I’m not sure the point of the upper PF. Seems like the ball will go into the lock without even flipping so it’s like an alternate ramp ending. Can you imagine if every time you got to the upper PF on Simpsons the ball rolls into the couch or on woz the ball just locks in the castle rather than having to skillfully shoot the ball there.

The other side is the bass ramp which I’m not sure if that’s too difficult just have to shoot the ball into a saucer.

I’m unclear how interesting or challenging the upper PF is maybe it’s just eye candy or something for noobs to admire.

Being a huge G'n'R fan I was so looking forward to this pin but I'm finding it hard to get excited about the game play. Love the design with the drum sticks, Gibson head and Bass guitar return and the lighting is awesome. The amount of multiballs is a big turn off and some drop/standup targets or a toy to hit is sorely missing. Seems like its ramps and multiballs and not much else. Hope when I eventually get to play the game it changes my view.

This game looks great. I think this is one of the better examples of a three tier game I have seen to date.
I have broken all of my normal “rules” to buy an LE.

After 10 plus years and about 45 games going through my collection I became comfortable with some boundaries.
1. No nib JJP b/c the price is now too high. (I was a day one WOZECLE for $6500)
2. Play before you buy.
3. Wait until it’s out a year so the hype train can go away and the code can mature.
I saw the release and threw all that out the window.

What a perfect storm of licensor (Slash/GnR) support and company (JJP) willingness to go for it with tons of features. To me all three models really knock it out of the park. Sure, I have likes (guitar head stocks) and dislikes (SE cabinet art), but all have a really awesome potential. I say potential only because I haven’t played one.

The SE still has 21 full songs from GNR, callouts from all the band members, custom molded sculpts, drumstick ramps etc. I have no doubt it will be fun and the music will rock.

I think the LE is pretty much perfect for my wants, except price. So I’m selling a game to fund a big part of it.

I like that the CE has the unique ball save mech. I would want something extra like that if I spent 12K. It’s the first JJP CE that seems worth the extra money that I’ve seen.

Great Job on this game team JJP!

Most of the videos are not unbiased like Zach saying not one bad word about it. Really not one bad thing? It’s almost like he’s trying to sell us the game.

I think the game does look great but I’d like to hear an unbiased review. I understand this was a first impression video not a review. So I’m going to play it myself before sinking $10K for a LE

Yeah that video was a droolfest. I get it, they are excited but not sure how much value that added. The basically repeated the content in the SDTM launch video.

That is great hearing JJP will be mixing shorter runs so as to get all models out. That is probably the best way to do things.

I ordered an LE and have no idea when it will arrive. Had a chance to get a CE and chose NOT to. As much as I prefer it’s cab art and purple trim, I wasn’t willing to shell out another $3k. In retrospect I wish I had. I console myself guessing I’ll probably receive my game next month.

I’m still very impressed with the pin blown away as others are by the lights. I just hope the upper PF is fun to shoot and important not just a flail fest where it doesn’t matter what happens with the shoots.

I didn't realize there was a mech that was only on the CE. So that means only 500 machines ever will have the full GNR gameplay?

Not really. On the LE it will be a virtual lock in place of the mech.

Ah OK, so the coma thing works with a virtual lock on the LE.

True and it costs $3k to get one of those. The physical kickback mech is replaced with virtual locks in other models, so everyone enjoys the same functionality. The mech is not a standout feature IMO as much as the cosmetic changes to art, trim color and the added topper.

Pinball design is a team effort.
Out of curiosity, does Elwin also have an Electro Mechanical University Degree?

It is not a flail-fest when you get used to it. Four total shots and two are very important. The bass ramp shot (To qualify Duff) and the guitar neck lock. You can cradle the ball up there, so both shots are easy to repeat when you get the hang of it. The other two shots are "Fog" and "Lights". I believe fog is a booster of some sort and the lights target starts "Throw the Lights Multiball"
upper PF (resized).png

I was going to mention the same. It’s def something you have a good amount of control over with two main ways to go with the ball. In fact, I noticed, when playing there is a ball guide/gate on the right side of the upper PF that aligns the ball down back to the flipper if it doesn’t quite go all the way right. Hard to describe but from my experience, the upper wasn’t something you stay on too long like pirates but felt like it contributed enough to warrant being there.

Ok thanks.

I see the ball going straight up to the lock on flip n out video so if that’s the case only one shot is important.

However I’ve not played it so I’ll bow to your assessment.

Funny how they give the awards to one dude.

Cool I want the LE for looks but glad to hear the upper PF is fun. That’s the most important thing.

Yeah, I don't know how Kaneda does it.

I saw the picture Kermit put up and in the videos I have seen it's hard to tell what's going on from the above view , I'm not sure if it's good or not , we'll have to wait for more videos or better yet actually get to play the thing .

Ordering an LE in January. In no rush.

To be fair Zach says he prefers playing stranger things to The Avengers .
But one could argue he is trying to sell any stranger things he's got and knows Avengers will sell anyway , but I doubt that .

Order numbers do not mean anything.

Gotta move that product to make warehouse space.

What looks busy and confusing with GNR is that the lighting is not conventional. Usually one colored light or insert shape is used for mode shots and another color and shape for other objectives. You could always count on sage advice of shoot for the blinking lights. In the case of JJPGNR, half the lights might be on any given time. So now you need another way to progress and keep track of the vitals.

So what might those be? 1) qualify band members to light all revolver inserts solid 2) shoot blinking scoop shot to start a song. You’ll see a screen to choose a song. These would be the first places I would monitor. 3) as you hit 3 min mark on the song you see the lowest level album is collected and the album insert is lit solid. Repeat songs on the same album to switch album levels for more points. 4) collect 4 album inserts, Slash original music insert and 1 other insert (?) to start final mode (?). The inserts all reside on the playfield.

All the blinking lights and most content on both lcd screens is icing on a cake. Watch it when you can and be sure to multitask by listening to the damn music.

Then why are you here in this thread? Go to a Stern thread that has one of Keith’s games! Problem solved!

The vision is, you do all this work to get a song and it would be nice to hear more than 6 seconds of it

To watch fanbois stroke it until they bleed.

You?

On my game it goes to the lock unassisted a smaller percentage of the time, most of the time you need to use the flipper up there. I bet how often this happens depends on the pitch of the game. I am at 7.4.

This isn’t the owners’ thread. I want to hear different views of the game—positive or negative—as long as the views aren’t just useless trolling or fanboy/sales pitch crap. Isn’t that the point of these forums?

G'day Keith , I saw a screenshot of what looks like a fighting game , is that mode in the game ?
Great job by the way .

If you want to be in an echo chamber of positivity, head over to the owners thread. Or even better yet, go to the JJP fan Facebook page. I’m sure you are a lead contributor there.

I’m in n a CE. You buying a GNR???

Appreciate the pic and description. It was initially hard to understand how the upper playfield was laid out.

I appreciate the advice. So stupid. Lol

You get that they can pick an LE number right? This doesn’t mean they sold 3000 LEs

.

good to hear!

Wow thats pretty steep...is that the factory recommended pitch or just the pitch u enjoy?

Maybe dumb question..
How work the triple path bass ramp wireform and what it is used for? Is it possible to controle the diverters?
Thanks

Yep I get it. You want my mom to be able to walk to the game and enjoy a song. I respect that... I just hope it is still enjoyable/challenging for the folks who actually put 99% of games on the machine. I’m sure it will be, I haven’t played it yet. Looking forward to SE gameplay videos, I’m very interested in potentially purchasing one.

Bam. That's what I'm talking about, that's what i want. Good to hear you are loving it Kermit!

TOO MUCH. This isn't a game for the weak minded nerds. LOL

My guess is the song modes will be more fun (and lead to less finger strain) if you disable all the add-a-balls and maybe make the outlanes a little tighter.

What? Elwin can run circles around him.
JP2 is a masterpiece.....and Lyman wasn't even on the code. The game has everything you need even with the missing IP assets.

Regardless of opinion on GNR, this has been the most exciting week of pinball in awhile.
JJP joins other manufacturers all shipping new titles NOW!

Spooky, AP, Stern and JJP - still unbelievable to see happening.
What a time to appreciate this hobby.

both of you sound like "my dad can beat up your dad" . They are both amazing designers and I for one am happy the older are getting replaced with the awesomness of these two! There is no "better", they both are good and we now have tough decisions on what amazing games to buy and from what company! that my friend is good for this hobby!

Dougie I'm with you.... can't wait to get this one, shut the lights out, grab my 16 year old Lagavulin and rock out to the incredible music of GnfnR!

Eric himself said in the Super Awesome Pinball Podcast the game can be challenging to shoot, and also that he wanted some things in the game, had to scale back a bit. That's pretty unbiased, and from the designer himself.

Delt and I had pretty leveled thoughts on Wednesday, and I know we're both in on a game. Well me, down the road.

No game is perfect, but THIS is ideal.

That interview is really enjoyable, and worth a listen by the way. Eric discussing those roll over piano keys, that aren't mechanical switches, sounds amazing, and the little audio design touches, truly inspiring stuff!

Did JJP suggest a certain pitch in documentation? I kept wondering the other day....

Sometimes it's fun to ride a wave of excitement! It's genuinely rare in this hobby, and fortunately R&M, Hot Wheels, TMNT, Avengers, and now GnR have all had a nice first week of upbeat energy!

I maintain that energy to the very moment I played all of those games, and then at that point, after a few games, and then some reflection, you see where things fall out.

Until then, why not ride the fun wave? What else do we have to be excited about, in general, and as pinheads?

What’s the metal bracket between fog and lights? It looks like it gets in the way of the shot to the bass, but it could just be the angle of the pic.

Zach and Greg have had similar reactions to previous JJP launches when they were invited to JJP for an early look. It probably seems more special because the only launch games every few years vs Stern with 4 a year. Then again I believe they seem to really like most of the JJP games. They drooled over Dialed in as well, probably not to this extent. I think Zack and Greg had reactions like a lot of us had when seeing the amazing lighting/theme integration/hand drawn art. The one thing I will wait and see if it plays out is Zack saying how great the game shoots. The streams Ive watched dont really make it seem like a great shooting game when compared to some other recent ones but time will tell. I doubt itll shoot as well as say Dialed In. I have one on order(LE) and even if it doesnt end up being the best shooter the experience will overcome it imho.