MMR and Lebowski were my last high priced NIB purchases, and STLE was my last Stern. I was really on the fence with STLE, too...for me, that's officially when Stern's LE prices got too ridiculous...but, I helped a friend open his and got googley eyed by the superficial bling like the lit up rails and multiball lazers...so, I bit. I think I sold it in less than a year because I was fed up with the code situation...the fact that they couldn't be bothered to code the asteroid flashers really put a bad taste in my mouth. As minor as they are, they were extra features I paid for...if they weren't going to use them, why include them? Just obnoxious. I was going to buy GB Prem, but the combination of prices, delays, QC issues, Stern's B'66 arrogance, and the game not being fun anyway (should have been my first reason to bail lol) has permanently put me off of buying NIB Sterns. Completely done, don't care what the theme is.

As for MMR, yes, $8000 was a lot...but for me there were comparisons to justify it. For MMR...my friend sold his restored MM for over $20k....a brand new MM with some newer/cooler tech seemed "reasonable". Luckily once they started shipping, I got mine pretty quickly and am happy with it. That being said - based on how CGC & PPS handled a lot of things such as up-charging for color...I wouldn't buy another game from them NIB.

As for Lebowski, yes, $8500 was a lot...but it was an ultimate dream theme and I had confidence in the Dutch boys due to how great BOP 2.0 was and the fact that they had the working protos to play at shows. While they started off great - the endless delays and lack of communication have soured me on jumping in on game #2 NIB, if they choose to make one.

JJP games are a ton of dough...and I haven't bought one NIB. Very happy with my HUO Hobbit, though! I would have never waited the 4 years it took for the original owner to receive it, however!

So, I went off on a bit of a tangent...but yes - prices are nuts....because we're not getting any value for what we're paying for. We're often getting a lot of drama and frustration with our purchase instead of just a fun game. All of these companies have massive issues that are now making me clutch my wallet. I have no faith in any of them at the moment...I need to see proof that these games are well built and good...and I'm not going to pay that much for "wait 'n gamble". I'm OUT!

Yeah, both are a bit wacky, but if I was new to the hobby - I'd go used all day long. Even though the prices are higher than what us "old timers" are used to - the older games are better in almost every way and cost less. Projects seem to be a thing of the past though unless you're really lucky and/or patient. My last project was a $4000 Monster Bash I got from an operator 5 years ago. That was the last game I fully tore apart and put back together.