Yes, every new Stern.

With the exception of rfm, every single one. Lots of research, asked friends who had titles I wanted, played a lot of virtual pin on pc.

I'm sure a lot of us have bought "good deal" progects that we never played or were even looking for.
Sometimes it's just a gamble. My best gamble was a non working Big House. Never even checked the reviews. Turned out to be a great multi-player pin.
It's a house/guest favorite- never leaving.

Pinball locations in my area are non-existent, so I'd say about 50% of my games were bought on reviews and looking at the layouts online. All pins are fun in their own way, so I've never been disappointed.

Almost all of my pins, aside from a few like High Speed, JD and Flash Gordon.

I didn't really get into pinball until the '90's/DMD era, bitd, starting with the likes of T2, TZ, TAF, ST:TNG, JP, etc. so there were a tonne of pins I had to try now. Just getting into the hobby 6+ years ago, thankfully EMs and SS' are/were cheaper so they're new to me.

That said, I have 'played' most of the pins before buying via Virtual Pinball and Future Pinball on my computer. PinMame is not the same experience, obviously, but gives one a sense of gameplay.

Awesome hobby.

I've owned 14 games. Of those, I hadn't played 10. I check the reviews, watch the videos, and make up my own mind. I don't always have the option of playing before I buy but it's worked out great so far. Some are winners, others not so much, but they're just things.

Probably not the best analogy, but I never test drove my car before I bought it. I never slept in my house before I moved in. And I usually don't have taste tests before I order something at a restaurant.

Life is too short, go for it!

Tron, WoZ and AMH for me, although I will be able to play AMH and RMPS next month long before my game is built and shipped. I feel I lucked out with both WoZ and Tron as both are great games. There was enough information and enough videos posted of AMH for me to understand what that game is all about, so I am not worried about that. Charlie and Ben have done an awesome job with that. I am not sure I'd ever buy or pre-order another game before seeing the final game play. It's just too risky these days.

Never played any of the pins I have bought. Just no where to play around my parts.

You never relly know what a pin's like until you have it at home. As such I pretty much buy blind all the time. Keep them, play them for a couple of months then if I don't like it sell it on.

Never yet played a pin that had zero redeeming features (but a couple have come close...). if it seems like a good price then have a punt on it. What's the worst that can happen?

Ironman, just not my thing.

lethal weapon 3 and royal rumble.
they were for sale locally. I watched youtube videos of game play.
I don't regret either purchase. both fun games.

A third of my games I've bought on reviews or only playing virtually, but I've been happy. Only game I bought that I simply didn't enjoy was T2 and it was my first game before I knew what I liked.

Woz, tron, police force, tommy, fish tales, dirty harry, hobbit .... I usually watch some YouTube videos if I'm on them fence about a title ....

I'd say a good 70% of the total pins I own or have owned fall in this category.

Only three.....Lord of the Rings (bought NIB in 2003), World Poker Tour and my old Gottlieb Roller Coaster.

World Poker Tour was better than it's ratings and I would buy another one. LOTR lasted eight years before moving on. Still have the Roller Coaster.

Yep, I've bought over 20 machines before I'd played them. I kind of like the surprise element -- some I've loved and others I couldn't wait to get out of the door.

Except my MM, i bought all my pinball machines without having played any game before
i sold all of them and have rebought only 2 of them, Stargate and LOTR (sold again).
I tried to go as many times i can to pinball salons to play some machines that now are very difficult to find except at owners'home.

Embryon. Thought it looked cool. Drove 7 hours round trip, 2 countries in the pouring rain, met seller at a truck stop and loaded game sight unseen. Still have it several years later, still think it's a cool game. Going to put a 7volution in it soon too.

Most of my games I had never played before I bought

My playing days were in the 70s, Gottlieb Ems and Bally Ss were what Iplayed
Half of my collection is DMDs that iI never played before

TRON LE.
Best decision ever

My first: Future Queen.
After that, I had all either played them, or tested them with Visual Pinball: not the same, but you get an idea of the sounds, rules, dots, etc..

Never played any of mine that I've owned. Don't look at reviews either because a lot of them I find fun, others hate. If it looks like it'd be fun and the price is right, then giddyup

Yes. I bought a cocktail pin at an estate sale because I'm a fuggin' addict and I had money burning a hole in my pocket.

Pretty much everybody in the hobby does eventually.

Almost all of my machines were non-working projects that I never played before. However, for some of them, I watched some game play videos to get a general idea of how they played.

Gottlieb Genesis was the only one I played (at a show) before obtaining one elsewhere later.

Yes

Pirates of the Caribbean
Transformers LE
X-Men LE
The Avengers
Metallica

Tron LE & Walking dead LE. Walking dead I sold for the new KISS LE.

LOTR - No regrets in the slightest.

More often then not. Sometimes I bought due to the theme (LOTR, STTNG), and other times I bought due to feedback from those who've played the machine. I will also buy a machine sometimes simply because it is nearby even though I may not be that interested in the title.

Dan

I've bought a few where the first time I played them was looking at them to buy, but I think I've only bought one that I never played until I got it home and set it up (4 Square). With the expensive ones, it's crazy to not play them first. Too much risk of a clunker.

I never played but bought: ST:TNG, T2, TSPP, Eldorado City Of Gold, Abra Ca Dabra, Mars God Of War.

my first pin was from a great guy in n.j.( small business, JohnNY pINBALL?? , Tina was his wife's name I think) who suggested I buy a TZ, and I did. following year he said to get a STTNG. so I did. loved both but no clue how to repair so I sold them back... the next time around bought a WCS94 from a recommendation from a friend and pinsider, as well as my NGG. (still have the NGG)

Several, and it has usually worked out all right. I played some before, of course, but even then I didn't have enough experience to know for sure if they'd have staying power. I have to play a pin dozens of times to get a feel for it, and that is almost impossible without having it in my house.

Wow, walking through my keeper collection I'm surprised to count 40 pins that I bought without ever playing one before but bought it based on either the fact that it was just there or the theme of the game. Of course this doesn't count all the other hundreds of other games that I've bought and sold that I would have never played before either..., but they didn't make the keeper collection cut.

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
269-979-3836

HMM
radical
metle
bible
tspp
potc
al's garage band
tron
and I am sure there are many more

Yes,never played it just bought because it was in great shape.
RBION
It is one heck of a game IMO.

I buy games all the time I never played. If the price is right i'll buy anything. If it's something I wouldn't want long term, I clean it up, get it running good and sell it. The trick is to pay low enough, so you don't have to worry about not moving it if you are not keeping it.

Yes, BSD, JD, and South Park. Got a good price on all three together. Still ave JD and BSD.

Yes, probably 70% of the games I have ever bought. I acquired to have and play, get to know. Some stayed a year some 5 years, I would still buy a game...especially if I have never had a chance to play it before (nows my chance)

Tspp, couldn't find any sited one so took the plunge. cant really go wrong, theres so much going on...

Yep the lot.

Most of them

I have owned 3 machines so far and all were new to me. The 2nd was sold to fund the 3rd but I have been happy with all of them.

yes, most of the time, of all games I've ever owned I'd say only 1/4th of the time I had played a game before

The KISS pro will be my first game Ive never bought before playing. Ive literally had nightmares that I get it and it plays like a STTNG. Will be a heartbreaker if that happens.

Almost all of them. The only pinballs available where I live are shed finds, and those are broken, and that's only every few years. Beggers can't be choosers. Well, they can. But they'll never play pinball if they are.

All of mine as well. Most of which were all dead to begin with.
And BH was a very long road trip for a paper weight some ten years ago.
My one and only Mr Pinball score.