I think it should have the shaker motor. But if stern never released the topper as an extra add on. No one would say anything

Let me tell you, you got an excellent deal on yours if you got it for that price. Mine and pretty much everyone in Ontario's would have cost them $9200 all taxes in. I don't think very many people bought STLE up here that's why you don't see them for sale as often. Can't really compare a country with 30 million people to a country with 300 million people and expect the demographics to be the same. But yes I was directly referring to the States when I listed those good deals. Everything is an arm and a leg up here.

Wow, that blows, at least you have free health care!

Yes it has pretty lights on the outside which have nothing to do with the gameplay. But if you are looking for modern art STLE rocks.

If anything TWD LE has "more" where it "matters", the game play. I mean these things are still Amusement machines right? We are suppose to play them right? So I would want the extras on the playfield not the outside so it looks pretty while I'm walking up to it. I do agree STLE makes a beautiful modern art piece.

I think the game play on the ST is as good as it gets. I can't imagine what they can add to the either the pro or le to make the game play better. The metal ramps, toys, and crazy like show I would have paid extra for got into this hobby 12 months earlier

What toys? There are no extra toys on the LE, just lights.

I should say cosmetics. Like the asteroids and the ship.

TWD LE has more stuff packed in there than STLE. Running lights and a lighted head, not interested.

No. Stern is going away from the premium version to offer a Pro or, for a limited run, an LE.

Tron was no dud, and it had no premium version. Ever.

Game plan is Pro sells, Premium possibly as a vault title, maybe, LE limited run.

No middle option provides higher collector perceived value of other two models.

Let me know when you guys reach a final verdict on the topic question.

Maybe OP could add a poll? (Even though its completely subjective to personal opinion, yes I know, but always interesting none the less)

I understand your logic. To me it is similar to the arguement made against hybrids. They say it takes "x number of miles getting 20% better mileage" blah blah blah. Sure you have to drive it a certain amount of time (to get better mileage) if you assume both cars will sell for the same amount. Hybrids inherently sell for considerably more than a traditional motor.

Thanks ViolinFather!

I'm gonna revise my number, at $7495 I plan on losing about $2000 in value in the first 9 months.

How much were the Hulk and TF Le's at the realistic distro prices? Can't seem to give them away today, I'm hoping like some are saying, its not "the Walking Dud"....

At the current price point...no. If it were $6200...then yes.

I'm pretty happy with the pro
LE certainly looks nicer (minus the bloody diarrhea color trim) hope people that bought it think so too!

Haha! Thanks for planting that image in my head again PDX.

Oh great another pinball image that will never leave my mind, like dick beard. Now i need to buy new armor. Thanks pdxmonkey

I think the difference between say TF, hulk or ST and twd is this

The popularity with is that those games came out as movie based games. Ppl watch the movie(s) and they get excited but quickly fades unless u are a hard core fan. I love my ST and I notice every nuance from the game from the movie. I asked my friend who watched both movies if he remembers "red matter". He doesn't. So those red dots on the pf mean nothing to him

Where as TWD is on season 5 and each week the viewers are reminded of them. So as long as the show is being aired and new episodes are being made. Ppl will have a closer connection and will remain more popular

No problem
No JPEG needed

That's a great point man! I think you are right on, never thought about that difference.

I also think that's why music pins have a better chance of being great for longer because people will turn on the pin again and again just to listen to Metallica and Ac/dc.

Kinda like Wheel of Fortune, CSI, and 24!

To be fair, CSI and 24 were developed during a very bad time in Sterns financial history as I recall.

Those are crap cost cutter pins, gotta have a great player to go with it. But I get your point

And TWD is a worldwide sensation. Those pins don't even come close.

Is the fan base of those shows female dominated or male dominated?

What's the ratio of male to female "pinballers"?

Same here. I want the whole game, not just part of it. That's why I went with the LE

Oh, I like the games. But I dont think Stern's financial situation had to do with why they were unpopular. Id buy one of those over a Stern Pro from the last couple of years in a minute.

I just think 'Because its an ongoing show!' isnt a good reason for the game to be popular. The game will sell well based on its own merit of a game. License only takes the game so far. Transformers is a hugely popular franchise, Avengers and the marvel movies are a worldwide sensation! Heck there are at least 2 Marvel movies every year with Avengers characters.

I'll say this, I'm feeling like a HUGE winner, pro or LE with Stern's TWD.

A pin I actually pay for today and get to play tomorrow. After SkitB, Jpop and now TBL, there is WHOLE LOT to be said for Stern, how much is that worth!

http://www.adweek.com/news/television/gory-raunchy-and-bro-filled-tv-series-are-hit-women-147503

Hope there are a lot of women pinballers buying LEs

Aren't they making around 600 LE's, or did I read that wrong somewhere?

Supposedly 250 here in the US and the rest are going overseas. Total 600

Don't forget the fish tank in the back and the raising left ramp with bash toy under it.

Allowing a designer to "go nuts" resulted in the the best selling game for Stern in many years. Seems worth while to keep it up, no?

Sure...but Walking Dead has a lot more going for it than simply as a nice TV show license.

Zombies = The first pin to hit the market with this super-popular theme. Zombies are everywhere in media now, and Stern hit the jackpot with this theme.

Comics = Don't forget that TWD was a hugely popular comic before it became a TV show. That stuff is gold for us pinball buying comic geeks.

Stern basically has two main markets...the 30 and 40-something GenX nerds like me who love all things geeky (Superheroes, Tron, Zombies), and a crowd that is slightly older that likes a bunch of nostalgia-heavy iconic 60s/70s themes, and rock bands of the past (AC/DC, Metallica, Elvis, Mustang, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, etc).

Something like Walking Dead is perfect for who they market to.

Pete

Yes you get more toys and art, etc for more money with the LE.
In the end it just comes down to how much money you have to blow on a pin. If your tighter on your budget, you go for the PRO, if your wealth is more fluent, then those go for the LE. (usually)

OT, has anybody played the PS4 comic version of TWD. Just picked up a PS4 this weekend.

The TellTale game? It's fantastic! I watched my better half play through all the episodes, she loved it.

Yep, that's the one, must be really good if the wife is hogging it!

She's on the last episode of season 2 now. If you like Telltales TWD you may as well pick up "A Wolf Among Us" too. It's also pretty awesome.

(Sorry for the slight derailment OP)

Yes, to me it is always worth the extra for the LE. I buy maybe one title a year and when I do I am going balls out or not at all. Not sure what the problem is? You get more playfield components and more bling. More fun while you have it and holds all or most of the value when you sell it. These are expensive toys and I assume no one buying an NIB machine as a toy is poor. One good weekend of playing golf, deep sea fishing or a set of expendable tires for a hot car makes the difference in resale value for pins look small. Sometimes we even make money at resale time. By almost any measure of other expensive hobbies, an LE is not a money pit. Even good return on investment toys like a full auto machine gun cost thousands to use. Go price 1000 rounds of 223 these days. That is hundreds of dollars for an hour or two of shooting.

Don't get me wrong, so far I like the game. I played it a bunch at expo and think it has promise. Im also a walking dead fan. I just didnt like the argument of 'Popular ongoing show = Great game'

Gary said no more premiums will be made of any new games from here on out. Just pro's & LE's. So if you don't get a LE, your stuck with a pro. Unless the code takes for ever like Xmen did & you can pick one up later, but remember, it's Lyman Sheets, not the other guys on this one.

Why to people keep repeating this false rumor?

I think there was a whole thread dedicated to this statement that Gary supposedly made at Expo and it ended up being something that was misheard.

I don't know enough to call this false rumor (or a true statement for that matter) but when and where did Gary says this, and did you get it in writing?!? Seems like a pretty big shift if this is now Stern's official policy (as opposed to a statement of what they'll do with a given title if the LEs don't sell out, which would also make sense).

for an extra $3200 not a chance. better off paying the less amount and modding it up a bit to your own taste. the pro art package is better anyway.

Plus there is also an element of elitism where some purely and simply buy the le because it is the better model. But is it the better value? not in this case.

I would say it is premature to ask if it is worth it until you can see one and play one. Once it is delivered domestically people will begin to weigh in. Videos are not a good indicator of value in my opinion. I have the wait and see approach.

New games require code and time playing the game to have a feel for the layout and understanding of said code, otherwise they suck.