Personally I'd keep the fishy,hope to add to my collection one day,classic solid all round players table.
Roadshows not a bad game at all,fun now and then but just gets little old and tired after so many ges in a row

FT is a piece of cake to work on compared to RS. But RS offers a lot more in longevity.

Personally Fish Tales is one of my favorites of all time, but would love a RS one day.
I wouldn't trade it out just yet.. save up for the Roadshow.

I've played RS and just cannot bring myself to like those goofy heads. Rudy is one of the best features ever in Funhouse, but those same heads in RS just don't work for me.

Keep Fish Tales. Solid rules. Good flow once you figure out the shots. Great music. Humor. Etc.

Keep FT, save up to add RS. I have both and they are uniquely different.

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'd trade the FT for RS if I could only have one of them.

If you can keep one and save for the other, then do it. If you cannot, it might depend on the condition that Fish Tales is in. Excellent, no-wear, little fade - I would keep it and save. If it isn't in great condition I would make the trade. I picked-up a Roadshow several months ago after not even thinking about it as one for my collection. Certainly not leaving anytime soon! Some pretty serious depth and I'm not going to finish anytime soon. I can step up to a Fish Tales and, if I am on, reach the "end" with relative ease.

I think you should just buy an Addams Family so I can come over for beers and tour the mansion. Just saying...

I'd suggest RS over FT as well.

RS easily.

Go look at my high score on my profile and see if that looks "easy" to you Can you easily get to the super jackpot round yet??

Fishtales is one of my personal faves, no way I'd trade it for a RoadShow...bleck...

JMHO>>
FT is WAY better than RS. This is not even a competition. Esp in a 1 game collection. RS is probably one of the most linear games. RS is fun but will suck quick in a small collection as you ALWAYS have to progress in the same manner.

RS is also very easy compared to FT (unless you are cheating and do not have lightning flippers on FT like you should). For a 1 game collection you should stick with quick and challenging rather that slow and repetitive.

Don't get me wrong, RS is fun also... just not as a single game.

FT easily

I honestly didn't like FT. I would take RS over it any day. Specially with the prices for FT so high recently.

FT is repetitive, hard, and doesn't feel like much going on. RS has lots of different shots and modes. Seemed more challenging in the long run.

I personally don't care for FT at all and I love RS. You could put up almost any pin listed on the Pinside Top 75 and I'd pick it over FT.

Yep

Rs all day long wish the power was not out here or eles I would be plAying some rs right now

Seems to be a pretty divided group.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference.

I'd suggest getting RS on Visual Pinball or Future Pinball and see if it's as fun as you remember. The physics typically blow on virtual tables but you should be able to remember some of the shots you've actually made when you bash the ball around.

Ultimately you just need the table that makes you happiest, and that you'll enjoy playing the most on a daily basis.

3days? can you really put in enough time in 3 days about any game? Especially if your new to pinball. Put some time in on FT first. Learn the rules. Really get to know it. Then when your putting up 300 million every game on 3 balls with medium tilt and middle outlane settings. Then go to shows and peoples houses to try out other things to prowl around on. You'll soon learn what games really grab you at that point.

What neo said ^^ +1 to the power of 567 **grin**

Neo doesn't even like FT

no I don't, but I can see why others do. I've put enough time in on FT to know I don't like it and why. But I also know why other people can enjoy it. I used to play the shit out of it back in 92-93, because it was at one of the few bars that didn't card us, so our game options were limited. Plus we were new to pinball and didn't know better. The only games I can't understand anyone liking are Xfiles and Street fighter 2. Those games are so horrible.

FT and RS were sitting next to each other at Pinfest. From my limited play on these pins before Pinfest I would have picked FT. I walked away after a bunch of games on both liking the gameplay of RS better. RS is a ugly machine and for that reason I wouldn't add it to my collection but for gameplay RS>FT

I've owned both of them in the past...as a matter of fact, I'm on my 2nd FT right now due to the right trade deal offered at the time. I think RS is the better game, though, overall. RS lasted in my collection the longest of all games so far, at over 3 years. Good luck! And welcome to the pinball madness!

Played both, Fish Tales is a better Pin... 'I hear a ColorDMD is coming for this one.'

I like FT better than RS. Weighs a lot less, has pretty good gameplay, and not a b!tch to fix like the heads on RS

I owned both at the same time and ended up selling RS. I still really enjoy FT!

If you like the standard Lawlor formula pins you'll like RS. I prefer FT

RS is never leaving my game room. FT just doesn't offer enough variety to make it into the lineup for what it costs.

RS is the far better of the two for a single-pin collection at the same cost. RS has so much more to offer and keep you interested.

These two games have very different and distinct personalities of their own.

Personally, I own a RS and am never bored with it. From the building of the miles to modes to the the 3 flippers on the left hand side of the PF to the upside down standup target... this game has so much to do and master. Now you can play for multiball, modes, collect your items and get to the west coast ASAP. Oh yeah, you need to know the modes to get the most out of them AND the different items from the souvenir shop do for you for features and scores.
This game also has long shots to the ramps, spinner and the orbit. The feel of the game is very Lawlor and has quite a bit of stop and go to it.

FishTales is a simpler game that tasks the player with a risk-reward strategy that is among the best of its kind. Very CFTBL in that feel to it.

FT only has 2 longer shots at the orbits. All the other shots cut this table in half. Combine that with lightning flippers and you have one of the most challenging PF's out there. Miss a shot to the boat ramps and you can be in trouble FAST. There are fewer strategies and no modes in the game other than the SeaWolf video mode which is always entertaining.

The strange thing about both of these games is that I am not a fan of C&W or bluegrass music. I know that's just me, but I think that there are things that I love about each of these games and things that I could do without.

Play them both and go for the one that feels best.

Paddle faster, I hear banjos...

I love your reviews Caucasian2Step, you've made a huge contribution to pinside.

yup, great synopsis caucasian2step!

Feelin' warm and fuzzy all over. Thanks fellow pin-heads!

There's a little story to go along with all of these reviews as well. Search RGP for the tale with the key words: IPDB Irrelevance?

Enjoy!

Certainly there is more to do on RS than FT. C2S spells it out well. RS has a unique and interesting layout and I dig the "magic standup". Red and Ted are alright, but they lack the charisma of Rudy. Overall, the Lawlor layout does not disappoint (as usual), but the rules are rather uninspired.

And nothing on RS is as enjoyable or as satisfying as hitting big super jackpots on FT. Not even close.

Not even Houlton.

If you are new to pins FT is a great machine to own. There is not too much to go wrong with it, especially compared to RS.

add a Poll, I vote RS over FT personally

HOW BIG WAS IT

Apples/Oranges. Both are great games that I would love to own.

Road Show is a turn off at first glance. It does not make a good first impression. It is not "cool" because of the theme, and the talking heads look a bit dorky. The artwork on the backbox isn't very good either. It is almost a child like theme...

Then you play it. And then you start to realize that the humor has plenty of adult innuendo. The shots are great. Lots of flippers, diverters, factory shaker, tons of modes, very satisfying multi-ball action where not every shot is a jackpot (you actually have to work for them). There are tons of shots on RS. There is a lot to explore.

FT, not so much.

Are you joking Rob? I know you are a huge RS lover, but seriously FT has lots to offer, super challenging, widely accepted as one of the best video modes in pinball history, tons of flow, and probably one of the most challenging jackpots and super jackpots EVER. FT has tons of strategy to a consistently good game and requires precision.

Both are good games, but to down play FT is doing it a dis-service. I honestly was not even sure how much I would like the game. Then I restored mine and it was the first time I was able to play a very nice example in the past decade. Play a nice condition FT that is tuned in just right and it may change your mind!

I doubt it.

Slap fight?

I just got a FT last week and the more I play it - the more I enjoy it. What I like for a home game is how hard it is. FT is HARD! When I figured out the rules and how hard would be to get to super jackpots...it really feels I have a long way to go. That combined with extremely unpredictive and short games is what I like about it. + I dig the theme and look of the topper (when flapping fish is turned off hehe)

I've owned both and eventually sold the RS. I'm on my 3rd FT now, upgrading along the way. For some reason, RS just didn't click with me. On the surface it has so much going for it and I really wanted to like it. I like the smoothness of the ramps and the unique layout. Unfortunately, long games felt tedious.

On the other hand, I enjoy the fast action on FT and I think the shots are more satisfying. Hearing the "snick" when you lock the ball on the plunge shot, or looping the longcast never gets old to me. I think it has my favorite video mode as well (ode to Sea Wolf which I enjoyed as a kid). It is accessible to newer players with it's simplicity yet still challenging for more experienced players.

People seem to want the new games these days that have good flow, fast action and short ball times. I think FT has all of these characteristics, with good humor, sound and art as well. Definitely a keeper in my collection.

I played a TON of RS on location back when they were new and enjoyed the humor, the homage to FH with the heads and dual plungers, and the trip west across the country. The blast shots are a nice touch.
The random souvenirs are interesting, but make the scoring goofy and the game unsuitable for competitive play unless they are made not random. When going for big scores, the bonus gets out of control, as the player gets more and more souvenirs and visits more cities and multiplies all of this bonus by 6. Bonus of 1B+ per ball is not out of the question. And much of this is determined by random souvenir awards.

So the game turns into ramp-ramp-ramp-blast hole, thus spinning the wheel and starting the city, and shooting for a souvenir whenever they are available.
The multiball is fun, some of the modes are clever, and super payday is a decent everything is lit, shoot the ramps to rescore your mode totals wizard mode (I like the super payday dots) but none of that offers the excitement of the FT multiball with its stellar super jackpot payoffs.

Yes the supers are unbalancing (especially if the player gets to supers the second time or beyond) but they are tough enough to get to and so fun to hit that it works.
There is much less to do in FT, but what is there is well done. A skilled player can rape the EBs on FT, as the captive ball will make two EBs available every cycle through (probably best to limit the number of EBs once you start getting good at FT).

Monster fish, feeding frenzy, fast cast, double cross, rock the boat, flopping fish topper, "biggest fish I ever seen".

My brother showed me your ratings and comments a few months ago and I really enjoy them. Thank you for adding the detailed comments to each, really appreciate it.

Just read the background on RGP, pretty crazy... thanks for trying it again over here!