(Topic ID: 51750)

Do you prefer original or licensed themes?

By Bearded_Warrior

10 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 21 posts
  • 17 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by beatmaster
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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    Topic poll

    “Do you prefer original or licensed themes?”

    • Original 35 votes
      56%
    • Licensed 8 votes
      13%
    • No preference 19 votes
      31%

    (62 votes by 0 Pinsiders)

    #2 10 years ago

    Original is what I voted because most of my pinball are Midway. They did the best Original pinballs 1976-1999. But STERN best Pinball machines are licensed and I own several of them. So I guess I should have voted No preference.

    #3 10 years ago

    Original themes are awesome. I doubt we see many more though with the rise of the LCD screen . . . the companies barely want to pay voice actors . . . no way they pay real actors plus a special effects crew.

    I voted for theme'd machines anyway . . . an awesome theme to me like XMen or Doctor Who simply can't be recreated.

    You just can't match that kind of depth with an original theme with no franchise material to back it up on . . . this isn't a slap in the face of really awesome games like MM or AFM . . . but I'd take a Game of Thrones pinball machine any day over some unthemed wild west shoot out or bank robbery theme.

    #4 10 years ago

    I like fun pins.

    #5 10 years ago

    It's an interesting subject and although a lot of people say that Stern should do new "original" themed pinballs then consider this ....

    Try and think of a NON-licensed pinball you would like to see Stern do ... AND ... make it a theme that hasn't already been done !!

    #6 10 years ago

    Dosnt matter the slightest. . For me if its a fun awesome pin that makes me wanna play it then the rest counts for nothing!

    #7 10 years ago

    Original by a mile.

    #8 10 years ago
    Quoted from TigerLaw:

    Original themes are awesome. I doubt we see many more though with the rise of the LCD screen . . . the companies barely want to pay voice actors . . . no way they pay real actors plus a special effects crew.

    Could you imagine? An LCD screen with Live Action footage with actors instead of Animation?

    For instance, a Cold War Submarine theme, with an Captain actor shouting orders; scenes that go along with the modes you are attempting.

    The idea reminds me a lot of those CDI games that came out in the 90s, Night Trap and the like. But I agree, the cost to have a good production value shoot to achieve something like that is many times over what it costs to animate a DMD. So we will probably never see it. Cost reductions and profit over innovation FTW!

    #9 10 years ago

    I voted original themes based on the pins I like best, but some licensed themes are pretty darn good. Just no more band themes, please! How about 'The Hunt for Red October' for a theme. That could be great!

    #10 10 years ago

    I've got 5 licensed and 3 original. A fun pin is a fun pin regardless. However, with Doctor Who, Tommy, BSD and Goldeneye, the theme didn't hurt at all in my purchase as I am a huge huge fan of all those movies/tv show/musical.

    #11 10 years ago

    I just prefer fun games with good art and sound. There are a bunch of great unlicensed pins, but there are a bunch of great licensed pins too - TAF, TZ, and so on.

    When it's phoned in lazy style just because they're banking on the theme to sell it no matter what, that sucks.

    #12 10 years ago

    A lot of the sought after titles out there are original themes. Or should I say some of the higher priced machines are original themes. Before I started collecting games my favorite machines were MM, CV, TOM, AFM, TOTAN etc. All original. Back then I was not crazy about the licensed themes because the games were not as good.

    #13 10 years ago

    New original themes on the horizon that I've heard about.
    Hopefully there will be more in the very near future.
    Exciting times coming soon.

    Magic Girl - JPOP
    Zombie AdventureLand - JPOP
    Pinball Zombies from Beyond the Grave - Spooky Pinball
    Full Throttle - Heighway Pinball
    Captain Nemo - Quetzal Pinball
    Ghost Squad - Ben Heck (though name will likely change)

    Any others I'm not aware of?

    #14 10 years ago

    Multimorphic so far has proposed all original themes.

    Lexi Lightspeed and cosmic kart racing are the first 2. Both obviously use the LCD in a big way, as it is the playfield.

    #15 10 years ago

    I like rock themes...it might just be a phase though...I'm sure the success of AC/DC and potentially Metallica has a lot to do with the "phase" I'm in. I'll probably remain a rock theme kind of guy until Stern makes one that really sucks!

    #16 10 years ago

    I have a strong preference for original themes. That may be partially because I'm beyond burned-out on Stern only making Marvel and Old White Rock Band pins, but there's something just plain cool about a game that doesn't have to conform to an existing license.

    #17 10 years ago
    Quoted from MIL:

    It's an interesting subject and although a lot of people say that Stern should do new "original" themed pinballs then consider this ....
    Try and think of a NON-licensed pinball you would like to see Stern do ... AND ... make it a theme that hasn't already been done !!

    Zombies. (though that's in the works, from what I understand)
    Steampunk. (Think of the potential for badass toys.)
    World War II.
    Racing. (think Fast And Furious meets Getaway, or something.)
    Hunting (Hell, Big Buck Hunter could've been basically the same game but without the license, and I would've found it more accessible.)
    An original electronic music/techno/etc. theme where certain shots were timed and had to be hit within a certain measure of a 16-bar phrase, for instance
    Retro-futuristic / alternate universe (in the same vein as the Fallout games, for instance.)

    #18 10 years ago

    Also, what about a Rube Goldberg-esque theme?

    #19 10 years ago
    Quoted from Collin:

    I have a strong preference for original themes. That may be partially because I'm beyond burned-out on Stern only making Marvel and Old White Rock Band pins, but there's something just plain cool about a game that doesn't have to conform to an existing license.

    Seems like I am one of the few who actually prefer the licensed themes. Most original themes feel kind of cheap and generic to me and I have a hard time connecting to the game. With different licenses there is a certain mass appeal where you already have a level of understanding about the source material and have some idea of what to expect. And it adds some level of legitimacy to the game because of the endorsement, in my opinion. The downside is that some people will write it off purely based on the theme alone.

    #20 10 years ago

    Many of the popular older nom licensed themes
    Diner, Whirlwind, Black Knight 2000, Bad Cats, Swords of Fury, Taxi, Paragon, Bally Lost World, F-14 Tomcat, Fire!, Pinbot, Jokerz, Mousin' Around, Police Force, Pool Sharks, Radical, Riverboat Gambler, Road Kings, Rollergames, Space Station, Pinball Magic, Breakshot, or even Airborne

    #21 10 years ago

    as long as the game play and artwork is good, i'm fine.

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