Finally finished the complete stream on this machine.

It always amazes me reading the forums on pinside, because I'm floored at how many different types of pinball enthusiasts there are. Sometimes I feel like every one of us likes pinball for wholly different reasons than everybody else. Some are all about the IP and "being true" to it, while others are about the layout, rules, toys, etc.

So I'll say it... I love what they've done with this pinball machine. A lot of people will initially look at this machine as being too complex or intimidating, but I really have an appreciation for how innovative and yet nostalgic this machine is. It borrows from a lot of machines in design, and all in good ways. The way you can place your gem on a shot, the computer matrix of modes and achievements, leveling up your heroes, the ramps/spinners/spin-disc... I really feel like Keith just keeps getting better at this. And now teaming up with Raymond on rules, it's clearly a machine that will keep your interest for a long time.

I think Stern is really on to some cool improvements code-wise. The soul-gem mode being based on flip-count is an awesome addition, and I like that they are really thinking hard about what these alternate game-modes mean and how people will use them (with regards to Battle-Royal, Escape from Nublar, etc...).

And from a competition standpoint, with all of the different scoring paths and opportunities, it will be super fun to watch how strategies play out player-to-player.