Some thoughts I had 3 weeks ago with a couple added. The #1 thing is it feels like a real legitimate pinball machine.

Its a mixed bag now but it has some really good things going for it.
The pumpkin modes are actually really varied, unique, and fun.
There is a lot of negative shots in the game you need to avoid, which is another cool feature.
Nice risk/reward/rpg elements with spending earned blood droplets for bonii/improvements
Tight fast little layout that packs a lot of stuff in.
Code is the big issue so hopefully it will improve. Stacked modes are very confusing and not explained well on screen.
Sanitarium mode can sort of take over the game and if you don't complete it you're just kind of slogging away.
LED strips, even turned all the way down, can wash out some if the smaller inserts.
House attack csn seem to go one forever, or end really quick...might need to test the spinner up there.
Right orbit can be tuff and if its the last shot you're stuck; but thats pinball.

Yeah ill update the code and see whats improved

I'm 50/50. The hidden ball eject scoops on each side is the worst idea I've seen in any game. You are suppose to follow along and pay attention to whats on the lcd in order to collect and do things in this game but you can't. Ball pops out in the inlane and drains, not fun. I don't see how that can ever be fixed. I like everything else though. If it wasn't for the theme and they only made Ultraman, people would not be as hyped over it either. I'm curious how long this would last in a collection. It seems it would get old after awhile, like watching the movie over and over. Wouldn't know unless I owned it a year.

I got a chance to play Halloween a few times, there is a spot not far from me that has it and Next Level Pinball Museum in OR has it. I really enjoyed the sound package. I didn't find the shots too exciting, but the pop out Michael Myers on the left side were a lot of fun! Definitely feels like a Spooky Pinball style game when you play it!

You can’t just browbeat people into thinking a layout is fun.

“You don’t like Popeye because every inch of the playfield is covered in plastic garbage and you can never see the ball? Try paying attention!!”

For many people, the Halloween layout is a bug, not a feature, and you aren’t going to be able to berate them into enjoying the layout and those in lane ejects and the way they interact with the screen presentation.

The inlane lifters do catch new players off guard. People in my home don't have an issue with them, but we've also logged a couple hundred plays.

too much of the game is on the LCD

I have an Ultraman and I put in a full game on Halloween at the Allentown show. I love Ultraman but really love the look and feel of Halloween. The timing between ball eject into the inlanes and the videos playing is annoying though. You either train yourself to ignore the screen (and miss something interesting of pertinent) and always wait for the ball to appear or you tear yourself away from the video 10-15 seconds before it ends. I think that needs adjustment. The amount of time a ball takes to enter the scoop then reappear in the inlane is too long IMHO although it is a nice way to stash balls during multiball.

That said people that aren't pinheads LOVE Ultraman. As in "this is the coolest thing I've ever seen" love. People that are pinheads are like "dammit, the ball magically came down the inlane and drained on me".

I kinda want a Halloween too but don't have room. That knife handle shooter and knife along the ball launch are way cool!

I downloaded the 1.07 code so I'll try that out tonight.

yeah the lifters are slightly annoying at first and then you begin to appreciate them during multi balls.

I can see both sides here.
If you say you don't like the lifters and think it's horrible I can understand & that's totally fair.
But to act like the ball just keeps shooting out & draining all the time is a bit much. It tricked my wife for a couple games and she plays pinball aboot twice a year & I guarantee she's much higher than Viggen; and she got used to it.
There's audio & flasher cues.

Sure, then look for the Flashers, or realize the ball always re-appears from the lifters.

I have played a Halloween out in the wild that this shot was an absolute brick

It's not great, but at least you can shoot it form both flippers and and easy upper PF shot.

Absolutly love Ultraman so far. It's a great game and only going to get better. Enjoying the entire pacakage and quality of the game, its my first spooky game and I think they are doing a stellar job.

Posting here since a thread of interested folks! Only asking what I paid for it. Wishlist trades welcome!

SOLD!

Machine - For Sale

FS/FT: Ultraman (Collectors Edition) Featured Archived

HUO - Documented (Home Used Only) - “CE #104 with added CE plaques on coin door and backbox. Mint condition. About 150 total plays and latest 1.07 code installed. Topper included but not shown due to height of basemen...”

2022-05-25

Monroe Township, NJ

DaddyManD

6,899

Archived after: 7 days

Viewed: 1085 times

Status: Sold for $ 6,900

Contributed to Pinside

Got positive feedback

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Holiday weekend bump! Added more trade options since original post! Will close ad in a few days. Have some interest but waiting a few more days for cash or local top of list trades!

SOLD!

Machine - For Sale

FS/FT: Ultraman (Collectors Edition) Featured Archived

HUO - Documented (Home Used Only) - “CE #104 with added CE plaques on coin door and backbox. Mint condition. About 150 total plays and latest 1.07 code installed. Topper included but not shown due to height of basemen...”

2022-05-25

Monroe Township, NJ

DaddyManD

6,899

Archived after: 7 days

Viewed: 1085 times

Status: Sold for $ 6,900

Contributed to Pinside

Got positive feedback

I absolutely love playing Halloween. Last night I watched Bug's latest video playing the 1.07 code then I promptly went upstairs and had a blast trying to work my way through those new modes.

I know Halloween and Ultraman get negative press on the pinball podcasts, but I'm honestly not sure exactly why. I kind of think there's a perpetuating cycle where if the podcast hosts say something it then gets propagated through the pinball community without people actually adding their own two cents. I don't know though, I'm not that heavy into the community so maybe I'm missing something. What I do know is I own a Shrek, Halloween and have Godzilla on order. I'm quite happy with all three machines.

Oh, and I have to add that I really enjoy interviews and updates from the Spooky pinball people. I appreciate the fact that they clearly care about their work product, they make updates to their machines as they go through the production line (Hedge Multib and the LED strip on the topper are few examples) and customer service, to me anyway, is top notch. I did have to call them for an issue and they picked up the phone on the second ring and were happy to talk with me.

Wow this is very spot on to my opinion. Tough right orbit for me. Also stacked modes does get confusing.
BUT really love it haha. Seriously enjoy it very much. Halloween and John Carpenter are classic to me so that helps.

I played one for the first time in a home environment and wanted to throw the game out to the curb due to its many design flaws.

#1. No information on any insert telling what its purpose is.
#2. No way to know when the ball was going to upper PF.
No Flash, No GI on upper PF that goes on, if there is GI on the upper PF it wasn't working at all so area was totally dark.
Having a black colored flipper with black rubber on it didnt help either. (User modded ?)
No sound at all unless game sound was so low it couldn't be heard in quiet section of house.
#3 No audio cues to look at the display during the game to know what it wants you to shoot next.
Sure you can watch another player play and concentrate on the display but that doesn't help you when playing.
#4 Lack of ball visibility when shooting an orbit or loop shot. No way to know when / where it will come out.
#5 Where will the ball come out when hitting a scoop or lock. Sure there is a flasher but all games flash when you hit things on them.
No way to know what the flash actually means. If you look at the display to find out the ball is already draining.
#6 Blood Awards selection is very flawed. Shows red/white items but doesn't show if its available or not.
Seen many players select an award only to ask how do I lock it in.
No indication on the LCD at all if award is available or what to do to lock it in.
#7 No information on what to do during multiball at all. Display shows no objectives during its start up sequence.

Good things on game: Flippers felt real nice, all shots easy to hit on main PF, art package nailed to a T.

EDIT: Played a Halloween.

Just curious what the five minute fix is? I know owners that have replaced that deflector but it’s much more extensive than 5 min. My scoop hasn’t been too bad but always interested to hear about quick tricks to make it better.

One I played had no GI working.

Who has time to look at the display? The ball will drain before you get done reading it.

Yes it shows ALL awards, doesn't tell you how to actualy pick one. Let alone make a sound when you try to select one you can't due to lack of blood.

Could very well be the problem and why I observed all the above.

Thanks for explaining some of the nuances.

Gee I wonder how on earth did we pick things before center buttons?

You've been playing pinball since at least the 90s, stop acting stupid.

Trap Up. Look Up.

Ah I hit some nerves with my honest review, oh boohoo.

Huh, I usually wait until I've played quite a few games on a pin before leaving a review. In fact, I really only review games I've owned or spent significant time with, or have "beaten" in the case of shallow games.

To each their own of course, but I don't know how I could review a game that I played only a couple of times.

Did you play this "in a home environment" really, or play it in a "tournament setting?"
I'm not here for a brow-beating (sp?) becasue the game is NOT great at explaining things, but I know you know a lot aboot rules and aren't fucking stupid at the same time
I think we need to hear from JackPot Jared.

I feel like if you have to study a rule sheet or watch a video before playing a game, then it’s poorly designed in video instructions and audio call outs.

The Halloween I played still needs a lot of polish in many areas

Cue downvotes and people saying “well what about XYZ being poor at explaining nuance.”

Like AIQ for example, which I think most people do judge harshly for the low quality of animations, callouts, and explanations despite it being a very robust rule set with a lot of fun possibilities. And to be clear, I agree that AIQ is terrible in terms of presentation and I think people who don’t “get” AIQ should blame the game and not themselves for studying a pin in advance of playing.

I think there are a lot of valid criticisms of Halloween/Ultraman that some try to shout down because they’re a lot more willing to put in work before simply enjoying a pin.

And that’s without getting into some justifying their purchase. Or how some owners feel the need to replace factory hardware, like orbit switches, because they’re unreliable. Poor quality powder coating. Games that a surprising number of people struggle to update the code on. Undersized fuses from the factory. A lack of service information and documentation that’s even worse than the current poor industry standards. Etc

Don’t get me wrong though. Enjoy what you like. Some people have very differing opinions on game design and what should be accepted when it comes to owning a machine. (Cue more whataboutisms on other manufacturers)

The owners defending the pin have time on the game and know for a fact that the dribble y’all are typing is overblown/wrong.

I've had a few issues that I've had to resolve. It doesn't make me regret my purchase. My biggest problem is that my wife doesn't like it. She loves MMr, AFMr, CCr. Really loves CCr. I would probably trade my Halloween for an MBr just because my wife would love it. I do not love MBr like so many people do. I thoroughly enjoy the game and it would be a keeper for me if my wife was into it. I also have a number of full tear down restos under my belt so I'm not afraid to make a couple of changes if it improves the experience. This, like every other game, has people who love it and people who hate it. My wife hated BSD, DM, STTNG to name a few. That's why I ultimately sold them.

Have you ever played a modern pinball machine before ? One could apply most, if not all of these complaints to any recent Stern. Agreed on the art package

Kinda get the feeling you are asking for someone to argue with you. Truth is all modern games require a level of understanding to play them. These machines are so much more advanced then the pins we used to walk up to, read the apron card, and shoot for blinking lights. And yes, the pin has its flaws, but so does every pin ive ever owned. Ive actually been under the hood less often on my UM (#10) than some of my Sterns. It's a quirky and different game. But no matter what anyone says, it's fun. And in a year more people will work out the kinks, play the newest code, and the truth will finally shine through all the early hate. Remember, this pin sold out immediately. And when people started feeling like they were losing money, they started complaining and bailing. So, was it just Fomo, did they buy in support of spooky? Because its not because these pins are horrible. People acting like its Thunderbirds..

100%.. I play pinball.. my wife flips..

I’m not complaining about deep rules. I’m complaining about how poorly some games present their depth.

He views the game pretty much like I do. We talked about the game yesterday as a matter of fact as he asked TheLaw about the rules and strats. Major giveaway from our talk was just hit the middle ramp over and over to do well on it, ignore the rest.

He views the game pretty much like I do. We talked about the game yesterday as a matter of fact as he asked TheLaw about the rules and strats. Major giveaway from our talk was just hit the middle ramp over and over to do well on it, ignore the rest.

Edited for correct quote

Sort of ignoring all the MBs that way which usually isn't the best tournament strategy

Anyway, throw it out the door is fine by me. I'm just not agreeing with a tournament being home playing. Carry on.