I like Gorge Gomez as a designer . I am looking for a Batman 66 LE or Premium but I have not played it much . It is just unique pinball machine. And I gravitated to the Batman 66 pinball . I would say keep it. And try to save for one of your wish list games. I see AS for sale every week on pinside HUO . People bitch about SW but very few come up for sale as I am looking for a SW pro. I can not find a Batman 66 HOU at all. I have been looking for one for 90 days. If you were in USA Colorado I would buy it from you. I can not offer a solid answer looking forward to see what others say . Nice collection and good luck !!

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For me personally as an LE owner yes it’s a keeper for the following reasons:

• Unique layout which is a nice contrast to the rest of my collection, not every pin I own needs to be a flow monster.
• Amazing artwork.
• One of the most complete licences in all of pinball - access to all audio and video from all 120 episodes.
• Custom audio by Burt Ward and the late Adam West.
• Lyman on code - which is always a winner imo!
• Turntable mech is unique and shaping up nicely, once fully coded will be great.
• Crane mech is already awesome once fully coded to add a little variety it will be even better.

No, it won’t last. Ship it over to me.

You mentioned you have the game “at home on location” so a bit confused.
Is your BM66 for home use or currently on location?
If on route, how is it earning?
I’d imagine that’s what matters.

There’s no way that any of us here can answer that question for you. If you like it its a keeper, if you don’t then its not. I personally like BM66 and would love to own one but I probably never will because the fact they inflated the price on it for no reason kind of pisses me off. That’s just a personal thing though with myself and doesnt mean anything but to anyone except myself.

I would have agreed with you about that up until about October last year, now the code has had several huge updates a big chunk of that price hike must have gone on licensing, securing the rights to the entire series.

There is also a good portion that went to Ka-Pow for their assistance getting Stern the licence, Stern should have taken that portion on the chin.

Sadly I’ve not spent enough time on this title yet. As code improves I’d like to find one on location that I can play

Its still a small possibility that i could cave and get one because it really is a dream theme for me. I am also very interested in Elvira 3 as well as MMR, AFMRLE, and Iron Maiden as well. There are lots of great choices out there right now.

They are all keepers until they are not. Every single game can and will get old.

I'm enjoying BM66 right now. No telling if it will last or not though.

In all honesty if you don't like Batman old school then it is a stinker to play. So therefore NO for me.

Id hold onto it and decide once code is more complete. The game gets better each update and its getting very deep

No.

I’ve put a lot of time in on it. It’s fun. It’s much better than it was on first release. But it’s a little clunky. The angles on everything are a little weird. And gameplay is a little bit of a grind.

It’s not a bad game but there are many other newer games that are much better.

It just doesn’t have that “one more game” factor for me that keeps me coming back for me and excited about playing another game.

It's a decent option but the game already has so many things that you can stack it makes it a little too crazy for me. It also makes it too simple to get to villians escape.

Out of the four i own its the one that gets the most plays by me. Also everybody who comes round loves it. Definitely be the last to leave.
It's all subjective but it sure has the one more go factor for me.

First, as many have said, it's really up to you. But it sounds like it's a keeper for you based on your first sentance. What difference does it make how the layout looks if you like how it plays?

There are two common issues with the layout - the orbit shots are tight and the left ramp is not. The left orbit shot can be improved by moving the cable and moving the blue pad from the outside of the ramp entrance. The ramp itself will be fixed with an aftermarket replacement. Some don't like that most shots are long because the playfield is so open because of the crane. That doesn't bother me at all.

If you really aren't into the theme, it may not have enough to keep your interest. But if you like and understand the theme it's clear that the game is unique because of how the gameplay is structured like an episode of the series. The Batman episodic formula has been translated to a pinball ruleset masterfully by Lyman. And as I've said in a number of other threads, Batman 66 will probably have the best overall theme integration ever for an LCD game (including future titles) from ANY manufacturer because Stern has the ability to use any footage from the series and has custom callouts from the two main actors in the show. Compare that to issues raised about use of IP in Star Wars, GOTG and JJPOTC.

I like Batman for the reasons you do. And I love the theme. I love what Lyman has done so far. Any layout issues are minor compared to the total package. I made the decision early on that I was only going to buy the game if I was reasonably sure it was going to be a long term keeper. Nothing I've seen so far gives me any reason to believe I'm going to change that opinion.

Yes it's a keeper !

Absolute keeper for me. It is quirky, cheesy, and fun! The code is shaping up to become a Lyman masterpiece.

If you love the theme then it’s def a keeper for all the reasons mentioned above

of course its a keeper!

Yes!

Just wanted to chime in. I bought BM66LE about a year ago. It was nice but the game was so barebones that I decided to sell it.

However just before the updates I got a chance to buy a NIB again and I went for it. Now with the new updates it is my favorite game of all I own and it will not leave soon.

Software is already great and every update is just more icing on the cake. I think there will be a lot of icing

Is this a trick question? No doubt it's a "keeper".

Of your list, my Aerosmith will be long gone before B66. Like Iron Man, Aerosmith has great instant sugar rush appeal, but code depth, theme integration, sound, display/animations mean they can not compete with the long term staying power that B66 has. And there is more to come.

Talk of "clunky"/awkward layout etc, just adds uniqueness that also makes long term ownership more interesting.

Heck yeah, it's a keeper. I pre-ordered an LE, but due to the first 9 months of code I wasn't that enthusiastic about it until lately though. The most recent Lyman code updates implementing Minor Villains has blown it through the roof. First, it's an iconic, nostalgic license. Second, it's a really good licensing agreement, unlimited access to all 120 television episodes, video clips, music, call outs, and even personalized call outs by Adam West and Burt Ward. It's the opposite of X-Men, Avengers, GotG, and TWD in that department.

The art is superb, the crane and rotisserie are really great, and it doesn't shove a bash toy in your face other than the crane very rarely, which is nice for a change. The shots are tight, particularly the very important orbits. That's perhaps the greatest downside of the game, though practice and skill can prevail. It's not a cheap drain game and ball times are decent. It's the ultimate stackers game. You can literally fill up the big color LED screen with mini TVs of various modes rolling on top of each other. Start with a Major villain like Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, or Joker. Add in Bat Turn scoring, then add in a Minor villain like two-ball Shame, or Egghead, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, King Tut, or Bookworm, then lock in the primary multiball or Villain Escape and you have more going on than your senses can handle. Or, choose to play deep and explore the villains through 3-4 levels rather than arrest them immediately, which will really boost your scores.

The videos make sense, they're keyed to specific villains and episodes, showing progress after various shots are made as Batman & Robin fight the villains. There are cool combo graphics of the Batmobile, Batboat, and even Alfred on a Bicycle, etc. Imagine what the game will be like after Batgirl, Batusi, and other tricks Lyman will add in the future!

As it is now, you just play through the modes to get to villain, or, you basically play the same mode your entire game to milk for the most points you can get. Either path really isn’t terribly interesting.

Cute. Who says I miss? I put up big scores on this game. For me, “clunky” means clunky.

Just my opinion after playing a ton of Batman over the past couple months. It’s a decent game but for me would be a good step below “keeper.” It lacks the refinement that defines a keeper for me.

I’m wondering if I’m the only one here who has offered an opinion on this game who HASNT spent 8-9 K on one.

No such thing as a keeper. Never was, never will be.

Absolutely. "Keeper" for me is 2 years based on my past history.

If you just go trough the modes to get to villain escape, yes the game will be booring. You forgot to play/stack all the minor villains, mutiball, bat turn mode, playfied multiplier, shot multiplier and mode multiplier...

If you play the same mode the entire game, you won't get a big score...

Cluncky doesn't mean a bad game, LOTR is a bit cluncky to and it's a classic, GOTG plays smooth and is very bad...

And it's just too easy. Ball times are super long.

2 very valid complaints against the game, especially on location were you have no control of how the game is setup. Most of Gomez's games are clunky though. Doesn't stop LOTR or MB from still being really good games. Ball times can be crazy long on this game for a modern stern. Compared to all of Borg's releases and the last couple Ritchie games I'm not sure it is a terrible thing though. The good thing in a home environment is you can make it as hard as you want. I took my out lane posts off on BM66 and pitched it steep. It can still have some long balls but now at least you have to be on your toes to save a ball. I had to move the posts in on SW it was so brutal.

Anyone looking to move theirs in a 3 or 4 hour radius of me, I'd be interested!

Thanks!

Villain Escape is unimaginative at this point from a scoring stand point, though it has been programmed into the game for a while as a goal for arresting the main four villains, without any changes that I've noticed. If Lyman is true to form, there will possibly be similar goal/modes at the end of battling the minor villains or completing their various seasons, or who knows what else. I suspect it'll improve significantly before all is said and done and with any luck, it'll roll down TWD path of having numerous mini wizard modes.

Appears to me from previous posts that you are an above average player. Curious as to which machines you would consider "keepers". Enjoy hearing different perspectives on this.

(BM66 is a keeper for me, I have a hard time letting games go period....average player at best, fyi)......

And there looks to be a planned super wizard mode (Batusi) - maybe if you defeat all major and minor villians?

You mentioned previously you're not a fan of Batman 66 as a theme. As good as this game is on a basic pinball level, I would recommend for you it's not a keeper. The theme integration on B66 is beyond any game I've played, but if you're not into the theme, you're going to be bothered by (or even miss the point of) other things a B66 fan might overlook or even enjoy.

I mean the layout, the toys, the shots, the flow, the code/rules etc.

I get what you're saying about Metallica. But I think it's easy to separate the theme Metallica, from the game. The theme elements aren't really Metallica - Sparky, Snake etc. You could call this game anything and it would still work.

Batman 66 is so theme heavy, it's not really possible to separate it from the game.

Youve answwred your own question early on.....not a fan of the game so definitely not a keeper for you.....no biggie . Ive played MET and AC/DC ALOT in hopes of getting past the theme....neither are keepers or even candidates for ownership on my end. Good to have choices.....

It's pretty much battle royal from SM at this point. Not a bad mode but a little more scoring creativity would be cool. I don't dislike it as it is though.

I like the same games now that I did when I was a crappy player, so I don't think that has much to do with it!

I like games with good, intuitive rulesets that seep in quickly just by playing the game (I've never been an instruction card guy) where all the rules play off each other. Fun shots, smooth flow games like AFM or most of the Ritchie stuff, or stop n go stuff with good rules and great layouts like Pat Lawlors best stuff.

I can't put my finger on why I don't love Batman 66...it just feels unrefined to me in the software and layout department - I'm sure we'll get more software and I'm definetly an "In Lyman We Trust" guy. I know it's no masterpiece but I honestly enjoy my Transformers LE better at this point. I always play a game of Transformers when I'm in the shop and lately I'm passing on Batman at our local location in favor of Dialed In (best game made in years) and Star Trek and Metallica.