Seems to me that my list of keeper games is heading away from Mode based games and toward games with a rule set more reminiscent of the early 90's.

The mode based games I have owned don't last in my collection very long at all. It seems like once I've figured out how to progress through all of the modes to get to the wizard mode, the game looses a lot of its draw for me.

That's why I think most mid 90's B/W games I've owned get tossed on the scrap heap rather quickly, despite me loving the feeling of the shots.

What makes you like games with modes?

Nice reply, Pete.

I guess I find the timed modes pretty non fulfilling. Like on JM...

Shoot the left orbit into the pops four times in 30 seconds on one mode.
In another, shoot the right orbit four times in 30 seconds.
Shoot the middle four times in 30 seconds...

I guess I'm still trying to figure out why my preference leads me away from mode games (even though I really like them).

Might be the sense of 'ending' these pins have? Like, you get to the 'end'? A "been there, done that" feeling that a game like Mousin' Around doesn't have.

I'm hoping we call all hash this out.

I can only talk about games I've owned. None of these I've owned.

I do own some mode based games that I will keep, like Baywatch and Batman Forever. I guess the mode games I found got too repetitive to keep were the B/W mid 90's games I've owned.

I've been a pinball guy since I was a very young kid. My uncle was an operator, and always had games in the garage of my grandparents home and left a few in my dad's basement once he retired from coinop. So I forged my love of pinball solidly in the EM era. I still love playing EM games, but for sure prefer the late 80's early 90's titles.

These feel like EM's, with more goals to attain (and ramps).

On a game like Mousin' Around, the primary goal is to score the jackpot. How large the jackpot is depends on how often you advance it before starting the multi-ball. To get the jackpot (I do it maybe one out of 20 games) is a process that for me that never gets boring - mostly because it's so difficult to do.

Thanks for the thoughts, Tommy.

I guess this post is just what it says... A realization. I was crafting my collection based on something I wasn't even sure of, until I took a more wide-angle view of it.

I'm a flow guy, and that is one of the most important aspects of a game for me, but it's not enough for me to keep a game around.

I loved No Fear... but I had enough.
I loved Judge Dredd... but I had enough.
I loved Johnny Mnemonic... but I had enough.
I liked Demolition Man... but I had enough.
I liked NBA Fastbreak... but I had enough.

If I come upon these in the wild, I'll still play them and enjoy them. They just lost their spot in my arcade, and I didn't feel bad letting them go, despite loving the shots.

I can't ever see having enough of Radical!, though.. It's just as fun to play today as it was when I got it a couple years ago, and I just can't see letting it go.

Now, CFTBL is an intersting one. Two flow shots, but no orbits (something I thought was mandatory for me in a game) and three sink-holes, lots of stop and go. I should really not like this game.

But the rules are such that it makes up for the lack of flow to me. As important as flow is, this game makes me not care. If it were a mode based game, I don't think I would give it the same pass....

That's my stream of consciousness rambling for the moment.

See, that's just the thing, Gotpins... I don't really care about score either. I play to complete objectives as well. I just find the objectives on system11/early WPC games to be more compelling, rewarding and more fun to try over and over again.

Few things in pinball feel better than building the Dine-Time bonus up to 12 million, serving all 5 customers, and nailing the spinner shot to cash it in. So hard to do.

Not really very organized, but I can be a planner. I think your last point is the one I'm looking for. Trudging through modes for the payoff seems like work (to me) once it's been done it a few times...

I don't get that same feeling of work going through the multiple required steps on the way toward the Creature super jackpot.

The thing is, I do like these games. I just get to the point where I no longer feel like I want to keep them after I've had them for a certain duration. The ones I find keepers just happen to be the ones without modes. Mostly.