It's this time of the year, where after spending so much time in our house, my wife realized that keeping the kids entertained is primary, and I actually found a perfect spot for a third game when I though I only had room for two !

So it's time to get into buying a third game. I have a WOZ and a TSPP, they are not going anywhere, but I am looking for a game that flows and that plays fast, a real cut from my current games.

I'm looking for a "tier 2 game", around 4.000$ ideally, it doesn't have to be a kids theme, but at least kids friendly, I still prefer games that are mode based, Dialed In is my dream third game, but over budget for now, so some kind of a little brother would do well. I was looking at Road Show but I'm kinda done with widebodies, so a standard one is probably the way to go.

Thanks for the help !

#2 3 years ago

LXL

Isochronic_Frost

Saratoga Silverball

7y 219K 9,386 108 1 1

OP
Quoted from adol75:
It's this time of the year, where after spending so much time in our house, my wife realized that keeping the kids entertained is primary, and I actually found a perfect spot for a third game when I though I only had room for two !
So it's time to get into buying a third game. I have a WOZ and a TSPP, they are not going anywhere, but I am looking for a game that flows and that plays fast, a real cut from my current games.
I'm looking for a "tier 2 game", around 4.000$ ideally, it doesn't have to be a kids theme, but at least kids friendly, I still prefer games that are mode based, Dialed In is my dream third game, but over budget for now, so some kind of a little brother would do well. I was looking at Road Show but I'm kinda done with widebodies, so a standard one is probably the way to go.
Thanks for the help !

Might wanna change the title or people may think you’re trying to get them to donate money

#3 3 years ago

CCS

Mad_Dog_Coin_Op

Mad Dog Coin Op

Redondo Beach, CA

6y 118K 2,831 14 14 1

At that price range my top pick would be The Shadow. Very different from the games you have. I have owned a lot of machines and The Shadow has surprised me the most. It is unique, fast and challenging

#4 3 years ago

BJB

PinballBJB

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 72,300 208 30

A few suggestions:

Family Guy
Ripley's Believe It or Not
Indy 500
Rocky & Bullwinkle
Flintstones
Judge Dredd

Good luck choosing!

#5 3 years ago

BJB

PinballBJB

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 72,300 208 30

A few more:

T2
High Speed
High Speed 2
Special Force
Tales from the Crypt

#6 3 years ago

CLS

snappahead

Inactive member

Lady Lake, FL

5y 37,800 177 1

Can you still get a $4k Funhouse?

#7 3 years ago

DAD

Pinmeister

Pinside+ Frequent

Cherry Hills Village, CO

14y 65,300 1,083 19 13 1

What you need is a game with a classic fan layout. MM, MB, and AFM are out of your price range but you might be able to pick up a SM.

#8 3 years ago

SKB

Eskaybee

Pinside member

12y 155K 12,953 40

OP
Quoted from adol75:
It's this time of the year, where after spending so much time in our house, my wife realized that keeping the kids entertained is primary, and I actually found a perfect spot for a third game when I though I only had room for two !
So it's time to get into buying a third game. I have a WOZ and a TSPP, they are not going anywhere, but I am looking for a game that flows and that plays fast, a real cut from my current games.
I'm looking for a "tier 2 game", around 4.000$ ideally, it doesn't have to be a kids theme, but at least kids friendly, I still prefer games that are mode based, Dialed In is my dream third game, but over budget for now, so some kind of a little brother would do well. I was looking at Road Show but I'm kinda done with widebodies, so a standard one is probably the way to go.
Thanks for the help !

Fast and cut throat? Star Wars Pro or Ironman. Might have to flex the budget a little, but they can be found for mid-low 4’s.

#9 3 years ago

ECT

kingfishtr

Pinside member

Cincinnati, OH

11y 43,900 423 2 24

Maybe a Metallica Pro? I can’t remember if there is any cursing in the game that might not be a fit for the kiddos.

#10 3 years ago

BHL

snowy_owl

Pinside member

5y 110K 1,229

Stern star trek pro? Star trek is mode based, kid friendly, flows well, and is around 4k. Seems like a good match to your description of the kind of game you wanted...

#11 3 years ago

CCS

Mad_Dog_Coin_Op

Mad Dog Coin Op

Redondo Beach, CA

6y 118K 2,831 14 14 1

He already has a Stern and Jersey Jack pin. He is looking for diversity in his collection. The answer is clearly a Bally / Williams.

#12 3 years ago

BCO

Bmanpin

Pinside+ Pro!

Rockford, MN

4y 89,050 1,157 7

IMDN but not for 4 unfortunately. My kids hate it, less fingerprints on glass for cleaning I guess. I don’t even really like the music but it’s an amazing pin.

#13 3 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,116 23 271

These will be near the budget:

Iron man, spiderman, star trek, STTNG, funhouse, Aerosmith, or The Shadow.

#14 3 years ago

DK

Pinball Naples

12y 155K 4,861 129 1

Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:
At that price range my top pick would be The Shadow. Very different from the games you have. I have owned a lot of machines and The Shadow has surprised me the most. It is unique, fast and challenging

The Shadow knows...

#15 3 years ago

JVE

Jappie

Pinside member

11y 106K 1,069 56

Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:
At that price range my top pick would be The Shadow. Very different from the games you have. I have owned a lot of machines and The Shadow has surprised me the most. It is unique, fast and challenging

And it will be there around every corner, in every room, as inevitable as your guilty conscience. Which I guess you could see as a plus.

Kidding aside though. The answer to your question is The Shadow.
d7tyeuf-446d88a4-833c-41f4-a74b-6d582fb70e89 (resized).jpg

#16 3 years ago

JAW

jawjaw

Pinside member

Humble, TX

9y 85,550 5,534 5

Shadow is a pretty tough game for novice players. I had to play with the settings just to make it easier for myself. Good game, though. You should probably narrow it down to a handful of games that you have played or think you would enjoy. You can get a ton of great games for around $4000.

#17 3 years ago

GWG

BrewinBombers

Pinside member

8y 62,050 853 1 44

Iron Man is great for this purpose. Good flow, easy to understand, difficult to really master and you can easily make it an easier game or a harder game with some very minor tweaks. Great game. Star Trek is fine too, but I prefer Iron Man.

#18 3 years ago

ZOE

85vett

Pinside+ Frequent

12y 110K 6,380 3

I'm going to advise on a different route. Try to find a good old SS or EM game. You will save a ton of money (which you can put away for your Dialed in dream) and still entertain the family. Take a look at my collection. Which game do you think my 10 and 4 year old play the most? If you guess Mars Trek you would be a winner. They just love the sounds of it and they can sometimes beat dad on it which adds to the fun for them. EM's are a little harder to work on until you figure it out but an early SS has that same feel from a kids point of view. For instance, a friend of mine has a good modern collection to and when we used to visit (pre Covid) my kids would tend to go to his Genie more than anything.

#19 3 years ago

MJA

Mitch

Pinside member

Wellesley, ON

10y 131K 5,030 18 38

Yup get a older SS

#20 3 years ago

BGM

GoodOmens

Pinside member

7y 40,300 406

Flows and cut fast? Sounds like Fish Tales, although a good one might be in the 4200~4500 range. It's a solid shooter IMHO

#21 3 years ago

DAV

adol75

Pinside member

San Francisco, CA

5y 57,300 2,076 2

Wow, I totally forgot to check that thread I opened, thanks for all the answers it's really helpful.

I was contemplating getting an RBION, I've played it a couple times and couldn't make much sense of the ruleset but it was super fun to play. I guess I'm just surprised of that pin price point where I think it's a great fame, kind of a too good to be true type of price !

I've looked for the other Stern's mentionned here but all of them are more in the 5k region.

What do you think of Rollercoaster Tycoon ? The layout looks fun, I've never played it so I don't know.

#22 3 years ago

BHL

snowy_owl

Pinside member

5y 110K 1,229

OP
Quoted from adol75:
Wow, I totally forgot to check that thread I opened, thanks for all the answers it's really helpful.
I was contemplating getting an RBION, I've played it a couple times and couldn't make much sense of the ruleset but it was super fun to play. I guess I'm just surprised of that pin price point where I think it's a great fame, kind of a too good to be true type of price !
I've looked for the other Stern's mentionned here but all of them are more in the 5k region.
What do you think of Rollercoaster Tycoon ? The layout looks fun, I've never played it so I don't know.

Personally, I would say no on rollercoaster tycoon. It's fun, but gets old quickly, imo.

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