Iron man all the way based on your bullet points.... Magnets galore, same one more game feeling as TNA, and just as punishing if set up right. Also, cheaper!

Star Trek is a great game, but I never really felt like I’m fighting it.

Plus Iron Man has a kick back which is even faster than the scoop

I have owned an Iron Man, currently own an ST premium for about 3 year (or so). Played TNA (the famous butter cabinet) at Rock Fantasy the other day. Hands down, either Iron Man or ST LE. TNA was fast with good sound but felt like a 3 shot game at best I envision it getting boring quick.

I owned Iron Man for a couple years

Love my TNA, but think Iron Man is amazing. If I ever sell it I'll pick up another one!

I love playing all 3 games, but I think an IM would best meet your desired want of a fast game that will fight you.

That is exactly why you should stay away from TNA. Play them all a few more times but always trust your gut.

All three fun games but I vote Iron Man.

Both TNA and IM fight you pretty good. Hit start again and again!

Well if you decide on TNA that means putting a non-refundable deposit down and waiting a year to get it. I would put TNA on the list of games to get down the line HOU and under $6,000 or wait until production catches up and keep your eyes out for an IMVE. Get whichever one comes up first.

I prefer IMVE and checks off all your wants and needs. Great game. I had mine for years and will get one back some day.

Its funny TNA caused me to seek out another Iron Man as well - when I played TNA at a show, I really enjoyed, after thinking on it it totally reminded me of iron man super fast and fun, good music, but iron man has more going on so longevity will be much better.

Iron Man or Star Trek pro for $4500 vs TNA for $6000+, all three great options. I really enjoy my Star Trek pro and would like to own iron man and TNA. I don’t think you can make a wrong choice, they all are nice pins

The speed and brutality of TNA made me better at playing Star Trek and IM. Own TNA right now and love it, but its not for everyone. Played a bunch of Star Trek pro last night and is a really fun game to shoot, but its not nearly as aggressive as IM or TNA. IM & TNA kick my ass, but definitely have that one more game aspect to them. All of them are fantastic games and I would own any of them if the deal was right. I like the Premium / LE a little bit more on Star Trek, but the pro is a fantastic value.

IM: If you really like magnets and magnet action; IM is your choice. Keep in mind the rules are fairly shallow, but that works for how brutal this game is. You’ll be having 1-2 minute games, 10 tops.

ST: when the magnet fires off on ST, it’s sweet, but it’s a bit underutilized and doesn’t fling it wildly like IM. If there’s one thing I hate about ST as a whole, it’s how dependent the rules are on having to make the mission start or away team shots. They are the hardest shots in the game yet you have to constantly be hitting them to get anywhere in the game. Sometimes you can hit the shot like no other, and other times you’ll sit there for 1-2 minutes trying to get the ball in that freakin scoop so you can start a mission. Other than that, ST is a fantastic game, but it is the longer player of the 3.

I'd sell Iron Man before I sold TNA. Of course, I've owned IM a good bit longer, but at 8 months, TNA isn't really in the honeymoon period any more.

IM, it's all about trying to line up all the modes during a single ball. Mess that up, and the game can feel unrewarding. TNA, I always feel like I can salvage a game that's not going like I want.

No duds in the bunch and all three are fun over long periods of time. I had TNA and Iron Man together at the same time for a while. Iron Man is one of my favorite Stern DMDs, and I definitely give it the edge over Star Trek, but they are VERY different. Iron Man is all about surviving everything the game throws back at you while you progress through a very straightforward process. Star Trek is more about completing modes and choosing the right time to integrate multiballs. Iron Man fights back at you so much harder.

TNA is a whole other type of beast. Playing TNA is an adrenaline rush from start to finish, and the tension just amps up as you progress through each reactor. As the reactors get harder to destroy, being pinpoint accurate with your shots and your ability to regain control becomes everything. Every time you get either a new high score or deeper than you ever have before, it feels REALLY good. Few pinball machines match that feel.

Iron Man and TNA are superior multiplayer games, with TNA taking the edge in that regard. Star Trek is fine with friends, but it can play long so waiting through each others' turn really kills your momentum. TNA either in competitive or co-op mode is a riot and the game really shines with multiple players.

I do miss my Iron Man and will probably pick one up down the line.

tl;dr: you can't lose with any of them, but I would prioritize Iron Man or TNA over Star Trek.

I got the same feeling playing TNA for the first time. Fun but I does feel a bit empty compared to most new games with ramps, toys, and lots of modes. I would wait before buying one, though. Get some more plays and see if the fun factor holds up. Sounds like Spooky is going to suspend production anyways to get their new game out the door. Prices will probably stay a bit high until more can get out the door. Might as well wait for the market to settle and find a good deal on a used game.

ST pro is a great game for the money. Eskaybee reviewed it well. I love the Vengeance modes but they are not really integrated well with the game. Most people avoid playing them because the risk outweighs the reward. Pretty cool how the magnet instantly fires the ball back at you but dangerous. Core gameplay is really playing out the 18 modes. If they were easier to start and quicker to finish, it would be so much better. I ended up selling my pro because it just got to feel like a lot of work to get anywhere in the game. That warp shot never got old, though.

IM always feels fun when I play it but I don't really know the rules yet. It just seems like there is constant action, excitement, and not difficult to get things going. Sounds like IM fits what you are looking for right now.

Tna is soooo fun. One more play easily. I like ironman to. I'd pass on ST. Just doesn't do much for me, plus you've already had it.

Well I own both IM and TNA, so I'll tell you my experience. These two games get played the most in my collection over the last year, along with FG from time to time. What do they all have in common? Short game times and a ridiculous amount of getting my ass kicked. That's the kind of gameplay I love.

Most pins have some degree of rinse & repeat in their rules, but TNA thrives upon it. Start reactor, critical reactor, destroy reactor...with various score maxing strategies & multiballs mixed in along the way. It's just how the lighting & music is integrated into TNA that makes it so appealing (along with mutiplayer), and the fact that it is easy to learn, hard to master. That gets compounded when you start a multiball when you didn't mean to, which I find pretty frustrating.

IM is straightforward with it's rules as well, but it is just SO much more appealing to me. The modes are easy for a beginner to grasp, but are deeply layered for an experienced player, because they are so hard to complete. Take the Whiplash multiball mode for example. Sure it's easy enough to start, but how many people are actually able to complete all 18 shots for the Superjackpot? I know I never have. It's like this for the other multiball modes as well.

And the wizard modes are my favorite in pinball. It's not impossible to get to Jericho, but it's challenging, and it sure is fun to rack up millions with each successful shot. The fact Jericho is a single ball mode is brilliant, because the points are right there for the taking with skillful play. And scoring the timed 35M Do-Or-Die Hurry-up on a single ball is one of the greatest satisfying thrills in pinball. IM is a perfect example of how good coding ideas can elevate a game to greatness.

Plus IM fights you back the entire time. The War Machine kickback is brutal. The game is fast & flowly even with two magnets. Want an extra ball? Good luck earning one. Want to get to Do-Or-Die Multiball? Maybe when pigs fly. This pin makes you earn EVERY FRICKING POINT. An uniformed player might look at IM and see a "stripped down" modern pin & never give it a chance. I see pure brilliance from Borg design & Lyman coding. It's a modern classic.

Can you tell which way I'm leaning here? IM all day! I'd never sell mine.

And the fact that Star Trek Pro is leading your poll with almost 50% of the vote says a lot. It's a perfect example of how players can be so dismissive of games with a basic layout, appear to look simple, or don't have an appreciation for that type of gameplay. Hell I'm just 6 years into this hobby and I'm only beginning to enjoy how great EM pins can be

I'd take a pristine classic 80's Bally like Embryon over any LCD pin Stern is pumping out these days. That's just me though. Lots of different types of pinball out there for everyone!

If you want a game that fights back, the only choice more intense than Iron Man is F-14.

IM continues to land more of this per square dollar.

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I vote Iron Man, you can get it cheaper than a TNA and can get it right away. There will be more TNAs for sale on the secondary market eventually as more and more people get theirs if you ever decide you want one later on. I don't really get the adrenaline rush from Star Trek that I do IM and TNA. I mean, you could always put in a deposit for a TNA and then get an Iron Man now with the rest of the money.
--Scott

Man....tough for me between IM and STLE........still have to lean IM.....the most straight ahead brutal machine I own...

End of thread LOL

I suspect that a number of votes are based on the poll question alone without reading your post.

And this is the question I was about to ask!

Thank you!

I currently own all three of these games. I’ve owned Iron Man and ST each since 2014 and have had TNA for a few months. All three are great games.

To be clear: ST is objectively an easy game and it does not fight you...the shots flow from one to another, both ramps are wide open and there is a not a single shot that puts the ball in much jeopardy if it is missed other than (maybe) the warp ramp. The left ramp is one of the easiest back hands in pinball and the left orbit is also an easy backhand. The magnet, such as it is, doesn’t really “fling” the ball at you due to its location being behind the drop target.

Iron Man is an awesome game, it’s the only game I’ve bought NIB twice, but it substantially shares a layout with Austin Powers, Metallica, and GotG (all Borg games with materially the same shots). This isn’t a big deal unless you have two of those four games side by side...

TNA is a scrappy fighter but it shines in multiplayer action. If you have friends over who play with you go for a TNA. If you play by yourself mostly go for one of the other two...that’s my advice as an owner of all three. TNA is my favorite of the three.

IMVE then STpro

I'm really in the mood for an IMVE in my collection!

They are rolling out at a decent pace and I’ve seen a couple people look to sell their spot in line at face value. Call one of the distributors and ask them if they have a spot coming on the line soon available at cost, never hurts to ask.

The more I read your posts the less I think Star Trek is a good fit for you. I personally love Star Trek, but the ball times are so long it is easily the worst multiplayer game in my collection. I can’t even get people to play it with me because it plays so long. It is also a constant flurry of modes, one after the other after the other. You can’t score unless you are in a mode...and you are always in a mode.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my ST...when I want to go on a long journey it is the game I play...

Based on this post; don't get ST. TNA or IM should be your choices now. Ironman will suit you guys just fine and kids love the iron monger popping out of the play field and bashing it. The game doesn't have traditional modes where you need to focus on shots so much as you just need to keep the ball alive. Simple ruleset like TNA. Brutal, and fantastic for multiplayer.

Truly agree with this, based on Op's input. IM is an awesome multiplayer game, imho, fast, brutal...and even though you "get" most of it, achieving it quite a different story.

Short ball times, nice callouts, and the ball flying everywhere........can probably get 2 or 3 4 player games in the time for one game of WOZ.....way, way different....

I'll add TWD pro (as a biting game) it's wicked fun.

I just got AFM sitting next to IM and they are both excellent choices (one more game!!)

I owned STLE and feel like it's more of a long playing game like SM and you really need to play 10++ minutes to see a lot of the depth. It's still great pin bit not a quick brutal pin like IM/AFM/TWD. ST is more of a long game and games like Tron/IM/TWD/AFM can be long but not as necessary to be long game.

I have TNA on my wish list and on order but thinking much like you that it may be too much of the same same.

At least AFM has a martin attack mode to mix things up.

Bottom line I voted IM and would add TWD (pro) and AFM.

I prefer TWD pro (cheaper and also less things to stop the clock like the crossbow) ant the station ramp is a lot more smooth than the lifting ramp.
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If you owned ST (like I did) the LE/premium is nicer (IMO) sure you pay more but it's got the star field, the crashing Vengeance ship full color changing inserts, the up kicker to the ramp etc.. I still feel like ST has some bugs that would make me hesitate to buy. For example if the kickback misses the save it just drains while many other pins I have played will give you the ball back (it's obvious the ball was not saved like it should have been give the damn ball back that's so frustrating and such an easy fix/bug). I have not played the new code on ST bit didn't see that on the change log.

IM is just perfect, it's got just a few inserts to light (much like Tron) plus it resets the mode inserts on each ball which adds a nice bit of difficulty.

And then there is TRON......

I’m really wondering what the deal is with Stern and Tron. It is hard for me to believe that either SM or AC/DC vaults did as well as Tron would do. The demand is clearly still out there for more Tron machines.

OP, in my expierence when you buy a game a second time it is never as much fun as it was the first time. Whatever reasons drove you to sell it the first will resurface quickly and you won’t be as happy having it back as you think you will be. Everything you are saying in this thread leads everyone to suggest you move on from ST and dip your toe into TNA or IM.

I do agree with the poster above who said TWD May also be worth considering.

Yeah a Tron VE, specially if re-skinned as the 1982 movie version, would be a no brainer. Of course that would require a lot of work (new DMD animations, new cabinet & playfield artwork, new music & callouts, etc), which is why it probably would never happen. But I think there’s a ton of buyer demand for something special like that.

This got me thinking perhaps they have a BDK/BM66 kind of thing lined up for Tron. Same playfield with new art and a couple new/different features, plus the lcd panel...that would be a smash hit for them if done right.