Maiden and it's not even close IMO however I am sure there will be others who prefer DP. Maiden has really good flow and Keith worked on that design for years plus the code feels near complete. DP has some clunky shots plus the code is young so I would wait to see how that pans out first before buying.

Depends. Are you 35 or 45?

Routing? Deadpool
For home? Maiden

Mark my words. Deadpool will bring Arcade players to the pinball world. That’s a great thing!

yep- pends if on location or for the home and are you a hard core player or casual. also pends your music preference.
age also plays a role.

To route for ne it's Deadpool.

I own both and while both are fun, Iron Maiden offers a lot more and beats dp in every area

God I wish Elwins game had become GOTG or Deadpool rather than Iron Maiden although I would still pick IM over both of those despite the music. Theme is fine just not a fan of the songs.

Deadpool needs time to see how the rules are but the playfield looks great fun if set up properly.

I’m also looking at both for my first pin for home use. I’ve played both a fair bit and I agree that it’s tough to say until DP’s code matures. DP looks fantastic, love the retro video aesthetic, but my initial thoughts are that the gameplay is too shallow. Iron Maiden, while I’m much less into the art and music, has much more robust and interesting gameplay. It’s very likely I will end up going with IMDN

I wasn't a Maiden fan, but after playing it at the Allentown show, I went home with one. It's amazing. I had MET Premium for years, and Maiden is more fun, unless you just like to bash things.

I want to like DP. What I've seen on the streams haven't done it for me.

Agree, agree, agree. Metallica is for non-pinball people. Bash, bash, bach. Iron Maiden has strategy and awesome shots. I play ours at least once a day when Im at the office. Love it.

I vote iron Maiden code is much better on it the game play of it is much better than Deadpool IMO.

Have not played DP but didn’t like the presentation regarding the video game feel especially was it baby Deadpool playing skeetball? I don’t get it, that just killed it for me. Maybe it’s overall great but there are so many other great pins that don’t have that childish look.

I’d probably get Maiden although I’m not a fan of their music.

Not sure how much you have played Metallica but that is not case at all.

Iron Maiden is a masterpiece there is no question, but Metallica too.

Metallica works at all levels novice and experts....

I haven't seen (in person) or played Deadpool yet so I can't provide a fully informed opinion. Based on pics and videos so far though, I'd go with IMDN between the two.

That said, I'm looking forward to Munsters.

I'm not an Iron Maiden fan, but played at Marvelous Marvin's Mechanical Musuem ( God Rest his soul - Great Guy he was ) and it was a great game to play.

Layout of the game is great!

Haven't played Deadpool yet

you can play it tonight at league!!!

I’ve played both quite a bit.

Not surprisingly, they’re both fantastic with unconventional layouts. IMDN is further along with code, but both are great for the home environment.

Pick the theme/art package/layout you like best. You cannot go wrong with either.

The answer is iron maiden but rethemed with Deadpool.

NGG

I really wanted to like IMDN since it's so well regarded here, but I didn't.

I think you all ruined it for me! The expectations got so high that nothing could possibly live up to them short of a surprise pizza dispenser or something.

I ordered a Deadpool. It really kept me coming back.

Mine has that, yours doesn't??

What? Metallica has just as much strategy as IMDN. I've actually found that I'm going back and playing MET more than IMDN right now, and getting further along than I did before (is IMDN making me better??). If you're just bashing Sparky, you're not playing the game right and won't get that far because eventually you'll get a ball SDTM.

Strategy yes, but different strategy.

Iron Maiden has traditional modes and goals, with several wizard modes available upon completing or starting modes, collecting items, etc. Modes vary in the shots you try to hit.

Met requires a bashing/hitting items to start a multiball, then using the multiball to bash the Gravemarkers, Sparky, Coffin and Snake, to try to light CIU. CIU modes play like traditional modes but it takes a hell of a lot of chopping wood to get to them.

Pinheads understand this, but for over 3 years owning the game, non-pinheads I had over probably started a grand total of 2 CIU modes at my house. They never get to see the coolness of that level of the game.

They LOVE hitting Sparky, Snake etc, though. Bash targets and easy to obtain multiballs are fun for them.

You chose...wisely

I recently played both at Flippers Arcade in NC. Deadpool is one of the most unique and interesting Stern games in years - it’s fun, funny, has great shots, unique very cool ramps, silliness galore, and enough mechs and diverters to keep the game and the shots interesting. IMDN blows it away.

You know, it’s funny you said this - I have played 4 different IMDN machines. One was at the Allentown PA show, which blew me away. Then I played it on location at 2 different barcades. Neither time was it fun- just clunky and bricks everywhere, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I was completely turn off.

Then I played it at ^^ Flippers - a Premium (the others were Pros), and what a huge difference. I must have played 10 games on it. Amazing. Played it locally here earlier - a Pro, and it was set up perfect. Had several awesome games on it. It must be a very finicky game requiring perfect setup, like Houdini.

But that's just it - aside from the coffin, you don't have to bash any of the other targets over and over. Light the insert and hit the ramps instead. You'll light the modes up quickly without bashing. There's multiple ways to play, and bashing is not the best way to do it. You're right that newbies won't pick up on that at all though.

And to be fair, all of the non-pinheads that play my games just randomly flip the ball around on any game they play, so... of course they like watching Sparky dance.

I have Metallica Pro and sometimes I regret not spending the extra money for the “Monsters” package. I told myself not to cheap out on a Pro version again but I love the Deadpool Pro cabinet and translite. The game played well but the Shrinky Dink characters will probably bother me as long as I own it. That’s why I’m thinking I’m going to go premium on Iron Maiden and Premium/LE on Deadpool. I really enjoy the multiple flippers on Iron Maiden and can tolerate the theme. I love the Deadpool theme and the game action. The interaction with the LCD is the best I’ve seen of any game with an LCD yet from any manufacturer

Ive watched the bowen video. Boring. Really wanted one until I played it. Oh well, to each their own.

Agree, I always found myself trying to hit a shot, then light the hurryup, and keep going on to the next. I love those rules. It’s a long way to get to CIU that way though. You can only be so accurate for so long. Safer to start a multiball and bash.

Love MET though. I played the hell out of it.

Blasphemy......
You know not of what you speak. Crank it up and Lyman’s rule set on MET is pure pinball joy. I banish thee to the pit.

Having been one of the very few to actually reach EOL, I can tell you that MET is a bashing and wood chopping paradise. It takes over 200+ hits to the captive ball alone, never mind anything else.
Sure, CIU is cool with the risk/reward aspect, but if you actually have that game where you pull off End of the Line, you'll be reluctant to return. That was the case for me.

IMDN is a better game than MET imo, there is no question. The way that game flows (if you know what you're doing) is truly second to none, or maybe Tron.

Left ramp, right ramp, to spinner, to loop loop loop, to mini loop loop loop? GTFO!

Even though Stern has been on top of code in recent months , DP is basically bata from what I hear.

Go with IMDN as its a proven winner.

Absolutely, IMDN for the win and its not even close!

Let DP mature. IMDN is fantastic now.

UP THE IRONS!!!!

Mudflaps and I live close and we had our new Pros side by side recently for a party. These are both really great games! Maiden draws me in more visually but Deadpool is more my style. I’m an average to below average player and I am somehow able to get good scores on Deadpool. It seems to be a bit kinder than the average game. I didn’t get enough games on Maiden to comment. I’m not a fan of the music so it’s a bit harder for me to get into it. I feel like Stern absolutely nailed it on both of these titles!

Unless you don’t like the music of Maiden or Deadpool isn’t your thing, I would just go with the one that makes you excited. You won’t be disappointed.

I haven't seen or played the Premium of either game. Based on the Pros, I would rather have IMDN with all of the music swapped out for something I can enjoy. DP is fun though and the Premium might sway me..

IMDN plays great, but the music is just terrible. DP would be an easy choice for me.

If the gameplay is significantly better on Maiden, I believe you can change out the music with PinballBrowser, put something more to your liking in there

Played both in Boston this week (Flattop Johnny’s) and both are great. DP code is still coming so time will tell. DP seems a little easier to me (I am not a great player) and you can start multiball pretty easy, which IMDN for me seems a little harder. Both are unique layouts, so that is good. Try them both and see what you like.

The one IMDN I have played is a premium. Because of this thread, I went back to the arcade today and played both to see if I could like IMDN.

And...

It's not BAD. I just think it's polarizing. The games are long, and it takes forever to really get off the ground. I'd personally rather play 3-5 games in 20 minutes than 1.

I explained to a friend that I just flat out don't have the attention span for the game I think.

I equate the feeling of playing it to taking a standardized test. I'm concentrating so hard during the whole thing, and, at the end, I have no idea if I even did anything right.

It kind of reminds me of TSPP. TSPP is a great game that is well loved by many, but I would never own one. The games are just too long.

My favorite games are fast and hard (that's what she said).

Also the animations in IMDN remind me of a 5 year old slot machine, and there's not a laugh to be had.

But truthfully, in the 4 hours I was there, Deadpool never had a vacancy. IMDN, Star wars, Guardians, Aerosmith, even Dialed In had people walking away with balls left in the shooter lane.

I think Deadpool has mass appeal with the humor/simplicity.

In short, I bought a Deadpool Pro, and I think everyone should play them both to make sure Iron Maiden really sings to you (pun intended).

There's actually some pretty funny call outs in IMDN. Can't hear them well on location thought. Definitely not as much as DP though.

Um, yeah, I disagree. I took two old friends to a barcade today to play IMDN pro and compared it directly to DP pro. I didn’t say anything and they walked out saying IMDN was by far their favorite game that we played today. That included GOTG, SW, MMR, AFMRLE, and BM66. DP IS definitely fun, but easier and not in the same league as IMDN. I own IMDN LE but will only play DP on location.

Agreed, DP might be fun but its not half the game IMDN is!

Dp is for kids, IMDN for men. . . . .

I mean, we're not disagreeing, I just said the OP should play both and decide which one they like.

Your sample size of 3 preferred IMDN.

28% of Pinsiders prefer Deadpool.

My sample size of ~15 preferred Deadpool.

Neither of these statements disagree.

Instead of throwing out platitudes like "best game ever" or "this one is for the REAL men" I just tried to constructively explain my reason WHY there exists 28% of the population that prefers the alternative.

Because going back and forth and saying "machine A is my favorite" is completely redundant to the poll, and I don't think it gives the OP any insight into whether or not they will actually prefer the machine.

He may be a 28 percenter. He may be a 72 percenter.

What separates the two populations and why?