Gusphan - I really think you had an unfair chance at LOTR, the way papa has their games set up its extremely hard to get anywhere with those settings. I own a LOTR and just was getting my arse handed to me with those settings, no rubbers etc. at pinburgh.

If you get a chance play it at someones home or locally with the normal settings so you can progress thru the multiballs etc.

Papa settings are very hard - the timed sword lock ramp really thru my game off.

LOTR you really need to play alot to have it grow on you. I'd say even SM you really need to have it at home to be able to get into the deeper levels of the game. IM Is a fun game if you wanna have a short quick game that doesnt require you to do a lot of different things in order to reach the wizard mode so maybe that's why you liked it more there. In a home environment I think you would have enjoyed SM or LOTR long term over IM. But that's just my 2 cents. (:

When I first encountered LOTR in an arcade I didn't like it much either. I would rather play the Stern NBA sitting next to it. There was just too much to do, and I couldn't work out what I needed to shoot for. Modes & Multiballs would start and I wouldn't know what to aim for to complete them. I found it a little bit intimidating! It probably didn't help that the machine I played was a typical arcade example with several minor faults on it (that I didn't realise at the time).

Once I read up on the ruleset on the internet, and played a few games on a fully working machine in a more hospitable location, I found that I enjoyed it much more.

Now that I have one at home it's the favourite machine in my collection. In a home environment you can turn the volume up a lot louder and it becomes a lot more enjoyable to play. You can concentrate on strategy and plan a long game ahead, without having to worry if anyone else is waiting to play the machine, or have people nearby distract you.

LOTR is also one of the most "tweakable" machines there is. There are loads of settings and adjustments in the menu to make it play exactly how you want it to.

I'm not too keen on playing the Spiderman that's in an arcade that I sometimes visit, but I suspect with a properly set up machine, and with the latest software, I would enjoy it a lot more.

Hmmmm...your not alone Gushan,im also not overwhelmed by either game.Dont get me wrong there both great games but i just dont get that WOW factor that i do from my personal top 10 machines???? Im by no means a Stern hater either and i do really enjoy both the themes.I love Spidermans quotes and 3rd flipper shot but layout reminds me lots of AFM and unfortunately finds me comparing the two machines which leads to Spidey becoming a distant 2nd.
LOTR quotes, sounds,speech,Ring,Balrog are outstanding but upperplayfields that DONT DO ANYTHING??? Argghhh that really,really bugs me.

My first experience was like outlanes but the more I have played it the more I like it.

Congratulations of owning an Iron Man, that's the game I would like to explore more than any other as I only played a couple of games on it but was impressed.

I had LOTR and i'm not impressed by it. Yes, it has a deep ruleset but fun?? not really.

I traded for TOTAN who has not the deepest ruleset but so much FUN!!!

I never tried SM, i'm pretty sure i would like it

If I had to rate them as far as which I would want to own it would be 1. SM no close second for me 2. LOTR & BDK almost tied slight edge to LOTR 3. NBA 5. IM 6. Avatar 7.IJ

That's the thing about pinball each person has their own likes and dislikes. I thought the new IJ was one of the worst pins of all time, not a fan of Avatar and IM was just okay to me. I personally liked BBH better than IM, Avatar, and IJ

I played BBH and i liked it. This is not my favorite but not so bad.

TOTAN, "shoot the golden symbol! shoot the golden symbol!" if not, just collect the jewels at the bazaar.

TOTAN might be the shallowest pin Williams released in the 90's. Popadiuk's top 3 are all style and no substance. ZZZzzzzZZzzzzzzzzzz

I agree with the semi shallow ruleset of TOTAN. But man is it fun as hell, to shoots are awesome, the sounds are awesome, the artwork is beautiful. Has probably the best flowing, and coolest DMD Ball lock animation of any pin. Wicked toys,gimmicks, Also probably the best looking art package of any 90's williams pin. And some of the coolest DMD animations. Those skeletons rock!

So really the fact that the rules are somewhat shallow doesn't really affect the pin at all. It still has enough variation and ways to complete the tasks that it is always fun to play. And with Led lights installed this pin looks 1000% amazing.

The lamp got annoying, the pop bumpers are hidden/useless and almost never utilized. I agree the production values are great (except the princess's voice, kind of grating). Out of all the Williams/Bally games I've had, TOTAN got the least attention.

TOTAN is a nice looking pin but CV blows it away when you combine looks, gameplay, and sounds. CV's multi satge wizard mode &Party multiball is a blast compared to TOTAN's wizard mode.

Not meaning to bash on it but it's more fun to look at then play as a long term player in house. SS should be in the top 10 not TOTAN. It's probably the most over rated pin in the top 10

That's the great thing about pinball....even the worst games are great in someones eyes.

@twizz63, agreed.. There are many people that love TOTAN I am one of them. I've had it as an only pin for two years still love it. A lot of friends that enjoy pinball love it and its in their top two. Even those that come over not into pinball play and seem to love it. CV, never really did it for me but that one is loved by many and its a classic just as TOTAN is. At the end of TOTAN when you have unlimited multi-ball and if you let balls sit in shooter you lose it is a work out and the most fun I have ever had on a machine before. Variety is the spice of life in my opinion.

Games with the sound down so low you can't hear it really takes away from the game's experience. SM has a rocking soundtrack and there are some good funny quotes. I also like the fact that there are several quotes for each mode which are randomized so you don't hear the same one every time. The ruleset is simple but not necessarily shallow. Defeating Venom's third mode is difficult (for me). Lighting all 5 modes isn't easy as you can't complete the webs during Doc Oc's MB.

The problem with LOTR is it is so serious because of the theme and the depth. You really have to be in the mood to play it.

TSPP is great due to all the stuff to shoot, the depth plus all those quotes.

I like and hate IM for it's speed and randomness. Soundtrack rocks too.

BDK is fast and funner than hell even with only one ramp. I love that crane. If I were to buy another Stern it would probably be this or IM.

Don't like BBH or IJ4 at all. Slow and boring is all I can say about them.

Avatar is a good game but not as good as IM or SM IMO. Feels like a pared down SM to me.

WoF would be a great game if they ever finished the code.

Agreed with Erak. IMO, deep ruleset not equal fun all the time.