Fair point.

I’m glad to hear.

Yes, I know that....but then it just turns it into the game I already have. So, decided to just stick with that.

Completely makes sense if you already own one.

Seems the code on Munsters is trying to copy Monster Bash? Haven’t spent much time on MB, but isn’t the first mini wizard easy and second hard? Also no ball save?

I think it’s fine to make a simple coded game, but it has to be clever code. You can’t just take a “shoot the flashing lights” approach and simply reduce the amount of flashing light shots to make it easier. Then rinse and repeat for the “harder” mode but with more of the same shots.

So many great games have simple code but it’s clever. Look at TNA - really couldn’t be simpler but it’s really clever. Medieval Madness, AFM, both simole code.

Maybe it’s a new Stern directive and listening to Stern people talk on podcasts over the past few months seems to confirm it - simpler more accessible games. Beatles, Deadpool, now Munsters. Bit of a worry IMO. Suits Stern because it frees up a lot of coding staff and therefore lowers costs, but for the home collector it’s not so good. I can get simple games by buying older games. I look to Stern for more depth and longevity.

And making simple but clever games is not easy. As far as I know there’s only one coder at Stern that’s proven he can accomplish that on a regular basis.

Wow, this Munsters hype thread has taken on a decidedly negative tone.
Aside from a select few, it seems there are a lot of naysayers out there.
Bit of a buzz kill lol.
I’m still on my LE I think the gameplay still looks very fun and the theme integration is spot on.
However, I’m ok with code not being Maiden or TWD deep.
Don’t get me wrong as I love those titles but having a varied selection of pins with both simpler and deeper rules in my collection makes it more accessible for all my family.

I’m also in on an LE, but if this falls flat on a code level, it’s the last I’ll preorder until I can play the game. I love the look of the layout, it’s borg. But if the code is lazy I’ll be disappointed.

Unless Lyman’s on code - then I’ll pre-order.

Is there a summary of the ruleset? Does the game center around modes for specific characters, are there multiple levels of character modes, are there modes based on season, is there 1 or more wizard mode?

As a potential home buyer rumors of a simpler ruleset are concerning. Even the deepest games offer easier modes upfront but then have multiple layers of depth and strategy to keep people always coming back.

Very much like mb code... its even broken up into sections like mb. However there is much more to Munsters code already over mb imo. It has much more strategy for the jackpots/super jackpots and when to cancel or cash in. Also it has the zap jackpots and when and where to use them. Also Munster madness has a lot to do with what order you complete the different sections and you can really boost your score depending on that. There is a secret mode also like mb. Then you move on to different levels and hurry ups.

One of the best write ups so far

https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/the-munsters-deep-dive-in-depth-overview-of-the-machine-and-the-code-and-the-rules/

Also the premium deadflip stream with Dwight is pretty informative.

Thanks! That really helps.

So there's 5 main areas on the playfield representing the 5 characters. Each character has a mode or multiball associated with it. Completing the 5 modes grants access to Munster Madness. There's then level 2 and level 3 modes for each of the 5 character modes and level 2 / 3 Munster Madness wizard modes. However, there may not be a lot of variety in level 2 and level 3 modes based on the comment belows. I really hope there's more variety between each level of the character modes. Star Trek does a great job of offering variety with the level 1-3 modes with each mode offering unique animations, sounds, and shots. I hope something similar is done with Munsters.

"Level 2 is very similar to level 1. In addition to some rules being slightly different, the scoring is higher, the timers are a bit tighter and more challenging. Level 3 and beyond is exactly the same as level 2 except the scores will be a bit higher."

Also

"Level 2 is, for the most part the same as level one but harder. It’s also worth more points.
Level 3 and beyond is the same as level 2."

Yeh, that’s what concerns me also. And from memory Dwight’s interview on H2H he was specifically asked “like Star Trek” and replied no, the secondary levels on Munsters are just more of the same.

And BINGO was his name-o. Exactly my issue with Dwight-coded titles.

You can turn ball save on in the menu, so it's not really a big issue.

If one of the updates removes it from the menu, then everyone will have something to talk about.

Comparing MBr standard to Munsters Pro... which has a higher BOM? Looking at the hardware/BOM, it would seems Munsters with the color screen would come out as the better value. Correct?

Not a complaint, I’m all for it. Just an observation about how they’ve copied MB. Sounds like the game needs a bit more difficulty so I won’t be turning it back on. I hate playing games on anything but default settings anyway.

I think a pinball machine has more going on overall than just differences in BOM, because a machine can be simple mechanically and yet fun to play, TNA being the most recent example of the phenomenon. If you are putting your "value" goggles on, you might miss out on a fun title based solely on coil and mech counts. That seems short sighted from a players point of view.

Me too I always look for an SDTM review when considering a new pin, and they are hilarious.

I think they are probably similar ... stern really was going after a mb sequel. Many of the same kinda things and code imo.

I get all this .
Kinda not worried on my LE at all.
Game looks sick.
So some guys are picking apart the gameplay.
Ok,I’ve havent owned a lot of games maybe 30ish but every time I think I have the perfect game for me it’s going g out the door.
Never had a perfect game.
Usually when I see a review claiming a game to be perfect it’s usually a “perfect game” to them.
I personally think the shadow is the best game ever. Obviously just my opinion.Me and the wife would play for hours tons of fun .Moved on the get Star Wars Premium

Thought it was amazing,the X moving around and all that,even when everyone was crapping on it big time.
BUT,
Wife would never play it and she loves Star Wars as much as anybody.
“I don’t want to choose all this crap before I start I just want to play pinball,have fun and score the most”
I think this game,if the negative feedback is true,is gonna be a lot of fun around my place.
Can’t wait the LE looks just amazing.
Anyone looking for a reason to drop out of a order for the game because some guys don’t like it cmon now.

I do know I have never seen this many guys selling off machines to get this game and the excitement on it is unparalleled.

Keep the faith
Stern doesn’t hire morons to make their games.

Don't be shy about this opinion. It is correct, at least for the B/W era.

Never had a chance to play Shadow, but I keep hearing people say how good it is. Not a theme I would have tripped over myself to play, but will have to keep an eye out for one.

Is there a Munsters vs Monsters Bash thread? Seems like Stern timed this to try to take some wind out of the sails of the remake.

It is a player's machine that's all flow and fast action. The diverters are well-used and add a lot to the frenetic pace in certain modes. It was under-rated for a long time (and expensive to restore because no one had plastics), but once supply opened up and more people got some quality time with it, people came around.

Cannot argue with that. Stern keeps raising their prices and people keep throwing money at them with every new exciting title. Even before there is any pics of a game, people are trying to put deposits down. Amazing. That's not how I roll but that makes no difference. I'm not upset with Stern at all. That's the market talking. Same with the LE's. Market is demanding more. Hope Stern sells a record number of Munster pins and the next pin is even better. Maybe in a few years the market will be flooded with great Stern pins and I can get one cheap! lol

Shhhhhhhhh...........mother fncker, if you let everyone see the truth, they price is going to double.

I have an original extra set in my Scared Stiff
Along with extra boogie men which my dad purchased when he bought the game NIB, will B/W flipper bats work in a Stern game ? Would look cool

Also it’s based on a horrible movie no one likes....and the rightwingers hate Alex Baldwin. The excellent gameplay wasn’t enough to jack the price up. Aurich’s alt translite made the game more palatable for the Baldwin haters....I feel like it got way more expensive after that.

It’s Alec ! Translite is hideous

The translite is not great, but the constraint on price was the availaiblity of the playfield plastics initially because the machine was destroying key plastics and there were no replacements. Just the ONE plastic assembly to the right of the sanctum (with the brick print) was going for $300 IF you could find one. Once I made the superset of all plastics with a license from Gene, pricing on the machine went up almost 100% pretty quickly. I know this because I could pick Shadow machines off route up all day for $1000-$1200 before, and when I went to buy one a year or so after the plastics were out, I couldn't find one for less than $2000 - I essentially screwed myself by releasing plastics for the machine! Aurich's translite likely gave it another bump from there, but that came many years later.

It’s those ramp diverters they are f’in awesome! And that ball lock pure brilliance!

Are there any other games with player controlled ramp diverters?

They just have to learn to stay out of his parking space (or get punched in the face).

No one can hate a man that has given $20m of his own earnings to help disadvantaged children.
5b8524db24a72.image (resized).jpg

Monsters Bash (easier wizard mode) is achieved by just playing all the modes and collecting the monsters. Monsters of Rock is achieved by completing all the modes (collecting the instruments). Not sure if Munsters has completion goals for the modes....so they seem different in that respect.

I am trying to keep the shadow greatness quiet until I find another within 8 hrs driving from me ha ha.
I always wondered if the right wingers ditched it cause of Ballwin .
You can’t turn his voice off.
The game is stupid good hyper fast.
Total adrenaline from go for me.

The weed of crime bears bitter fruit

This is how sad I am. I bought a Gold CPR Shadow playfield so I can have a perfect Shadow when I find another machine.

From the Dwight interview, he said there was no extra wizard mode for finishing the objectives. Munsters of Rock is achieved by just starting all the character modes. Same goes for Munsters of Rock 2 and 3. I have to believe that future code releases will have at least one more wizard mode based on completing all the modes otherwise this game will be a disappointment. Dwight talked about switching it up to more basic code for people who didn't like the complex code of GOT or SW, but the simple truth is that we like complex code if it's done right.

Since I bought TWD premium, no new Stern has been more fun to play. So I've stuck with my TWD for almost 3 years because I still prefer to play it more than any Stern that has come out since. It doesn't help that Lyman has been stuck coding that turd layout BM66 for fricking forever. Even Lyman can't polish a turd. Borg/Lyman is the combination I'm holding out for. I was really hoping that Lyman would be on Munster code. I would have ordered the premium day 1. I'm just not a fan of Dwights code.

We took the Munsters in our league matchday yesterday. Visually it looks really nice, 2 colored GI (white-green) fits very nicely to the pin.
But after only 3-4 games and a playing time of about 8-10min the first player was already in the first level of the Munster Madness. That's damn easy, actually too easy.
I have the feeling that the Munsters for experienced players very quickly boring.
The mini-playfield is in my opinion a gimmik for those who like it a nice to have but not a must to have.
The function of Grandpa's laboratory is at the Pro on the Playfield as we can judge it fully.
But I will not buy it, at least not right now.

They should work in Munsters. Just threw a set in Metallica and it looks killer.

Can we hate him for calling his daughter a pig and being abusive to his wife?

Sorry, but you don't speak for everyone. I liked TS and it is above average for that era, but nowhere near the best. I traded mine for a Whitewater after having it over a year and installing one of your plastic sets BTW. I grew tired of it and have never missed it. I play it once in a while when I get a chance and the same old things that I am tired of still make this game second tier behind AFM, MM, TZ, STTNG, IJ, WH20, MB, and Scared Stiff. That still puts it in good company, but not the best of the era or all time.

I had an alternate translite on mine. I like Alec Baldwin despite his being an idiot, but I still think the translite was hideous. The artwork, sound and music on this game basically drag it down in general.

This Munsters thread has convinced me to buy a Shadow! Good work everyone!

Shadow is a B+ game, but no where near as excellent as the other flagship titles. The very tight mode start shot alone is enough reason to ding the overall rating. Throw in the lack of humor except for a couple of cheesy Tim Curry modes and the average artwork and this game sits where it sits correctly. I have owned an awesome example, and like the game a lot, but to call it an all time great seems like a warped sense of reality.

Would one trade a Shadow for a Munsters?

If enough people say, meh, rinse, repeat... I am sure Dwight will get to add a Munsters Mayhem supper hard hidden wizard mode that requires a thirteen flipper button sequence to activate and will come up instead of Munsters Madness II or III if you get that far...

What does cost have to do with it? It's a Pro! and always will be.
There should be a difference between Pro and Premium. Example AC/DC

Bahahah, Look at the wait for Ghostbusters code
Cannot see myself waiting for years on Munsters to be updated. Sorry

I think already enough people are worried about the way the code is headed.
In theory the idea for all to see Munster Madness was maybe a nice thought, but it's just going to get old quick for home buyers.

But boy I hope I'm wrong

Doesn't seem to have had much of an impact getting him to finish GB. In fact, now saying a major mode was never intended (despite its appearance on the instruction card and audits screen). I'm out on Dwight games until GB gets the finish it deserves. Hope you Munsters guys get more attention but at least consider the precedent that has been set and how it might temper your expectations.

why is everyone so fixated on starting the level 1 mayhem?

You should be talking about who is managing to stack their supers WITH the multiplier up, then starting the payoff mode.

The game has a playfield multiplier that you can reset the timer on! The juice is in the delayed jackpots, multipliers, and then collecting your mini-wiz mode.

It's like BSD or ACDC... the thrill isn't in simply starting the objective.. it's getting the objective with the right things together.

Guess what, Lyman owns that turd. That’s right! It’s in his house, part of his collection. Hey wait, didn’t everyone think TWD was a turd when it first hit the street? A lot of time went by with that one too!

That's what I've been saying but everyone is fixated on munster madness .... the game has lots of strategies other than get threw 5 sections.

Sounds very much like monster bash which is what i think they were going for. I cld get to monster bash 5 out of 10 games in around 5-6 minutes . I had my game set up about as difficult as possible. However munsters has much more strategy added in then just getting to the madness mode which everyone is overlooking.