I think Mustang has some of the most fun modes. Each car is a separate type of race, and each one has its own separate set of characters and voice call outs.

IJ is the only choice out of those

If you're considering BSD, I'd add White Water to your list as well. As for modes, it's not really a "mode" based game in the traditional sense, but whirlpool awards have varied modes like Whirlpool Challenge, and Man Overboard, that force the player to make accurate shots. Hot Foot Big Foot mode forces the player to make consecutive combos, and the supremely stackable 5x multiplier is the cherry on top of any mode and multiball.

Couple that with the general rules that force the player to literally utilize every shot of the playfield equally, and you have a game that can play in the big leagues.

BSD and Metallica aren't really 'mode based'. They both have a few 'modes', but they're circumstantial things. For instance, in Metallica hitting enough ramps starts Lady Justice, which is basically just timed super ramps, or hitting the Fuel target enough starts Fuel, which is basically just a frenzy. Both are just something that stacks on top of normal play. There's also Battery and Seek and Destroy, iirc. I'm not sure how to start them, but I get the impression they're similar. BSD is the same way, it's got a few things like Bats but it's just a small one-off thing that stacks on for a while after you do a certain sequence of things to qualify it.

Metallica does have Crank It Up, which I suppose could be considered its 'mode', but I think it'd be more accurate to call it a mini wizard mode. Four different modes, each set to one of four songs, with their own rules for how to score points. Enter Sandman is pretty cool + hard, the other ones are just 'shoot all the shots 3 times', 'shoot sparky a lot', and switch hits. They're mostly fun to play, but considering that you need to play for a good amount of time to even get to them, and you won't at all half your games, I feel like it's not the same type of 'mode based' gameplay you're probably looking for since you referenced TAF, TZ, and JP.

IJ has a lot of modes, maybe the most of any WPC (?), but I agree with you, they're mostly pretty boring. Three of the 12 are video modes, and a good portion of the rest are just 'this shot is worth more for 30s'.

WOZ, again, isn't really mode based, but it's got a lot of stuff that could be considered modes spread throughout the code. There's stuff like the crystal ball, which'll give you a random 'mode' such as 2x scoring, but lights out, or flippers reversed, or something, or the spinning house which will start a few different frenzies.

TSPP has ~8 modes startable from the upper playfield TV shot, and relit via the right orbit, but I find them mostly ignorable. People just stack on as many as they can while they try to get to multiball, and hope the points'll just come to them by accident.

Tommy and Last Action Hero also have a good quantity of modes. Last Action Hero works just like TAF. Shoot ramp to relight, bumpers to change, scoop to start. Nascar has a ton of modes. Most Lawler games after TAF are probably worth investigating, I think they all have some modes.

Mustang definitely has a few cool ones, once you learn what the hell is going on.

Scared Stiff is a brilliant game, but I've always thought the modes were a little lackluster. They're less "modes" than they are "things you have to do to get to the end of the game."

For example, 2 of the 6 tales are just things you'd do regardless--like "Return of the Deadheads" is just lighting the 3 rollover lanes, and "The Monster's Lab" is just hitting a bunch of pop bumpers.

Just my 2 cents.

I recommend Metallica. The modes are all very unique, and the game never gets old

X-Men.

Eight different modes for the heroes (Xavier, Rogue, Cyclops, Beast, Storm, Iceman, Phoenix, and Wolverine Multiball).

Seven different modes for the villains (Juggernaut, Sentinels, Omega Red, Sabertooth, Shadow King, Hellfire MB, and Brotherhood MB).

Plus you've got Magneto MB and Gambit Hurry-Up. Plus two different wizard modes (Danger Room and Dark Phoenix)

Awesome, awesome game...

Later,
EV

RiBon has good modes and is available in the Pinball Arcade app if you want to try it out.

Star Trek Stern has lots of modes that are rather repetitive.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is very mode based with good variety.

Jackbot has a few.

The Sopranos is very mode based.

The Walking Dead has great modes.

Very cool game, but yeah, by the time you've finished the two multiballs you'll 90% of the time have the other 4 'modes' in my experience. Would have been really cool if all six were actually fleshed out modes, but on the other hand it's a good challenge to get to scared stiff as it is... If the op is looking for a game that won't get old though, I don't think Scared Stiff is it

STTNG is one of the better ones - every mode has its own distinct flavor. And you can't just time them out if you want to be properly rewarded during Final Frontier - you actually can be a little strategic on which ones you chased based on risk reward.

X-Men, TSPP, LOTR, SM, WOZ, Mustang, ST, & WH20 are all fun pins with superior "mode" based play. I'm sure there are more, but these come to mind quickly.

I like the X-Men call, but seriously..
L
O
T
R

Nascar, the variety in the rules and shots required for its modes are pretty good.

Many aren't a fan of the game though.

From your list, I'd recommend metallica, just for the game play alone. Baywatch has good modes too.

I can second Nascar, I'd written it off for the theme but I played it this weekend and had a really good time!

I dig the modes in Judge Dredd.

Only problem with Dredd's mode play is the Wizard mode is such a dud. Very bland finale.

If you liked TZ and TAF, you'll probably like Theater of Magic (ToM). You have a lot of shots to make based on the illusion that has started like TZ and TAF.

TFTC
RBION
JD

LOTR... the mother of all mode-based games. No other game draws you emotionally into the modes like LOTR. It's truly a journey every time you play.

It does a great job of incorporating the elements of the movie into the modes and multiballs, and you also have the separate objective, so to speak, of the starting and completing the multiballs, which sort of have a mode feel to them, given that they have very different objectives as well as strategy around what mode to have running for which multiball.

How about The Hobbit...30+modes

honorable mention for the Dirty Harry Modes to achieve crime wave MB.

LOTR, RBION, and TSPP (All made in the same time period)

LOTR has story driven modes with some amount of stacking. It forces you to shoot the whole playfield better than just about any machine I have come across.

RBION I feel the modes are not as deep per say, but there is a lot more strategy about when to start them. It also forces you to remember when to shoot the scoop, and left ramp. LOTR is an epic journey, RBION is more like a chess game.

TSPP, been awhile, but kind of in between the two.

Nah. The modes are too quick, and completely irrelevant. For the most part you just ignore them. Not even in the conversation with TZ and TAF.

That sounds like exactly how I play TZ...

X-Men is awesome now, modes a-plenty. TSPP is the deepest pin ever made. I wouldn't call WoZ mode based like the others. Metallica somewhere in between in terms of mode based play. Forget the rest of your list.

TSPP would be my pick without question.

The shots for each mode are unique, and stackable.

You control the timer, which gives you a chance to complete them, which is doable, but still challenging.

But what makes TSPP modes so great is the shot value you can earn by completing multiple modes in the same ball.

If you can start and finish all the modes in one ball, each shot becomes as valuable as a Super Jackpot as long as you keep the timer going. Very difficult to do.

This aspect makes TSPP have a single ball goal (similar to IM do ir die) but with an additional deep rule set for added versatility.

In addition to the TV modes, there's several treehouse mystery awards which play like modes, plus Springfield Mystery Spot and Alien Invasion.

There is no better mode based game for a home owned machine.

TSPP was a great game and I enjoyed owning it, but when I hit the start button, I felt like I had a ton of work ahead of me. I prefer shorter, faster mode-based games.

LOTR and TSPP are rightfully respected games, I just prefer a different style of play.

Indy 500 has some good modes although it does not have a wizard mode. Fast and fun pin.

LOTR and Sopranos are great games, and probably in large part due to the modes. Kudos to Gomez for two of my favorites...

While not in the same league, I'm giving my honorable mention to X-Files. Lots of modes with some fun tie-ins to the theme.

I'd take Metallica off your list if you're looking for something mode based. The CIU modes are great but you don't see them all that often.

If you're looking for modes I'd recommend one of the following:
RFM- Tons of modes with unique objectives and the added flash of the Pin2K system.-somewhat linear is the main downside
Ghostbusters- One of the better mode based pins of recent past. unique objectives, different mode ladders, etc. Somewhat linear as well.
Roadshow - lots of modes with good variety but again pretty linear
Spider-man - Lyman is particularly known for creating rule-sets that are mode based but SM is one of them. You have all the boss modes plus the white modes.

My favorite mode based games of all time are LOTR and STTNG but it appears you have already ruled both out.

TSPP is great and has a ton of modes but my only complaint is that with all the stacking in that game it really doesn't pull you into the modes because you can be running 2-3 things at once which makes it hard to concentrate on mode play. I owned the game for a few years though and thought it was great though.

TSPP has great writing and a lot of modes, but I think the overall style is really ugly. Maybe it looks better with light mods, though, all the ones I've played have been pretty dim. It's definitely intimidating, too - there's plenty you can do off the bat, but there's so much to get to beyond that, it feels a little like trying to scale a mountain every time you play.

I don't think anyone has mentioned GoT yet. In my opinion, it's one of the best mode based games out there. The code is excellent, and there is a ton of strategy and different ways to attack the game.

I think The Hobbit by the time the code is all said and done will have the deepest and most unique mode based rulset. 30 main story modes, 3 mini wizard modes, multiple other multiballs and a super wizard mode. Keith is once again going all out with this one.

Are true modes all that important? Seems like they are more often ignored to work towards bigger things like mb or wizard modes. They also get repetitive if there is not much else to do. I just like a game that always have different things to shoot for at any given time. Shadow has some decent modes but some are really tough. What makes Shadow so much fun is you can always just shoot ramps for vengeance, battlefield, loops, or one one of the two multi balls. MET does not have traditional modes but you can go for the different multiballs, hurry ups, and cui modes.

I've owned a lot of games from the 90's up to current, and honestly the best mode based games I've played are:

X-Men (which is way underrated, it's a killer game after it got fixed that people haven't realized yet)
IJ (not the greatest game overall, but it does have good modes)
TSPP (just because of the stacking, the base modes are only ok)
LOTR( great modes, but there are only 6 of them, so not much variety)
STTNG (great modes, but there only 7 of them)

X-Men is the best of the bunch though because of the dual wizard modes, stacking modes, plus Deadpool helping.

Most game's modes just aren't valuable, fun, or deep enough to bother with, which means people don't care about them, which makes manufacturers put less work in them, which makes them less....

I'd love to see a game with the amount of effort in its modes that Hobbit has where you were locked into a mode until you completed it, and the rest of the game designed with this taken into account

Tspp,taf, tftc and twd premiumn have some great mode. Mystery spot on tspp is one of my faves

Are there any games where you HAVE to finish all the modes to get to the wizard mode? I'm not talking timing them out, but actually beating them.

I know that RBION is close in a sense that you have to complete a mode to get a letter. However, you don't exactly have to finish all of the individual ones to get to Atlantis... You could very well burn through all of them and keep beating the one you're good at (7 times?).

Does LOTR require you to finish all the modes to get somewhere?

Yes, Star Trek meets this criteria. There are six missions, each is three levels deep. All the Level One missions can be timed out and you can go to mini wizard mode one this way, but after that...you must complete the Level Two missions by making the shots before you can access mini wizard two (Amok).

And all Level Three missions must be done to reach Wizard mode (5 Year Mission).

X-Men

Yes. I'm pretty sure you need to finish all the modes, among other things, to reach Valinor.

I don't think you need to finish every mode for Valinor. I think you need to earn all the gifts of elves (among other things).

Finishing a mode will earn a gift, but you can also earn them by getting a super jackpot in a multiball.

Star Trek the Next Generation has the best modes .