Excellent points: You're right that there are two things "cleaned finished code vs. bugs" and "complete package vs. just the code"

The common thread between the good vs bad is the whole package. The best have great rule sets plus a good level of dots and sound, plus good layout and toys. If there was no budget/time for sound/art package it's going to limit what they can code with.

POTC my complaint there is the sound package is thin, Star Trek has some of the worst dots in the last ten years, yet overall those games aren't at the bottom of my list.

For me, the better games (TZ TSPP etc) have modes where the shots are part of the theme. Clock millions, you are shooting a clock target, town square madness is in the town square ... each area and element of the game has a purpose and gets showcased. AND it changes the way you have to shoot.

When a mode starts in a lot of modern Sterns, they just light a few inserts. The problem is all the modes start to feel the same. There is nothing deep about the theme is I shoot these four lit shot versus those four lit shots. There is nothing about those shots that feel like it has anything to do with Wolverine instead of Storm (or whatever).