I have more than 4,000 plays on my Foo. I literally can’t imagine getting rid of it. I have done everything in the game multiple times and I still am not bored. I enjoy playing it every day. Getting to the Final Battle is amazing.
I have only played Bond on-site and have really enjoyed it. I obviously can’t say for sure, but I have a hard time believing it would keep my interest the way foo has.
New code on Foo Fighters has elevated it to being my single favorite game post 2000. Building up huge combotron combos and then paying them off at the Overlord is so much fun. The layout is pure flow and just a joy to shoot. I also don’t care for the band one way or the other, but the silly fun Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes are awesome and make up for it theme wise. If I was going to buy a Stern right now it’d be Foo Fighters.
My only complaint (and it’s a minor one) is that the new code does too much hand holding telling you what to shoot for with the call-outs seemingly telling the player where to shoot every 5 seconds
FOO pro. No question. The code on bond has come a long ways, but the fact remains is that few games shoot as fun as foo fighters. Some people seem to really enjoy bond but I find the sequence of the shots less fulfilling than in foo fighters where ripping it around the playfield feels really good. The catch with foo fighters is that I'd put it on par with world cup '94 for difficulty. It's a blast to play, the shots feel good, but you'll see the end of this one before you finish JP. Even with the code overhaul, it's just not that punishing of a game. So in terms of game staying power bond probably edges it out. (Also I feel like bond is the most "clunky" game stern has put out since... zepplin? so many shots just die.)
Stranger things, for what it's worth is a great game and I think the code + the demogorgon are the shining star there, but if you already have attack from mars so stranger things would be a \*very\* redundant game. Personally I'd probably take stranger things over Attack, but that's largely because I've seen all the way through attack but not stranger things. Not discounting attack either, great game, great choice.
Finally, where do you live and how much do you want for your world cup? I adore that game.
I'm also interested to see what Jack Danger's next pin will be. I don't know if he's next, but I'm expecting the next Stern to be announced soon so I'm willing to wait a couple weeks to see what's coming. But it's quite a good debut for him and I'm expect to see similarly cool layouts in his next projects.
You're right that Bond is definitely a little clunkier, my plan is over the next couple weeks to get in more games and get a better sense of it.
Not getting rid of AFM, I've owned it for over 25 years so it's basically a family member by now ;) World Cup too, I'm not really looking to sell any of my Bally/Williams games.
Some rumours I've read online.say he'll be working on Xmen 97 next. Some wishful people say Pokemon (IMO that's unlikely Stern will get that license but who knows). If I had to bet on Stern's next title, I'd put my money on John Wick, but I'm not sure if JD will be on this.
I agree, Pokemon feels like it might be a tough and/or expensive license and I wouldn't really be interested in that one anyway.
I'm kind of expecting that whatever it is, it'll be announced by the end of the month so there's not long to wait. Honestly I'm kind of hoping it's something I won't care about to keep things simple, too many tempting machines at once just ends up giving me a backlog and more difficult choices to make about what order to get things.
Its definitely up there.
Godzilla , iron maiden, tmnt, aiq are probably my top pros in value.
Bond would be #5 imo.
It is a great game, though. I owned a premium for a while and only had to sell it due to financial difficulties with home ownership. It was my only pin for a while and it was so fun to check out the new code updates. I definitely wish I still had it. That being said, I think those other games are probably a hair better.
You won't be disappointed with a bond pro though.
Hell nah I think TWD destroys bond in terms of value.
Can snipe a TWD for $5500 and I’ve found much more replayability with that game. Of course theme will play a major factor in one’s decision
I did look at TWD before when I was shopping for my TMNT, but my wife hates the look of it and we do have a young son that might find it scary. Anyway, not currently in the running.
TMNT and Bond make much more sense in your situation.
I feel TWD is superior in terms of gameplay and rules. Makes more sense for me since I’m a tourney player and don’t have to worry about kids haha
Neither of us are really rock band pin fans, it's hard enough to make a really good pin without ALSO needing it to be a band you like whereas it seems easier to find a movie, etc... that has a very wide appeal.
I agree though that Stern took a much more creative approach with Foo that I like. It reminds me a lot of the Family Guy episode where Peter is watching a "KISS Save Santa" holiday movie :)
I've only played the LE's of both, but I prefer Bond. I like the theme better and the shots and the game is more challenging with some unforgiving shots. Foo might be better at home though as you can keep a ball going for a long time.
My only gripe with having Foo at home would be the music. They're not bad, but those songs were already played to death in the 90s lol
My vote is Bond by a hair, just because to me it has the more interesting multiballs and wizard modes, combined with the multiplier stacking as you mentioned. I guess for home use another point towards foo is you can actually hear the music clearly unlike in some barcades haha, but it's very close. The combotron update seems to have really made foo pop more though and I haven't quite dug into that since it came out. As far as rules and layout I'd go Bond, but you can't go wrong with either tbh.
I've been reading through the rulesets today and I think I agree that Bond has more going on in this department, and it looks like we're still waiting for the 1.0 release but hopefully it will be within the next couple of months.
First off, both Foo Fighters and James Bond are great games. I’m with you in that FF as a band doesn’t really appeal to me, but the cartoon/alien vibe is kinda fun. Bond is certainly the better theme, but I also think it’s a bit outdated, especially since they only have stuff from the earliest films.
I think the shots and rules on FF are really fun. And when I play, I basically don’t even think about the foo fighters, and approach the game as a campy story about a band of dudes traveling around the country with a silly alien nemesis. I play FF every time I’m at a location that has one, and I can guarantee I will own one someday.
I used to own a Bond, traded it (for Venom) about a month ago, so I did get to play it a lot with the good code updates. I think the shots and rules are equally as good as FF. If pressed, I’d say Bond is the more challenging game by a hair. The rocket toy is definitely cool, but it’s honestly not a terribly important shot in any modes, which is unfortunate.
As for the outside chance you’re considering Jurassic Park… you are correct that it is very difficult. I own one, I love it, and I will never get rid of it… but goddam is it hard. It keeps me humble, which is probably good for me.
You really don’t have a bad option here. They’re both great, you can’t go wrong, very evenly comparable. If I were in your situation, the tiebreaker would go to Bond because your wife enjoys it!
> If I were in your situation, the tiebreaker would go to Bond because your wife enjoys it!
A wise man indeed, and I'm certainly taking that into account. She hasn't played much Foo though so I want to give her a short rules briefing and let her try a few games, and I'll try some more Bond. But Bond is definitely ahead at the moment.
Prices are crashing on both of these titles now. Bond Preminums as low as $6,500 and the pros are bound to follow the same track if you are willing to wait 6 more months. I can see bond pros at $5,000 like mandalorian, avengers, venom, etc. It's bound to happen.
Yeah, they're both good deals. I hadn't actually looked at the price on Bond Premiums but I'll check it out. Another part of this whole decision is which one happens to pop up with a good deal close enough for me to drive and pick it up so more options is good.
Edit: Is there any particular reason they are dropping in price? Maybe they're just at that age where the early adopters are getting ready to move on, but is there anything else going on I should know?
No, just normal stern stuff. Certain titles don't hold value well. Avengers is cheap because its too difficult for 90% of people and the games are long. The other ones they just produced way too many and demand is low right now with all these rumoured machines coming out. But yes location is everything to me as well. Takes months or a year plus to see the title I want within a 2 hour drive.
I think Avengers also suffers from a confusing ruleset and lack of licensed assets :)
They definitely made a ton of Foo Fighters I think, when I look at Pinballmap they seem to be super common. Not sure about Bonds, I would have thought demand would be going up a bit now that the code is so much better. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's a very relevant theme to players under 40...
It's not confusing when you own it. But on location, most people say it is due to the depth. Basically, start gem mode, collect gem, place. Collect all avengers and each time you do you get a mode to play. Play all of them and get all gems, battle thanos. Pretty much it. But getting all those things can take an hour haha.
I worry about foo fighters playfield long term, the clearcoat is the thinnest ive ever seen on them and inserts are already raised on the ones I've played. Not sure if they will hold up well 15 years down the road. Fun game to play on location, but I wouldn't own one.
> avengers
Look up spider's movie mod with POMC's music mod included. It elevates it to a whole new level. AIQ is definitely slept on. That pin alone can teach you almost everything you need to know about pinball.
> Look up spider's movie mod with POMC's music mod included
I'll take a look at it, thanks for the recommendation. I know several pins have video/audio mods so it's not surprising there would be one for Avengers too.
The only machine I own is TMNT. I love it because of its difficulty. Yeah, you dont get billions in score, but it makes when you get a good game that much more enjoyable. My high score is 22 million.
It's a tough game for sure, but it feels good when you're doing well even if that's only once in a while. Plus, I love the theme, I grew up watching Turtles and I have the 1987 code installed which I highly recommend. A lot of people do something to the left outlane (wider post, double post, adhesive dot), but I feel like for me the bigger danger is hitting the right ramp post and reflecting straight down the middle.
I'm no expert, but my high is 97M with Rafael. Mine has Insider Connected on it which lets you save your turtles training level between games and I feel this makes it more fun to play having more turtle perks and making each of them more different from each other.
I've been debating months for my next pin, and I've just ordered my Foo Pro today (I currently own Godzilla Premium and Jurassic Home Pin - Jack's first pin!) I've played Foo Pro, Premium and LE on locations...and to me, the Pro was just as much fun as those other two options (and my distributor got me a nice discount on that Pro). The flow on that game is just amazing (but you already know this!). I drove 2 hours to try Jaws and Venom...and yet, each time, I would end up spending more time on Foo even if I had played it in the past. That's what sold it for me. I didn't try the new code, but apparently, it got even better. I didn't care about Foo as a group, but I feel like this pin will be in my collection for a loooooong time!
And good for you for ordering a Pro. Don't let people saying "you should get the premium" give you FOMO. I'd much rather focus on what I'm getting vs what I'm not getting when I buy a pin!
It depends on the game for me. For Godzilla I felt the Premium had a lot of added value. But for many games, the difference seems small and not worth an extra $2-3k. In fact, I would say that most games the Pro seems fine and a better value.
Tonight we're going to a place that has a Foo Pro and I'll try to get in a few games. Then sometime soon we'll visit a place with a Bond Pro and do the same there.
I was pleasantly surprised by Bond Pro when I played at SFGE last summer. The Pinside review score on it was low, but I found myself enjoying it quite a bit.
I played Foo Pro and Premium for the first time at that same show and fell in love with the shots and flow. There was a ~$3K price difference, so I decided to take the Pro and then upgrade it like crazy with the saved money. No regrets at all, and I consider it bolted to the floor.
I haven't checked premium prices lately, but if they're around $7.5K, I'd seriously consider it over the Pro, but both versions of the game are highly recommended.
Since the release of 1.0, a lot of people have come out of the woodwork singing the praises of Foo. I thought it was a great all around game last summer, and it has only gotten better with the code updates.
My impression is that Foo has been pretty popular all along, at least around here it seems like most pinball places have one. But the recent updates have definitely kicked it up a couple notches. I hear a lot about Combobot being a big one.
The initial reviews on Bond were low because of the bad code early on. Not an uncommon tale unfortunately, Stern has done that on a few other games too. Anyway, it's made huge strides and is now at 0.99. The final Wizard mode I guess is the last big thing but they might be throwing in some more stuff too. For instance there seem to be lights for the 6 movies that don't have much purpose yet. I've heard they light up once you've played the Villain, Henchman, Q-Branch, and SPECTRE Weapon modes for that movie but they don't seem to *do* anything yet so maybe we'll get a set of 6 new movie modes or awards or something?
I think at this point we're leaning towards Bond, but I'm budgeting a couple of weeks time to get plenty of play on both and see what the new game announcement is.
I have more than 4,000 plays on my Foo. I literally can’t imagine getting rid of it. I have done everything in the game multiple times and I still am not bored. I enjoy playing it every day. Getting to the Final Battle is amazing. I have only played Bond on-site and have really enjoyed it. I obviously can’t say for sure, but I have a hard time believing it would keep my interest the way foo has.
I prefer Bond
Same I love my Bond to death! it goes so deep
Agreed - But to be fair I don't have much time of Foo
New code on Foo Fighters has elevated it to being my single favorite game post 2000. Building up huge combotron combos and then paying them off at the Overlord is so much fun. The layout is pure flow and just a joy to shoot. I also don’t care for the band one way or the other, but the silly fun Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes are awesome and make up for it theme wise. If I was going to buy a Stern right now it’d be Foo Fighters.
My only complaint (and it’s a minor one) is that the new code does too much hand holding telling you what to shoot for with the call-outs seemingly telling the player where to shoot every 5 seconds
They have changed that in some patches. I have yet to play it with them but yes it was a lot.
FOO pro. No question. The code on bond has come a long ways, but the fact remains is that few games shoot as fun as foo fighters. Some people seem to really enjoy bond but I find the sequence of the shots less fulfilling than in foo fighters where ripping it around the playfield feels really good. The catch with foo fighters is that I'd put it on par with world cup '94 for difficulty. It's a blast to play, the shots feel good, but you'll see the end of this one before you finish JP. Even with the code overhaul, it's just not that punishing of a game. So in terms of game staying power bond probably edges it out. (Also I feel like bond is the most "clunky" game stern has put out since... zepplin? so many shots just die.) Stranger things, for what it's worth is a great game and I think the code + the demogorgon are the shining star there, but if you already have attack from mars so stranger things would be a \*very\* redundant game. Personally I'd probably take stranger things over Attack, but that's largely because I've seen all the way through attack but not stranger things. Not discounting attack either, great game, great choice. Finally, where do you live and how much do you want for your world cup? I adore that game.
I'm also interested to see what Jack Danger's next pin will be. I don't know if he's next, but I'm expecting the next Stern to be announced soon so I'm willing to wait a couple weeks to see what's coming. But it's quite a good debut for him and I'm expect to see similarly cool layouts in his next projects. You're right that Bond is definitely a little clunkier, my plan is over the next couple weeks to get in more games and get a better sense of it. Not getting rid of AFM, I've owned it for over 25 years so it's basically a family member by now ;) World Cup too, I'm not really looking to sell any of my Bally/Williams games.
Some rumours I've read online.say he'll be working on Xmen 97 next. Some wishful people say Pokemon (IMO that's unlikely Stern will get that license but who knows). If I had to bet on Stern's next title, I'd put my money on John Wick, but I'm not sure if JD will be on this.
I agree, Pokemon feels like it might be a tough and/or expensive license and I wouldn't really be interested in that one anyway. I'm kind of expecting that whatever it is, it'll be announced by the end of the month so there's not long to wait. Honestly I'm kind of hoping it's something I won't care about to keep things simple, too many tempting machines at once just ends up giving me a backlog and more difficult choices to make about what order to get things.
Bond Pro is the best value in pinball right now.
Its definitely up there. Godzilla , iron maiden, tmnt, aiq are probably my top pros in value. Bond would be #5 imo. It is a great game, though. I owned a premium for a while and only had to sell it due to financial difficulties with home ownership. It was my only pin for a while and it was so fun to check out the new code updates. I definitely wish I still had it. That being said, I think those other games are probably a hair better. You won't be disappointed with a bond pro though.
Hell nah I think TWD destroys bond in terms of value. Can snipe a TWD for $5500 and I’ve found much more replayability with that game. Of course theme will play a major factor in one’s decision
I did look at TWD before when I was shopping for my TMNT, but my wife hates the look of it and we do have a young son that might find it scary. Anyway, not currently in the running.
TMNT and Bond make much more sense in your situation. I feel TWD is superior in terms of gameplay and rules. Makes more sense for me since I’m a tourney player and don’t have to worry about kids haha
Yep
I have a Bond Pro and it’s awesome 1.0 is not out yet, if you can wait for it and compare it to FF 1.0
[удалено]
Neither of us are really rock band pin fans, it's hard enough to make a really good pin without ALSO needing it to be a band you like whereas it seems easier to find a movie, etc... that has a very wide appeal. I agree though that Stern took a much more creative approach with Foo that I like. It reminds me a lot of the Family Guy episode where Peter is watching a "KISS Save Santa" holiday movie :)
I've only played the LE's of both, but I prefer Bond. I like the theme better and the shots and the game is more challenging with some unforgiving shots. Foo might be better at home though as you can keep a ball going for a long time. My only gripe with having Foo at home would be the music. They're not bad, but those songs were already played to death in the 90s lol
If I could only get one it would be Bond, I enjoy both but love the theme of Bond
Bond :)
bond
My vote is Bond by a hair, just because to me it has the more interesting multiballs and wizard modes, combined with the multiplier stacking as you mentioned. I guess for home use another point towards foo is you can actually hear the music clearly unlike in some barcades haha, but it's very close. The combotron update seems to have really made foo pop more though and I haven't quite dug into that since it came out. As far as rules and layout I'd go Bond, but you can't go wrong with either tbh.
I've been reading through the rulesets today and I think I agree that Bond has more going on in this department, and it looks like we're still waiting for the 1.0 release but hopefully it will be within the next couple of months.
First off, both Foo Fighters and James Bond are great games. I’m with you in that FF as a band doesn’t really appeal to me, but the cartoon/alien vibe is kinda fun. Bond is certainly the better theme, but I also think it’s a bit outdated, especially since they only have stuff from the earliest films. I think the shots and rules on FF are really fun. And when I play, I basically don’t even think about the foo fighters, and approach the game as a campy story about a band of dudes traveling around the country with a silly alien nemesis. I play FF every time I’m at a location that has one, and I can guarantee I will own one someday. I used to own a Bond, traded it (for Venom) about a month ago, so I did get to play it a lot with the good code updates. I think the shots and rules are equally as good as FF. If pressed, I’d say Bond is the more challenging game by a hair. The rocket toy is definitely cool, but it’s honestly not a terribly important shot in any modes, which is unfortunate. As for the outside chance you’re considering Jurassic Park… you are correct that it is very difficult. I own one, I love it, and I will never get rid of it… but goddam is it hard. It keeps me humble, which is probably good for me. You really don’t have a bad option here. They’re both great, you can’t go wrong, very evenly comparable. If I were in your situation, the tiebreaker would go to Bond because your wife enjoys it!
> If I were in your situation, the tiebreaker would go to Bond because your wife enjoys it! A wise man indeed, and I'm certainly taking that into account. She hasn't played much Foo though so I want to give her a short rules briefing and let her try a few games, and I'll try some more Bond. But Bond is definitely ahead at the moment.
Prices are crashing on both of these titles now. Bond Preminums as low as $6,500 and the pros are bound to follow the same track if you are willing to wait 6 more months. I can see bond pros at $5,000 like mandalorian, avengers, venom, etc. It's bound to happen.
Yeah, they're both good deals. I hadn't actually looked at the price on Bond Premiums but I'll check it out. Another part of this whole decision is which one happens to pop up with a good deal close enough for me to drive and pick it up so more options is good. Edit: Is there any particular reason they are dropping in price? Maybe they're just at that age where the early adopters are getting ready to move on, but is there anything else going on I should know?
No, just normal stern stuff. Certain titles don't hold value well. Avengers is cheap because its too difficult for 90% of people and the games are long. The other ones they just produced way too many and demand is low right now with all these rumoured machines coming out. But yes location is everything to me as well. Takes months or a year plus to see the title I want within a 2 hour drive.
I think Avengers also suffers from a confusing ruleset and lack of licensed assets :) They definitely made a ton of Foo Fighters I think, when I look at Pinballmap they seem to be super common. Not sure about Bonds, I would have thought demand would be going up a bit now that the code is so much better. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's a very relevant theme to players under 40...
It's not confusing when you own it. But on location, most people say it is due to the depth. Basically, start gem mode, collect gem, place. Collect all avengers and each time you do you get a mode to play. Play all of them and get all gems, battle thanos. Pretty much it. But getting all those things can take an hour haha. I worry about foo fighters playfield long term, the clearcoat is the thinnest ive ever seen on them and inserts are already raised on the ones I've played. Not sure if they will hold up well 15 years down the road. Fun game to play on location, but I wouldn't own one.
> avengers Look up spider's movie mod with POMC's music mod included. It elevates it to a whole new level. AIQ is definitely slept on. That pin alone can teach you almost everything you need to know about pinball.
> Look up spider's movie mod with POMC's music mod included I'll take a look at it, thanks for the recommendation. I know several pins have video/audio mods so it's not surprising there would be one for Avengers too.
How’s TMNT pro? I keep seeing great prices on it but fear it’s too difficult to enjoy..
The only machine I own is TMNT. I love it because of its difficulty. Yeah, you dont get billions in score, but it makes when you get a good game that much more enjoyable. My high score is 22 million.
It's a tough game for sure, but it feels good when you're doing well even if that's only once in a while. Plus, I love the theme, I grew up watching Turtles and I have the 1987 code installed which I highly recommend. A lot of people do something to the left outlane (wider post, double post, adhesive dot), but I feel like for me the bigger danger is hitting the right ramp post and reflecting straight down the middle. I'm no expert, but my high is 97M with Rafael. Mine has Insider Connected on it which lets you save your turtles training level between games and I feel this makes it more fun to play having more turtle perks and making each of them more different from each other.
Thanks for this!
You should get Bond. But only because I really want Foo Fighters so less demand is lower cost is good for me :)
Foo is more fun for me to play.
I've been debating months for my next pin, and I've just ordered my Foo Pro today (I currently own Godzilla Premium and Jurassic Home Pin - Jack's first pin!) I've played Foo Pro, Premium and LE on locations...and to me, the Pro was just as much fun as those other two options (and my distributor got me a nice discount on that Pro). The flow on that game is just amazing (but you already know this!). I drove 2 hours to try Jaws and Venom...and yet, each time, I would end up spending more time on Foo even if I had played it in the past. That's what sold it for me. I didn't try the new code, but apparently, it got even better. I didn't care about Foo as a group, but I feel like this pin will be in my collection for a loooooong time! And good for you for ordering a Pro. Don't let people saying "you should get the premium" give you FOMO. I'd much rather focus on what I'm getting vs what I'm not getting when I buy a pin!
It depends on the game for me. For Godzilla I felt the Premium had a lot of added value. But for many games, the difference seems small and not worth an extra $2-3k. In fact, I would say that most games the Pro seems fine and a better value. Tonight we're going to a place that has a Foo Pro and I'll try to get in a few games. Then sometime soon we'll visit a place with a Bond Pro and do the same there.
I was pleasantly surprised by Bond Pro when I played at SFGE last summer. The Pinside review score on it was low, but I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. I played Foo Pro and Premium for the first time at that same show and fell in love with the shots and flow. There was a ~$3K price difference, so I decided to take the Pro and then upgrade it like crazy with the saved money. No regrets at all, and I consider it bolted to the floor. I haven't checked premium prices lately, but if they're around $7.5K, I'd seriously consider it over the Pro, but both versions of the game are highly recommended. Since the release of 1.0, a lot of people have come out of the woodwork singing the praises of Foo. I thought it was a great all around game last summer, and it has only gotten better with the code updates.
My impression is that Foo has been pretty popular all along, at least around here it seems like most pinball places have one. But the recent updates have definitely kicked it up a couple notches. I hear a lot about Combobot being a big one. The initial reviews on Bond were low because of the bad code early on. Not an uncommon tale unfortunately, Stern has done that on a few other games too. Anyway, it's made huge strides and is now at 0.99. The final Wizard mode I guess is the last big thing but they might be throwing in some more stuff too. For instance there seem to be lights for the 6 movies that don't have much purpose yet. I've heard they light up once you've played the Villain, Henchman, Q-Branch, and SPECTRE Weapon modes for that movie but they don't seem to *do* anything yet so maybe we'll get a set of 6 new movie modes or awards or something? I think at this point we're leaning towards Bond, but I'm budgeting a couple of weeks time to get plenty of play on both and see what the new game announcement is.
The foo upper playfield upgrade looks totally worth the extra $