Adam's Family (OP's thread title)
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Addams Family (from the movie the pin is based on)
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Depends - lots of estates are just overwhelming to the kids. Now if they hire an estate sale company …

Of all the games I have owned, Addams Family and Monster Bash by far have always been the go to games for guests. They both are approachable and not overly complicated. They also have some really special moments that are attainable by all with great themes. Family members / non pinheads love these games.
This demand drives the price up.

FIF-TY MILLION!!!!!!

What makes a particular pinball better than another?

I would answer... magic.

There is a story about Paw Lawler. He had created the best pinball ever made. (The best pinball ever made is the Addams Family). And they asked him why it was so good.

He replied 'There's a lot of magic in that machine.' And then he went on to make the Twilight Zone pinball which is my personal favorite.

Magic in pinball is when there is some combination of shots, objectives, music, lights, sound effects, graphics, toys, all the THINGS in a pinball that somehow add up to something greater than the sum of the parts.

The Addams Family has magic. Something more than the ramp layout. More than the sounds, more than anything that you can name. Something magical.

And I would argue that this is a good thing. It's a reminder that you can't automate pinball design. You can't just put the ramps, the sounds, the rules, the lights and expect every machine you make to be as good as the Addams Family.

I would argue that a lot of recent STERN pinballs are amazing. With every machine, they are putting the 'right stuff', the things they know that take pinball to the next level of enjoyment into every machine they are releasing.

So why don't they have an Addams Family level pinball with every release?

Magic.

Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm personally done with Addams Family. The machine doesn't have anything left to show me, I play machines that have bigger challenges, or that suit my personal preferences. (Twilight Zone).

Every person might have a machine or a way that pinballs play for them that speaks better to where they are in their personal level of pinball play. That's alright.

But the Addams Family is the best pinball ever made. It made more money through the cash box than any pinball in history, sold more commercial machines than any pinball in history, spent more time in the 'operators' list of machines that they want to have in their locations than any pinball in history. It's not as good a home machine as a route machine, so it won't be as highly rated among home users. It's still the best pinball ever made.

I also commented here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/best-machines-to-improve-your-skills#post-6923243

About the progression curve that is amazing in Addams Family. Check it out.

Those free points are very significant though…cousin it’s keys, clippings…etc. If a good tourney score for the level of payers and machine setting is 100mm, you can easily get 30% or more of that just from that scoop score boosting. Less reason to play out a mode like shoot cousin it, keep the ball out of jeopardy on the gold roms and just go after the scoop bonuses.

Damnit, I miss this opportunity. Well done. I honestly LOL'd when I read this xD.

Never say never. I wish I was aware you were cutting your HEP example loose. I'd have figured out a way to get it. Best of luck with your new endeavors my friend!

How did I miss this classic Jake Fattie thread?

“Why is the most popular game of all time so expensive?”

Like most grand questions In life…it is a total mystery.

This game and Terminator are the two that I remember playing way back when. I usually play them both when I have the chance.

Is Lloyd the problem for BTTF too? Not long ago I watched a Destination Unkown mini-series where he drove along with Josh Gates as a hokey promotion. After that, I figured Lloyd would sign up for anything.

TAF absolutely holds nostalgic values for several people. Freaking machine was everywhere! But ... to claim it's over all popularity is largely based on nostalgia is painting a picture with a wide brush stroke. Nostalgia can mean either memories of playing OR it's a 90s era pin and has it's own charm. Simply put, supply and demand always commands the market value. Many of these are now in private collections and much less available to the public. Every title receives hype but in the end the court of public opinion ALWAYS decides.
Hot games of the last decade have drastically changed excluding TAF, TZ and MM. CV and TOM were holy grails at one point and now much less interest in them. Prices dropped. Totan got super hyped at one point, yet another one that the prices settled back down.

Is there a deep rule set? Not compared to todays games but for the era yes.
Is it easy to complete? Your choice, but yes if you simply use chair, to bear ramp to chair, wash rinse repeat to tour the mansion and "beat" the machine.
Are there enough different shots to give choice and remove being over repetitive? Yes
Are the toys engaging and fun? Yes (Thing hand and book case)
Are there satisfying shots? Yes. Slamming one into the train, slamming one into the bookcase when open. Hitting the 4 way combo (good luck)
Is there anything gimmicky? I'd argue Thing shoots was ground breaking at the time but now pretty gimmicky.
Does it compete with machines released in the last decade? Toys wise sure but the rest ... it was a monster of it's own time but the sound sucks and the video portion/code pales in comparison. (excluding pinsound).
The game is feature packed to the hilt and comparable to todays toy count because Lawler was given a bigger budget to work with. But I can absolutely understand if a game doesn't resonate/connect with a person either.
I love mine, and likely a staple. My .02

for me it boils down to fun - I could not name a pin I enjoy playing more than TAF.