I owned IM for a few years. If you set it up right it has a ton of speed. Rules are easy to understand... layout is simple. Game times can be quick.

All that being said, I'd never own it as a single pin. I slowly got bored of it in a 12 game collection... I think as a single pin it would have lasted about 2 months.

It's a fun game - but not a stand alone game.

Of all the games I've ever owned, the only one I'd keep as a single pin is WOZ. Most players won't camp on it... rules are ridiculously deep but has basic things to do that novices can accomplish.

You're going to find a million and one opinions on this.... but I'd strike IM off your list.

Spiderman by a country mile. Great shots. Great sound. Great rules.

There's a reason IJ is a classic.

27dnast is right... ish. IM won't last that long for you in a one game collection. However, it will rock while it's there. I love IM. It's a fantastic game, but it needs other games around it to keep it interesting long term. Long games are not a problem.

Spider-Man suffers from your same issue LOTR does. The games can be very long. Once you get the shots down, competition can be a long endeavor. It's more of a solo game.

I've never liked IJ, so that obviously taints my opinion of it.

With only one spot, you just have to commit to owning everything one at a time. Rotate out once they get boring. That also gives you the opportunity to bring in classics for a visit. My current classics obsession is Stars, but there are dozens of great games from the 70s and 80s that are worthy of a few months visit.

Of those three, IJ by a mile. The others a great games but if you only had one, IJ has so much more to offer.

I would go with iron man it's fun fast and has cool toys and it is the fastest playing game out of the 3 you mentioned.

Given your limit of a single game and not too long game times, IMO you might want to consider other games like TWD, TZ, Met, AS, and ST.

I've never owned TWD, but I'd vote it as a possibility...brutal game but (supposedly...not enough time on one myself) awesome deep code as well. Looks like that is the combination you might be looking for.

IJ out of those three pins listed, I would hate IM to be my only pin not deep enough. Spider-Man is fine but I find it boring

SM is a great pin. Easy shooter (not easy to complete). You think you're better than you are since all shots flow back to the flippers. It's a LONG game though. Stacking is cool and important. They made a ton so you'll alway be able to find one. I do miss mine.

IM is not just tough but also brutal. Not deep but tough to complete with quick games. I'd describe it as a frustrating rush, but not "fun" per se. You'll always be able to find one. People get frustrated and sell (It's Tron like, but Tron is much better)

IJ is iconic, tough to complete and fun. You can actually complete modes too. They'll never be made again. One of the best ever.

I have IM IJ and SM right now...ironman would be the first to leave, then SM...Indy isnt going anywhere

exactly how i feel! SM is snoozefest after you play it 50 times, fastest game to come and go for me. IM has no depth to code for single home pin. IJ code is great and has alot more going on then either just make sure to set angle to 7 or more.

Sure. But good luck getting to them all. (And who would want to skip them anyway?)

Exactly. Why skip it? I got there once. Final mode is timed. You'll never ever ever ever complete that one. Ever. You need to hit every switch. Have fun!

I own SM and IM and recently sold IJ. They are all great games, but if I had to pick one, it would be SM for gameplay and rule set. I would rather own IM than IJ as I have a larger collection and want shorter ball time games.

IM is fast and simple. If you like getting your butt kicked, that's a great choice. But, as others have said, it will get old in a one game collection.

SM is a great choice for depth and variety, but it sounds like you should rule it out because game times are too long. (Maybe remove the center post and the outlane posts?)

The IJ I play constantly rejects shots to the mode start saucer. That being the case, there is nothing else to do but play multiball all day and games can be really long.

So, I'd say none of the above.

For me, for a one game collection, I'd pick Metallica. So many ways to play that game (both simple and complex/nuanced). It's also pretty much impossible to have consistently long ball times.

Than take W/B games out of the running.

...cough... WOZ

It's possible if your POA is working correctly. I've done it once.

If you don't play the modes your score is going to suck and you won't get enough extra balls to have a chance at starting all of the modes.

All 3 are really good games so I would just go with what you prefer. I don't agree with the people saying IM is not deep enough. What's the point of more code on that one when you will never ever see it. IM is all about trying to time up for that big jackpot which is super rewarding.

That isn;t near impossible

All three I've owned/own and all are great.

I think Tron/Met pro or TWD pro are equal or better than IM. I say more equal, but if was my only pin IM might be lower of those because the rules are short.

Yeah that's really the issue. For me, POA is the most difficult. Once is not a lot. Probably once or twice is more accurate than "never".

Just gotta shoot them up there quick and get all the left then all right asap

1: SM
2: IJ



987: IM

IM is great when that's the mood I'm in, but I agree with the others who say it wouldn't be a good choice in a single game collection.

SM hands down in a small lineup! However....

...you wont like it on factory due to long ball times. But, the rules are perfect for short to medium ball time games - so remove the center post and you will be styling. And i even recommend taking it a step further and put in lightning flippers. Game is awesome, fast, and nerve wrecking for the good (i.e. risk/reward) with that setup.

Yep, nothing's funner than Papa set up games in the home. I miss playing DW 20 times and literally getting 1 loop

Score no points, get laughed at by the people that have their initials all over your game, and likely drain trying to hit the mode shot anyway. Most players can't hit the mode shot enough times to even start them all. Depending on how the game is set up it's not a very forgiving shot and often times is rejected. IJ actually has fun modes with huge points so I'm not sure what the point of skipping them would be. Anyone that just ignores choose wisely needs a kick in the groin anyway.

Yep, anytime you wanna take some videos of doing it please post so we can see. In theory it has the quickest road to Wizard mode (think you mean Eternal Life), but again what does it matter? After that if you can actually finish it (and actually get the ball not to reject out of the mode start hole 20 times), you have 1 billion points; not that impressive.

But you wouldn't do that would you? Or you would...or you'd be too tempted? Confusing

I've got all three, but if I had to only choose one I'd keep IM just because I like my ass handed to me over and over again. Thank you sir, may I have another?

No

IM is fantastic.

I have owned all 3 (currently own 2 of them) and it's an easy decision as to what is 3rd. IJ has fantastic theme integration, music/sound, and pretty good art, but it is a slow playing game with some questionable design and is a game I'd never own again. IM and SM are polar opposites as far as rule depth and ball times go, but they're both awesome. All games get old eventually, but these two have lasted a long time in my collection. I've had SM for about 9 years and IM about 6 years. That's saying something about their longevity.

and SM ruleset compliments short, medium, and long ball time games which is why I'm digging it so much with it setup hard.

Code/gameplay are set up for a long game though. You can remove outline rubbers and post and pitch everything at 8 degrees, but you won't really get to see the game and various modes.

I'd disagree. But I guess it depends on your definition of long ball times. Obviously IM has shorter ball times and not what I'm arguing. But to me, having a good balance of progression is important and a good element of risk-reward for short, medium, and long games on a specific table. I think SM code fits this bill.

I have mine setup as mentioned above; no center drain post, lightning flippers, 7.3deg pitch, factory outlanes (which is pretty easy - 2nd peg of 4 settings). With this setup, Everytime i push start I Feel like I have a chance to blow up the game both with multipliers, scoring, and progression; but it's not a gummie by any means. I really enjoy games where I know I can do good in <15 mins and complete it in <30 mins.

That all said; here's some audits I pulled with this setup:

IMG_0155 (resized).JPGIMG_0156 (resized).JPGIMG_0160 (resized).JPGIMG_0161 (resized).JPGIMG_0162 (resized).JPGIMG_0163 (resized).JPGIMG_0164 (resized).JPGIMG_0165 (resized).JPGIMG_0167 (resized).JPGIMG_0168 (resized).JPG

I tried to remove center post on SM but as I'm not that good it was more frustrating and I have more fun with it in.

I never got to SH yet anyway.

My games are medium length.

If you only have one game then do the smart strategy of buying that is local and a good deal and getting that first, playing the crap out of and moving on to the next one when you get bored. I love My SM and IM.

I own SM and IM, I prefer SM more to do and I like the rules better, but have no plans to sell either.

You are either a world class player or your game is set up way too easy if your average score is 100 mil after 500 plays.

I'm a decent player and my high in the original is like 160 mil or so. All factory settingsettings, 3 balls, with save post. I'd say I average about 20-30 mil, ill have to check my audits. If I miss the left center ramp, the ball will roll sdtm almost every time, tough game.