My collection currently consists of a DH and a FP, both of which I dearly love. The only problem with them is, neither is very good for spreading the cause of pinball when guests come over (I can't even get my wife to come down and play them!) Both have tight shots and are quick to drain, often leaving novices more frustrated than intrigued. So for my third game, I want to get one that's a little easier for novices to get a handle on and feel rewarded for playing, but also one that I won't get bored of easily. Ideally this would be mid-nineties or later game, since I have an 80s and early 90s game, but that's not necessary. The kicker is, I don't want to spend more than $2500 tops.

So, any ideas for a $2500 game that's good for novices without being boring for skilled players, preferably but not necessarily from the mid-nineties or later?

#2 5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Pincinnati

10y 193K 31,356 16 13

Going to be very tough with that budget. Might need to be in the 3-3.5k range.

#3 5 years ago

???

Yoko2una

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 125K 4,330

The obvious bet, especially for a non pinhead wife is something super-approachable like WCS but unfortunately your budget only fit that game 2 years ago as $2500 probably only gets you a semi-project nowadays.

Perhaps one of the early Sterns (HRC, RCT, Sharkey) could fit the budget.

It’s ironic because for guests I think quick games can be great. Keeps the action going around. SM and Congo typically take a backseat to Gorgar and Fire when we have guests so we don’t have someone on a 10 min ball.

#4 5 years ago

ACE

pinzrfun

Pinside+ Frequent

Belleville, MI

11y 90,300 4,310 20

T2. Just do it.

#5 5 years ago

KPC

kciaccio

Pinside+ Frequent

Houston, TX

5y 77,300 1,984 5 15

Demolition man or World Cup 1994.

#6 5 years ago

Blackbeard

Pinside member

12y 106K 12,107 6 20

world cup soccer

#7 5 years ago

RLH

Skrippy

Inactive member

Woodstock, GA

12y 42,400 479 15

World Cup or Who Dunnit

#8 5 years ago

MST

mtdouble

Pinside member

St. Petersburg, FL

11y 49,150 526 4

Fish Tales

#9 5 years ago

GAB

pinnyheadhead

Pinside+ Frequent

Dunwoody, GA

11y 119K 5,040 8 40

World Cup Soccer or High Speed 2.

Getting goals is fun and you can play deeper and try to beat Germany. HS2 has the loop that folks dig and you can work your way to Red Line Mania! Both $2500ish

#10 5 years ago

???

wdennie

Inactive member

Canandaigua, NY

8y 37,350 1,321 17

Space Shuttle, not hard and it's just one of those games you keep going back too.

#11 5 years ago

DOG

RatShack

Pinside member

7y 57,650 783

WCS '94

#12 5 years ago

JPJ

Frippertron

Pinside member

Sparta, NJ

7y 60,800 2,301

JackBot

#13 5 years ago

JMM

Allibaster

Pinside member

Sheridan, WY

12y 87,050 2,053 4 17

Getaway

#14 5 years ago

LPP

lpnsocal

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 37,650 162 1

Earthshaker... or one of the other value priced system 11 titles. LAH is a good one too.

#15 5 years ago

KOZ

KozMckPinball

Pinside member

7y 85,300 4,082 3

NBAFB. Will be a hit with guests that like pinball for sure.

#16 5 years ago

KOZ

KozMckPinball

Pinside member

7y 85,300 4,082 3

Stern Nascar? Is NASCAR popular in Maryland?

#17 5 years ago

KID

MrFancy

Pinside member

Silver Spring, MD

5y 39,650 132 4 9 1

Quoted from Yoko2una:
It’s ironic because for guests I think quick games can be great. Keeps the action going around. SM and Congo typically take a backseat to Gorgar and Fire when we have guests so we don’t have someone on a 10 min ball.

That's a good point that quicker games can be better for non-pinheads, I hadn't thought about that. It seems like it needs to be a game where they feel like they're getting somewhere though, if it's a savage drain monster like DH and FP they just get frustrated.

I love High Speed but have never played High Speed 2, I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. Funny that people mention WCS- that's the first pin that I really got into, back when it first came out and I was in college. I can definitely see that being one that's good for beginners but still fun to play.

#18 5 years ago

RON

Ronnie1114

Pinside member

Coeur D'alene, ID

11y 83,800 3,056 39 10

Stargate!! Guests love all the multiball and it has lots of lasting power with its unique shots and deep rules. Guests also usually know the movie or one of the tv shows. Will probably max out your budget though

#19 5 years ago

IceMaster

Pinside member

Lombard, IL

8y 41,300 202 4 6 1

I will also recommend WCS. It might be difficult to track down one for $2500 but it is by far the most played game I have. It’s always the first game people play and they have a blast. They especially like pressing the buy in button 3 or 4 times. It’s not intimidating and beginners don’t want to look like they’re terrible so they keep making goals and enjoy themselves. And for me personally, it’s nice to have a game in my collection that I can blow up with some consistency.

#20 5 years ago

SLM

Slim64

Pinside member

9y 61,550 2,034

WCS, Pinbot/jackbot, jurassic park are/were all big hits with the more casual and beginners that played at my house.

#21 5 years ago

POP

RTR

Pinside+ Frequent

Franklin, TN

11y 118K 4,004 8 6

I recently sold a WCS that worked completely, but needed a major shop job (super dirty) and a few plastics replaced, for $1900 - so they are out there. But nice ones seem to be in the 3k range.

#22 5 years ago

YAW

Lethal_Inc

Pinside member

Westminster, CO

11y 88,300 4,933 7 34

Cheap doesn’t exist around here. Lol.

#23 5 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

11y 158K 58,799

Quoted from lpnsocal:
Earthshaker.

#24 5 years ago

JPJ

Frippertron

Pinside member

Sparta, NJ

7y 60,800 2,301

Taxi and Whirlwind are both great pins that are newb/family friendly while still being a blast for better players. They are new enough to have modern playfield gadgets and ramps but without the DMD. Both games are still affordable and are long term keepers.

#25 5 years ago

ACE

pinzrfun

Pinside+ Frequent

Belleville, MI

11y 90,300 4,310 20

Apparently you didn't hear me earlier...T2. Find one, get it, thank me later.

#26 5 years ago

GAB

pinnyheadhead

Pinside+ Frequent

Dunwoody, GA

11y 119K 5,040 8 40

What did you say?

The gun on T2 takes some time to get used to for a newbie. The gun starts turning and they don't know what is going on unless someone is there to coach them. And after they know how to shoot it is not an easy shot. Then they leave and go meh. One downside of T2 when I had it

#27 5 years ago

???

Ockeyhead

Pinside member

Dover, PA

10y 52,900 651 3 14

T2 is a great title that virtually everyone recognizes. A pin that isn't too hard but can be challenging when going for the super jackpot. The light show & gameplay are really good for the $2500 price range. I would definitely recommend T2, for this machine is absolutely a classic.

#28 5 years ago

REW

Anonymouse

Pinside member

Swoyersville, PA

6y 43,300 387 2

People love SP. Personally I wouldn't go that way but a F14 might be good

#29 5 years ago

CGE

too-many-pins

Pinside member

Carlisle, PA

11y 97,800 4,485

The most played machine in our collection when non pinheads guest are here is Laser War. Great light show and everything speeds up when you get further along in the game. Another good machine for just about anyone is Xenon.

Best bet is to look at lots of Youtube Videos and find something that looks good then try to find one.

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