Theme is #1
Theme immersion makes it even better. Sound, Video LCD, Callouts and Toys
Code makes it great.

If the Theme isn't there for me it'll never make it to great. Doesn't mean you can't like just playing a pin, any pin.

After buying and playing through a lot one thing is now very clear to me.

A theme that I like is a requirement to keep it.

I've played many games where the game plays really well but didn't like the theme and I enjoyed them but ultimately they had to go. I still have some of those but when the amazing themes coming out like tmnt and ST, they will be sold.

Great time for Pinball.

Alien, tmnt, Stranger Things, JJP GnR, Stern JP and GB. That will be my ultimate theme lineup and it's going to happen in 2020

I think it all depends on the era of game.

When I'm playing old EMs and early SS stuff I could give two shits about theme. It's all about the layout.

Newer stuff the theme has more emphasis... so I think people start to directly tie that to the game.

I think we’re discussing license not theme.

Game of thrones could have been a generic fantasy game I would enjoy it just as much. The license is the selling factor you’re talking about. Black knight as a generic theme rocks, as a licensed property it doesn’t have mass appeal. But I like it

For me themes are important but having an attached popular license is not as important.
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music theme pins don’t do much for me. Some of the bands I like, some of the pins I like but the 2 don’t need to come together to have a fun experience for me. I can play Metallica with the sound off and still have a fun time.

I liked the generic ripoff themes of the 80s and 90s. T’eed off wouldn’t be more fun if it was called caddyshack.

i like games with good themes, but i mainly like a game for the gameplay

Never seen Jurassic Park The Lost World - own and enjoy the game.

Couldn’t care less about The Addams Family, but the pin is one of the best of all time.

There’s a couple times where the theme and the game play are perfect for me - and those games - I love. Aerosmith is my favorite example of this. X Files is another.

I would. If the game is that much fun, I don't really care about the theme. Good themes do not always equal fun either and no games are perfect. Best examples are GB and Iron Maiden. At first, I thought for sure I was going to buy GB based on theme and how the pf looked. That all changed after playing a bunch of times. Exact opposite with Maiden. Zero interest at first because don't like theme but that all changed after playing. Any game can be great for different reasons or a dud for other reasons. Theme is just one part of the bigger puzzle. Art, music, callouts, animations, toys, how shots feel, etc.

In my opinion theme has always been the key to pinball interest, marketing, and sales. Look at all the games from the 70’s and 80’s. Most had the same 3 bells and chimes yet some outsold all for a reason. Theme. Would Kiss or Playboy sell the same units if it was called Barbie or Hitler? My guess is no. Same holds true today. Theme is not the only reason for interest but it is the primary reason for sales.

Theme is the headline. It's the initial spark that grabs someone's interest.

After that, it's the layout, gameplay, and the execution of that theme that makes it a good (or bad) game.

Ask all the folks that refused to even try WWE Wrestlemania . I am a wrestling fan, loved the theme, but the game stunk IMO. No buy from me.

I would most likely be in on a Hitler Barbie game.

obviously its a combination of theme and layout. Not sure how well the reception would be if stern made a maiden style layout with nothing but a blank white wood with score reels.

That’s the real question for those “how it shoots” only buyers. If a great shooter like Maiden was instead marketed as Barney and Friends would they still be a buyer?

There's certain themes that appeal to certain audiences. If someone had kids, maybe a kid-friendly themed pin would work for them.

Some people enjoy horror-themed pins, and some of those might not be appropriate for a household with kids. I've heard from a few people about them being looking or sounding too scary.

Theme is #1.

I will never own a GnR, Walking Dead or Sopranos solely because on theme, regardless of game play. But that's just me.

Exactly! proving that both theme and layout are equally important. GB was a grail theme for most but the layout really soured a lot of fans.

They're theme whores, and it's just the way the biz is now.

Yes, theme has prevented me from having interest in just about every new machine in the last ten years. I don't care for themes in a new game that are well past their prime.

Then along comes Rick and Morty...

Yes. All modern purchases have to be a fun theme for me to stay long in my pin rotation. I have an Avengers Pro because I grew up a huge Avengers fan and read comics a lot. It's not the greatest layout or the most fun pin to ever play, but it's bolted to the ground. Same with Star Wars Premium (decent layout, don't like the code), same with Walking Dead (which I love layout and code on).

EMs and solid states I solely get based on gameplay I enjoy regardless of theme. Jumping Jack comes to mind. It's a fun layout for me, but I don't particularly enjoy a theme with clowns.

I'd love to have an Iron Man just on theme, the two I played left me disappointed for some reason.

Ditto on the clown themes, just weird.

Best underrated pin!

I need to quit my theme whoring ways. Save me from this evil pinside!

For me the whole package matters.

I only have room for so many pins. So it’s nice when they can reflect something beyond my interest in pins/games. Like interest or fandom in a show, genre, or brand. They become just as much a showpiece as an entertainment device.

I’ll admit I have avoided many games because of nothing more than the theme didn’t seem like the content behind it would appeal to me.

I’ve been disappointed by some themes that didn’t live up to expectations or potential (no original source content or simply not enough). Poor gameplay, etc.

I have also been pleasantly surprised several times by pins (real and virtual) that were far more fun than I expected based on the theme.

Swords of Fury and Wonderland come immediately to mind.

Problem is if I like the theme. It’s easier for me to risk a few dollars to play (though I would still have a hard time blind buying for HUO).

If I know nothing about the theme I would never blind buy.

Having a vpin now is nice in that regard. I can preview most tables (except brand new ones) and get a feel for how well I like the table overall then decide.

Also getting tables in packs (zen and pinball arcade) was annoying at first but has really encouraged me to give some of the unknowns/uncertains a try that I would not have invested in directly.

Sorry once a whore always a whore, there's no going back

Twister is a horrible game and even worse movie, or was it the other way around.
CSI is a terrible show and and even worse Pinball machine.

See...we're trying to help!

I like themes with cowboys and Indians, Vikings, clowns, and hot women. Even a pirate theme as long as it has nothing to do with Disney.

Theme is at the absolute bottom of my list. Unless it's Family Guy. I hate that show enough to never play that game. Besides that... I do not care about theme.

I can change! Aww hell who I am kidding? Just call me pinball theme slut.

I like twister. See I cannot help it.

theme is everything. Its what drives UP value on stinkers like TMNT and BTTF and what drives DOWN value on underrated gems like Baywatch and Congo and Shadow. IF either of those three games had themes as strong as the former two titles, they would be double their current value if not more.

There can always be a bridge too far. I'm like you with theme, although I couldn't own anything with wrestling involved...well WWF/WWE wrestling anyway.
But I've owned both Mettalica & IMDN which are top class games; dumpster dive music.

I like Twister too, game and movie, so don't feel alone

Who couldn't like Helen Hunt!

Any man under 45?

In typical pinside fashion-

"she is still that cute girl from Swiss Family Robinson as far as I'm concerned"

Then we can leave the "man" part out

Don't you mean Robinson family as in Lost In Space?

I'm not so much about theme as I am about cashbox. For me, the cashbox never lies.

LTG : )

No, that would be Penny.

This one included a treehouse.

I like it

I'd give my left nut for Elvira. Not sure of its cash value though.

My mother, who is a tad older than Elvira, gave up her left boob not long ago.

Great metric....so has theme driven the cashbox, or a game no one knows but is fun to play?

Yes, I have my pins in the basement next to the kids playroom. My young kids wouldnt use it if I got TWD, Dracula, or Freddy.

For my location. I believe the fun factor gets the second paid play and more. More so than theme.

LTG : )

Yes but not everything... example DE Back to the future has great theme but what a shitty game to play. I’m still amazed what people pay for that pin.

So I would think many titles carry both...great theme and great play (TAF as my bar here). I'm curious, from your standpoint ( a very knowledgeable one) and cashbox, what would be an example of (1) great theme, great gameplay, great ROI...(2) great theme, horrid gameplay, bad ROI.....(3) bad theme, great gameplay, great ROI.

I think this would help many (including me) from overlooking titles that might be enjoyable to own and play. How does a game like Congo, or SS fit your metric? Guessing category "2" or "3"?

Never had a Congo here. Had a mint SS about 14 years ago. Mediocre at best.

TAF is both recognizable and stood the test of time. The New Yorker, TV series, and movies helped it along. Medieval Madness always kills. The looks - medieval, castle, humor, draws in a large audience. Attack From Mars though similar, not the same attraction. Though now the remakes do great because people remember them, and new players, like their looks. So you cover a wider audience.

Then every once in awhile you get one like AC/DC Premium I had here briefly for a visit, and people were drawn to it. I think the combo of recognizable band, music, and the cream of the crop - Steve Ritchie and Lyman Sheats. Which led to my getting the Luci Vault a year ago.

Appealing to a wider audience gets an easier shot at the first coin up. Fun gets the repeat business easier.

This is my location. Other places may have way different experiences.

LTG : )

We had a Congo on location with about another 150 games in the 90s at the same place. It never drew much of a crowd and I played it very little. First impressions mean a lot when it comes to my 50 cents I guess. In the few times I have played it recently those impressions did not change.

When playing on location, for me, with so many choices games needed some kind of a hook. Brash, in your face themes, always appealed to me.

But what it really came down to is how attainable is a replay. That goes way back to the beginning for me. And still feels great when I earn one today.