Modes? No.

Funhouse,Time machine,Jungle Lord and RFM !

You need system 11s. Possibly the best era in pinball history.

Black Knight 2000

/thread

Try some early 80s Ballys or late 80s Williams.

Why?

You like DMD stuff, play DMD stuff. You can't force yourself to like the older stuff. "Modes" are a DMD-era invention you aren't gonna find that stuff in the older games unless you count things like hurry ups or build up shots.

OP, I'm going through the same thing. I've went from early solid states, like gorgar, flash, etc. and then to system 11s. Then I sold off the system 11s for Williams/bally dmds. I am not a huge fan of the modern sterns at all.

I'm somewhat looking to get back into system 11s, as they're so approachable and just plain fun. I love the unique creativity that went into these pins. No movie or rock themes, etc.

I'd look for a taxi, eatpm, or something rare, like a mousin'. System 11 baby. SYSTEM 11!!

Go for something that you find visually appealing.

I love bop for instance, scoring is broken as all hell but I don't care, one of the best looking games of all time imo...

You'll discover pinball can just be fun, not necessarily all about highscores

Like you, I grew up in the 90's playing DMD machines. I had a few older games in my collection when I first started out in the hobby, as games like Black Knight and Gorgar were some of my favorites on The Pinball Hall of Fame Williams' Collection video game for Xbox360. As time went on and I played more and more games at shows and at other collector's houses, I found that DMD games definitely suited me more. The SS games of the 80s wouldn't last more than a month or two in my collection so I gave up on them for the most part.

Don't force yourself to buy an EM or early SS for the sake of variety. Just buy and play what you enjoy. There is quite a bit of difference between design, look, modes and feel between the various manufacturers that made/are making DMD machines.

taxi
pb20th anniv
bk

nice callouts and sounds. fun gameplay too.

if your on limited room, recommend playing most before purchase

No, he said he doesn't like repetitive and boring.

You don't play older games like you play DMDs. No modes and crazy deep rules. That's part of the appeal, it's a different way to play.

Sometimes I want to play Metallica or Star Trek, try and set up some scoring strategies, drill deeper into the modes and multiballs etc.

Sometime I just want to fire up Flash Gordon and play raw pinball, without worrying about all that shit.

Buy Taxi, Whirlwind, Funhouse and Diner

Problem solved. You really won't miss the DMD animations. You may discover that you spend all of your time looking at the playfield.

Sometimes I don't want to run through modes. I want to just pickup pinbot or gorby and hit the jackpot to hear that obnoxious bell.

I do not find their game play similar.

HS FTW!

Centaur. Classic old style game. Multiball. Good sounds. Good callouts. Great looking. I like the additional skill required to shoot the drop targets in order for extra scoring. The only bad thing about this game is the current prices.

I also like that era mixed in with my DMD's. I have Medusa...Still tough to find and maybe not quite as cool as Centaur but a big departure in feel from Sys11 games.

I love High Speed. It's also really popular with guests. Maybe because it's not as intimidating as some f the modern DMD games to casual guest players?

FUN HOUSE GREAT RECOMMENDATION!!!

Funhouse ^^^^

Couldn't see TAF standing up against whirlwind personally.

The pins that I played growing up were from the late 80's and very early 90's. I didn't realize until I purchased a Bally Gameshow that these are the machines for me. It's pure nostalgia, almost therapeutic. I've since sold my DMD's and purchased a Mousin' Around, which - in my humble opinion - is perfect pinball: fast ramps, satisfying orbit, original artwork, and straightforward ruleset.

Maybe it's because I'm not a very good player, but I would usually just let modes time out on my DMD's. I'd also hardly ever have time to look up and enjoy the animations.

That being said, I'm sure I'll pick up another DMD or two when I'm done reliving my childhood.

As an entirely DMD guy as well, Firepower is a great game, too bad you don't like it.

Given that you're a DMD guy, Griffin, you can't really go into the world of pre-DMD expecting similar gameplay and presentation. Funhouse is kind of like a transitional pin which is still alphanumeric and is about as close as you can get to DMD-era gameplay without having a DMD. Likewise, T2 is another transitional pin, but on the other side of the transition with a DMD.

Beyond that though, the older you go from the DMD era, the simpler the games get and there's no way to avoid that. If that's not your thing, then it's not your thing and you're not going to find much you personally would enjoy.

Give the collection you've already stated, given your enjoyment of DMD games and the specific things you enjoy, and given your price range, I think your next game should be Demolition Man. Yeah, I know, same lead actor as in Judge Dredd... Last Action Hero would be my next recommendation for you.

You are not missing out on anything. You are collecting/playing what you like. I think DMD games are the better games with more features, deeper gameplay, better visuals, etc. Some of the older games are fun like system11 games and Funhouse but if they are not your cup of tea then don't sweat it. Funhouse is one of my favorites but for the price, you can get a pretty nice dmd title which makes it a tough choice.

Please go play Whirlwind, Taxi, and Funhouse!

Only two non DMD games I have are FH and EATPM, both stand very well in my lineup for me.

Well, you ARE missing out on great games and you are limiting your options too much.

But hey you like what you like.

Get a Whirlwind.

Oh yeah, that's the ticket, you can expose yourself to anything with John's collection. There isn't an era or style he doesn't have for the most part.

His collection is loosely grouped by era, so you can sample a few games from each, and then move to a different section. You just have to keep in mind that older games play differently, but they're often harder and more challenging that modern titles.