It better be.. that topper cost SLE owners about $6,000

On the ones I've played, the left orbit was very much not smooth and in fact rejected about 50% of the shots to it, plus the left ramp physically shook when a ball rolled on it, eating up a lot of momentum. the shot to the pops is rough and only produces a few hit. The crane toy was fine. The side targets mostly got hit by accident.

I thought this was an objective observation, but perhaps it's as subjective as other opinions.

Anyway, Ice was right about one thing, no game is complete dog shit, I retract my hyperbolic comment. But BM66 doesn't play nicely, and there are many games I'd rather play. I'll leave it there.

Holy sh*t Batman! KPG just unleashed the Beast! POW!!

Be aware that that DVD doesn't have the first two Night Stalker TV movies on it. The populaeity of those movies is what drove them to make the series. Most agree that first movie was the best of the series. So if you want to get those open the wallet again.

Ethically, what Stern did with this game is just plain wrong.

I'm not sure whether a code update can make it right.

Hopefully, in the end, the owners are truly happy and not just blowing smoke on Pinside.

I think Batman 66 looks pretty cool, there's no doubt about that. The issue a lot of people have with the game is why did Stern charge so much more for Batman 66 versus other titles? As others have said it does seem like Stern wanted to make a pin where they could make the biggest profit ever per game and Batman 66 is it. The playfield itself is mostly a re-theme from Dark Knight which represents at least some cost savings versus starting from scratch.

Also, Stern basically removed from the pro from the equation and made the pro the premium and the premium the LE (just added some powder coated armor to it and charged $10k) just to create a new Super LE model. The entire Super LE concept leaves a bad taste in many people's mouths. The top end game should be an LE and that's it, the Super LE crap for $5k more is ridiculous.

I approached this game for the first time with an open mind and was looking forward to playing it. It just falls flat for me. Maybe that opinion will change when it's complete, but I'm not counting on that. Add in the price and there's just not anything that resembles value there.

Stern needs to seriously step it up. GB was a step forward with new stuff even though I don't like the game. Got to give JT credit for mixing it up. Borg and Ritchie seem to be in a rut to me. Im not paying a premium for anything stern does just because they slap some star wars art on it. They just proved they have no problem dicking over 320 of their most loyal customers with BM66. Star Wars is going to be more of the same with an even bigger price.

I am excited to see what Mark Ritchie, Nordman, and Keith are working on. We know the first 2 and both of those guys haven't had a full design in a while and both are always super creative.

Agree if they want to change $15000 than make it special don't make a cheap flimsy game and say it's special.

To my it would be like a comic book company saying I'm putting foil cover on this comic otherwise it's the same cheap paper etc. but I'm changing $100 for the foil.

the price of this pin is incredible for what you get period. AS pro looks like 90% of any BM version.

How do you charge loyal customers 15K and not deliver?

That takes brass balls or being completely oblivious.

Captain Obvious here....This thread was doomed from the start. It was set up to be a hate fest. I have played BM66 and all I have to say is it's fun because it's pinball. Love the art but as far as gameplay goes it's easy to realize there is not enough there to justify the price. No arguing that. But for those that it is a dream theme and people who don't care about the cost it's great they can get the game they want. Some are gonna like the game and others are not. It's the same with any pin. Some like it and some don't.

No need to call people out for buying this game. Let them enjoy it. People are free to spend their money how they want to. If they don't like it they can sell it or keep it. Buyers remorse is a curse we all struggle with on high end purchases. Everyone likes to feel good about these decisions.

I played the game the other night for the first time. An SLE. It felt like playing a slot machine. Without the payouts.

The code is immature and that spinning platform gimmick in the back of the playfield is a bit rinky-dink, but I think I enjoyed my time with it on theme alone. Since I'm not a good player, a theme can usually carry a game for me. Just jingle the keys in front of the newborn baby, and he'll be entertained, right? There are a few animation sequences that look out of place amongst the actual clips from the show, but this is something that can be (should be) worked out in the future.

If there is anything to hate about the game, it is the pricing and the Premium/LE/Super LE structure which is simply Pro/Premium/LE renamed to pull extra cash out of wallets. I was torn because Batman 66 is a dream theme for me. I absolutely love the art package (and topper) on the LE, but $10k was insulting because it was essentially a $7500/$8000 game. I wasn't real happy about that, but went ahead with it primarily for one reason - Lyman was coding the game. If it were anyone else I wouldn't have bought the game when I did, but would have played the waiting game.

No matter how you look at it, Batman 66 will go down as the Stern cash grab experiment. Yes, their first LCD, but I suspect the game will really be remembered more for the "Happy Anniversary, Thanks for the Support, Screw You" pricing.

Did it work? Since the LEs and SLEs sold out, maybe. But if few "Premiums" get sold over the next three years (or whatever the production run is) then it's almost certainly a bust.

I don't know about others, but I can't think of any other theme I'd be interested in where I would buy into this pricing model. I want Elvira 3 and probably Star Wars, but won't consider either NIB at the BM66 pricing structure. (I'm probably a day one LE buyer otherwise, assuming everything else looks good).

How is the Batman 66 Premium not a Pro?

What was Stern trying to accomplish with the pricing structure? Did they really think there would be more than 500 buyers on theme alone where price wouldn't be an issue?

Those are the questions that interest me about BM66.

I'm bummed to hear it stinks. I really like the theme and in a year or two, IF Stern has fixes their current issues (code & quality), I'll likely be back to buying NIB's from them. I was hoping this would be one of them...Oh well.

Get Aerosmith, its looking good

It doesn't stink....there are many that likes the game besides Ice ( I like it a lot). There just comes a point when it pointless to debate. Everyone has an opinion. The title of this ( and a couple other) threads should give you a clue as to where the op's opinion is.

I don't really give a shit, as fortunately, I bought it for me, not anyone else. Several titles I could start a thread like this about, but truly have better things to do.

If you want a gauge, go to the club thread....or play one and judge for yourself.

I went into this with as open a mind as possible and man, idk, it really just doesn't shoot very well. It feels so cheap and flimsy. If the code turns out to be absolutely phenomenal then it might be a gamechanger (heh) but it'd have to be REALLY good.

How would you compare WOF to Batman66?

As an owner of BM66LE #66 the biggest issue I have is the lackluster code. I know it will get better in time.

However, my thought is this: if you don't like something fix it! Or invent something to make it better! (as with anything in life). There are two types of people. Complainers and Doers. Lots of complainers on this site and most forums in general.

So as we wait for Lyman to complete the code. Ill modify my pin with some interactive mods to enhance the game and enjoy it with my friends and family.

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haha! WOF is better by a significant margin. It's unfinished and it's hard (so hard you'll probably never notice it's unfinished unless you play it religiously) but it's really fun to shoot and has one of Stern's most entertainingly idiosyncratic layouts.

You are right. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. We get that.. no disputing that.

The point is, the majority of opinions here are that the game sucks ass.. the physical layout, gimmicky turntable, shitty shots, half ass ramps, and Beta code.

But, you and Ice's opinions are fine and you are entitled to them.

But it's a margin of 99% of people think this game is a total turd bucket. Congrats, you are now a 1%-er.

It's Pinside. I'd take more than 99% of the comments and opinions here with a grain of salt.
Yours especially.

Lol...this thread is getting better and better all the time.

It is appearing that this was little more than Stern gouging some of their most loyal customers and laughing all the way to the bank.

I won't pretend to know if they had any ulterior motives but it does come across as kind of a rip-off.

Someone didn't get laid last night

I agree at all that people should play it first and judge for themselves. Same with any game. There are games that many people love that I can't stand (ACDC and GB) and some that many people hate that I like (Xmen).

But I completely disagree with the the statement that if you want a true gauge of the game go to the club thread. That's BS. If you say negative things about a game in a club thread you are quickly told to take your thoughts somewhere else. The club thread is not for negativity. So its not at all a fair and balanced view of what people who have played the game think of it. Its a fan boy thread. The title of this thread is fair and balanced. It asks for people's honest views of the game. That does not doom the thread to negativity. Its about being honest.

I, like many people who have played BM66 and spent some quality time on it think the game is clunky, doesn't shoot well and simply isn't that fun. Code updates generally don't make an unfun game to shoot, fun to shoot. The shots are the shots. We can't say that in the club thread.

That's what I did. I played it and less than ten minutes later it was packed up in my truck and on the way to the house.

No play, no buy. Rules to live by....

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And your point is? I've had it for several months now and played the heck out of it. I don't marry anything.

Not much of a point other than I think we both know why you are selling it..

Yeah, because I could use the money right now. If I was as loaded as some on here, I might not feel the need as I would like to see the finished code. But I will be able to do that either way. A friend of mine in the neighborhood has an LE and he never sells anything. So I can just go over there and play it.

Nobody else has ever sold a game they liked?

Chambahz Chambahz Chambahz Chambahz Chambahz ME OLD MUCKA!!!!

If I need any salt, I'd come to your place with all the right Ghostbusters predictions you made LOL

Cheers,
Neil

Seriously? You come on here, making a comment like this:

...and I'M the angry one?
I especially appreciate how you state that everyone is entitled their own opinion, and then insult him for being in the minority.

Dude, take the shooter rod of your your azz and lighten up. Pinball is supposed to be fun.

My BM66 prem showed up with a badly bent shooter rod (how the f&^k did that happen?) and a crane motor that stripped its gears in 10 games. Fixed all that, and my regulars and I LOVE the machine. The best earner in my arcade by far even when the crane was dead. That will tail off of course over time but I'm really happy with the machine. Is it done yet? Of course not. But I'm diggin it partially finished and it is really attracting new casual players with the screen and bling.

My only (trivial) complaint is that when it says "a moonlit night in Gotham City" to start off and shows a day time park scene. Fixable.

I have a theory...

All the talk about the structure of the game is moot in my opinion. I mean the Pre=Pro, LE=Pre, SLE=LE discussion. To be able to make it a Pro-Pre-Le they must have something to take off the game to make it cheaper. With BM, what can they take off ??? There is so little there already.

Take off the LCD: not possible because they had to make dots for it, take off the spinning toy: it will just be a Batman Dark Knight, take off the crane: that's the only fun thing in there. They just could not make a pro out of this one

I own an LE but sadly the value just is not there, besides the fact if it is a fun game or not.

PiperPinball - do you have a small video screen at the end of your crane?

They don't have to take anything off. The Premium is a Pro, just priced like a Premium. The Premium they call an LE has the topper and the armor (and autographs). I don't know what to make of the SLE ...

Not revolutionary, not innovative, did not provide more options.

"Sit right back, and hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..."

Gilligan's Island (BLY, 1991) used the same type of mech much better, 26 years ago.
SAME TYPE of nostalgic licensed theme.
Hand drawn artwork by John Youssi.
Outstanding sound from the original cast (no Jack Backus, ie Mr. Howell).
Very good music from the series, and designed by John Hey (BoP, Earthshaker, Funhouse, Doctor Who, etc).

Code is complete and solid, game is very fun, shots are smoother, everything works as it should.

Every BM66 enthusiast should try one, discover what you missed out on.
Search it out.
Used game costs under $3K.
Fully restored game is higher due to some hard to find NOS parts.

There is some beneficial pinball knowledge, whether "young" or "old", 5 or 50.

"Don't drive yourself insane, on the limited edition hype train."
- TBK

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AND, they sold out. So be prepared for more bad tasting SLE games going forward. Yummy.

PanzerFreak-

"The SuperLE concept has left a bad taste in people's mouths. However the CE concept is yummy."

I've never seen anything in a Stern game that looks as well built or polished.

Going from Dialed In to BM66 was like going from a yacht to a dinghy.

Ouch!!

But I thought you like to play with dinghies.

I should have said " go to the club thread as well", as the view is quite different. Club threads are far from fanboy threads, but one like this is geared to everyone pissed at Stern, period ( sometimes, appear pissed, period, by their comments).

Call bullshit on the "fair and balanced" title of the thread. I was " honest" in my statement that I liked the game, and apparently, I'm either rich to keep it, or part of the 1% that like it. Both are ridiculous assumptions. Nothing wrong with an opinion, good or bad. Just stating to read some of the other threads, and play it. If you like it or not is for you to decide.

I've no problem with negative threads, as it's healthy to hear all sides.

( btw, I'll never own a DI, but love my WOZ. I find no joy in pointing it out across several threads. BM66LE stays for me because I ENJOY IT, even with early code)