Williams .... why is this even a thread LOL

Williams

Williams has much better gameplay. The Stern seems to be a bit repetitive.

I've also owned my IJ for 14 years now and still not sick of it

Williams no doubt.

+1....no contest

I think you are better off buying Williams...but if you have a chance to play both; play, then decide. Don't go on popularity, go with the one you enjoy more (which, I would wager would be the Williams )

Are you seriously debating this??

Williams IJ.
It's not even close between the 2 machines.

Gotta agree with the rest of the posters, go with the Williams IJ. Way better flow...

Williams all the way.

Williams

I would say play both and make your own decision.

What one person may think is a great game,you may not.

Play both machines then decide. I like the theme played both over the years before picking up IJ4. Stern

Hey,

Deciding factor would be price. If one is a cherry Stern at $2,500 and the other is a beat to crap Williams at $6,000, I'd take the Stern. Gameplay alone, most everyone is going to say Williams.

Luke

I owned Stern Indy for about 2 years....it was fun, but not a keeper. My brother owns it now.

LOL, yeah it comes up every so often, doesn't it?

Williams IJ, while it didn't last in my collection, is a solid game and a proven beloved classic.

Stern IJ is not only boring in design, but boring in rules as well. One cool toy that you only need to see once on location and then walk away. Horrible Sean Connery impersonator doing custom callouts. I played it w/ my girlfriend on location - and she likes easy games...even SHE was bored and didn't even want to finish lol.

I'm in the minority, but I hate the Williams game. I honestly can only think of one other dmd machine that I like less than it.

The Stern one isn't perfect, but I find it fun. Always gets my quarters in the wild. I will honestly say that I have no interest in owning one, but if I was picking, I'd pick the stern one every time.

WMS is a top 5 game in my mind. It is truly a complete package and a great game. Stern IJ is not even close.

I have owened both. If you just want to look at it then IJ4. If you want to play then williams. IJ4 is a better pin for the first 100 plays then its just a job. I am not a big fan of the williams either but I still own it!

I'm in the minority camp voting for the Stern. I basically feel the exact same way as GoatDan

I like both of them, but definently have to pick the Williams version.

Where's the hidden camera?

Okay, lets make this simple.

Picture #1 is the Williams Indy.

Picture #2 is the Stern Indy.

swimsuit-cameron-diaz.jpg ugly.jpg

The Williams does have deeper rule set
But after playing 300 odd games on the stern that my dad owns I do enjoy it
Personally if your getting into pinball and don't want a deep ruleset the stern indi is they way to go

Pros of stern Indy: artwork, fun to play, not short ball times , movie scenes and quotes (which Williams lacks as of actually movie scenes) makes me want to buy a Blu ray boxset and ij4 contains all the movies

Cons: some of the modes like the ants/snakes can be reppetative, would like to see some variations of more mystery awards,

Some love ij4 some hate it

$4,500 US dollars for a Williams IJ is a *very* good buy if it's in nice shape. Heck, even if it's in mediocre shape as most things are available for it, cab art, plastics, playfields even. (not a lot of PFs though)

$4,500 US for a Stern IJ4 is a rip-off unless it's new in box and even then I think that's high. A decent shape Stern IJ4 should be in the 2,500 to 3,000 range.

Apples to apples, the Williams version should cost almost twice as much for same condition on both.

If anyone has a Stern IJ in decent shape for $2,500, please PM me!

A couple of nice HUO IJ4's (Stern) sold recently in N. America for between $3500-4500 on ebay.

Williams version seems to sell for more, of course depending on condition.

I too am in the minority, but I prefer IJ4. Sure its shallow and a plowfest, but I find it fun. Not a fan of Williams IJ theme integration at all. I may as well be playing a game called "jungle fever". What's with all the elephant sounds? IJ4 does a better job of theme integration IMO.

Williams has much mode diverse modes, and a lot more of them.

Play both and get the one you like more.

Uhm, no. Regardless of how little people claim to like them, they still consistently pull in at least $3500 when being sold. Nice ones can easily go north of $4k. They are relatively rare, and they earn well on route so ops don't want to give them up.

This is the thing I didn't say very well in my original post... that is the reason I wouldn't want one. IJ4 is a plowfest. I heard someone say it is like chopping wood, you do the same thing over and over and over and over again hoping to "work through the pile."

Which sucks, because with rules that would change slightly for each of the movies when starting them, this thing could have been SO much more. The moving scoop is great, and you can bank shots off it into the scoop for essentially two hits in one... very cool stuff. I really like how the pops increase the jackpots.

And that is what I like about it - the strategy is VERY straightforward, and something you can tell exactly how well you did very easily. The better you play, the better your points will be. It takes a bazillion shots to get to the end, so rarely will you beat it even if you're pretty darn good at pinball. And it doesn't have 43 video modes like the Williams game does.

BUT, all of this above (excepting the video mode part) is why I would never care to actually own it. I like games that aren't so straightforward in a home setting, and that give me options to keep me coming back and trying new things. I'm certain that I would play it quite often if I got one for a while (much like I did with SF2, which for a while was by far the most played game in my collection), but at some point I'd drop it and I doubt I'd care to come back to it... which is why it is perfect on route

I would disagree with you on the artwork, Williams IJ definitely wins in that category. Personally, I don't consider Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that good of a movie.

They're fun to bang on but you don't want your friends to see you doing it....

...

Same for the pinball machine.

Where's pinlawyer? I always love his reviews of IJ4!

Neither hold up after 30 days in my home......I think I had Wms Ij pre sold while it was still in my truck.

The key to WMS IJ is finding one that is working properly. I have never played a game I hated for years like IJ, then I played a fully working one and fell in love with it.

OTOH, I've played several IJ4s, pretty much all in perfect shape (save for a couple of horrible ones at Disney). I found it fun the first couple times I played it, and after that, I couldn't get away from it fast enough. Gameplay just didn't do it for me personally. I will say it has great sound though!

IJ4 is one of those machines that I tried to like but just couldn't. Instead, I got bored with it quickly. That being said, I am happy for those who love it. The games I like best are already way too popular!

sounds like a plan, wanted to like the stern, but ended up with williams only.

Goatdan loves Austin Powers and hates Medieval Madness. He hates Williams Indiana Jones yet loves Stern IJ4. Goatdan is clearly a troll.

That's the most sensible option, buy both then sell/trade one, both or none as the case may be. Good luck with the haggling, fwiw I would love to own a Williams IJ (a good one) so go for that one if you can only snag one.....my 2 cents anyway.

WMS IJ all day no question. IMO

I absolutely love my Williams INDY. It's really a beautiful game and a blast to play! I have played the ID4 and I didn't hate it, I just like the Williams more.

Williams is OK. Definitely can stand the test of time. Cool video modes (the mine is hard for me). Great quotes. But...although I enjoy putting quarters on that one on location, I would never consider buying it. I like it, but do not love it, even after dozens of games. Can't say why. Music? May be because I am clumsy with the upper PF? Not a big fan of widebodies? Too many important shots are very close?

Stern: (I haven't played more than 7-8 games...). A looker, but with shallow rules.

The former will be easier to resell once (if...) you get bored. I would suggest to play them several times before deciding. You can't go wrong with the first, while the second is more a gamble and a outlier. Buy it if you still love it after 10 or more games.

My two cents.

My all time favorite post is when pinlawyer compared IJ4 to brussell sprouts and Jan Brewer. LOL!