2024 Ranking All 26 Spike 2 Stern Pinball Machines

It’s our second year at PGM ranking all Spike 2 Stern Pinball Machines. Since last year’s ranking (2023 Ranking All 22 Spike 2 Stern Pinball Machines) there have been four new pins added: Jaws, John Wick, The Uncanny X-Men and Metallica: Remastered. Read on to see how and where each of these ranked.

These are my rankings from least to most fun playing in my opinion.

The primary criteria is subjective, admittedly: Fun Factor. My feeling is if a game isn’t fun to play then the rest — theme, art, graphics, sounds, ruleset, complexity, etc — doesn’t matter. There are spots in this list where games rank higher based on factors besides fun factor, but the main rating factor used here is fun factor.

Every game ranked has been played at least 10 times as of this writing and new in 2024 am showing you my IC play stats as of this writing. In many cases all three versions have been played: LE, Premium and Pro, and in others just the Pro and/or Premium.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if I’ve ranked your personal favorite pin lower that you think it should be, that’s not in any way directed at you/your purchase. In a list ranking every pin, some pins must rank in the bottom. It doesn’t necessarily mean I think the pin is terrible and strongly dislike, maybe I simply liked playing other pins more during this current ranking year. Next year, who knows? You also have the comments section to share how you feel below, so please add your own favorite rankings.

Conversely, don’t celebrate too much the higher rankings because these could change next year (cough — Venom — cough).

So, this is one person’s opinion based on playing all 26 machines. If you haven’t played some of these machines but are interested in doing so, hopefully it gives you some insight into the experience from another active pinballer.

The code for many of these games change, especially newer ones, which leads to different feelings about games over time. Also, I believe the more you play a pinball machine, generally the more certain (positive or negative) you’ll feel about the game. A game you may previously have had less favorable opinion about can change and vice versa. In other words, keep an open, flexible mind with pinball.

This year you’ll clearly see that I can and do change my mind after playing games more, including contradicting and correcting previously held opinions on some games.

It’s a certainty that some/most/all these rankings can/will change.

New in 2024:

• New machines released, played, ranked in 2024: Jaws, John Wick, The Uncanny X-Men and Metallica: Remastered.
  
  Note: The Jurassic Park Home Pin ($4,999) being sold at Costco has Insider Connected but is not being ranked at this time and/or considered part of the Spike 2 releases (despite Stern including with their released pins list). If you’d like to learn more on my thoughts about these home pins see: OPINION: The Future of These Stern Home Pinball Machines at Costco for $4,999?
• Added last year’s ranking in bracket after this year’s ranking, so for example 22. [#20] would mean rank 22 this year and the 20 in brackets is the 2023 ranking. Yes, again, rankings have moved around and feelings can change with more or less plays over the last year. This is all subjective and certainly other pinballers rankings will differ from mine. Doesn’t mean I’m right and your wrong, just means we have different tastes and *current* playing habits.
• Added play counts and stats for each of the 25 games. Please note that these will not be the absolute most recent stats as I continue to play regularly. I took each of these screenshots after 10/6/2024, so they will be accurate within the last 60 days of when this is published, but the counts will certainly be higher for several games listed. Also, note: Stern updated the IC app and website removing a lot of this information before I could make screenshots with updates for all the games, so some games will not have this (useful!) information (see: Stern Horribly Upgrades Insider Connected – please revert!)
• UNDER FUTURE CONSIDERATION – Some machines I’d like to provide an alternative ranking for the pro version. This would be a lot of work and I don’t have convenient/easy access to some of these machines, but to provide different rankings for Pro and Premium/LE would be interesting someday, if ever it becomes practical time-wise. This doesn’t work for every Spike 2 machine, like The Beatles or Batman ’66 where the games are no different between the three available versions. Or Bond 60th … yeah, I need to think more about the separate pro rankings, however this would be useful for folks considering which version of the machine to buy. I do try and rank below what I feel is the *best* version of the game, with fun factor being prominent, so it ranks accordingly. To keep this rating system from becoming too complex, it might be easier to just leave it all the way it is. Your comments below are welcome if you’d find separating pro from premium/LE in rankings worthwhile.

Let’s do this thing, 24 Jack Bauer style.

2024 Rankings

26. [2023: #22] Led Zeppelin (2020)

2023: “I do prefer the Premium over the Pro, but neither inspires me to keep playing much. There are other Zeppelin songs even that I would like to hear on here like, I don’t know, Stairway To Heaven? How can that song, their biggest, be missing? It’s like not having Freebird on a Skynyrd pinball machine. Then there is that awfully placed popup in the middle creating an abnormally high center drain ball out. This is easily the worst SPIKE 2 Stern for me.”

2024: My pinball friend Major Drain Pinball insists the light show on Led Zeppelin is one of the best of all Spike 2s. This has caused me to re-think and could re-rank Led Zeppelin going forward. Do not be surprised if this ranking moves up further in 2025. I am becoming a bigger fan of lighting on pinball than previously. Give me a good light show and I’m liking it more.

Beyond the light show mentioned above, there is nothing that happened in 2024 playing Led Zeppelin that made me want to like this game more. Honestly, it’s so far down my list of games I would want to play, not just with Stern, but any pinball machines through history. Is it for fans of Zep music? I even question that. Still, I want to spend more time with this in 2025 and beyond, see if I can find the charm with this machine. Even at the very bottom of these rankings, the worst of the list in my opinion, I want to give this more opportunity to entertain.

25. [#19] The Munsters (2019)

2023: “I want to love the Munsters, but it just feels, pardon the pun, lifeless. Dull is another of my feelings playing it. The flipper game underneath is cool but has a cheesy feel. I much prefer other games underneath like in AC DC, Creature From The Black Lagoon, heck even Haunted House. The ramp shots should be inspiring but are lame and boring. Am not a fan of this one and yet, like Mandalorian, I like the IP. This machine is proof that a strong IP with lots of potential doesn’t guarantee I’ll like the game.”

2024: Not only did 2024 give me a lower opinion of The Munsters, given the other choices, I’d rather play all the others, including the one beneath this. That said, this one has a little more going for it than the one below, hence the slight drop from the very bottom. Maybe in time, I swap the two or add something I like even less to play. It’s not a horrible game, it’s not Barry O’s BBQ (American Pinball) to me, but it’s not a very good game that I find much joy in playing. If you look at play counts alone, you’ll see it’s near the bottom of what I’ve played. Is it unfair that I haven’t played this more and enjoyed what it can/could offer? Maybe. Make your case for this game in the comments, tell me all the greatness I’m missing. I’m open to revisiting this in 2025 and seeing if it can crawl out of the PGM ranking basement 😉

24. [#18] James Bond 60th Anniversary LE (2023) –

2023: “Not sure why, but this design — shocking that it’s by Elwin (even if this is inaccurate, I’m going with he had limited time to work on this and/or was uninspired with the project) — seemed rushed to me and it comes off when playing like a weak solid state hybrid with modern pinball celebration. I do like the position of the spinning Oddjob hat and the side lane target to hole lock for multiball, it has just the right challenge. This pin is really rare in the wild and most won’t get to play it, but you aren’t missing too much. I much prefer the more widely available Bond pin.”

2024: My wife is really good at this game and has a higher personal best than me. Despite ranking so low here, it’s a fun game that I do enjoy playing here and there. Give me a choice to play this or others on the list ranked above, well, I’m choosing others 99% of the time. Still, if you get a chance to play this horrifically overpriced Stern Pinball machine, give it a try and see what you think. Oddjob!

23. [#20] The Mandalorian (2021) –

2023: “No matter how hard I try to get into this machine, it just feels off to me. I don’t like the size of the upper playfield in the premium and the tilting extreme angle hit the targets minigame. I do like the foundary and think if I keep playing this maybe I can get more into this and move it up the list. I love the Mandalorian TV series and think it’s the best part of the new Star Wars, but this machine … no.”

2024: I didn’t play much Mando in 2024 over 2023, so keeping this one near the ranking from last year. Doesn’t mean this isn’t a better game than I’m ranking it here, but I still can’t really get into it. Some games click with people, some don’t. This one is the latter so far for me. I prefer the other Star Wars game. And of the versions, from an art perspective, I like the comic art version better. Stern decided to run the comic art version again, which somewhat piqued my curiosity in that game. This one, though? Um, no, not yet.

22. [#17] The Beatles (2018) –

2023: “Personally this is one of my most favorite tables, but it’s a boring update play-wise from Seawitch (which was already kind of a dull playfield design). The music makes this table higher than it probably deserves to be. There just isn’t a lot to do compared to other tables ranked higher than this, which is why it’s this far down the list for me. That said, I’m drawn back to playing this whenever I see it, more than a few others higher on the list because of the amazing music. Much better song selection here than on Zeppelin. Sure, this is hugely subjective, but music pins kind of live and die by the music selection. The rare exception to this for me is Foo Fighters.”

2024: I should rank this one higher based on fun factor, but I’m trying not to only rank on fun factor with this list. If you don’t care that much for The Beatles music and the Seawitch design, you’re going to feel somewhat cold to this game, but I think it’s fun to play. It’s lower scoring and a harder machine to find out there (capped at 1964 made), especially one that has IC, but it’s a good one, IMO. Don’t think just because a game is lower ranked here means it’s not a good game to play and this is a clear example.

21. [#21] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2020) –

2023: “Quite possibly the worst position for that rotating pizza spinner which catches the ball and sends it straight down the middle drain. Also, what’s up with the really low scoring? The multiball mode after locking in the van is my favorite part of this table. I would put this at the bottom if not for how fun the multiball is, and it goes up to 8-ball multiball which is even cooler.”

2024: This one moves up a bit. I still loathe the lower scoring, but like the artwork and color plus did have a couple good games in 2024 to make me think that I haven’t explored this game enough to give it a truly fair shake. More TMNT in 2025? Don’t laugh, I kinda hope so.

20. [#16] Elvira’s House of Horrors (2021) –

2023: “This one has moved down (worse) my list. I do enjoy the modes and basic flip through is OK, but the shots seem a bit too repetitive at times. The lights and sounds are cool, but think I prefer other older Elvira machines better. There have been several different Elvira machines (Party Monsters might be my personal favorite to date). Stern made an absolutely gorgeous Blood Red Kiss Limited Edition of this toward the end of 2023 and would like to play. Maybe this moves up with more plays, but seems kinda doubtful.”

2024: The Blood Red Kiss edition of Elvira keeps this one in my mind and should have elevated this in the rankings higher (but didn’t). I like playing that more than the regular Elvira HoH and yet it’s the same game. It’s funny how the art style can make a difference on a game that is otherwise just so-so. I know there are some big fans of Elvira, too, and it’s awesome if this is your game, it’s not mine. Not yet, anyway.

19. [#12] Guardians of the Galaxy (2017) –

2023: “This seems to be a frontrunner for my oldest grandson’s favorite machine, but this one that I’m not as excited by as him. It does have some really fun modes and the ability to choose different characters is compelling. Also, the Groot multiball mode is fairly easy to trigger. The music is good as well. It seems like it should be higher, but it’s sort of just middle of the road to me so far. I’m not sure it makes it any higher with more plays, but maybe my grandson can get me more into it.”

2024: I’m liking this game less in 2024 and it’s mostly because I didn’t play it that much. Is that fair to drop a ranking here? You’ll have to decide, friendly reader. Doesn’t mean this game won’t move back up in future rankings, but need to drop this one significantly because I didn’t want to play this one in 2024 — at all. Had multiple opportunities to play and skipped, which isn’t a sign for making it higher on this list. Also, Stern stopped producing this, so sales demand is waning.

18. [#15] Black Knight: Sword of Rage (2019) –

2023: “There are some cool modes in this one that make it a somewhat unique experience and offer good replay value. Great lighting, easily one of the best toppers, and some real challenge. This one grows on me with more plays. I think it might move even higher with more plays. But I much, much, much prefer the Premium with the small upper playfield than the Pro. Time will tell, but this one could rank higher.”

2024: I’m gravitating a bit in my preferred play style toward harder, more challenging games. I see a future this one moving up instead of down like it did this year, because it’s a more challenging game. I need more time on Black Knight to really dig into this one more.

17. [#6] Venom (2023) –

2023: “This barely misses the top 5 for me, and it’s only this high due to the Insider Connected feature to remember your levels across different machines and the excellent DMD display, video mode and animation. This is a feature I hope Stern expands upon with future releases, adding more time and play-based features, encouraging repeated plays. The Pro version is a bit too stripped down compared to the Premium and makes me less excited about this table. Maybe, with repeated plays, it continues to fall further and someday gets pushed out of my top 10, despite the innovative Insider Connected level features. Due to the 10 billion KRULL virtual badge quest, I have the second most plays on Venom of any Spike 2 Stern as of this writing. Unfortunately, the theme, the game, it just hasn’t drawn me to it enough.”

2024: This machine really lost its luster after I played it hundreds of times pushing for the December 2023 achievement badge. Got to level 99 and just didn’t feel good about playing this any more. Clearly my initial reaction and excitement for the IC RPG-like level scheme was short-lived. I now consider this one of the least fun Spike 2 machines to play. Especially the pro, the premium would rank higher. I understand tournament players dig this game, so if/when I get back into playing competitively I’m going to need to up my Venom knowledge and gameplay, but it’s not nearly as good as I thought it was when it was new to me. In fact, it’s taught me to be more critical of newer pins going forward until the code is further along and I’ve played more. As will be noticed with the position of the very next game…

16. [-NEW this year] John Wick (2024) –

2024: Bummed to say, this one just hasn’t been that fun for me. Following up Jaws with this game, Stern really dug themselves into a hole. I would rate the pro a little higher on this list and if not for the excellent artwork by Randy Martinez, I’d rank this even lower (yeah, I know artwork has no impact on gameplay and yet cool art in the game does contribute to fun somewhat). If you want much more detail on how I initially felt about this game, see: John Wick Pro + Premium (Stern 2024 v0.81 code) Detailed Thoughts after Flipping On Location + Show

This otherwise average Stern shooter is fast, but with the code it launched with was dramatically underdeveloped and early. Sad, too, because they had these cool Insider Connected contracts, including limited ones. The contracts system is much more desirable to HUO (Home Use Owners).

I’m not going to be wowed by new tech in pinball if the game itself isn’t that fun to play. The code is getting better, this more than likely moves up my list, but for an entry, it’s underwhelming, and I hesitate to put it ahead of Venom, because Venom premium, anyway, feels like a better game with the current code. As it is, slightly ranking better than Venom is where I’m putting it. Code-wise, two of the three cornerstones released this year have been underwhelming. Only Jaws released with what I’d consider to be good release code, and even it has gotten much better in that department over the year, so Stern is batting .333. I’m not counting Metallica: Remastered in this mix, because despite it having new code, I don’t feel like that’s a new game. It’s an updated, refreshed older game.

15. [#14] Star Wars (2017) –

2023: “One of my wife’s most favorite machines, and it’s fun and the scoring is really high, which is cool, but seems like a lot of repeating ramp loops that get a little old. Enjoy the avoid the asteroids minigame. This might move up for me as I play it more, but my sense is it either holds or drops further. I mean, this is freaking Star Wars, this machine should blow me away — and it doesn’t. It’s better than The Mandalorian, sure, but leaves me feeling empty playing it, other than that cool avoid the asteroids video mode and the tie fighter center button smash. Turtles also has that with eating pizza … it’s just oddly satisfying spamming that button in the middle of a flip.”

2024: What more can be said about this game, it’s the Star Wars game we have in the Spike 2 series. Yes, I know there’s Mando, but that’s more about the TV series, not the iconic movie series. The classic Star Wars will always have a special place in my heart and that’s probably driving my ranking higher than the game itself, which I feel is middle of the road compared to the other Spike 2+ games. Whenever I see this game on location, I usually want to play it, so that’s a positive.

14. [#11] Aerosmith (2017) –

2023: “Like the elevator, the toy box, the music, this one should be higher on the list, but it seems to be broken too much whenever I see it. This is one of the more “under repair” Spike 2 Stern’s I’ve noticed, which leaves it further down the list. I enjoy this and feel it should be top 10 for me, but have to drop it lower based on the maintenance issues I’ve seen. Usually the issue seems to be related to the toy box. It’s my understanding this can be disabled somehow(?) and if that’s true, maybe it would play more reliably with that disabled (but definitely not as cool).”

2024: My son and I enjoy playing Aerosmith. It’s one of those harder to find machines in our area, so it must not earn that well (?) on location. Disappointing, because it’s a fun game to play. If you see one, give it a try. Also, it’s older and didn’t originally come with IC and thus has to be retrofit to include IC making it even more challenging finding one that’s IC-enabled on location.

13. [#9] Stranger Things (2019) –

2023: “My wife’s most favorite machine at the moment and I’m with her on the fun involved in battling the Demogorgan, but like Aerosmith, have witnessed this being down on several machines witnessed a fair amount. Maybe just a few bad machines, but rating lower here due to maintenance-related issues ruining fun.”

2024: I’m ranking this higher for my wife moreso than me. My feelings on playing it are mixed. Yes, it’s fun pounding that Demogorgan bash toy, but bashing Jaws is way more fun. Heck, I even like bashing John Wick’s car more, despite that making no sense. I do think the flow is better, so it keeps this one higher up the ranking. Also, I love the projector on the premium with the screen and the U/V lighting. That really kicks this one up a notch, and if I played it more, might make this one get back to the top 10 for me. Then again, they keep releasing new pins and some of those come with features, modes and creative playfields that push the hobby in more interesting places.

12. [#8] Rush (2022) –

2023: “At first, I thought the time machine was a one trick pony, but it’s more than that and pretty seductive shot-wise which can launch a bunch of different music modes. Deeper play with updates from Stern have made this game better than when it launched and I first played it. Growing on me in a good way. I still don’t care for the artwork, but the gameplay is drawing me. Being this high on my list is surprising somewhat to even me, but I do have fun playing this more and more. Music pins are mixed bag for some, because liking or disliking the band can have a huge impact on the experience. I do like Rush, was never a super fan of them, but there are plenty of Rush songs I enjoy including several featured here.”

2024: This is one where I feel like the pro is noticeably worse than the premium. Rush premium just really draws me in and yet the pro feels like a concert when the band isn’t on stage playing. I like playing Rush, but the ambience of it puts me off somehow. Maybe it’s the artwork I mentioned last year, maybe the lighting isn’t as good as it should be, it’s certainly not the music. I really enjoy the music of Rush. I don’t like Rush more than The Beatles or Zeppelin from a music standpoint, but definitely enjoy their music more than Foo Fighters. I think FF is a superior game to play, however, hence it ranks higher.

11. [#5] Avenger’s Infinity Quest (2020) –

2023: “The more I play this one, the more it seems there is a lot to do and really like the ball lock in the upper left corner that shoots the ball back and you have to time a shot to a ramp as well as the additional Premium features. It’s a very satisfying kinetic experience and shoots really good. Keith Elwin, of course this is, and the depth and complexity is appealing. I want to play this a lot more than I have to date.”

2024: For those that think I’m all in on Team Elwin, this and Bond 60th should change your tune. This has dropped from top 5 and just barely out of top 10. I think for Marvel pins, The Uncanny X-Men has a more creative design. Odd to say Jack Danger has upped Keith Elwin, but I’m saying exactly that in 2024 comparing the two. Given, Avengers: IQ is an older game, but from what I’ve played of The Uncanny X-Men, so far, and hope for better code when it’s completed I have to give X-Men the nod in the Stern Marvel pins crown for now. In 2024, at least, maybe I play Avengers: IQ more in 2025 and this changes my perspective. Maybe the code doesn’t pan out for X-Men, also, which is something only time will tell. Usually, Stern makes their games better with code updates. The code is way better in Avengers: IQ as of this year’s ranking, but I think Danger’s team will get the code right going forward. Am hopeful, anyway.

10. [#13] Deadpool (2018) –

2023: “Have moved this up the list since recently I scored over 2 billion in a game (following a game where I scored over 900 million), making it the most I’ve scored on any of the Spike 2 Stern pins. Scored over one billion on the third ball alone. An epic flip on a game I’ve only played a dozen or so times.

Several folks disagree with me on this ranking, feeling it should be higher, but personally, I don’t enjoy playing Deadpool as much as I would like to. I have a friend who owns this machine and he loves it and several people I know rate this in their top 5 newer Sterns, so this might be one that deserves to be higher on my list, but my great game shown above aside, I haven’t gotten that into it … yet. Maybe after more plays, and if I can keep scoring higher than other games, it moves further up the list. I think this may move up in time after more plays. I’m not done playing this.”

2024: Pushed this one up, not out of peer pressure, but upon further play and reflection, it’s a better game than I’m giving it credit for. Really like the smooth flow of that cool Katana ramp to lock a ball. I don’t think this will stay in my top 10, but in 2024 it earns a spot.

9. [New in 2024] The Uncanny X-Men (2024) –

2024: I kept going back and forth with Foo Fighters and this, Jack Danger’s other newer Stern game. I think with Jack’s creative bottom third, he will ultimately earn a spot above Foo Fighters, purely for innovation, but I am disappointed — a lot — in the early code. In fairness to Jack the launch of his game was moved months ahead. The light show on X-Men is one of the best of any Stern ever. The artwork by Zombie Yeti and the color choices are very attractive. The animations, music and some of the callouts have been under first at launch. I’m thinking all of this can and will be fixed, so feeling like this one has a ton of potential. I’ve also got some Marvel IP fatigue (see: Is Marvel Fatigue becoming or already a thing in 2024?) which is negatively impacting this game. I don’t want to see any more Marvel pins for some time. Someday we can have more, but hopefully not any more for a few years unless it’s a character they haven’t done in some time (Hulk!). I like many Marvel characters, but feel like pinball has had too much Marvel stuff. There are other IPs to explore that haven’t been given the prominence like Jaws and John Wick, which I thought was cool in 2024 that they focused 50% of their efforts on new themes.

For more on my first thoughts playing The Uncanny X-Men, see: The Uncanny X-Mene (Stern 2024) Premium Detailed Thoughts after Flipping On Location

8. [#7] Batman ’66 (2016) –

2023: “Being a huge Batman ’66 fan, this pin hits all the right vibes. The crane, the villain takedown, if you can find a Batman ’66 somewhere, play it and enjoy. This has moved up the list for me with repeated plays. Even though it’s the oldest Spike 2 Stern pin, and unfortunately kinda hard in our area to find, it’s a great flip. Seek this one out and play it, if/when you can find one.”

2024: Batman ’66 is almost the same ranking, despite the new pin activity. I look forward to playing this one whenever I see it and sadly, it remains rare to find, especially with Insider Connected. One thing that has caused me to reconsider this ranking going forward is the stacked scoring multiplier situation. This reared its ugly head during an Insider Connected promotion in March 2024 when the scoring was exploited for scores that ran into the trillions. This went unfixed, unlike Jaws that did receive a code update. Although Lyman Sheats (RIP) originally wrote the code, somebody needs to go back in there at Stern and patch it. Then again, maybe they want to leave it as it is as a tribute to Sheats? That they know the multipliers are broken and can be exploited by high level, very skilled players, allowing some really ridiculous math for multipliers? I don’t know. But it feels like something if Sheats was alive he might have fixed himself. This being broken, at least in my eyes, ruins my desire to ever buy one of these machines, unless it was a really screaming deal.

7. [#4] Foo Fighters (2023) –

2023: “Jack Danger really hit it out of the park with the flow on this one, the fun shots, the upper table for quick multiball on the Premium and having one of the best looking animated DMDs of the current Stern crop. Really this and Venom have the coolest looking high res DMDs. It’s setting the bar high for all new Sterns. I don’t care that much for the Foo Fighter music, which irritates some folks when you mention that, but the music does have some impact for me on the experience. If this were an Ozzy table, laid out exactly the same, it would move up at least one spot, maybe two.

2024: Have played this one very little in 2024 (not enough!), thus it’s slipping interest-wise for me. The game is still very good and even though I don’t care much for the band as a theme (Nirvana would have appealed much more to me), the way the aliens and beating the cities are used with the band is a very cool idea. Whenever I see this one, I do want to play it, so there’s that, too. That “want to play it” vibe means a lot to me in these rankings.

That said with another “new” music pin added to the Spike 2 lineup this year, from a band with music I like much better, it makes Foo Fighters a little less interesting to me to flip. Yes, I’m talking about …

6. [-NEW this year] Metallica: Remastered (2024) –

2024: Was a bit mixed where to put this game in the 2024 rankings. Play-wise, it deserves top 10, but it’s not really a new game. After playing it, I was reminded how good of a game it was in 2013, with some smart updates, but I don’t like the Remastered Rhys Cooper artwork nearly as much as Dirty Donny’s and the game’s lighting underwhelmed me. You can read my detailed first thoughts after flipping here: Metallica: Remastered Detailed First Thoughts after Flipping on Location

Too soon. I need to play this more in 2025 to understand where it truly belongs. Readers should very much consider this Metallica: Remastered ranking a work in progress and it might drop lower in 2025 or, maybe, possibly go higher, but I’m thinking it drops instead. This isn’t going to be the 2024 Venom for me like I did in 2023, but this ranking might be too high.

I’m putting it ahead of four other music pins, one of which is Foo Fighters (the other three are Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Rush). I appreciate the gameplay of Foo Fighters a bit more than Metallica: Remastered, but I need to play Metallica a lot more to really gauge where it belongs.

It’s very possible Metallica with more play will rank higher (or maybe not, who knows what 2025 and beyond will bring). Some of the things I didn’t like on my first flip are fixable with code updates, so we’ll see. Code usually makes these games better and I’m looking forward to playing all the 2024 games with completed code (Jaws, John Wick, The Uncanny X-Men and Metallica: Remastered).

5. [#10] James Bond 007 (2023) –

Above pictured taken before the IC update that removed these really nice stats screens. Below is a more current check (from 12/7/24):

2023: “Despite this being one of the newest machines, it doesn’t have nearly the charm and great shot feel of Foo Fighters or even the newest, Venom. Hitting the rocket feels cheesy. I do like the spiral ramp to lock the ball in the Premium/LE. The side ramp is a harder shot, which is fun, but it’s maybe too easy to lock the modes like Q branch and others in the bounce shot to the left. Definitely prefer the Premium more than the Pro (love the jet pack multiball with moving James Bone), if rating the Pro only, I’d drop lower, maybe to 15th or worse.”

2024: after the code became final (1.0+) on Bond, this game improved considerably. In retrospect, looking at last year’s comments above, how I ever placed this below Venom is suspect, at best. The code sucked when it first came out and I was wowed by the newness of Venom, but today, right now, this game is a lot more fun to play than Venom. I actively look forward to playing it more now, so much that I bought one this year. I bought the pro version of this game shortly after my Iron Maiden Premium went down. Reading my comments last year, I was initially more interested in the premium features, but after more plays of the pro and comparing more against the premium, I no longer felt as strongly toward the premium. In fact, am not sure it’s worth the extra couple grand. I’d say the same thing about Iron Maiden pro vs. premium (even though I bought the premium), John Wick and The Uncanny X-Men. So, bought the pro version and it’s been a great experience so far. For those maybe thinking I was some kind of premium snob, am not guilty as charged.

4. [#3] Jurassic Park (2019) –

2023: “playing this recently on the Insider Connected Dino DNA quest, I really fell hard flipping this. It drove me to appreciate the different modes, the cool multi-plunge secret shots, the raptor cage (Premium) and more. I don’t like that the original actors voices weren’t used, but there is a mod to add that back, for those interested. The 30th Anniversary with the super cool glowing egg plunger is another great touch for this one.”

2024: Played way less of this in 2024 than 2023, but whenever I do play, the experience is a lot of fun. Going to be hard to push this out of the top 5 on gameplay, but the lack of official IP/assets and callouts hurts this pinball experience. It’s very noticeable to me after seeing how Stern handled Jaws. The layout is still amazing and shots are so smooth. It’s a better layout than Jaws, but it’s not quite as much fun to me to shoot.

I don’t know if this one leaves my top 10 any time soon, but I can see others creeping into the top 5 and eventually nudging this one out. There was a time when this could have been my top pick for pinball. Although, I need/want to play this more, and that ship may have sailed. Especially after seeing, playing and buying …

3. [#2] Iron Maiden (2018) –

Pictured above, stats shortly after buying Iron Maiden, below are close to current stats (12/7/2024):

2023: “So tempted to put this one at the top. The artwork is gorgeous, the ramp to hit the eye, the mummy lock, multiple multi-ball opportunities, the lighting, the flow, the music. I could go on and on about why this is one my very most favorite ever Stern pinball machines. If you don’t like Iron Maiden’s music (sacrilege!) I could see how this would drop lower for folks, but for me, it’s an easy top three with the current list of 22 machines.”

2024: Still far and away my most favorite Spike 2 music pin and it became my first modern pinball purchase in 2024, as a birthday present to myself, as well. I wrote about the experience here: My Best Birthday Present in 56 Years: Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast Premium NIB. I decided to create a Facebook group on Stern Iron Maiden Pinball to go along with this purchase and every day at [2 minutes to] midnight post something new Iron Maiden related. If you like Iron Maiden, also own an Iron Maiden pinball machine or have interest in the game, or even play the virtual Iron Maiden pinball (which is also a great game), feel free to join our public group here: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/L4kACMRiXoSqtTYM/

That all said, my brand new machine only worked the first 10 days, then the cabinet speaker failed, but I went down the wrong repair road looking into CPU replacement, instead. The CPU sent arrived damaged and another CPU had to be mailed out (also not 100% functional), before going back to the original and much simpler repair fix: just replace the cabinet speaker. Since replacing that, the game has been great. Doh!

It’s a somewhat difficult to find an Iron Maiden game in our area on location, which might be mechanical concern related, that it doesn’t earn as well as other games on location, or just be that it’s an older game and it has been pushed out in favor of newer titles, I don’t know. Even if you aren’t a Maiden fan, this is a must-play game. Look for and play it.

2. [-NEW this year] Jaws (2024) –

2024: for some this might be controversial ranked this high, and above Jurassic Park, no doubt, but the massive amount of IP/asset inclusion compared to the minimal amount on JP is what puts this ahead in 2024. I’ve also played this game way more than any other Stern Spike 2 since my son owns the premium. I’ve played Jaws more than any other single pinball game ever. That alone tells me that this deserves to be ranked higher, at least in 2024.

Will admit the game toward the end of 2024 has faded slightly for me, but still get excited whenever the ball first plunges on this one. That’s big, considering how many times I’ve played the game to date. I still look forward to playing this game on location. When we visited Next Level Pinball in Hillsboro, OR recently, I played more Jaws pinball (the LE) than any other pinball, including the new Metallica: Remastered LE and Spooky’s new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That’s after playing over 1,300 games of Jaws. Here’s a more recent snapshot of total plays (12/7/2024):

Since release, Team Elwin have added a bunch of cool stuff to this game like perhaps the best challenge game ever created in any pinball: Jaws; The Revenge. They also added a creative topper-only game called Jaws is Broken (played that only once). They just keep adding and adding, making this already great game even more engaging and interesting. As of this writing, we still don’t have the final 1.0 code, so don’t even know how the game ends yet. One would assume you take down Jaws and that will be no easy task, but there’s almost as much suspense in this pin as the iconic Spielberg movie.

This game is an absolute blast to play. Just on gameplay alone, which I have accumulated well over three times the play of any other Spike 2 backs up how much I love this game. It is my favorite game Stern has made to play as of this writing, but I don’t think it’s a better designed game than #1, but putting it right behind at least in 2024. It’s close to, if not, my personal favorite pinball game of all time. Maybe in 2025 Jaws (or something else) takes over #1 from the beast that’s …

1. [#1] Godzilla (2021) –

2023: “This is one of those machines with a deep ruleset, amazing flow, cool LCD animations and movie clips plus the whole concept of Godzilla breaking down the building. Then there is the Premium collapsing bridge with multiball trap, the magnetic power grab that holds the ball, multiple seductive loops, the list just goes on and on in this machine that many regard, myself included, as one of the best Stern pinball machines ever made, not just in the Spike 2 era. There are a very small number of pinball machines I’d love to own and Godzilla Premium is (currently) on that list.”

2024: There are a lot of reasons to love this pin and to declare it ranked #1 for two years in a row. At the top of that list is it just being a great theme, solid collection of assets, deep ruleset, and some of the most buttery smooth shots of any Stern. It’s Elwin’s best work and it’s going to be tough, even for him to dethrone it (Jaws is nipping at its heels, however).

I realize it might be odd to rank this higher than other pins our family bought in 2024 (Jaws, Iron Maiden and James Bond) but one reason we didn’t buy Godzilla is because we can play it everywhere on location and, two, at the time I bought Iron Maiden only the 70th anniversary black and white version was available. Godzilla is an easy game to find and play because it’s so awesome. It is still in very active production at Stern as well, so there is no rush for those that might want to buy it new in box.

SIDENOTE: This year Stern released a new black and white Godzilla 70th edition. Same playfield, except black and white (and red) art, foil art package on the outside and will include black and white video option (the color one will get this as an option as well). Not certain, but I might be in the minority but prefer the original color version of this game. Choice, however, is good, as pointed out here: Mixed Reactions to Stern Pinball Godzilla 70th, but Choice is Good.

Got a feeling Godzilla may get added someday to our home lineup, but it’s also nice to have games that you want to play only on location, so maybe Godzilla remains a game we never own, just keep playing it happily on location. Time will tell on that, but in the meantime, congratulations to Godzilla for the second year in the top ranking spot. Jaws is nipping at your heels, brother!

Wrapup + The Future + Your Turn

Whew, there you have it. 2024 is in the bag. Now. after celebrating the new year, begins the process of playing through 2025 and seeing what happens. What new machines will be added in 2025? I’ve heard speculation of several Stern new game possibilities like Dungeons & Dragons, Pokemon (but Nintendo might not be playing ball on their IP, so doubtful see No Pokemon Pinball from Stern in 2025? CEO Seth Davis says, “Nintendo, call me”) and King Kong (Elwin?!). No idea if any of these will happen, but we’ll be sure to play and rank whatever is available at the end of 2025.

Fellow virtual pinball fans, haven’t forgotten about you. No way. Am also working on ranking all 126+ Zen Pinball FX games. This process is going to take a lot longer, but it’s already underway. I’ve developed a grading scale taking in different game-related and reactionary factors. Hopefully I can get that done by the end of 2025, as I think virtual pinballers will find that worthwhile. I know when people ask me: what game should I buy and play? This will provide an easier way to recommend that has some research behind it, instead of just “hey, I like this one and that one.”

Back to real pinball.

Will this ranking be done for other pinball manufacturers? That’s a good question and openly considering. Access to some of these other manufacturer machines — so the ranking list is complete — can be (extremely) limited. I still haven’t found and played Abba, P3 Princess Bride and Turner’s Ninja Eclipse and maybe some more that aren’t immediately coming to my mind as this is written.

I’d rather not rank games I’ve never played, so that’s the main reason I’m not already doing it. Guess we’ll need to stay tuned on this one. I do enjoy playing pinball from different companies, not only Stern, but it’s easiest from an access standpoint in our area to find most modern Stern games to play. Next Level, about 2.5 hours south of me, has all the Spike 2 Sterns, all JJPs and recently now have all Spooky Pinballs (except for their newest announced pin Evil Dead, of course), so it would be easiest for me to add a JJP and/or Spooky Pinball ranking like the Stern one next. Next Level have all the American pins too, come to think of it.

Anyway, let me know in the comments if you’d like a ranking for other manufacturers in the future. Maybe instead of yearly updates for other manufacturers, I do a one time ranking (or re-rank every few years) and just provide infrequent updates. Got to keep thinking on this one. Might be just too much work.

Would love for others to share their top and bottom lists below in the comments. What are your favorite Spike 2+ Stern games? You don’t have to rank all of them, maybe just provide your top 3 or top 5 in the comments. Let’s compare!