i'm considering pinball number 3 as i currently own two that i love! (lotr and family guy). both of those are great games in their own respect but i am fans of both the licenses. i'm not a slave to licensing or a theme (that i love), as the machines i'm now considering are bs dracula (good movie but nothing to write home about), whitewater (who cares about rafting?), no good gofers (i play 9 holes maybe once a month) etc. since theme/ licencing is no longer a factor judging likeability seems to come down to the silver ball and the obstacles in its way. but will the replay value still be there? will you still love the machine just for the challange? can a machine really just be such a good machine and such a well designed masterpiece that theme has no influence? games like the shadow and johnny mnemonic make me wonder sometimes... let me know what you think, how much does a game's license or theme play into your decision to buy (or not buy) the game.