I've seen a lot of going back in time, I wouldn't call it regression though, just looking for something different. The older EMs and early SS machines tend to be excellent machines in the 'bang for buck' category, particularly when it comes to skill-building machines.

I've moved away from Super deep, long playing games and graduated towards more simple games with short ball times. A couple years back I had LOTR, TSPP, and WPT all sitting side by side and have since sold them all. It's not that I don't like super deep games with long ball times, but with an 8 month old at home I just don't have the time anymore. I need to fit my pinball playing into 3-5 minute chunks of time now I'm gravitating more towards System 11 era games like BTTF and Whirlwind, as well as more simple WPC games like Doctor Who, JM, etc.

I think my ideal DMD line-up would consist of games like BSD, FT, DW, and maybe a newer game like Metallica or ACDC. A year or two ago I probably would have had LOTR, SM and WOZ in that mix.

I like variety, and while there is obvious attraction to DMD era games, the simplicity and relative brutality of EMs is highly attractive (default 5 balls!), and make ideal tournament games.

I'm a younger player who should by definition prefer the modern games. I bought an EM because it's what I could afford at the time and had more interest in learning how to fix, and now I'm really drawn to the gameplay of early SS stuff and am on the lookout for classic Ballys and Sterns. I like the "one more game" aspect of them, compared to the "adventure" of modern stuff. It's even gotten to the point where I perform better in classics divisions in tournaments over moderns which most people don't expect from new players.

I love drop downs which you don't get as much with the newer machines. So every once in a while I take a break and play a good SS .

I may be regressing, but still have a spark for the newer games. I am currently in on TBL but just a few weeks ago picked up a Paragon.

Paragon was the first pinball machine I ever owned, and was one that I remember just being awestruck when playing at the mall when it first came out. Big ol fat machine with a hot woman with nipples on the backglass....what more would a 14 year old kid ever want?

When this beat up Paragon was offered to me, I couldn't pass it up. It didn't work, and still needs some love, but I am really excited to bring this one back. Maybe its just nostalgic, but I find myself playing it a lot. She has those old school noises and a simple point and shoot gameplay. I have feeling she may be staying around for a while. And although I am now in my 50's, when I pull that plunger back, I can't help but recall many a Friday night, at the mall, playing Paragon.

Not way, way back. But my current two favorite games are F-14 and Twilight Zone.

I've definitely been going back in time. After having a couple DMD games escape my grasp, I found myself wanting more EMs and early solid state games. I managed to find a couple great early solid state projects and a system 11 recently, and have really been digging those.

Someday, when money allows, I'll pick up another big-name DMD game. For now, though, I just want to play some pinball without worrying about modes.

I have a modern game line up at home, but always loved early SS games. My recent visit to PHOF and CAX made me aware of some very nice EM games. Most of these look simple but are pretty hard to achieve the goal of the game. Love that and would love to see that return in pinball. I think it will benefit pinball in general.

My go to pin right now is Joker Poker. No music, no call outs etc... It's a nice slower paced pin with simple rules and chimes. But it's sitting right next to Fishtales so to me it's all about variety.

I certainly have.

I started with an EM 25 years ago, Gottiebs Solar City. Probably sold that 23 years ago and hadn't thought of buying another. My collection was entirely System 11 (1987) and newer DMD machines.

Until I went to the IFPA in Germany two years ago and saw the fantastic 150 pin collection at Freddy's Pinball Paradise and also another 300 pin collection at another collectors place. Fantastic restored EMs and 70s/80s SS pins that all played better than new.

When you see and play classic pins in this condition, it really opens your eyes.

Since then, I've found locally and imported from the USA a heap of classics SS for kiwis to enjoy ... Gorgar, flash, solar fire, paragon, future spa, Evel Kinevel, xenon, Genie, firepower2, jungle lord, Pharoah, nitro ground shaker.

And now, the crowning glory ... My first EM in over twenty years, a mint Fireball all the way from Odins house in Los Angeles. Nice.

rd.

Had a ton of 90's pins, and modern Sterns but recently started collecting single player Gottlieb wedgeheads. When they are dialled in they are a ton of fun and great art as well. For the price of MMR you can get 8 great em's!!

I've always been into DMD games and had no interest in EMs or early SS games. Now I have an EM and an F14. I love the F14 and play it more than Iron Man at the moment. I never even gave a look at early SS games. Now I'm on the hunt for them. I thought if it didn't have a DMD, I didn't want to play it. I'm thinking that I was wrong...

I started with 2 DMD's, then a SS, and 2 EM's are now in the mix. LOVE them all!

It took about ten years but the dmds have dwindled down to a couple. I enjoy the classic ballys and sterns. I dont need anymore mindless multiples or modes. I get more of a rush of shooting drops just in the right sequence. I tiredof playing 45 minute games on the modern games only to get back where i was before. That being said i precer a mix of games in the collection. However classic Ss is where my heart is

I don't know if I'm fully converted to the older stuff or not. I started out with a "newer" Stern then DMD Williams and got hooked on EMs. Lately though I'm filling out the collection with some early era SS machines. While I still love a great multiball game I also greatly appreciate single ball game play with fewer objectives. I also think it helps that they're usually more affordable too so you can build up a nice collection.

I think it's a little bit like music. You like the era you grow up with but then you also find out about great old stuff too.

Not a very drastic shift, but I have been on a System 11 binge, moving away from DMDs.

Our collection started with Space Shuttle (Williams sys 9) then we decided we needed 1 Williams pin from every year in the 80s...But as most of us know...pins don't work that way! soon I wanted all the Williams system 7s and sys 6s. My collection included several sys.11s. Once I had accomplished that I needed EMs, and to branch out and include other manufactures so I got some early Ballys and a classic Stern and a Zaccaria (it has butterflies all over it, so it was a must have for me!!) Then my husband and I started playing in a pinball league and felt that to be competitive we needed some DMDs...That's how our collection has evolved over the years still early Williams ss heavy, but I feel it has a little bit of everything for variety also! Not sure it would be considered regression but...

Phoebe

its the reason we build collections, can have a type- yes, but there is still lots of room to step out of the box into different horrizons at a whim. em, ss, a#. dmd, all bring somthing to the table to exclude any would only be excluding yourself from the true appreciation of pins

I 'cut my teeth' on early SS pins, buying, repairing, selling, learning... Mostly enjoy the modern DMDs, but will always have an affection for early 80s Bally pins as that was the era of my teeneage years. Had been looking for a really nice example Centaur for quite awhile and finally found the right one last weekend. Now I'm on the hunt for a really nice EM. I'll spend alot of time looking for the right one by playing a bunch of them at shows first.

Each era has great pinball machines and I think a nice rounded collection has a few from each era.

I've tried to keep mine well rounded. If next week works out like I'm thinking it might, I'll have just about a perfect collection for me.

This is my opinion as well. If I only owned one era of pin from one manufacturer I would have likely become bored years ago.

Instead, I can walk up to different machines when I have different play needs (e.g. a 20-30 minute LoTR game, vs a quick trip on my EM Atlantis or Paragon? And the "in betweens" like IM (short), STTNG (short), WPT (longish).

Each with comparatively different goals and playstyles. I don't consider it "regression", just common sense.

To me a $5K Metallica or an awesome EM have the same (or at least similar) amount of play value when you set them up in your house, but they scratch different itches.