This will be the first time I'm truly bummed that I'm priced out of a game. All the super-pricey stuff before this I either didn't want, or happily bought a pro/prem instead.

I hope that render is far from the final product, but I'm guessing the cabinet & translite are pretty much set. If so, for my taste, it's the worst looking pin since... Sopranos maybe? Side of the head with all that different logo typography crammed on there is sub-homebrew caliber. Absolute graphic design nightmare. So ugly that it's killing any FOMO I have for a game I will surely love to play. Will be satisfied to play this at a friend's house.

edit: nevermind

You don't have to wonder. George Gomez: "One of the things is it does have a display, it's got the small display from the home editions and that display is actually flat on the playfield or facing the player on the playfield."

I don't give a shit about James Bond, same way I don't care about cybernetic dolphins, but I love playing Johnny Mnemonic. And I care a lot about a throwback pin from the all-around best player ever. I mean he won Pinburgh like half the time. Dude knows and loves his classics. It's gonna play great.

I'm a pinball guy. Seems like everyone who got into the hobby the last decade collects oversized lunchboxes.

Yes. Because then if it's not announced in a week or a month, people will moan incessantly about how Stern bungled yet another launch. No real harm done, but Zach is only human and no one wants their work openly trashed.

The thing is, games launch when they launch. Us knowing when it launches doesn't let us see it any earlier. It's basically useless information. No upside to announce the announcement, only downside.

If you have to ask...

Original recordings?

Man, that's crazy, Stern should consider having ramps manufactured by the thousands instead of buying decade-old retail NOS ramps.

Hearing some of the big hoss collectors say they're out leads me to believe this game might be a miss in that it's geared for players who would love a modern single-level KME masterpiece and can't afford it (speaking for myself), but marketed to upper echelon buyers who want to be wined & dined by ramps and a big screen that plays old movies.

Speaking as someone with an office job, none of us do jack shit (without a gun to our head) the week before or after xmas, so the reveal is either this week or next year.

Only reason I can think of is maybe they're contractually obligated to launch it during the 60th anniversary year.

I set the line at 3.5 new threads started about this game and/or its price during CES week. Over or under? Place your bets!

I fear a lot of you guys are gonna be disappointed when you realize "assets!" do not always refer to video clips. When they said it's going to represent every film, could be as simple as a weapon on an insert. Anyone who expects some kind of Batman '66 codestravaganza with a unique mode or two for each villain, godspeed.

Less than a week until price speculation ends, hallelujah.

...then, let the coil counting begin!

Yes, the second anyone orders it from Stern at 9 AM on January 3rd, "owners" will pounce.

Maybe you do. Not everyone is a lunchbox collector. I've been in the hobby long enough to remember loving great games based on garbage movies I don't care about (Congo, Shadow, JM, DM). Even a "great" film like Jurassic Park, at the end of the day, I don't really care about a popcorn movie I haven't seen in 25 years. But the game is phenomenal, and nailed to my floor.

Bond 60th SLE will live or die for me based on layout, code, art, callouts, music and that indescribable special sauce, the feeling you get playing a game where it all comes together. If I just wanted to watch movies, I could save a whole lot of money.

Sic 'em, coil counters.

500 is a lot, you'll get to sooner or later. I've played plenty of machines with smaller runs, even a few worth over $20k. If you get around in the hobby you'll play 'em all eventually.

Just missed my chance to buy Keith this for xmas.
reel.jpg

Since they (Stern or licensor, whoever) wanted the SLE to be retro, why not make the cornerstone the "all six Bonds" model and have this one just Connery? It's weird to have those ultra-modern Daniel Craig film posters on the side of a game with score reels.

GWAR for the 4-bank, PIT for the 3-bank, spinning Cuttlefish of Cthulhu in place of the hat, shut up and take my money!

Topper that squirts fake blood (or worse) when you get a replay. Maybe even Sleazy P. Martini in a tuxedo as a wink to the original. The possibilities are endless.

Yeah, I always thought it was hilarious that the certificate of authenticity is easily the most counterfeitable part of the whole package. I'd have a harder time sourcing cardboard to make the box. If you can copy a Stern game so well that I need to see the certificate, you win.

He's on the playfield with some kind of associated spinner mode. But these days apparently nothing counts unless it's a copy & paste video clip, the absolute least creative way to integrate assets.

They might still be on the way. Code for the cornerstone game is embryonic and that thing shipped like 6 weeks ago. I wouldn't hold my breath for updates on the SLE.

I'm clueless about this Bond collector world, so tell us, how many are top end enough to buy four pinball machines, three of which are nearly identical, especially to a non-pinhead? Are we talking five guys, ten, a secret cabal of a hundred rich lunatics?

I keep hearing this, but I played JJPGnR last night and the hat doesn't spin. Much better kinetic theme integration to have Oddjob's hat that actually flies & spins in the movie to spin on the playfield. Why is Slash's hat floating over a disc, they're both round? Okay, sure.

For my spinnage, the AIQ disc blows Slash out of the water anyway. So fast they coded a tachometer for it.

Six-figure watches don't take an entire room to display, so I'd still wager under ten Bond collectors buy all four of these relatively cheap machines. Not that it's a bet we could ever settle.

Wouldn't be surprised if many of the wealthy Bond watch buyers are already just "watch guys" in general. Easy to store, don't break as often as pinball, easy to show off in public, will actually impress your fellow multinational capitalists without having to explain wtf a ping pong machine is.

This game will 100% be on location at a few places.

Yeah I bet Gary hates that they're selling more pins for more profit than ever in his 35 years at the company, especially a game based on the hit film franchise of his youth.

Preach! Unfortunately you and I are in the minority. Nothing sweeter to a modern collector than the hit of pure nostalgic dopamine that only a video clip can deliver.

Why would anyone assume it means there's a video clip of him? It is first and foremost a machine, a game. If he's on the machine, or a part of the game in any capacity, he's "there."

We have 57 pages of people pissed about some aspect of every single game they release, yet they continue to sell more units for more money and are in the process of moving to a factory double the current size. They're too busy counting money to sweat the haters.

I guess if you guys want video clips on every screen you'll have to go to the gas station, my local one blares ads the whole time you're at the pump, insufferable.

You don't! You can wait them to reveal the whole shebang, and in the four month interim, live your life.

Not gonna lie Levi, this actually pretty fun, I get it now.

Imagine if Multimorphic ever gets a hot film license where they can play the entire movie on the playfield while you knock the ball around. Cash money, baby.

Part of me would like it on the apron to keep playfield art unmolested, but that's not really in my line of sight, so I'd have to divert my attention away from the playfield to read it. Kind of like how the IC scanner light doesn't bother me at all because I'm never looking there.

This answer will satisfy none of the "assets!" crowd, but in the podcast interview they said there are several more gadgets to collect in the game beyond the four on the playfield. After you get those, you continue down a list and IC keeps track until you collect them all, something like that.

I mean, it can't. It's one game, and a retro one at that. "Ultimate fans" of anything are never satisfied. It's part of their schtick.

I just assumed you were a big Michael Buble fan.

Probably! It's funny, nobody wants one for $20k but are tripping over each other at $40k. Amazing what lotteries due to the human brain.

To be fair it's also for a great charity, so I certainly don't fault anyone for ponying up.

$12k

Took my usual weekend pinside sabbatical and came back to 670 new posts here. Man, we have some feelings about this game.

Can you imagine the thousands of extra posts calling for Stern's collective head if they hid a screen in the backbox? Pinside would have to upgrade its server. (totally agree that the current implementation is not ideal though)

The "exclusive" list also included upgraded audio, HD glass, and a shaker. Did you guys think those were also truly exclusive? No alarm bells went off?

Sure, but did they think the upgraded audio, HD glass, and shaker were also exclusive? Or did they just see what they wanted to see?

Either way, sounds like Stern is honoring cold feet, so no one's stuck with the horror of owning a topper that poor people are also allowed to buy.

Everything's relative.

"If Bill Gates woke up tomorrow with Oprah's money, he'd jump out a window and slit his throat on the way down." - Chris Rock

Why can't you just talk about it here? What makes you think a new thread with less traffic will spur more discussion? Resist forum clutter!

Metal is expensive! Probably a piece of clear acrylic with faux brushed metal printed on it, like a giant playfield plastic.

Reminds me of when people accused White Castle of using worms for meat and the CEO was like, "are you kidding me? Worms are expensive."

Congratulations on reaching stage five: acceptance.

Also maybe because half the guys who buy this won't know you can even update a pingpong machine.

Easy; cars are the default first-world hobby. For uninteresting people, their only hobby. Most of us have one or at least ride in one near-daily. It's the most expensive thing many will ever own outside of a home. Most people, especially dudes, in the western world become a car person at some point. I mean, who would spend that kind of money without "doing the research?" I'd wager the majority of adolescent/teen boys have a dream car before a learner's permit.

We drool over their gizmos, bells & whistles, pretty paint jobs, but at its core it's just a large mechanical device with a simple job. We usually buy a larger, more expensive, flashy one than we need to get the job done, and just more of them than we need period. Sound familiar?

At today's pin prices I can't believe every argument isn't a cargument. Send me that grant money.

Pamco Contact is the Model T of bagatelles. Solenoids?!? Curse ye, devil.

Sweet idea. I want that Williams "chime" that sounds like someone banging the shit out of a pail with a hobby hammer when you rip the spinner.

At least pick a late '90s rave culture appropriate drug.

…but the disc on AIQ was pretty great. You can probably guess which style KME used here.

Also need one for settings, diagnostics, audits, etc. I've never gone into settings on a Whoa Nellie but I bet it sucks.

It doesn't mean anything. A big chunk of all games go overseas. This only comes up when someone wants to cut the scarcity of their rare item in half to make it feel more special. At least four of my local friends are getting a Bond 60th. 500 is a lot no matter how you slice it.

I'm here for any and all guitarguments!

How many Gretsch white falcons can I get for the price of a JB007SLE60? Always kinda wanted one even though I don't really play anymore.

Regular viewers of deadflip or just pinball streams in general know it's a rah-rah kinda space where negativity is frowned upon if not blocked/banned.

Stop it man, I can't breathe.

Hey guys, in case you were wondering:

Now that we have that sorted, would anyone be willing to have a few beers and play it on location?

In his case he actually does.

I think that's what he meant by rejected. Relax, man.

There are definitely no numbers between six and twenty.

Stellar Wars is fun! Same layout for every Stern game, not so much.

Played the same machine with this guy last night, and couldn't agree more. I had high hopes; they were exceeded. Just a blast to play. Spinners for daaays. So satisfying to get all 5 spinners (including the hat) going for the IC achievement.

He said class, not ass. I would agree you can't buy class or taste.

I bought one and do not feel attacked in any way by anything in this thread. Aurich made the #1 mistake when talking about rich people; he said the word "rich." To a man, every single affluent person I know hates being called the r-word. I hope to have that problem someday.

Thanks! Will keep an eye on that area.

Yes! Replace the black rubber post sleeve at the top of the left orbit/lane for an aftermarket silicone one. Stern uses tapered post sleeves which are fatter at one end, and slightly thicker in the middle where the ball strikes. It’s just enough to kick the ball right of the scoop. Changed mine and the shot went from like 10% success to near perfection.