I went to Next Level in Oregon yesterday to evaluate some of the newer games that have been released since I last played on location - namely Godzilla, The Mandalorian, AIQ, Jurassic Park and others - because I'd like to add a few more games to my collection. But I couldn't resist playing some old favorites too and some that were on my bucket list. I played many machines in the 5 hours I was there.

One of the highlights of the night for me was LoV, the first game I stepped up to. Not knowing anything about it, I was lukewarm on the theme and the art had some good and some passable aspects, although I didn't see anything that was bad. But in the end it none of that mattered. The game was a blast to shoot! The flippers felt really solid and strong, probably the best feeling flippers of any game I played that day. I had no trouble hitting the center ramp. In fact I didn't notice any issues whatsoever.

The shots were well placed and it didn't feel like I was shooting bricks like I did on the Houdini that was sitting next to it. The soundtrack was hard to hear in the noisy venue, but what I could hear sounded incredible. Locking balls in the boat was fun, the kraken magnet was cool, and there weren't any cheap drains down the center or outlanes. It was a better shooter than Houdini and has a better theme and art than Oktoberfest, and has better sound than both. I can't compare it to HW because I haven't played it and Next Level doesn't have one.

I was busy watching the playfield and didn't pay much attention to animations. I did earn at least 3 different multiballs in one game but it didn't feel multiball heavy. Of course I didn't know the rules so it was just shoot at blinking lights, plus I'm a below-average player so keep that in mind. Speaking of blinking lights, the lighting and light shows are great too.

It could use more sculpts and interactive toys for theme immersion, but I didn't even notice the lack of mechs. It reminded me of a cross between a great shooting standard body solid state, with the modern solid feel of the CGC games. I was so impressed that I'm seriously thinking about picking up the Standard model if the price is right, for a game that wasn't even on my radar. It was just a lot of fun and I came back to it a couple more times, because I'd put it up there with Godzilla and The Mandalorian as the most enjoyable games I played at Next Level. That's saying a lot considering how many games they have on location. I liked it better than Elvira HoH, Halloween, JJP GNR, AIQ, Stern JP and so many other newer machines. I think I'm in.