TOM vs Tales of Arabian Nights vs Whirlwind

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

i just got back from calif extreme, and after 18 hours of solid pinball
where i played 42 differant games, i fell in love / lust with mm,
theatre of magic, tales of arabian nights and whirlwind.

my first and only pin presently is twilight zone, so i am looking for a
second pin that would be a good contrast to tz in game play. my home
can only house three pins at best, so have to be very selective in
what i buy.

frankly, my first choice would be mm, although finding one in good
shape at a reasonable price will probably be tough ... but if anyone
has one to sell (i live in san francisco bay area) pls email me.

so that leaves me realistically with tom, toan and whirlwind as my
choices. what do you folks recommend in priority order i get next?

thanx!

ps ... at CE they did not have three pins i really wanted to check out
.... ij, ngg, afm ... so if anyone in the bay area knows where i can
play these, any leads appreciated!

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

john,

i love whirlwind with its three spinning disks ... at CE, they had a
whirlwind where the topper looked perfectly normal, right up to the
point it started blowing, as they replaced the standard fan to (i
think) a leaf blower, so when it cranked up your hair literally flew
backwards. way cool, in more ways than one!

so many pins to play, so little time!

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

TOM for me... I was going to sell it or trade it at one point. However,
with the spinning saw mod and the trunk chains, I can't bring myself to
letting it go. I love it and it stays in my collection. Lots of fun and
enjoyable by many who visit my basement arcade. I'd say TOM, TOTAN and
then Whirlwind.

John

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I have a Whirlwind, and had ToM. I have played enough of ToTAN to give
an opinion as well.

In order:

1. Whirlwind
2. ToM
n/a ToTAN -- forget about it :-)

Whirlwind is a classic and perhaps the best System 11. The game
continues to go up in value and would be a nice addition to your TZ.
ToM is a fantastic game as well, but it is easy to master. I had mine
for a few years and sold it in December. At the time, I hated to sell
it, but I basically traded it for a CV. No doubt about it CV is a
waaaay better game. ToTAN is a pretty game to look at, but very, very,
very easy. I finally played a fully working one it at Allentown last
year and you can play that game forever. Hitting the Genie is wayyy too
easy. At least in ToM there is a risk of STM after hitting the trunk. I
didn't find this w/ ToTAN. I think you might find it boring after a
short while.

For the record, if I had to go down to 4 machines these would be the
ones I would keep (from my current collection):

1. TZ
2. CV
3. AFM
4. NGG

If you can only have 2 additional machines, I suggest 2 from AFM, CV,
and NGG. These are great games and totally different from TZ. I would
have a tough time suggesting which 2 as they are all great games. I
agree MM is a great game and would be a nice addition, but, like you, I
don't want to spend the money. Realistically I would have to sell 2 of
my top 4 to get MM and it just isn't that great to me. BTW, I just
bought an IJ after selling mine in January. IJ is a great game as well,
but I personally feel CV, AFM and NGG are better games.

Good luck!
Duane

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I'll throw in a second on CV as well. TZ was my first pin as well.
Then I got FH and ES. then DW and TOM. TOM is a great game.
Different play style than TZ. Very smooth and fast game. plus the
cab and artwork is very nice. TOM will have the deepest ruleset out of
the 3. So it will keep you entertained the longest. Unless you throw
CV in there. that game blows even TZ out of the water

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Yes, the AFM is a good substitute. It is a shot on replacement, has
just as much humor packed into, and the depth is comparable.

You won't regret it, if you can find one, and the value is better (fun
per dollar invested).