Yes, the potential was there all along... a simple collage of the otherwise impressive LE artwork on the playfield would vastly improve the game's appeal on all models... even if the cabinet/translites remained as magnified Sears family portraits. Why no action shots anyway? Stern has done quite a bit of that in the past.

Good thinking. That helps for sure. I don't think the art will look better in person, but the game, come to life, probably will.

What if the gray scale "shield" is actually a metallic that will reflect the lighting in an amazing way? Just thinking that stern couldn't be so lazy.

I just re-watched the intro, probably not one of the more recent ones that shows a lot more places, but am I crazy that I'm only seeing like 2 gears total in the intro... and zero chains?

As far as I can tell, at no point are there two gears side by side where one spins to make the other spin, and certainly "gears" are not the thing that stand out to me in the intro.

A looooooooong time.

Most expensive pin by Stern and no shaker or color DMD

Dim lighting and cheap fabric thats how you move merchandise...

Mr. Seinfeld.

No chains, but there are gears on almost every location:

Still, I agree, the use of the on the playfield doesn't feel right. The gears were mechanisms to raise and move pieces, not objects in and of themselves to just be scattered around randomly.

...except for the Happy Meal artwork right in front of the flippers. That is not gorgeous.

It helps - hmmmm

Also, if you actually look at each of the gears they don't interact with each other like an actual machine would.

They're almost all just overlapping each other, have different teeth that don't connect, some are metal and some are wood, etc...it's just really bizarre and isn't evocative of an intricately crafted toy like in the show opener.

I guess I can see a couple in most locations... still not very prominent, and definitely not all the same looking kind of gears.

I think what stands out to me is that the map in the intro is kind of the board where the "game" is being played. The locations come together as clockwork toys or peices in the game. If any one thing comes out of the intro as a potential candidate for the pinball's playfield, it's the map, not the mechanisms.

From my limited viewing of the details on the playfield, I don't get the sense of texture from the playfield gears that I do from the GoT opening. They look like flat, 2D geometric designs on the playfield. No 3d feel to me, not because of the shadowing I think, but because of the repetitive nature and symmetry of the "gears." They don't look unique at each site on the playfield, like they would in a real machine.

If art matters, these games can still be found. I have all 3 for less than the price of a GoTLE. They do need a lot of love to keep running though...

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For real! Look at these. How would these gears even spin? Their teeth are so pressed into each other than it would bind up, not to mention that somehow the centers overlap, but the teeth don't...

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I feel like I could spend considerably less than 7K (and countless hours) and come up with a custom P-ROC GOT game that I'd like more...

Edit: Oops, quoted myself instead of editing...

I think the inserts are just too big, so hard to get good art around. This why I don't like T2 or DM, but those are wide bodies; there is more room for bigger inserts.

LOL like the developers know nothing about the show, they think gears are important or desirable.

Please Stern make "The Wall" and the cold nights watch, the centerpiece of the premium package!!! Don't overload it with White walkers and nonsense. We want grim and cold!!!! You've got a buyer here if that's the case.

GEARS are an homage to Mustang, duh.

Not that I'd ever buy a 7k game for the "privilege" of redoing the artwork, but if you had a design that was better, what would it cost to sand a pf down to wood, print your new image, and have it clear coated? I'm not talking overlays, but actual direct printed wood.

Crossing fingers premium comes with unpopulated whitewood and all the parts in boxes

And some paint by numbers art stencils?

That is some funny stuff right there....

Actually, I'd rather have my 8th grade girl, who's artsy, paint me some crap on a blank play field as a school project, much better.

It's too bad they can't do quality licensed theme artwork like they used to. Those days are gone for good.

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Looking at this game at a distance or up close, you have to admit, it is 100% Stern. All the complaints and whatever praises may be floating in this thread, Stern has given everyone exactly what Stern has done in the past, as far as I can remember.

The game looks, and will probably taste and feel like any other Stern game, whether it be a "good" game, like STLE or a bad one (you pick). The cabinet art work really is tolerable, when you come down to it.

The translites are kinda boring, with no centered theme, IMO. Game of Thrones is much larger than any one house, so to see it with Danni, and including Drogo (why) only, or any other house, is limiting in my opinion. I'd have preferred the opening logo of the series with the four house "Crest" heads on it.

But the real deal killer is whatever drives Stern playfield design and artwork. Stern has got to do something about their "drag and drop" looking playfields with dime store looking toys sprinkled on them. The layouts, and insert shapes may change, but they all look the same. The playfield artwork and toys make me sad on every Stern game I look at, and makes me never consider a Stern game as a purchase.

I definitely wouldn't try painting it but I know a very talented artist that can paint some awesome fucking shit that I'd love to put a bundle of cash in his pocket to do a 1 of 1 true LE

In my experience, owning several classic Ballys myself, they're actually very dependable machines.

But yes, the art on them tends to be beautiful. And the early games were designed as just blank whitewoods, and then they handed them off to the artist to come up with the theme and art. Kevin O Connor was into magicians at the time and boom, you get Mystic. Lots of fun.

It's much more challenging with a license. But I think we all figured with 2 years that this one would have some care and thought put into the art. Somehow it looks more rushed than any other Stern in recent memory though instead.

Thank you. That makes me feel a little better.

They did the Valyrian steel poorly.

You snarky bastard - JM is much better and you know it, Odin.

EDIT - maybe you're being serious, I should give you the benefit of a doubt.

Sorry, i find that hideous.

I have NERD raged a bit over the past few Sterns for the use of Layer Styles such as the Bevel & Emboss and so on.... Glad others are seeing why I am so upset. Notice the screen capture of the Layer Style Menu, all of them layer styles are used on the playfield. However, the issue is not that they used them... These layer styles can be very useful when used as an accent. When you properly use these layer styles, no one should be able to tell you used them.

In Sterns case, they used every single layer style via its default setting 100% ALL OVER THE PLAYFIELD. This is not only unacceptable it is extremely unprofessional for a company like Stern. I wish... I could convince everyone how sloppy and cheap this is. I really hope, all of you who are interested in buying this turd reconsider. I think this is the only way for stern to wake up and hire real artists and designers and not some crack head off the street. I know I am not the only one who thinks this.... Pinball is art! Look at it's history, it is amazing. Now look at stern... At this point, if the crap they keep coming out with gets worse than this. I rather them go out of business and give the indie-shops a chance to sit in the throne. F**K you Stern.

It took me a while to come around to your point of view. I get it now. It can be summed up in a phrase...lazy art. Your only sin was talking out-of-school to the rest of us.

The one question I have, are the real actor's voices from the show going to be in the game, or is it just the Hound? Because if it's just him, it's really not going to feel like game of thrones. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

Well hell, looks like we got us a white walker!

You could put a mini PLAYFIELD there if you wanted

Said on Facebook. There will be show call outs as well. Hound will provide unique pinball ones

It's family friendly like pinside. No boobs, not even moobs.

Did they specifically say that? I thought I saw someone on FB asked if there would be voices from other characters (plural) and I believe Stern said yes.

Someone else specifically asked if there would be voice clips from the show and they were vague with a "stay tuned" kind of answer.

I seriously hope they don't try to squeak by with just voice work from The Hound and Melisandra. Or worse...more sound-alikes.

Also, it seriously sucks that the custom voice work from Rory McCann (The Hound) is almost entirely being overlooked because of the art...he has crazy good presence and his insult call-outs written by Ritchie could be epic.

I have been excited about this title for some time now. I understand the complaints about the art, but for me I don't have that big a problem with it. Is it what I imagined? No. Do I think it sucks? No. I have been playing this game we all love for 35 years. And I am really stoked to play this table. Love me some Ritchie games and this one looks promising as heck! I buy pinball machines to play and this looks like a player. I have a feeling a lot of people whining about the art, alot not all, are the same guys that have machines sitting in their basement, on 5-ball play, unleveled, factory high scores still on the board and a layer of dust on the flipper buttons. I was around when Gottlieb closed (and yes it did suck at the time) and Williams closed (really sucked at the time). This is a great time for pinball, and I'm loving it. Hobbit Killer? WTF!! If I could afford it I'd own both GOT and TH.

Happy flipp'n dudes!!

That's 35 year old technology. They probably don't make the chips for doing that feature any more.

I think that mata hari back glass makes tiger law sad.

And also the real Mata Hari, who looked nothing like that, and probably never gave a secret map to a German "baron". Poor beautiful woman.

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My sources tell me that the only line they got from the show was from Hodor.

But it repeats for every target/switch you hit so it won't be repetitive.

What I meant is that the orbit could be place further out, leaving more room to put something there was all

Did not start to see the whole show yet. So i am not sure how big of a part Carice van Houten has.

But she is into pinball, and last year she said she would buy a got pin instantly and would even do call outs.... FOR FREE!!!!

But not sure if she is a mayor player in this series.

(Will start looking when its finished, still avoided all spoilers so far, saw a few episodes season 1)

It was probably some fanboy interns idea. "Hey! You know what would be kinda cool?"...

I warned you before didn't I? LOL!

I don't know if these are just preliminary concept images, but for GOT Monopoly and Risk, it looks like no characters are displayed and the focus is on the house icons and the map.

In other media I'm not seeing where HBO is being restrictive with this license to the point where all products have the same look and feel and stock promotional images plastered all over.

Heck, take a look at the various GOT bobblehead packaging. I don't see any stock photos. I only see photos of the bobblehead itself...

No photos on the GOT action figure packaging...

As far as I can tell, there are no gears in sight... And no chains!

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The Ukraine is weak.

RISK Game of Thrones??????? I am in!!