Quoted from CubeSnake:I can remember being in the arcade ca. 1980 and LOVED playing a machine called "Head On"...the pins in this arcade were pretty well rotated. When they got a Space Invaders (pin) I thought, "THIS is the next generation of pinball" because there was still a predominance of EM's in arcades at that time. Then right after SI came Black Knight (the good one, NOT BK2K), Meteor, etc. At that time I pretty much abandoned vids and stayed with pins from there on. I bought myself a brand new SI pin and after that BK, Fathom, etc. I'd rotate them out pretty heavily in my garage-cade. Man, I wish I'd kept most of them! Buying NIB in those days -especially if you were a kid of 17 like I was- was not for the weak-hearted. The operator whom I dealt with had to "vet" me so to speak to make sure I wasn't placing these on location. I think he pretty much trusted me after his "gumbas" (his words) delivered pins to my garage and saw my set up! Best times of my life!
You’re the first person I’ve EVER heard of that bought NIB back in the 1980s holy smokes. You were really a maverick there!
Quoted from DNO:You should, there is no shame in owning ANY pin.
Those that can’t imagine a pin being a fun experience the first time you play it are just probably used to letting others do their thinking.
I mean, if you had NEVER seen Popeye, wouldn’t you be intrigued by the large upper playfield? The mini game up there, the sweet boat apron? How about that Bluto lockup? How many balls can that thing hold, how does it work?
That used to be the fun, discovering NEW games for yourself, even if you were only discovering that they weren’t really that good.
Listening to know-it-all’s bash games and pick them apart before you even get to flip it is a real downer, and ruins what should be a good time for anyone that is playing ANY new pinball machine.
I own plenty of games that seem universally hated, and most guests find they’re actually a blast! It’s all about delivery and expectations! I own games that are ridiculously hard and they’re setup to be punishing. Then I have a couple that are set very easy and forgiving to let newbies warm-up or cool down on. Build some confidence and then play Seawitch for 50 seconds and get smacked down!
Rinse repeat.