Better as a pro:
Ghostbusters
X-men

Absolutely prefer LE:
Tron

Pro:
GB
BKSOR

Prem/LE:
imdn
Dp

Curious what everyone thinks about Metallica.

AC/DC and Tron are better pros

X-Men and GOT are better LE

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I prefer the Pro in every case (though I'm not sure I've ever played a Tron LE).

We had both. The Prem/LE Metallica was better.

Iron Maiden could go either way because they play SO DIFFERENTLY due to the captive ball change on the Prem/LE.

Ghostbusters is a WAY better experience on the Prem/LE.

Walking Dead is clearly better on the Pro.

Deadpool is much better on the Prem/LE.

KISS is better on the Prem/LE.

WWE is better in the Stern warehouse corner being robbed for parts.

Aerosmith Pro
Metallica Prem/LE

The main gameplay difference is the CDC/Bicycle girl ramp raises on a prem/LE. BG is a bash toy underneath it. On a pro you can have BG and CDC modes running concurrently and get credit for both at the left ramp. I don't know what happens if you stack those modes on a premium.

The raised ramp changes the flow of the game.

I ALWAYS go for the Premium/LE because most designers start there then figure out what to cut to drop the BOM for a pro. So the Premium/LE is the game they intended. Not saying this 100% all the time, but mostly.

Just curious, why do you think BKSoR pro is better than the premium? Is it because you think the upper playfield isn’t worth the extra money or do you think the pro actually plays better? I think it is a totally underrated game in either case.

Play-wise only (i.e. no consideration of bang for your buck)?

None for me then. I'll take a full-featured game every time.

This.....

Am I the only one who thinks DP pro is the best value in pinball? Game is simply fantastic!

AFMr brings the awesome topper only with LE (and I'm also a fan of the green trim only available on LE). However, I don't believe their is any difference in the gameplay.

I am all about value/fun, so here is my philosophy, if the features don’t warrant a trade up, you stick with pro. If the features are worth it and the art rocks on the premium, you go premium. If the features are worth it, but the premium art sucks, you go LE. The only true LE’s in my opinion are Tron and Star Trek because of the unique features you cannot get on premium.

Pro:
Kiss
GOT
TWD
Maiden
Deadpool
X-men
Mustang
Star Trek
MMCE

Premium:
ACDC
Metallica
GB
Star Wars
JP
MBSE
BKSOR

LE:
Tron - Features better than pro
Star Trek - Features and art Better than Premium
Maiden - Art better than premium
AFMLE - That topper is amazing!

In my view there are actually two different discussions going on here. Is the game giving a good "bang for buck" where the Pro to Premium upgrade isn't worth the cash (to you).

The other piece is where both versions are sitting side by side and you would rather play a pro vs the premium because you think the pro is better for some reason.

Many games have a perfectly acceptable Pro model that for many isn't worth upgrading, but all things being equal with money no object, would usually select the Premium. I can't think of one game that is "better" as a pro. Metallica is a popular choice for some, but I can't stand it when Borg removes spinners. That being said there are Pro models that I would buy for sure, because I can't justify the upgrades for the cost.

Metallic LE because I like the Master of Puppets art package, the cross that rises from the playfield, the hammer that actually pounds the ball into the coffin under the playfield, the upgraded light show, the spinners....

Munsters Premium for the mini playfield and the black and white art package.

I would choose Premium/LE on the following:
ACDC - if Pro had the same bell mech I'd consider it
TWD (with mods done to smooth bicycle ramp). I need the spinners and Walker bombs.
BKSOR
Deadpool
Jurassic Park - Pro is fun but the TRex is one of the best toys ever).

Anything else I would be happy with the Pro. On GOT I vastly prefer the Pro. GB too.

DP Pro is fine, but it falls apart when you play a Premium and start Disco ripping the left orbit spinner and the ball whips all the way around. Left orbit always in the pops really sucks when you get time on a Premium.

There is no better imo... just preference. Many of the pro models are great especially for the huge price difference but i always try to go premium/le if i can and money isn't a big deal at the time.

Yup yup

Pro: AS, LOTR, Tron, X-men, ACDCVE
Prem/LE: SW, ST, GB, BKSOR, ACDC

Can't decide: TWD, DP

I’m surprised to see X-Men keep getting mentioned as better as a pro. The moving ice ramp isn’t great (Ive disabled mine) and night crawler was not utilized as well as it could be but the spinning disc is super awesome and the mirrored backglass (a true mirrored backglass, not this mirrored ink on a translight that Stern does now) is the nicest in Sterns history on either LE model.

Some games, such as Game of Thrones, play so different from model to model that the first version you play will be the one you say is better. Also, the way confirmation bias works people will always believe their $6,000 toy they bought was the best version.

trooth

I prefer Met pro without the hammer, but many feel differently

XM pro is better at any price point than XM Premium. The premium crane thing hurts the experience.

TWD is mean and dangerous enough on the Pro, but on the premium you get:

- Difficult crossbow shot (which I hear people complain that they can't make all the shots with...though I'm sure that can't be true)
- Magnet on the Well Walker
- Unsafe return from Bicycle Girl under ramp (though I do appreciate the extra shot)
- Worst of all: for many heavily played Premiums/LEs, at least on location, the left ramp shot is sometimes almost impossible because the bottom flap of the ramp has been curled/bent from going up and down so many times. The ball gets a little bit of air on the way up and then can't make it all the way. (There is actually someone here in Colorado who modded their Premium to have a Pro ramp because of this issue...and he wanted to keep Walker Bombs).

I guess the Walker Bombs are cool, but I wouldn't trade it for that other stuff.

But I'm really a Pro snob. I'm more about gameplay than toys, and Premium/LE toys generally slow things down. They're more about show than flow.

I prefer the Premium/LE in almost all games. And I don’t want all of my games to be flowfests.

This is is easy, almost all of them! What I hate most about 90% of the Premiums is how cheap/clunky the extra add ons tend to feel, magna slings are dumb and that upper PF on GOT is just an eyesore to an otherwise super flow heavy game.

I would 100% say X-Men pro except for the fact that the pro does not have the spinning disk. Just for that feature I would say LE (no premium for X-Men). The nightcrawler pop-ups and moving ramp are fine (in some ways both better and worse) but the spinning magnetic disk is a must.

Big Buck Hunter is way better as a pro.

i do to ryan for the most part. i do like ac dc premium and transformers le over the pros though.

I like the pro of both Metallica and TWD more simplified.

The extras on TWD premium don't really add anything, and the "crossbow" feature they took from Austin Powers (the frickin' laser beam on that pin) is slow and irritating. It also has one more magnet to throw your ball straight down the middle. The pro just seemed more satisfying to play.

Generally, I go off play experience, which is the lights, the sound, the play combined, not just listed "extras". It's why Deadpool Premium gets the nod over the Pro. The Deadpool EXPERIENCE is better on the Premium.

No such thing as a "must have LE," at all ever.
There are some Premium that are better than the pro.
No such thing as a "must have" premium for me.

When I went to my buddy's house and he had four TronLEs, I said to myself "I must have one of these".

I also like AcDc Premium with lower PF and ST premium or LE for the better light show.

I also like the hammer,so I'm torn between the Pro and the LE. Is the LE more problematic as far as the hammer goes? I'd hate to have to constantly fix/tweak it,to keep it working properly.

I had a pro and sold it to buy a premium. It's definitely worth the difference to me. The hammer is just a solenoid like any other mech. I've never had to do anything to any part of my premium to keep it working. The light show, hammer, cross ball lock etc are all great features.

My friend bought a nib Metallica Premium and had a lot of issues with the hammer lock the balls were getting stuck below. Several weeks before he got it working. Might have been just a bad build. Not sure if anyone else has the same problem.

I’m curious opinions on Maiden and DP pro v premium.

I will always buy the premium version. I personally like all the extra features. I owned a Metallica premium for about a year and never had an issue with the hammer or anything else. REALLY miss that game and regret selling it. ( I'm also not a fan of the band )

Almost perfect
TWD all day premium

Maiden pro
DP premium.....
All day

One of the biggest is Ghostbusers. I try to remember the people on here who think pro is better than premium and then remember to never listen to their opinion again.

Vastly prefer pro on Metallica.

Also prefer GOT pro and Aerosmith pro.

GOT is way better as a pro. Just look at at for sale ads. Mostly Prem/LE go up for sale. Pros don’t come up as often.

I've owned both Mets and I totally get why some don't like the hammer....after owning my premium for a while I've grown to love the hammer (I've had zero issues) and the additional features on the premium....that being said the Pro is awesome.

Pro : none

Premium /LE. : all

My son and I went to the pinball hall of fame, and both he and I were disappointed to see it was a premium. So yeah, some like it/some don't. I also subscribe to the theory that most premiums are just plain old better, but not this one (for me).

TWD, GoT, Munsters and BKSoR are four that I'd rather play/own the Pro, regardless of price. Rest I think would be Prem/LE.. might be missing something off the top of my head.

Oh and LOTR if that counts. I cant unsee the penis.