Um, I would buy Maiden. If theme is the most important thing in pinball, you are playing it wrong.

I'm holding out to see what Deeproot has to offer on titles and prices. Hopefully we will know before the end of the year.

Iron Maiden is the best recent Pro, maybe the best Pro ever. Tough call between it and TWD.

EDIT: Whoops. Posted your Maiden aversion as I was making this post.

All three of the ones you list are a compromise compared to the best Pro you can get. If NIB Maiden Pro is out, for ~$6k, I'd buy a HUO Premium Game of Thrones or Premium TWD. Long term, you'll likely be much happier with them.

Personally for me is the Munsters. Great theme, sound and I love Borg’s designs and layout of his pins.

If possible, try and play all three before making your decision. Everyone has their own opinions and reasons they like one over the other. I don’t think you can go wrong with anyone of your choices.

Deadpool is awesome. Unique multi-balls.
I haven't played Munsters, but looks very promising.
Don't care for Guardians.

I've owned all 3.
Surprisingly Deadpool is really good when it comes to code. There's a lot of complaints about it being clunky and they typically are referring to the right ramp. It's a tough shot but it sure feels good when you hit that ramp.
Munsters is really fun but the code is very basic imo. Guardians wasn't terrible but still came up short for me.
Best of luck!

Iron maiden is the best option but of the three you listed I would go Munsters.

As someone that owns all 3 in question, I can tell you Deadpool is my least favorite. So far, guardians seems to be a much deeper and challenging game. Munsters is a great game, however I feel like it is one of the easier pins and I can see it getting old quickly. Not because it’s a bad game, but I feel like it’s a bit more simple. I have owned guardians since it was launched and I STILL love the game and still finding myself playing it more than other games owned.

Go with your gut!

I'd say play all three (once Munsters Pro hits more route locations) and then make a call. I am not a big fan of GoTG (it just didn't grab me, no matter how much i wish it did), but Deadpool always puts a smile on my dial when I find it on location - love playing it and the art is gorgeous.

Like I suspected, you simply don’t like pinball. Find a different hobby. Perhaps you like muscle cars or could throw darts?

Meh. I can understand where the OP is coming from. Sometimes it just takes some hands-on time to get past a prejudice and see the game rather than the theme. I hate horror/gore, so I avoided TWD for a LONG time. I've still never seen the show, but after one came in on the route I help with, I played it frequently to "test" it (heh) and found out pretty fast that the pin is fantastic. One of the tightest, most satisfying code integrations on any modern pin. Adore the pin, hate the theme, still recommend the pin.

Sometimes you need to put pins in a family setting. If you have no family, then it doesn't matter. The music alone is very questionable. Maiden is a great pin, but there are a lot of reasons not to pick it.

Used WoZ RR or ECLE, then. She'd love it, you would, too. Good complement to your Simpsons.

My kids love TSPP, Stern Simpsons (wife too). You don't always have to buy new.

Of the three I would get guardians. However, Star Wars pro or Star Trek would be my play.

I'd also recommend Stern Star Trek and Iron Man. Deadpool does relate to kids very well.

Guardians.

Art - colorful and vibrant

Sound - great music from movie and other effects / speech are good

Layout - Really fun and smooth. Lots of shots. Feel good ramps

Rules - simple, but deep. There’s a lot of strategy with multipliers and such and there’s a fair amount to do.

Deadpool doesn’t shoot great and has very repetitive callouts. Munsters is too early and people seem to have mixed feelings

My choice of those three would definitely be Munsters.

All three sucks. Buy iron maiden.

I’ve played all 3 and would recommend Munsters. The Munsters theme is great, the play is really fun, the art package is beautiful. I also think the pro gives you a lot of value compared to the premium and LE versions. Im going to predict that the Munsters is gong to be Stern’s best selling pro since they have offered three packages.

I also really like Deadpool and I’m not a Guardians hater.

I tried to love it but just cldnt get past the theme and music

By the looks of your collection you could use a more simplified pin. I like playing all 3 you mentioned and all are beautiful .... gotg and munsters have a similar layout since same person designed them. Deadpool is different and fun but i find it kinda clunky . Gotg just doesn't draw me in and i love the theme. So i went with munsters bc of the quirky horror theme and it shoots fast and smooth with a few bash toys and great ramps and multicolored lightshow. The code is more simple to understand but has some deeper aspects to keep it fun . I'd recommend going and playing all of them.and c what u think. Munsters code is still relatively early with more to come. Good luck and any of the choices wld be fun. Also shop around you sld b able to find a nib.pro shipped for 5600 at least.

Check with distributors and see if there are any GOT pro NIB. Winter is coming in April and hopefully with new code as well. It’s an awesome game due to speed and strategies. It’s a permanent feature along with BSD in my collection.

Theme is the most important thing when it comes to games in the home, not that a shit pin with a great theme will make the cut but niether would a great pin with a shit theme so might not be most important but for me anyway its the first thing I consider when theres a possibility of a nib purchase. If the theme sucks no matter how well it shoots I can't get into it. I would agree 100% Maiden but if ur not into the band and dislike the music then Deadpool/Munsters Only you can decide.

Out of the three you listed I would go Munsters.

I've owned DP & GotG and I personally prefer DP by a lot. GotG earned a little better on location than DP though, so I think it has a wider appeal to casual players. I haven't played Munsters but I think I like the theme a little more than Deadpool. Deadpool is great, but if I had neither, I'd probably grab Munsters.

You do realize that Deadpool is a movie that is rated R? Hell, I changed my mind, now I think you should buy a Sopranos or Walking Dead.

Besides, lighten up. There is no reason to get all huffy on a pinball forum.

You are asking for comparisons on a game that has been out for one week and is not complete vs. two games that cater to very similar groups.

Pinball is designed for adults and rushed out the door on a shoestring. If you want a proven machine that caters to all, you should buy a Whitewater, Fish Tales, Flinstones, Spiderman, Iron Man, or similar.

Or, just carry on with forum opinions on a couple of games that are among Stern's weakest and one that hasn't even been out long enough to finish the code.

If you can justify Deadpool, just buy a Walking Dead. It's a way better game.

Out of the 3 games listed, GOTG is probably the best choice for you, but not necessarily because it's the better game. That has yet to be proven.

There's a PG-13 version of Deadpool too. Took the kids. Holy crap, I could not believe it WASN'T rated-R. Of course the kids thought it was the best movie ever. EVER. By a wide margin.

Regarding new Stern's, I'm kinda worried about Spike/Spike 2. There's just no getting around future issues. No documentation etc.

TWD is their last "stellar" game. MET before that. Then AC/DC (if my memory serves). Maiden is close. I had Maiden and it was always fun and very forgiving and has a lot of code going on. No one else cared for it because as my youngest says, there's nothing to "hit". He's right. It's 90% loops.

Out of all three-GOTG has the best layout. GOTG is a fun game and has some great music as well, and it also has stunning art. Great theme-fun for everyone

You should add a poll-to get more results

Yeah, yeah. It's there. I'm not here to raise people's kids. I'm here to provided ultra jaded pinball opinions.

Oh I loved it too.

I love playing Maiden but can't get past the theme/music either. Although, I did buy a MET that I first disliked because of theme/music. Now it's one of my favorite pins because of gameplay. I would definitely try to get as much gameplay on each pin before buying. Everyone has different tastes and opinions. I really don't like Deadpool but guess it plays okay. It feels a bit clunky and lots of annoying callouts. GOTG is okay. It just seems like a bunch of random shots mixed with random video clips and songs. I have not played it much so maybe there is a good game somewhere in there. I have not played Munsters but seems like it would be the game I prefer. Campy monster theme, relaxed gameplay, and fun for all. Only issue would be how code holds up in the long run.