I have to go with Judge Dredd on this one. I love Clint and all the Dirty Harry movies, and the game plays well, but Dredd is just way more my style of play. The music and callouts on Harry are a bit repetitive and seem to make the game more of a novelty. I like everything about Judge Dredd, and it is one of my favorite games, so I may be a little biased.

A duplicate of this thread was deleted per OP's request. Thanks.

This is a shocker.

Not bad for a $1400 game....

Dredd just has a ton going on. I like that, especially in a home environment. DH isn't a bad game, but I have never owned one and I can dominate it. It wouldn't last in my game room.

I've only had a couple of games on Dirty Harry so I haven't had time to really learn the rules. Judge Dredd *looks* a million times better, so there's that! And the Deadworld locking toy is kickass, DH gun isn't as cool IMO.

Dredd has some great modes but the game is pretty much a progression through modes with the only strategic decisions being what modes you pick and when. Lots of great flow. But I understand that DH has perhaps a bit more decision making?

Judge Dredd is better. Why? Because he said so. He is the law. Seriously, just more to do on JD, great art package. About as solid a "B" title as you can get. Not a perfect game but nice & deep, plenty of shots.

The great thing about these pins is that you can buy both, and decide for yourself. Both seem to come up relatively rarely, so if you can pick up a nice one for under 2k, go for it.

I like JD a lot, but I give the edge to DH because he talks to chairs when I'm not around.

I own both and while its really tough to pick between them. I would give the slight nod to JD. They are both real fun to play and both different from each other, plus both have a badge and kick arse.

Both are great machines, but I'd give the edge to DH.

With only a handful of games on JD, I cannot vote but enjoy reading the comments. Great thread!

Judge Dredd is great! The modes and super game make it so much deeper. The artwork is better and the ramps and loops make this a great flowing pin.

And why are we comparing it to DH? Dredd can take on the big boys, anytime, any place!

"Punk!"

DH is an addictive game, I rate it better then JD.........

Midnight Madness mode - 1 of only 6 different pins to have this.
Multi ball - 4 ball, 3 ball and 2 ball modes
Ramps - tough left hand ramp and a quick right hand ramp
Cannon - full rotating cannon that's used for skill shots or in wizard mode loads balls and fires automatically for crazy multi
Kick out holes - 3 HQ, Where house and Safe house
Rules - deep and a good challenge, must complete all missions to advance to wizard mode.

Quick loops and a well waxed machine will challenge most people, it has great Clint Eastwood one liners from the movie........I owned one and loved it just sold it to pay and make room for my ACDC otherwise it was a keeper for me.

Owned both. Judge Dredd is the better game. Good range of shots, good art and great music.
Dirty Harry is a good game but if somebody offered me either game for free, I would pick JD.

How long would it take you to decide to trade your very nice No Fear for a very nice Dirty Harry?

trade your very nice No Fear for a very nice Dirty Harry?

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I enjoy Dirty Harry more based on theme alone. The widebody of JD has a lot more going for it shot wise, flippers etc. I sold dirty harry once and replaced it with a cleaner example two years later. I have put lots of hours in behind a JD, but I am not familiar with the theme and hence cant connect. I love playing both but will only own Dirty Harry.

DH was my first game and JD was my second game.......fast forward my years......I still have DH but not JD.
Once you get DH dialed-in and know the rules, it's a very fun game. It's real important that the flippers are strong and adjusted correctly. Rules are good and deep.
JD is a good game for all levels of player and easy to understand. The rules are not very deep, but not too bad. It is a much better game with-out the dead world mod, which slows it downand subjects it to "losing"ball count. That being said, it's not a bad game.
Edge goes to DH!

JD was my very first pinnie. I grew up reading the comics (Brian Bolland is the MAN!) and Trudeau and his team stayed in line incredibly well with the theme and the story of the Deadworld judges. That deck needs a "Gaze into the fist of Dredd!" animation. For a game that is that wide and has no pops... it is very stop and go. The modes and easter eggs are great. The Pursuit video mode that requires you to hit the right ramp is still one of my favorite modes that I have never seen anywhere else. And the Elvis impersonator mode always brings me a smile! There is SO much to do on this deck and it just... this game just does not have "it". I really want to love this game, but I end up just really liking it. Put that bitch in the friend-zone. Fo' Real!

DH is more of a player. The shots are more skillful. Left orbit to the upper ramp is almost as good as the Picard maneuver. An Oursler design with some flow... who would've known? The deck has more well defined shots with 6 shots from the upper flipper. Solid. If this deck has a weakness it's that it HAS to be tip-top to work as it should. If the gun doesn't work, agh. If the flippers are soft (esp the third one), you can't make the game's shots, ugh. I like this game more... the more I play it. This is always a good sign.

So the pin-hoarder in me says get both and make up your own pin-mind. But for me Dirt McGirt is the winner in this race.

Impartially:

Dirty Harry
- Current Pinside rank: #87
- Current IPDB rank: #198

Judge Dredd
- Current Pinside rank: #43
- Current IPDB rank: #21

That's quite a variance, probably owing to the difference between Pinside and IPDB formulas for the final score. Also, it seems that IPDB reviews must be approved, so IPDB is updated less often than Pinside and for that reason may discourage submission and thus may represent a smaller sampling of players.

Say what you will about the rankings, but I find the rankings to be roughly correct. For example, very few people would call out any of the top ten machines as bad.

The rankings are silly. Look at all these freakin' awesome pins in the 100-200 range:

http://pinside.com/pinball/top-100/2

rankings are not a true reflection, a lot more people played JD then DH.......wonder how many we're made of each.

JD is a bore fest. Seriously don't understand why it gets the love. Good looking game with a great layout that is totally underutilized. Most of the modes award very little points, so the only way to really get any points is to go for MB. Now collect all the judges and start the wizard mode. Doing it by completing the modes is risky with no reward and a total chore. I've had JD twice and sold it. Same thing each time. Love it for the first two weeks and then cann't wait to see it leave. If the rules ever get reworked the game could be killer. I love the layout. As it is.....dull.

DH is a blast to play. Tons of modes that utilize the playfield well. It's a great game for the skilled player -- side shot during MB gives 2x jackpot. Yet it's accessible for a newbie player as well -- hitting the warehouse during MB gives reg jackbot and it's a simple shot. The layout is fantastic and well utilized. The modes actually award good points so you can follow different approaches to get a good score. It's on my want list so I shouldn't talk it up

Cheers,
Duane

I've been collecting since 1998 and have rarely seen a DH for sale locally and have never seen one on location anywhere until I went to PAPA last year. JD, on the other hand, seems to come up for sale quite often -- relatively speaking -- and there is always one at show.

I suspect more people have play time on JD. Also, first impressions are important. I'll be honest, JD is a great looking game while DH is not. I totally ignored DH for over 10 years. I just thought it looked like a crappy game. Once I played it and gave it a chance....Wow! Great game and still relatively cheap compared to other DMDs.

[Edit basically what Mato said, but more long winded ]

Cheers,
Duane

haha nice, DH was rated number 1 on the most wanted and hard to get lists not long ago. JD is everywhere.

Dh in sample form, smokes JD big time ! I own both .

just sold my DH, to get an ACDC which comes in 2 weeks........I wouldn't sell it otherwise if I dint want an ACDC