Stern can correct the issues everyone is complaining about if they would just revisit what they did in 2003-2006 when they produced some of the best games of all time in terms of quality construction and finished code. Maybe they don’t care and it really is about quantity over quality. GS at expo clearly played up how many games they were making each year (three games, three models, vault and/or studio).

They have clearly deviated from that earlier period, but have had some home runs with twd and met, which aren’t up to the quality of tspp and lotr, but still are worthy examples of what’s right with games. Transformers and X-men are also well built games with good code (though xmen took a while to get there).

Moving to spike and the issues with play fields, stripping down games and features, all of which coincides with notably higher prices, does not sit well with a lot of people, including me. If they want to charge as much as they do, built the games like they used to.

JJP is a great alternative as are some other manufacturers like Spooky and American Pinball. JJP builds great games, but they are really pushing the envelope on pricing. I am thinking very hard about how to handle POTC, love to support them, but the jump in pricing from what I think is an already very high level, is making me think long and hard about how I want to approach my collection going forward.

Gary claimed they grew 40% y/y at the presentation...believe it or not. Wasn’t clear if he was taking dollars or volume, but either way That’s pretty rapid growth for a company like stern. If that is true, I would not expect any changes with growth like that.

Don’t forget tspp and lotr, two of the best games ever made in terms of quality, aesthetics and code. Come on stern, get back in the groove!

Bosch dishwashers are different, they don’t have internal heaters to dry dishes, which is one reason they are so dependable and more energy efficient. Plus, They are made in Canada and are super quiet. You can’t open the dishwasher when the load is done or they will be wet. We run ours overnight, they are dry in the morning. Have ours about 8 years after dealing with crap from whirlpool. Love the Bosch.

I have yet to play a stern game from any era that wasn’t fun, even those not highly rated like wwf, mustang, csi, Wof, etc. the issues I have now and why I am very hesitant to buy a new stern game are the quality of the games and the spike system, which I cannot repair (easily). All games break and I need to be able to repair them myself and quickly. The lack of service rails in pro games, for example, which may seem minor, are actually a big deal to me.

I hope stern is reading this as some suggest they do.