SM and TRON both seem like mission/mode based pins to me. Most modern Sterns are to some degree. Perhaps ACDC would be a good choice if you want a more scoring based game.

personally i hated xmen and couldnt get it out of my house fast enough. the left ramp, placement of bumpers, wolverine, and left scoop pretty much ruin left side of game for me. id try Metallica from description of what your looking for, xmen is exactly what you describe you dont want.

I traded XMLE for TWD pro.

I believe the rules are much better for TWD pro and it's very fun!! Lots of sound mods for TWD make it even better.

Also I prefer Met pro to XM

But that said XM is a nice pin.

SM is mode/mission based...but also has Lyman nuance for scoring. Example, you complete a mode and then whatever shot you chose next becomes a 2x multiplier. If your skill gets you though the mode and pick the right strategy to pick your multiplier shot, that's a benefit points-players will enjoy. Tron isn't that mode based...it's similar to Iron Man...more like mini-modes and multiballs - collecting the ladder for the big payoff.

X-Men is just mode-mode-mode-mode-mode...zero nuance. I don't think a score type player looking for the big risk-reward payoff would find anything to like in it....and I agree with Phboom.

I also think Metallica fits your criteria much better

X men is modes on modes on modes

I'll throw GOT PRO into the mix. Fast and furious like IM but has tons of scoring strategies and rules built in all over the place with probably the largest jackpot shots and combos in any pin; and it's balanced! ...for the most part. The only downside to GOT PRO is you MUST replace the translite, but there are plenty to choose from on the secondary market so it's a fairly painless swap out.

Food for thought.

Uh wow! I hope you got some cash with that trade.

I got a bit.

XM pro is a great underated pin. Very deep mode based ruleset with a tough to master layout that rewards combos with lightening fast play. Has great art as well. I would think about replacing wolverine figure with Newton ball but on pro positioning of wolverine opens up beast left loop shot enough to leave it. Weakest part of the game is the call outs IMO. I know there are some that really dislike the pin just adding a voice to those that love it.

One way I like to help decide if a machine is really mode based or not, is to think about how much I am annoyed if I start a multiball without having a mode going. This is the classic scenario on LOTR when you start a multiball and it's, "Damn, no mode running! What's the point of this multiball??" Yes, the multiballs have objectives of their own, but the real leverage is to use them to increase the chance of mode completion. SM is the same. X-Men modes are not really like that. They are more like lots of little objectives. Villain modes are more like classic mode, but Hero modes are not. If I start a multiball in X-men I don't kill myself if a villain mode isn't running.
It's hard to get X-Men to blow up in terms of points though, but then so is Tron. Tron at least has the 2x playfield which is great to go for heading into SOS. There you can get big points quick, and it's super rewarding to set up that 2x.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the multiball rules in LOTR are very well laid out and are like "super modes", really. In Fellowship MB, for instance, you have to alternately bash Balrog and then hit the ramps, which lets one of your fellowship run across the bridge to safety. As each one crosses, their insert lights up. Get them all across to complete the "mode" and Gandalf shouts "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!".

Yeah i think a better example would be star trek, where it is just boneheaded to start a multiball without first starting a mode.

Yes, all true, but my point is regarding modes, not the multiballs themselves. IF a multiball is started it is VERY disappointing to have not gotten a mode started first. The completion of a mode and the subsequent attainment of an elf gift is much more likely if a multiball is going. Thus elevating the status of modes in LOTR. In X-Men, I don't feel like I have missed an opportunity if I start a multiball with nothing else running.

The nuance in X-Men is all around magneto multiball. That multiball has to be avoided until as many heroes as possible are played. Then the points come a-flowin'. Avoidance of things adds a lot to a game I think.

Xmen is packed with shots, the callouts never bothered me since I've only ever been a casual fan of X-Men. I think the music is quite good, and the magnet action seems to throw the ball with more force than other magnet games, which is also cool.

Ah, gotcha!

Agree...it's alway nice to be able to change things up once in a while on a game when so many modes are offered. Sometimes I go straight for hellfire or freedom force, heroes, villains, magneto or I challenge myself with combo call outs. So many characters too. I drink everytime the call outs get bothersome.
Get yourself a set of Cliffy because the game takes beating.

Xmen has some nice shots but I'm also a casual fan and even that is a strong word yet the call outs did almost cause me to light the pin on fire so they are not to be taken lightly, the Wolverine toy is way too large and the gameplay became boring real fast, I would say even though the TWD has modes it would work for you, Met for sure and Got Pro is a great game.

I ran the Newton ball mod when I had X-Men, the big wolverine toy is a negative.

SM all day long. Steve Ritchie + Lyman Sheats = ALL YOU GOTTA KNOW!

I have both. VERY hard question. A lot of people will jump straight to SM, but I think that's a little too easy. SM code is tight, tight, tight. I think you could easily say it's more polished and technically "better", but is it more fun? I honestly think X-Men edges it out. (Caveat..I'm referring to the LE). But fun is subjective. Gun to my head..SM, but I feel a little like I'm toeing the line in saying that.

Xmen is mode based on 2 levels, heroes an villains, it's a cool game, but takes a lot for the game to sing, very tight shots flailing will get u no where, you really need to concentrate because hero modes can be re started even after complete which is a bit of pain because the hero modes start by hitting X shot a certain amount of times, the same way medieval madness an monster bash modes start etc.

SM over XM all day long. I second GoT pro or MET pro for a scoring frenzy fun game.

Truth is they both are fun but, as you can tell, everyone has their own tastes. So get what YOU like; however, if it turns out that it's not a keeper for you, trade it out for something else. At least for me, a big part of the fun in this hobby is the chase - deciding what goes out then, in turn, hunting down and trading for something new. You will surprise yourself with what you like enough to keep and what you decide to trade. For me, it was a surprise that I loved AFM and couldn't stand MM. So out goes MM for something else. Many would call that blasphemy but they are not me - in pinball (and also in life) it only matters what YOU like and want. So pick one, play the heck out of it and have fun. If it doesn't make the cut, trade for something else and move on. No regrets.

Both are very good games. For me, XMLE wins over SM, but I have spent a LOT of time on SM. Very classic designs by two of the best pinball designers (Borg and Ritchie), but they have a very different feel. In the end, can't go wrong with either one. You'll get lower cost for XM pro and perhaps and XMLE over SM. If it were me, I'd get whichever I could and sell/trade for the other when it was time to move it along. However, based on what you said you like, ACDC (any model) is what I'd guess you'll like best. I like mode games better than scoring games, so ACDC didn't last that long in my collection. YMMV.

Since you already have IM, I (personally) wouldn't buy MET. Those two games share such similar geometry... doesn't bother some, but would be a deal breaker for me.

Met is a little more forgiving than IM I think with a little more strategy to it's ruleset. I really like MET. It's fun and the sound and art package is great. Not only one of Stern's best but one of the best pins period.

I was not impressed with X-Men. Played it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I may need to play it more.

I have both IM and Met pro both are quite similar in layout but play different enough to have both but maybe Tron would be better yet since it's third flipper.

S-M awards a 3x multiplier for completing a mode. 2x is available when all the white Spider-Man inserts are completed, which also lights mode start at the orbits.

The big payoffs in IM are Do or Die (lateral ladder of characters in one ball) and Jericho (vertical ladder of Marks throughout game).

The scoring nuance is X-Men is to collect as many heroes as possible prior to playing Magneto multiball so that the base jackpot is higher. And deciding whether to work Heroes for Danger Room or Villains for Dark Phoenix. Without extra balls, it is very difficult to do both.