I would say Party Zone... Owned the Dude and it got old really quick. PZ seems like there is a little more to do and there are more shots than the Dude.

For me as an only pin I would not get either. I have had both and they get old quick. For a little more I would go with a FT or something like that. They can still be had for not that much money. The 8 year old would love it.

I like both games but for different reasons. While I think that Dr. Dude is a great Sys11 game, it's is not a Party Zone. PZ has a lot more shots and overall, has a better play-field layout. I really think the main reason that I like PZ is because it PLAYS like a sys11, and references a lot of classic pinball sounds and characters, but it happens to be a WPC game. I get a similar feeling when playing The Shadow.

I played a lot of PZ lately and think it is more fun if you modify it a little bit to make it more difficult. Lightning flipper bats and making the ramp a lot more difficlut makes the game a lot more balanced regarding points.

Party Zone is essentially a pinball about drinking... Maybe not the best for 8 year olds. There are a lot of drunk references and jokes in the game. Some say the sound is bad, I don't think it's bad. Some think it's unbalanced. Out of the box, I would agree. You can make the game challenging and more enjoyable, long term, if you set it up properly.

PZ also gets a bad rep because of it's theme. I don't care much about theme in pinball. PZ is a well designed game, if you can take the cheese and corny-ness of it all. One other tip is that it looks a little drab with incandescent bulbs in it.

Dude.

Party zone is just a mess.

They're both about the same interest-wise and the themes are pretty comparable. Also similar to maintain (mixmaster spinner vs. Captain rotating head). I have a soft spot for Dr. Dude, but they're both fun, if sort of shallow, games. Your 8 year old isn't going to have any sort of nostalgia for the 1980s though, so maybe look into a theme he might be more into? Jurassic Park, superheroes, etc. Just a thought.

I think Party Zone is better and more appropriate - but it's still more of a young adult game than a kids game... Tee'd Off and WCS are the perfect all-around family/kids games, IMO.

I've got both. Dude is a better game ruleset wise and I'd keep that one over Party Zone, but both are good games if you enjoy the themes!

Dude

Jump over to a really fun game, for a bit more money. Popeye is great for all ages. A few brite leds in dark areas. Long term tons of fun. Very underrated. Hard game, but a keeper.

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