Quoted from PinballConspiracy:

I only li$ted my spot for sale bc of a financial situation that is fa$t approaching

Quoted from Reality_Studio:

Seems like their support is about as quick as Sterns, send an email, get a part, nice

Quoted from delt31:

OK - finally had a chance to play Halloween. Helicon Brewery - continues to be the best in the business! Chris and Chris - thanks again!

So after playing Ultraman first, I came away really thinking about letting my halloween pre order go. Layout was interesting but I just wasn't connecting with it. I also don't care for Ultraman and theme to me is important so I decided I need to play Halloween first before deciding. After playing Halloween, it's crystal clear. Definitely keeping my pre order and I actually might need to go butter cabinet!

As a reminder though for those on the fence and don't appreciate halloween or care for the movie, I can easily see folks disliking it or not understanding why it's good. What pushed me over no doubt is the fact I absolutely love this movie.

So halloween pinball.....I really enjoyed my time on it. The music, art, assets, etc really bring this game together. The slower moving ball to the flipper after hitting that scoop (vs shooting back at you) - it's perfectly in line with Michael stalking you and popping up out of nowhere. I can't think of another theme where I would say that but for this one, it makes sense and it works. The unique layout and feel, including those upper PFs really just work so much better with this theme primarily b/c it's not expected to be in your face, over the top like ultraman is. For that theme, I would want a diff layout. For Halloween, it just made sense and felt right. The top pf for example, understanding you're in that house, trying to find a way out which translates so well to hitting through those super tight shots and eventually getting that ball across - it just makes so much sense and brings you into that scene. The ball then drops down, like Michael off that roof when he gets shot - again translates so well from movie to pinball. Hard to explain for sure but it just takes the layout to the next level.

Here are some things that surprised me (good and bad):

1) Video assets and animations were fine. Yes, they look terrible on youtube but actually playing the game, I enjoyed them. Weird to say but the one thing I wanted more of wasn't video clips....it was

2) MORE SPEECH! This game could really use an injection of movie speech, especially Laurie. We need Michael breathing!! Spooky - yes, video clips are great but I would think speech is an easy thing to get in there and an immediate boost. Truth is, I'm not really looking at that screen a lot b/c I'm playing the damn game. Speech though - I can hear throughout, not lose sight of the ball and still get that Halloween goodness. Win win.

3) Lightshow - really good. It is bright at certain times but the lights correlate with those loud high notes from Halloween and almost act as an alert mechanism vs the typical light show. They were not blinding at all. The game also gets dark too and it works well.

4) I love the fall look to this game. People who complain about that just don't understand halloween. Kaneda has no idea what makes halloween good. True fans appreciate it and I just love the leaves and everything brown in it. The 4k HD release also has it and I just love that look

5) The three drop down targets - PLEASE do something with these. They look super cheap and unfinished. We need stickers or something to jazz them up. You always shoot at them, please revisit.

6) I want those blood drops to be a darker red. Simple fix but I swear, they look pink right now.

7) I don't believe I was on the latest code so this might have been addressed but modes and how to advance was not very clear.

8 ) Cab art - I have previously said that butter is a waste and save your money. Having seen the art in person, I was a little disappointed on how muted it seemed. Yes it looked awesome but I might have to go butter on this b/c the art is so good, I want it to pop as much as possible. This is the only spooky that I'm thinking about doing so. I owned a R+M and that art popped big time without butter.

9) Build quality - this game feels SOOO much better than R+M. It feels heavy. I played R+M right after this to make sure I wasn't going crazy and it was like Spooky grew up. R+M feels light and cheap - Halloween is like somewhere b/w stern and JJP. The glass on Halloween also didn't shake at all yet the sound and bass was so much better than Stern or even JJP. Good job Spooky

10) Hedge MB insert - SOOOO dumb. Really. The insert lit up and it's right next to something else - I wouldn't even notice and when I did, it still looked fine. I know spooky is fixing it but for those that get the older pf, don't even worry about it. The actual MB and sculps - I like the code of the MB, and although I like the sculps and hedges, it is a little silly to have 3 Michaels. Wish they could have just had one rotate and pop out but that's prob asking too much. I'm just not in love with having three of the same toy on there. It looks odd.

11) The music is of course fantastic (although I feel like the theme during MB could be played louder). What's noteworthy is how good the custom music is. Great job here. Sounds like it was in the original movie.

There is likely more but that's it for now. I literally walked away from the machine during my last game b/c I knew it's a def buy and I didn't want to spoil anymore. In time, it will be even better and the design of the machine, like the theme, is unique and something that will fit well in my stern/JJP mix. Excited to see more.

Quoted from SLAMT1LT:

I've given Spooky some suggestions to flesh the game out a bit, which may extend its stay in your collection. But ultimately, I don't see this as a keeper for most buyers.

Quoted from Dan1733:

What suggestions did you give to Spooky

Quoted from Flash71:

Indeed! Enjoy the ride. I just purchased a #955 CE pre order. Anticipation is a wonderful thing. I’ve been waiting on my TBL for a year next month. No biggie!

Quoted from Gambeno:

Bowen on the game" to, "Bowen is working on the game".

Quoted from MK6PIN:

Pre-order spots being dumped and people bailing? Happens on every single game

Quoted from IdahoRealtor:

Disappointed to see this is still a thing. Same problem on my Alice Cooper. This is poor QC.

Quoted from IdahoRealtor:

Pointing things out to Spooky