Fast, clean, open play field, great flow, well integrated theme and call outs.

Also a very popular game with non pinheads.

The game pulls me back like no other, both before and after I owned it.

I bought an IM Vault and traded it after a month. It was fun, it was fast but just wasn't enough going on for me.

Every game leaves you with the feeling that you were "this close" to achieving x and y and z... yet making it to wizard mode is a feat only a pinball master can achieve.

I bought a Pro, pimped it out. Bought a VE and pimped it out even harder. Planning on trading the Pro for an Avengers LE if it cant sell. IM is a gorgeous looking pin that kicks major ass.

The call outs are great, the shaker integration is top notch, a sub connected takes it to a whole new level and it's the right amount of fun and challenge.

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Define "keeper". I have had mine since ~ 2011 or so, and it has been my #1 go to pin when I have a few minutes to play for most of that time. Even after thousands of plays it is still a rush "almost" getting a DOD opening... then draining.

And if you drain then scrape yourself together for Jericho... which is usually a suicide mission but may as well go out with a bang. And if you "win" Jericho, 2x everything for the rest of the ball is okay I guess .

That being said I bought it from the person who bought it NIB, so I guess it was not a keeper for him

Is that Crocop delivering that head kick in your avatar? My friends and I used to watch him kick ass in Pride over in Japan. I was surprised how little success he had in the UFC but the rules werent the exact same though. I loved Wanderlei and Rampage going at too.

I'll bet the War Machine kicker still catches you by surprise sometimes too, doesn't it?

The guy had some wicked speed for his size with those kicks. Could take a guys head off. I remember Wanderlei having to use both forearms to try and block the ferocity of Crocops' kicks. Sucks we don't live closer man, you could come play my Iron Men till your hearts content, no problem.

I also purchased an IMve a few months back. I hadn't even played it the original game but bought one anyway. I was not disappointed! The game is beautiful, at first I didn't know if I should stare at it or play it. It's bright, clean, not over cluttered, fast, challenging excitement.
Not everyone is gonna love every game. I'd suggest trying it out to see if it's for you before you buy. Define keeper? 5 years, 10 years or till it falls apart? I'm not sure any game is a keeper for me. I, like most suffer from SMS. Space, Money and Spouse constraints. I will say the game is the least likely to leave my line up anytime in the near future. I truly enjoy it.

In all fairness, IJ won't be in my possession till noon tomorrow. I'm actually on the way to get it now. Driving 1300 miles each way to pick it up.

I think the game is a blast, but I cannot see owning one. It feels like a one-trick pony to light all the inserts and nail the do or die shot. Reminds me of starting multiball in Firepower - a fun singular challenge, but ain't much after that.

I prefer owning games that offer additional challenges and more variety in the rules. I have fun playing it with others on location, but just to own it for the "one more game" short ball times and periodic nirvana game is a waste of space. AC/DC offers the adrenaline rush of IM, with much deeper rules to keep it fresh.

IM feels repetitive more than other games. I like games that open up more features as I improve playing them. Those type of games are longer lasting.

I've had my Iron Man for over 3 years and it's one of my favorite pins. It would be the last one to leave.

Mine is more of a keeper now that it's worth less - thanks VE.

There are people who devote their whole lives to chess, a relatively simple game with just 6 different pieces. If you think of IM the same way, that's why it has staying power. It's not just the challenge (as many have mentioned), it's the many different strategies for combining scoring features. It's one of those games where avoiding a shot can be as important as making one.

This misses the point of the game entirely. It's about stacking modes and awards, completing multiballs successfully, and an awesome wizard mode (Jericho). The only time I think about Do or Die is if I happen to have a good ball and it's within reach. My best scores have happened without Do or Die.

It will be when I get one. Played about 50 plays on a routed one and had a ton of fun.

Swampfire is very wise.

Iron Man is phenomenal. After trading my Tron LE I've learned to never say never....but let's say it will be a looooong time before iron man goes. Heck, I dumped my predator order to get one and I was all about that game and theme for two years.

Just got a VE couple weeks ago. Has to be the brightest pin I have ever seen. Kicks my butt every time I play. Plays fast. I like it. Plan on keeping for a while.

I'm quite pleased with mine. I'd say it is one of the top five favorites of everything I have owned thus far.

Had an IM in my home for a few weeks - on lease -: played the crap out of it, and loved it because it's fast, unforgiving with cool music and call-outs.

But it is shallow and somewhat repetitive. For that game to become a keeper, you would have to balance your line-up with a deeper game (LOTR comes to mind). Then you would have the choice between two very different experiences depending on your mood!

Iron Man is in my top 5 favorite pins of all time.

For what it's worth from someone with

Hard to say....many of us are just limited on space....I traded my first one and just bought one again so I firmly believe the game is that excellent.

Was playing BangerJ's eye melting epileptic inducing IM tonight, that game can be so brutal. I really like short ball time games, play well or you are done with it in 2 minutes.

I HATED, LOATHED, ABHORRED and FARTED IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION of IM. Now, it is my only keeper.

Buy one. If you already love it, its only going to get better for you.

Definitely a keeper. Fun fast and a great theme. Have a VE. For the price tag its excellent!

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Not really adding something different.
It is very similar to AFM and MM in that the rules are fairly straight forward but the shots and call outs are satisfying. Overall I really like how the game allows you to stage and stack MB. Same as above mentioned games there is still some stratetgy to it.
I like fast and furious games as much as I like depth and after aprox 50 plays on this game I feel strongly enough to add it based on fun factor alone. It falls somewhere in the middle but very satisfying. Simple but risk reward type shots. Good bash toy and a magnet. Spinners in the lanes always a plus for me. etc...

In a small collection, no. It's just too shallow. Great game in a bigger, deeper one.

A couple of random points to add to the many good ones above-
IM could be the best "one more game" games ever, because of it's fairly short play times. The short play times will satisfy you if you are a pretty good player because you can get a game in before bed or before you head out the door and still not be tired in the morning or be late for work.

IM is a great 2-4 player game, with any mix of skill levels. The ball times are fairly short and you can have good players playing with novices and no one will get bored waiting. I play with my wife and the scores will be close on 3 out of 4 of the games. IM is a good tournament game with the play times also. Non pinheads love this hard game and are drawn to it, also.

The game is my nemesis and is intense and I never walk up to it feeling like I am just going to relax and play a few games of pinball. The game will make you a better player and I have increased my high scores on my other 3 pins since I bought my IM a couple of months ago.

A good question to ask is if you want a nemesis in your collection or a nicer, kinder SM or LOTR? Sometimes I feel that I should have got one of them instead, but not now though because I have a lot of work to do on IM. I always will.

Not a keeper for me but I have a small collection. Not enough attainable depth.

I simply love the Iron Man game and how addicting it is. It has been out 4 years-I traded an HUO TSPP for one when it first came out and have never looked back.

With all of the "10k by Christmas" games out there, Iron Man with no LE package, was released in the budget constraint days and managed to pull off a Cinderella story.

Iron Man captures the essence of what a pinball playing experience should be.

It plays wicked fast, and is fun to play solo, in groups or competitively at the highest levels. It has great sound effects of missiles and blowing things up, has front end candy for new players with the Monger bash toy, it has an "all you gotta do" ruleset (except the DoDMB mode) with multiple challenging wizard objectives, has a great light show and is just a good looking modern pinball machine based off a blockbuster franchise.

Iron Man has some flaws, as does any game, including the mighty LEs, but Iron Man's flaws are trivial compared to the sheer enjoyment this game brings for the price.

To answer the question:

Yes, I am a fan of this game, and yes it is a keeper.

I have only owned IM for a few months, but I have played more games on it than I have on ST and SM both of which I have had over a year.

Simple game, but very challenging and it's fun for all ages. It's theme and call outs and the gameplay and rules are all top. Only thing I dislike is that the DMD is not clear for the animations and there is no skill shot.

I like all my games. I have all Stern games and they are all ranked in the top50 (on Pinside) if that means anything. But to me IM is tied for the best game in my collection with Tron and AcDc premium.

I can not see myself ever selling IM. I don't want to sell any of my games, but if I did IM will be one of the last to leave.

Looking at my ratings, I have IM ranked lower than some games like STLE but that has more to do with the fact that I gave IM the lowest possible score in animation (because that aspect is very bad).

In a world of so many games and limited $ and space, I have no keepers. But I voted yes anyway, because it would be under different conditions.

I have LOTR next to IM. IM is a sparring partner, and LOTR is more like a dance partner. Most days I'll opt for several quick fights over one long dance.

There's a lot of idiotic chatter on Pinside about IM being "stripped down", but when you compare it TWD pro, it's clear that IM is a feature-rich game.

IM: 2 magnets, 3 spinners, War Machine kicker, bash toy recesses below the playfield so it doesn't block flow when you aren't fighting it. Tons of speech from the movie.

TWD: 1 magnet, no spinners, no kicker, bash toy is always there. No speech from the show.

I bought mine thinking I would play it for the summer then trade it.....that was a few summers ago. Still down in the gameroom getting played by all regularly... Although it currently is Iron GaGa as a joke that has stayed around

agreed.

Love the spinners in IM one great feature, some spinners on games don't do much but are nice to have anyway, but on IM the spinners are very well integrated in the game rules.

I think IM has a lot of 'empty space' meaning clear play field. It does not have any side shots that lead to the shooter lane or left side area (like Metallica Fuel). But to me those types of shots are not flow shots. With IM the only time the ball stops is at Whiplash magnet and brief ball holds with the post holds.

TWD has a lot more clutter, if that's good or bad is open to debate, the large barn and large Well Walker both take some room and TWD ramps take a longer time to return which slows game some.

I like that all IM shots are long way from the flipper like half way up the PF and I enjoy the open space when some people see open space as a bad thing, I don't.

I love the sparring/dancing partner analogy. Well done sir.

Personally I disagree with the comments about IM not being a keeper in a small collection because of it's lack of depth.

The pin has the strongest "just one more game" pull to it of any DMD pin that I've owned. I play IM more than any other pin in my collection. With it's addicting game play, I don't see it losing any more of it's appeal in a small collection than any other pin would. I think really deep pins in a small collection can be played less than a pin like IM because they tend to have long ball times. Consistently longer games makes me lose interest faster than a pin with short, challenging ball times with a ruleset to match.