI, useless lower playfield, and prices seem to be a bit high on these lately. FH is a great game, simple and not at all deep but it's just a fun, fun game. Before I sold mine I thought it would be a good rerule/P-ROC project and put one in and got it running through pinmame. Just never got further. I think it would be fun to lock balls and start arcade modes, and I would love to write a Tron mode for this game considering the similarity in layouts.

Not to derail the thread, but RS clunky?? It's smooth as silk.

Congo is a fun, easy, well set up game and people enjoy the hell out of it. It's the least produced in the list and because everyone likes it the price is very high these days.

Very tough choices here:

My order:

JM (love the speed and flow - yes, the glove slows it but I feel that it needs a little of this). Loved the movie.
Congo (the Volcano shot is the MOST satisfying shot in pinball. The Gorilla - just once I wish he would win though).
RS (Great pin filled with stuff. It would be my 1st choice if it wasn't so linear - ok, enough all ready - I am moving my bulldozer off the street).
FT - I just find it cramped and not satisfying. Love the them and sounds and music which is the usual common complaint.
FH - Never liked it when I have played it but I admit I have not had much opportunity to play it. So not sure here.

I've owned all games at one time or another. In some cases, multiple examples. Here is my order:

1. RS
I love RS. Bought one thinking I would play it for awhile and then sell. Enjoyed it so much, I found a nicer example and sold the old one to help pay for the new one. Lots of modes, great humour, and a nice layout. I agree the bonus can be unbalanced, but you have to earn it. It's not a gimmie. As well, the modes and MB are worth enough points that playing them is worthwhile -- and fun I do have a larger collection, so that might factor into it. The modes are somewhat linear -- you start one of two modes. That doesn't bother me, but some find that an issue.

2. Congo
Great flowing game. I really enjoy playing it. Not a fan of the music or call outs, though. And price has increased quite a bit. From a "value" prespective, I don't see myself adding one to my collection.

3. FT
Love this game. Music, humour, everything. That said I found it got a little dull after awhile. Not quite enough to do. What it has, though, it does very well.

4. JM
The game has a massive scoring flaw. If you don't start the spinner, you simply will not get a good score. The modes and multiball just don't add up to enough points and that kills the game. I absolutely love the layout, the flow, even the video mode. I love the grid and how jackpots are increased if you line the balls up in a straight line. I like how Crazy Bob's shows the awards for each spot if you pay carefully attention. I've owned this game several times and would get another even with the scoring flaw. The flow is just that good. Hopefully the rules get revisited some time and the layout lives up to it's potential. If the rules were better, this would easily be number 2.

4. Funhouse
I've owned two over the years. I enjoy the game, just don't feel the need to own it. Pretty simple and straight forward rule set. Not a bad thing, but given the price there are other games that I feel are better.

You really cann't go wrong with any of these games. All are fun.

Good luck!

I've heard of tournament directors replacing the spinner with a rollunder switch. I'd think that would rebalance scoring, if that's the concern.

so long as your spinner does not provide more than 10 triggers per hit it is really not that unbalanced. Gimping it with a switch actually unbalances the game more int he other direction.

Really loving JM now that I got mine cleaned up and dialed in!

Road Show is my favorite in terms of "overall original experience"...it's like playing through an animatronic puppet cartoon show or something. Widebody, great audio, cool features, shaker, two shooters, two heads....it's a really fun and unique game.

Congo's no slouch - faster & probably a better overall player than Road Show, if you don't mind the crappy movie theme. Most people have gotten past that though, as the game itself is so good.

I wouldn't say that the spinner exploit kills the game at all, I actually think it makes it more exciting because of the risk/reward nature of it. This would be like saying that the "Song Jackpot" in ACDC kills the game because it makes all the mode scoring and multiballs less important and less valuable in comparison. JM's Super spinner is something that you have to build up (max out your multipliers) over the course of a good ball and then you have to rip it a bunch of times once starting it because once you drain it's all over. Same thing with Song Jackpot in ACDC. Lose your ball and you lose everything you've built up to get there. I know people like to say the JM spinner is a bad thing for tournaments but if everyone has the same chance of starting it then we are all at the same level. I've played the game in tournament and it's awesome because it adds a level of excitement to the game. You can be getting your butt kicked on score but if the person you are playing against has a lousy "Spinner Millions" then you know you can catch up if you can get it set up just right and cash in!

If I were to suggest three rule-changes to the game it would be this.
1. Add a second skill shot by holding in left flipper button on plunge (hit the right ramp) for a bigger award
2. Mini Wizard mode for completing all of the "Throwing Spears" awards
3. Ability to turn off adding "Super Spinner" value to end of ball bonus in the menu system. I like having it there but since so many people seem to hate this feature it would be nice if you could turn it off as an option for tournaments, etc. so that people could quit whining about the exploit.

As it stands JM is my favorite game on this list by a pretty good margin and that's saying a lot because of all of these games are games taht I like. JM is the best speed/flow game ever made and I love the strategy involved in the matrix and with setting up Spinner millions. It also has one of the best wizard modes in all of pinball. How cool is it that sections of playfield will go dark (GI shuts down) as you're playing Powerdown. And Steve Ritchie's voice at the end is awesome!

As far as the other games go I'd probably rate Fishtales 2nd although it's really close between that and Funhouse for me.-it's just a fun game and the theme/humor are great and there are several viable strategies for racking up huge points!

3. Funhouse - Just a classic and Rudy is the best toy in pinball period. Nothing like hitting a pinball into his mouth to shut him up!

4. Congo. I don't really care for the lower playfield and the wizard mode isn't nearly as cool as Powerdown. It's still a solid game though and I really like the layout and the tightness of the volcano shot.

5. Roadshow - Like the game a lot but the linear nature of the software gets to me after playing for a while. One of those games that I really enjoy playing when I see one but I know I'd get tired of it in my home collection fast. If the software was re-done to randomize the modes better it would be a lot higher on my list.

FH just doesn't do anything for me....I know I'm in the minority there.
JM - Really enjoyed that pin. Super fast, cool modes and I still think it has the coolest wizard mode of all. Power Down is just a really cool mode and not super easy to get to.
Congo - Have not played enough to rate.
RS - Like FH, just doesn't do much for me. Better shots than FH in my opinion but the theme kind of kills it for me.
FT - Meh.

To those that say the spinner isn't unbalanced, I have to disagree. You can literally play all the modes AND complete the wizard mode and be beat by someone simply playing the spinner. It's simply too unbalanced in my mind. You literally cannot have a good game without the spinner.

And I really enjoy the game. If the points were better balanced (increase points for modes, multiball and wizard mode, for example), the game would be much better as there would be more strategy involved. As it is, go for the spinner. There's a reason the spinner has been broken on two of the three JMs I purchased over the years LOL!

I'm not saying it isn't unbalanced. In fact it is extremely unbalanced! All I'm saying is that sometimes having rules that are unbalanced make a game more fun to play because of the added pressure/risk reward. Take a look at any of the recent Lyman Sheets Stern games that have been released lately. I've already mentioned ACDC but In Metallica the Crank it Up modes are extremely unbalanced yet are probably the biggest reason that game is fun to play. Johnny M was unbalanced risk/reward gameplay before it was cool

Funhouse: best theme
Johnny Mnemonic: best flow, best wizard
Roadshow: most stuff (literally weighs more than the others)
Fish Tales: most difficult multi-ball

Can you work toward those other modes while working on the spinner, or does the spinner make it a one-goal game? I'm curious as I'm about to put my JM back together.

1 congo=fun
2 roadshow= wholly shit that's alot of game, and at good price, ridiculous.

When I play JM - I always go for power-down so the spinner scoring doesn't bother me at all. Power-Down is my favourite wizard mode. I love the ramp shots (quick return) so the whole game (for me) is fun. Who cares about raping the spinner! Some do - I don't.

Yes, yes and a resounding yes! Been saying this for a while here. It used to be a lonely club, I'm glad others are finding out about (IMO) the only top 10 game that can be had for around 2K. Also I agree with the order. JM, FT and FH. FH only because of what it represents, the best toy in pinball history, that game is responsible for turning hundreds of thousands of people onto pinball. The other 2 are not even in the same league.

Yes. You can work on modes, multiball, etc. While setting up the spinner. Big thing is to get your multipliers up to 5x before starting spinner millions. You also want to know which matrix award is "award bonus" so that you can cash it in after building your spinner millions bonus up big! It definitely takes some skill and strategy to pull it off right. It's not a gimme! The payout is almost as rewarding as pulling off a 150m+ song jackpot in ACDC!

The more I play JM the more I think it might just be a top 5 pin for me! It's almost perfect. Heck, if it was re-themed as "The Matrix" and had a couple minor rule tweaks as mentioned in my earlier post I think it would be my #1! When you get your shots flowing on that game there's nothing that compares.

JM is an amazing game, Ok the movie is cheese but I like cheese and the gameplay is on par with any of the top 10 in my mind better due to the cheese sci fi theme which elevates it to another level, a deep and truly great ruleset, the clear winner here with Congo, then FH, FT and RS to follow.

Johnny is a steal of a game...great rules that allow the player to put some thought/reasoning behind key decisions that dictate how the game progresses. Very cool. Super fast.

I've owned mine for about three years and still love playing it.

Own/owned RS and Congo...haven't played the other ones enough.

IMO Congo has it's pluses but the negatives outweigh them... sold it after just a few months. RS, thought I was going to let it go real quick when I got it...3 years later it's still making the cuts. Don't let the corny theme detract from a great game with a ton great shots...