I appreciate the update, I'm sure we all do. However, 9 code updates in 5 months isn't something to write home about when some of them add very little to the actual game play due to being minor / small updates. I think Keith Johnson and Ted Estes's released more then 9 code updates code for WOZ in 5 months (after shipping began) then Stern has for multiple games in the same time period...The last Kiss code update that actually added something substantial game play wise came out on August 26th...nearly 3 months ago.

Also, ACDC was supposed to receive more code updates (canon modes, make the devil horn inserts do something, etc) yet there hasn't been a code updated that really adds to game play in over 2 and a half years...XMEN still has some bugs and could use a final polish update, same with The Avengers, and the same with Wheel of Fortune that people have been waiting forever for.

Also,it seems like Stern uses the "most games go to operators where people play on location for 3-5 minutes" as an excuse for a lack of regular code updates and depth for their games code. That's a poor excuse considering many older Bally / Williams games have more depth then some modern Stern's and those games were released at a time when even less people put pins in homes then today.

Overall the frequency for Stern code updates is terrible, it's not consistent across titles, and it creates a perception that Stern is more focused on putting out as many titles a year versus creating games with polished, deep and interesting code.

Stern management should give their programmers the proper time to actually complete deep and quality code at work versus having them do it unpaid at home. This is the problem when Stern management is focused on getting out 4+ titles a year versus creating 2-3 with more time devoted to development and code. 4+ titles a years leads to a few blunders (WWE, Mustang) that don't end up selling well. Surely those blunders end up being costly.

Poor to say the least. It's time for another "Where's the code" effort for some games. Sure Stern released a much needed Avengers update and one for WWE a few months ago but now it seems like business as usual again when it comes to code updates. The only real improvement I would say made on the code front is that Dwights two most recently games, GOT and GB, appear to be offering code that is further along upon release then past titles.

How is it that Kiss hasn't received an update since September?! That was 6 months ago. Ridiculous and unacceptable. Owners of the game deserve better.

Notice how Stern made sure to get the code in for their $400 aftermarket topper though in the games last update...

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Stern sure doesn't mind talking about KISS accessories on Facebook, this is just from yesterday...Why not post an update about code update status for KISS as well?

Where's the code Stern?

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Yeah that's bad on them. It sounds like they are working on a big code update for the game so why couldn't they just reply back with a "we're working on it ".

I think the point he was trying to make is modes as well as multiballs that just have you hitting the same shot over and over again are boring. I agree. Modes in XMEN, LOTR, The Shadow, Ghostbusters, etc make you work the entire playfield, now thats fun and rewarding...hitting the same shot 10x isn't.

10 months after this thread was created Stern's commitment to code seems very low

Many recent updates for Stern games are just bug fixes, which are of course welcomed, but don't add anything new to gameplay.

It would interesting to see dates of updates that added new modes, I'm sure the list would be much smaller.

With 6 programmers one would think updates for Stern games would be released regularly and added new modes more frequently.

Code updates from Stern in 2017 have come to a crawl, well for all games other than Batman 66. One would think they are working on code for the landing sequence of a new Mars rover with how long they are taking...The wait for KISS owners to receive a code update is beyond ridiculous at this point.