So I had a snow day off yesterday and played it a bunch. It definitely drags you in as you play it. I read a comment that Herman is missing the pins in his neck, the Herman on my game has pins in the neck. Also stern adds a cliffy protector in the grandpa scoop, doesn’t scream cheap to me. I do notice the playfield clear looks much thicker or shinier, I wonder if they changed the process some how. Theleg bolts also come with washers now( not cheaper). My favorite feature right now is the spot mode.it seems I’m really good at that. Also at the end of the game they show a film clip of a Munsters episode, I haven’t seen the same one twice, but they are entertaining for the match feature. Can’t figure out what the zap button actually does. I read the gameplay card but it doesn’t make sense to me. There is definitely coded rules missing, I can’t wait to see what they do, but you can tell it’s going to be fun, feels very much like Metallica did when it first came out.

Yep. My ONLY criticism of DI is the audio for the modes is really lame. Examples: When the acid rain cloud appears, no crazy rain sounds/effects. When the saucers are firing downward, no explosions. When the volcano is erupting, almost no audible sounds.

Since the modes are such a focal point, it would be so much more exciting if they used that great audio system more effectively. At the moment, the game is very monotone. This is obviously something that can easily be corrected...I just don't know if JJP agrees with my observation/feedback.

It’s like a if I am gonna read a new book.
If it doesn’t have more content than a dictionary,I am not gonna bother with it.

They are a blast-super smooth and fast

What else I noticed is the precise ball control. The flippers are really responsive and accurate-probably part of the reason for longer ball times.

yeah, the theme and callouts/sound effects are weak on DI. my other complaints with the game are that it's too linear (shoot electric guy to power up the phone and shoot the scoop) to start modes. And also the scoop protectors add a lot of frustration to that game. Besides that though it's a great game! It's a top 5 Lawlor game for me.

Dialed in I could never get into
I don’t like games that have like a floaty Elvis on them (I’m all shook up ha ha) and the theme is confusing
High tech? But it’s a pinball? I don’t get it

You could put a hundred toys in Pirates don’t change the fact that after the first one those movies suuuuck
The movies get worse and worse and Depp gets weirder and weirder

Dialed inn is a good game, this is a Munsters thread. I don’t see how we go from sterns 5800.00 pro to jjp 9000.00+ it’s not apples to apples.

Disagree. There is so much you can do. Look at older games. They've just become LAZY by doing no frills, fan layouts.

Is it possible that there is pressure to come up with layouts like this because they're safe?

Coming up with something off the wall might be alright if you're Pat Lawlor and JJP basically tells you to go nuts, but maybe not when you're working for Stern?

I dunno, just throwing ideas out there. I don't know any designer who wants to churn out samey, predictable work - unless they are disillusioned with what they're doing or (more likely) getting pressure externally on BOM, time, or whatever.

Some people are just never happy i guess, we see the same thing on every game that launches. Im just going to play all of my games and enjoy this hobby as much as i can. If pinball was any funner i dont know what i would do with myself.

Of all the people, you are the funniest one to be trashing me. Lets not even get started on some of your past antics!

Clear changes each release or maybe even as the months move on. My SW isn't that impressive, IMDN looks thick as shit.

Holy shit a $10 cliffy and washers... It's like the great Gatsby around here!!!

Yeah no doubt. That John Borg, Steve Ritchie, and George Gomez are just old washed up lazy designers. Its obvious that they have lost their passion and drive to design good pinball machines. Hopefully this new Elwin kid can light a fire under their asses and make them want to design better games.

Give me a break dude for real!

Umm you forgot Borgs X-Men
Not another fan layout which is great to see.

Dude, serious.
You don't own Munsters yourself and you have no deposit on one as yet.
But you defend every post that's negative towards the Munsters....

Everyone has said the game is fun even Me .
But the code is Shit!

Owww poo

I must be weird then lol
Loved all the Pirates of the caribbean movies

Umm...i am 1000 percent getting a Munsters and how can a game be fun if the code is shit?

Like this

munsters-pinball (resized).jpg

It may not be them, but the higher-ups pulling the reigns. Too afraid to put something different out there. They've figured out what sells to the sheeps. Don't want to upset the cart.

Example
Wheel of Fortune
WWE

The code in WOF is definitely not shit. It's still one of the deepest games of its era. The code is just missing polish and a final wizard mode that few would be able to make it to anyway.

Would ACDC be shit if it didn't have Encore and was missing callouts and display effects?

We all love pinball.

The thing is that over the years Stern have made big changes, based on direct feedback.

They even got rid of those stupid pegs because enough people complained about it!

There needs to be a mixture of praise and constructive criticism or we won't get some of these small improvements.

Nothing to do with being happy or unhappy!!!

Stern is full of smart, passionate people who want to make good games. This is just a fact, anyone who's spent time talking with the people who work there know this.

They read the forums, they see the comments. Even the shitty ones, and I can tell you from experience it's not fun when it gets super personal. Keep that in mind if you care about that kind of things.

The feedback definitely matters too, it's not a coincidence things like art improved and hand drawn titles are the common way to go these days for instance. They got that message.

But ... at the end of the day there's one metric that really counts. If you buy the game you voted with your wallet. That's worth 6000 shitty comments when it comes to putting a thumb on the scale.

Buy what you like! Get a Munsters, I don't care. But don't complain later about the code, or Stern making the same fan layout over and over or anything else, because if you're buying that they're happy to keep making that. Is what it is.

True, but I think feedback/comments are more meaningful from folks voting with their wallet. Complaining about a machine you've never owned (or played) is less meaningful than someone living through the NIB ownership experience. Artwork is an obvious exception...easy to have an opinion about artwork without ever owning the game.

Example: I bought an NIB AS Pro and the right flipper was super wonky out of the box (game wasn't playable). Tried to fix the flipper however the silly pegs made it really hard to do. After that, I emailed Stern luminaries one last time pleading for abolishing the pegs (since I had to order the rails from PinballLife so I could fix the wonky flipper). Fortunately, all of our pleas over the years led to Stern finally abolishing the pegs. Yippee.

Problem is if you like Munsters then where else are you going to buy a Munsters pinball machine from?

Given the hype there was about Munsters in the first place, when previously there didn't appear to be any real mention of it or people clamouring for it, there appears to be a number of customers who just want to buy the latest, greatest NIB pin and will sing the praises of whatever that theme happens to be.

In that respect there is a captive audience with pinballs to a certain extent. What Stern needs really is serious competition in the "crank several new pins out every year" space. When they start to feel like their customers might not be as locked in as they think they are that's when you're likely to see margins being dialed back and BOM increases, not before, and certainly not because a bunch of people moan about it but still buy their stuff.

ummm

may want to look under the hood of Munsters...

Dude...are they back?

Maybe stop being a theme whore?

Ha, that's not happening anytime soon so they're not worried aboot it.

I have seen 2 and oddly one with pegs and one with rails...

There are traditional service rails in my pro.

Hmm...maybe an early model for shows or something?

From reading the posts to this thread over the past couple days I think one thing is very clear, we all have a passion for this hobby and industry, and I for one would like to see it continue to grow. For some of us old enough to know what it was like back in the hey day when Williams was cranking out thousands of games a year for a single title/game, we might not ever get back to that level, but at least Stern developes and brings to market several titles each year. I applaud Stern for hanging in there for several years when pinball was all but dead from a manufacturing standpoint, and having several titles to choose from is a great thing we all should be acknowledging.

I have stated on other threads that I think Munster's was designed and developed to bring more people into this hobby that might be playing a pinball machine for the first time on location. I can't help but to think Gary and his team at Stern had a strategy in mind with this game from the onset, and that was to make it 'fun and appealing to the larger demographic' as its primary objective. I think everyone posting to this thread knows Stern has very talented folks on it's payroll and could really do anything they wanted when developing a new game. At the end of the day its still about business and staying in business while offering a product that we 'the end user' can enjoy at multiple levels. Is this game for everyone, no, but variety is the spice of life, and for me I'm glad this game is in my collection. The good is that we as enthusiasts have a choice to play it, ignore it, or buy one, isn't that great

You pass. Just as I did on Primus. Letdown of the year.

Stern

Psssst

Hire Jim Phillips (art)

Make a skate/surf theme game

Put Jim in your artist rotation

Cheech & Chong. Do it. Here's a theme 65% of Americans agree with & vote in favor of year after year.

Send crab rangoons. I'm starving
as_scene_Jimbo5_octo_1908x1920 (resized).jpgjim-phillips-illustration (resized).jpg
clockmoon (resized).jpgas_scene_Jimbo5_SeaGod_1396x1920 (resized).jpg

Exactly. Some just like to bash JJP.

Did anyone notice that the Munsters has a series of B&W animations and instructions on the LED screen that shows how to start a game, launch the ball and use the flippers? Did any prior game have this 'intro-to-pinball' sequence?

Iron Maiden has something similar.

If I could give you unlimited thumbs up for this law I’d be here all damn night, when I read the cliffy and washer comments I genuinely spat my coffee out laughing, if all it takes is a cliffy and some washers to impress someone then it’s no wonder Stern continually experiment with what they can remove or cheapen on a game, smart business right there.

This is a good thing. At our location, I'm amazed at how many people do NOT know how to start a game. I watch the CCTV video of them looking for a switch or just pressing the flipper buttons until they find the start button. Now if Stern can give them a screen that shows new players to use the flipper ONLY when the ball is at least NEAR the flipper rather than CONSTANTLY through the gameplay.

Noticed that on Deadpool this weekend.

Shit I've owned it and never noticed

Theme whore here
Went to Iron Maiden shows half dozen times growing up but I definitely don’t want a monument to their music in my basement
They haven’t made a good record in decades
Plus the art is not Derek Riggs art which looks fake to me
Doesn’t mean it’s not a good game it’s great but a lot of things go into a pinball
If I was totally into Maiden still those things wouldn’t factor in my opinion
I bought the LE cause when I saw it I thought now that looks like a Munsters pin

Theme matters
Some people just feel that monsters are a perfect marriage for pinball

But ah fuck it who cares I just can’t wait for my Munsters pin

I can't stand IMDN's music, but I have the pin. The music is really secondary on this game. You are so focused on the shots and hearing the awesome callouts, the music washes out.

I cranked my IMDN game up pretty good last night and it sounded better than i thought it would at a high volume level. It was awesome!

Batman66 has it as well and it's pretty cool since they tailored it to fit the Batman theme.

I've watched the video. When you're not the 5 time VFW League Champ, you need all the help you can get.

Woa... woa... you don't have one or a deposit on one . Your shi-ing me right.
With all the trash talking you do. I thought for sure you had one...

6?

Something interesting that I noticed while playing the pro last night is that the theory of Stern creating shallow code to appeal to new players doesn't really fly with me. The game is really easy for pinheads due to two free side-target achievements, but the other shots aren't that easy. Herman can be tough from the left flipper and bounce-brick from the right. Ramps can be backhanded, but newbs just don't backhand. I see newbs bricking most shots and suffering frustration due to no ball save. My wife loves TZ and TOTAN because she can bat the ball around and nail easy ramps and fluke scoops etc. These games allow her to slowly get to the point of trying to nail the harder shots, and the code is simple enough that she can understand what to shoot for. I don't see much of this in Munsters. It's not as tight as other more difficult games, but it doesn't really have the easier feel of older beginner machines that I hoped it would have. I think no ball save was the worst code decision for routing. Everyone knows that even the easiest pinball machine in the world can give you three instant drains in a row. Hell, I consider myself a good player and had a game with two instant drains on Munsters. Conclusion: if you want people to learn pinball, give them easier shots, balanced code that is somewhat shallow, and for Christ's sake, let them play for longer than 30 seconds.

This is a critical point, so some of you will not like it. Just remember this: I'm not shitting on your positive posts. I'm glad you like the game.

. oops

I need to be talked down off the ledge....Ive got a deposit on an LE and I’m seriously thinking of bailing and buying Beatles Gold instead. In fact today I’m going to my distributors to play Beatles and decide.

Unlike some of the complaints, I love the look of this game - it’s pure Borg. I love the Le package. I like lower playfields. The whole game draws you in.

For me it’s purely code related. I know a game can improve with code, but listening to interviews and comments, this one sounds more or less complete - any changes will be mostly cosmetic.

I think I’ll just sit it out and wait for the premium to decide if the game has changed enough. I’m not a big fan of the black and white compared to the LE package but could live with it.

But then I can’t believe I’m considering a Beatles over this. I’m complaining about the simplicity of Munsters code, yet Beatles seems even more simple.