Iron Maiden, not a fan of the band or the theme but the gameplay just can't be beat

BM66 if you want a long player.
IMDN if you want the total all around package.
SW if you want a game that's addicting and can't stop pressing start.

Have owned all three. I still own Batman and Maiden. Although I have upgraded Maiden to the Premium. There was just nothing to shoot at on SW, IMO. That quickly left my line-up. It is a tough call btw Maiden Pro and Batman 66. I had originally passed on Batman at the time of release due to the code. But so glad I revisited as the additional code updates have made it an entirely new and enjoyable game! Maiden Pro is a blast. Did not upgrade due to gameplay...just thought the additional features the Premium offered were worth the additional price. Can’t go wrong with either title!

Any of the three are excellent choices. I would have to give the edge to BM66. Lyman, has given this game the magic touch. It is moved up to excellent code and will be phenomenal, when he finally is finished.

I would go with Iron maiden It has a great layout, 4 flippers, great artwork, and great rules. My second choice would be Batman but I am still not a huge fan of that game. My last choice would be star wars pro the game just is so sparse it has no toys I do like the rules but it's just missing too much.

Agree with others. I haven't played Iron Maiden but looks to be a really fun game if you can stomach the theme/music. If the theme was different, I would probably be after one myself. SW isn't much to look at but does have that addictive fast/flow gameplay. I would wait a little while and find a barely used game cheap. It doesn't seem like the kind of game many will bolt to the floor. My top choice has to be BM66 but I do think it's a bit overpriced. Gameplay is really fun and the campy theme can't be beat. It and MET are my two favorite Stern games.

If you change the choice from IMDN Pro to Premium, that is more analogous in price to BM66 Premium. In that case, you've got your answer as a lifelong fan of BM66 and someone who loves Lyman/Gomez pins. I've been playing IMDN LE continuously for months now and it is great. But BM66 is pulling me back. So much depth of code, crazy/giddy fun factor. It should be rated MUCH higher on the Pinside 100. BM66 is better with a subwoofer than IMDN, almost like it was designed for it. Add the shaker to either, and you are in the zone.

Not only is Maiden Pro the best bang for your buck since MET (and it's overall better too), but it's better than the others you mentioned. IMO way way more addictive.

I completely agree that it is more addictive, maybe more than any game I've ever played. Seems like tp may be a better fit for BM66 over the long haul if he reaches a little for the difference in cost. But I agree, more bang for buck IMDN Pro.

SW isn't in the same zip code as the other two as far as game play is concerned. Perhaps look for a BM66 and a Maiden and pick the first one that comes along at a good price.

for the money, if you want to save a few bucks vs buying a premium game, i would go IM pro. and i love the other 2 games. the music of IM can grow on you. as you progress, the light show can be really nice. also, the game is deeper than you think.

as far as difficulty, i feel batman is probably the most challenging of the 3 games. star wars is probably the deepest game. i feel it gets ripped by those that have not played it enough. there are a lot of missions in it. great light show too. i think the pro is better than the premium there.

As I was reading your post I was going to ask which theme do you like most but you pretty much answered that as well as your own question.

If you love Batman 66 there is no other game that beats it when it comes to theme integration and arguably depending how you feel about the theme its Lyman’s best coded game, but a lot of the game and brillaince of the code comes from being a fan of the theme.

As for the recycled playfield it feels nothing like BDK, it feels as similar to that game as GOTG does to MET, as in they don’t feel similar at all. There was just a lot of negativity around BM66 at release due to pricing and that negativity grew and continued for about 12 months post release due to the utterly shit state of the code, that’s now a thing of the past thanks to Lyman.