Return to battle, soldier!

Good post, but I have to disagree on the toys. MM's castle is one of the all-time greats.

I give AFM the slight edge (because I like bashing aliens)

AFM for me. I tend to play that more than any other Pinball Arcade game. I hope to see some of them in person someday.

MM gets the edge in humor though.

agreed.

Outside that, I agree with the OP.

When Im spending my tokens, (or playing on my virtual cab) AFM gets more play than MM.

Seems this debate comes up every couple months or so. Both are great games & both have their advantages over the other. It seems AFM owners will always say why its better then MM to i dunno either try n bring the value up or whatever the reason may be.

Ive had both and sold both. Recently brought back another AFM into the collection since I liked the gameplay a lil better. That being said MM is still the king when it comes to $$$ value of a pin (aside from the small run stuff)

Both classics. I prefer MM because it seems just a little more...something. But AFM is welcome in my collection anytime.

I do think that Total Annihilation is a great multiball. Otherwise, the two pins are similar.

You can make a case that AFM ships are harder because you can't do more than one in a muliball vs being able to do more than one castle in MM.

This is like the ford/chevy debate...no one right or wrong answer!
For me, it's AFM mainly because I like the look/feel and because it's (slightly) more affordable so I actually have one now I haven't played a ton of MM, and the ones I've played have been pretty badly beaten up for the most part. But I think with both machines, owning one or both is almost as much about bragging rights with some people which is disappointing.

AFM is fun to play and it's in my collection so it gets tops from me!

same $hit, different day. The only way AFM wins is if you are a believer that "less is more".

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mm-or-afm
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/afm-similar-to-mm
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-three-mm-af-mb-vote
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/afm-vs-mm
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/afm-compared-to-mm-and-lotr
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/which-is-better-mm-afm-sm-or-afm
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imo-afm-is-the-king

I gotta admit, AFM's Strobe Multiball is one of my favorite multiballs ever. Especially in a dark room.

I've seen you in a darkened room. Very interesting.
PS, just acquired a real nice AFM, and am loving it. Keeps me using the start button, Marty

I love AFM but that's a tough argument to make. Reading your explanation, it seemed like you weren't really convinced either.

Years ago (before the big price increases on both) AFM was a must-have for me. MM wasn't a must-have specifically because it's layout was so similar to AFM and I liked AFM better. That said, I've always considered MM to be the best game I don't own.

I have to agree with the others who dispute this. I personally don't care much for the trolls, but the castle is WAY cooler than the saucer.

I'm also not sure I consider this a plus.

especially when the video modes both suck

I wouldn't say they suck. If you want an example of a video mode that sucks play the one in JM. It is the worst video mode ever.

Nor would I. I'm just not a fan of video modes in general.

AFM all the way! A Castle that wiggles vs a Flying Saucer.....

Had them both side by side in my living room. AFM won hands down with myself and my friends.

For me AFM best Pin ever built . And the only one i kept in the same pub for ten years without
complaining from customers .

That is classic!

BSD

They are both awesome games. MM is just better.

You left a lot of stuff out in your AFM circle jerk. LOL

First of all, let's just get the crazy talk out of the way first... Martians compared to Trolls? Seriously? Green rubber aliens shaking around on a stick over a stationary target? Versus molded and painted interactive Trolls who pop up out of the playfield and talk smack to you? How are the Aliens "more challenging"? You hit four stationary targets and you're done. Get a grip!! Trolls > Aliens all day long!!

The Castle multi in MM is awesome! Hitting the shots, lighting the rest, become knighted, EB, etc. All very dramatic.

Royal Madness is probably my favorite mini-wizard mode, the pulsing music, the drama of hitting a shot right before the timer expires to reset it, etc.

Building and stacking the castle hurry-ups are EPIC! How many times I've watched players drain with 8 million waiting on them with a simple castle shot... but no, they wanted to go for 25 mil! Love it! The risk/reward stacking is beautiful, especially in head's up matches.

Video mode is very cool, as video modes go, and much better with the color DMD. Save the Babies with the pitchfork from the crows, and you can often pitchfork an EB out of the air, too. Barnyard multi is a hoot! Just because you can't qualify either yourself does not negate their coolness. Play better!

AFM is very cool as well, and very similar layout and ruleset to MM. I just never liked the AFM playfield art at all, very plain and generic compared to MM. I've always disliked the AFM stock shot design where all the shots start along the same invisible line, rather than have them creatively staggered as with MM. Overall they're very similar games, but MM is just overall an artistic evolution of AFM to me.

And thats why pinball is cool. We can have totally opposite views. The basketball catapult plastics, castle and dragon don't ring my bell vs Martians and hot Chick. This way we all buy games : )

Bram Stoker's Dracula is the best video mode ever IMO...

I may have to agree with you there. I can't think of one that's better. That one and the ST:TNG one are my two favorites. Doctor Who's is pretty fun too.

This is a super annoying and dumb argument. Just because someone owns something doesn't turn them into liars that only hype up something to price pump. Perhaps someone that owns a game knows it well enough to actually have a valid opinion? If I claimed afm was better, but owned Mm and no afm, I'd look pretty stupid. So there is probably a reason an owner has an opinion rather than some lame agenda.

Owned both,MM first and now my AFM is going tmrw all be it for TF and BDK.
Love both,couldnt tell y which one a played the most.AFM i think is louder more in y face,faster and flows better.MM is funnier,more to do with tougher shots and the best toy ever.No comparison between the castle and spaceship for me there.

I would have to go with MM!!!

Yes cause we know that there are no agendas here on Pinside......

As I stated in my post before I own AFM again after owning both at the same time. My point was often times people post these threads in order to try n validate AFM's status to that of MM. It's all pretty pointless. It's kinda like the endless crying you see from some people about the cheap Drains on ACDC......(:

I currently own both of these great pins, and neither of them are going anywhere any time soon as I love them both.

I can make a case for either one of these pins with no problem. Each of them has a little something to offer that is better than the other. In the final tally, though, MM wins this one for me because of all the extras that it gives, including more shot variety, better art, way more variety of great callouts (AFM is pretty limited by comparison) and more satisfying shots. The save the damsel shot on MM is one of the most satisfying shots in pinball. AFM has no equivalent shot. MM has the Catapult. AFM has no equivalent shot.

AFM plays a bit faster and does have better flow. Some people will pick it over MM for this fact alone. I have no problem with that.

Theme is great on both, but slight advantage goes to MM. Humor is great on both, but again, a bit of an advantage to MM on that one as well.

So you obviously haven't played Tommy.

Had AFM and sold it a few years back so I could get a MM.

AFM is a good game as well, but for me the negatives are the too-open playfield and seems more repetitive than MM.

But AFM is definitely a fun game.

Best shot between the two games is the MM damsel shot. Trolls are more fun to defeat than the martians. The call outs are better in MM. etc. etc.

No way you can claim point by point that AFM is a better game if you have played both.

AFM has bigger scoring which I like. Also my girlfriends favorite game along with TOTAN. Not sure but like the artwork better in MM and humor.

Nope. Love AFM, but in no way does it have more satisfying shots. The loops on each of these pins is a wash. If anything, I like the tight loop on the Damsel ramp better than the super short cow ramp on AFM. And Castle is more satisfying to destroy than the space ship.

2. AFM has better toys!
Trolls popping out of the playfield are a game-changer, but the jumping Martians are more challenging. And, the way they jump up and down – who needs a shaker? Destroying a castle is pretty thrilling, but what’s not to like about downing a spaceship?

Negative. Castle better toy than Space Ship. Trolls better toys than Martians. Yes, hitting all the martian targets are more challenging than hitting the trolls, but I thought we were debating which is more "fun". Bashing trolls that pop up from under the PF are more fun than hitting stationary green targets!

3. AFM has better multi-balls!
Multiball Madness is an excellent multiball, but I think most of the fun is made in building up to the multiball and collecting it. Once you get it, it’s pretty generic with its jackpots and super jackpots. Trolls Multiball is kinda cool, but I don’t care that much for Castle Multiball. And, I’ve never seen Barnyard Multiball in real life. (Is there another multiball I’m missing?)
AFM, on the other hand, has four awesome, distinct and stackable mulitballs that feel very unique to one another. Most players will see two of them: Martians and regular Multiball. Total Annihilation is exhilarating with its jackpot building and collecting feature, and Strobe Multiball is best played with the lights off. All in all, they are all FUN!

This is a close call. What works in favor of MM here is Barnyard multi-ball. Again, if we are talking about fun, it is hard to beat Barnyard multi-ball! I agree, though, that Total Annihilation is a great MB mode. The regular MB mode in AFM is excellent as well, and getting the super jackpot is always challenging and VERY rewarding!

I'd probably agree and give the nod to AFM for better MB's over MM, although the strategy in stacking madnesses (or not) is another point in MM's favor (there is no similar stacking in AFM).

4. AFM has an attainable video mode.
MM’s video mode is just way too hard to get to. Spelling FIRE eight times? That’s a minimum of 32 in-lanes. I have never seen it, whereas you see AFM’s video mode almost every game!

Lots of people will consider this an advantage to MM since many do not care for video modes in pins! Either way, getting to the video mode in MM is more difficult, but it isn't *that* difficult. I see it plenty. As for the actual video modes in the two pins, I would call it a wash, although the one in AFM is a better fit for the theme than the one in MM (save the children).

5. AFM has a slight edge in humor
MM is very Monty Python-esque and probably has a multitude more sound-bites. But I think AFM has a few outstanding and memorable sound-bites. Woman saying, “Get your hands off of me, all four of them!” Alien, after you destroyed Mars, “Can’t we just be friends?” And, my favorite, an army sergeant screaming, “Multiball!”

It doesn't get anymore subjective than what constitutes good humor. But as you yourself admit: there are more soundbites (a LOT more) in MM than there are AFM. While MM is Pythonesque, AFM's humor is very tongue in cheek. Which is better? Close call, but I give the edge to MM because of the sheer number of clips (and I think many of them are actually funnier...."is that a sword in your pocket?"..."not now, I have a headache"!) and AFM's quotes get old much faster because they are repeated so often.

6. AFM has more flow!
AFM’s lock shot vs. MM’s Castle lock shot
AFM’s lock shot and saucer shots feed the left flipper. Flow-a-licious!
Castle lock shots (and castle shots) send the ball dribbling down the left outer loop.
AFM’s scoop vs. Merlin shot
If you have a strong coil in AFM’s scoop, I love the way it fires balls at your left flipper especially when there are multiple balls lined up in there.
Merlin’s kickout hole just sends the ball down the right outer loop. Dull.
What are your thoughts?

Yep, I give the nod to AFM when it comes to flow....and speed, which is something that you didn't mention.

AFM is a bit more "in your face" and challenging than MM.

AFM's wizard mode (Rule the Universe) is harder to get to than MM's (Battle for the Kingdom), but MM's wizard mode is much more difficult to defeat/complete than AFM's. Once you get to Rule the Universe, you stand a real good chance of defeating it. The same can definitely not be said for the timed Battle for the Kingdom. Dealing with those two trolls at the end can be a real pain in the ass!

I get more of an adrenaline rush on Battle for the Kingdom than I do Rule the Universe because of this.

Took me a good while to decide. I went with AFM, today. Nice simple shot objective, great ruleset and flow and a solid set of Toys.

You have AFM coming in? Congrats!

Is it time to start another best JPop game thread yet?

My answer is cake..

I think the last one was about two weeks ago, so we probably have another couple weeks to go yet.

No worries, this will not be the last MM vs AFM thread either.

See you in that thread in a month!

See you in Corona next week!

For sure! Won't be missing that one.

I want to meet the man behind the identity disc.

I want to meet the man behind the identity disc.

Just so you know which one is me, I am attaching a pic:

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Oh, no! I wish! I meant, I voted aFM today, as in I would go with MM another day. Meaning, they are both really fun and similar for me

lol

Sorry about the confusion!

Even more sorry you aren't getting AFM!

I'm going to have to go with No Fear on this one. It's got a great fan layout, and although it doesn't have an exploding castle or spaceship, it does have a talking skull, and thats rich enough for my blood.

AFM for me. MM has better humor, but I prefer AFM's theme.

MM >> AFM >> Potato Salad

Funny. I like AFM better. I own MM (because it came up for sale locally). I would not sell MM to get AFM, but plan to get one some day.

AFM all day!!!!