Couldn't agree more...and I loved Dwight's work on Star Wars.

My gut said something was wrong when the team bragged about the coolness of not having a ball save during the reveal. That's a "big idea"? Odd

I've owned 40-50 games over the years and Munsters was sold after 30 games or so. Never happened before...most games last at least a year typically (even AP, JP, Sopranos lasted longer).

Cool license/show, lame game. Complete dud. Fortunately, Stern kicked butt on the KISS 1.4 update (after keeping us hanging for 3 years)...the rules/mb's on KISS rock now. What a great game!

I like my IMDN Premium 10x more than Munsters. Took 1 months to fully "dial in", but the flow is among the best of any Stern.

Totally agree with the sentiment. Speaking for myself, Munsters just wasn't fun. Shoots fine and the clips are cool, but somehow the sum isn't greater than the parts. AFM, OTOH, is a game where everything comes together (why it's a classic).

It's a bummer, since I like the license and grew up with the show. TRON is a counter example where it's my favorite game (by far) and I haven't even seen the movies Oh well...

Couldn't agree more. Not only rules, but today's fascination with high-res LCD's seems to be taking away from the "story telling" and theme integration that make the old classic games click. When I watched part of the recent BK reveal, I was struck by how many folks on the team worked on fancy imagery for the LCD. Nothing wrong with slick graphics, however they are ideally coupled with a story. CGI can be a tool or toy - ultimately, the story is king. For me, LOTR is Stern's most compelling game as far as story telling...the audio, dots, and light show just spot-on. It's so clear that the team loved the franchise and was given the time to polish the result. Look forward to playing Stern's BK to see if the rules/story fit well with all the effort they invested in the LCD graphics.

I just wish there was more energy going into small, distributed LCD's on the PF (which has more potential for impacting the gameplay). For example, DI's virtual images in the Quantum Theatre. Star Wars LCD on the PF is another example...cool but used sparingly.

Just feels like a lot of the "energy" within Stern being applied to an area that has limited utility for single player games (common in the home).

A game with "meh" mechs and generic layout isn't helped that much by a wiz bang graphics show on the back box. Again, I'm all for great graphics, but it needs to be icing on the cake...not the cake

Making Open Source work requires strong (technical) leadership/planning on behalf of the company releasing the project. I was an early Open Source pioneer working on GCC and later LLVM/clang (two very popular compilers in Open Source land). I've also observed many other Open Source projects. I'm skeptical that Stern would ever adopt this model (licensing issues aside).

In theory, I agree it sounds like a viable solution. I just think the pragmatics (of how Stern operates) would make it very difficult.

Paragon is one of my favorite games of all-time. No MB's, no display, no callouts. Unlike Munsters, Paragon's PF design is fresh/unique (which makes it fun & challenging). Basic layouts like Munsters are crying out for more compelling code. I played my WH20 yesterday and was reminded how cool the layout is. Rules are fairly basic, but still a lot of fun. Happen to get 5x PF lit right before entering MB (which leads to some crazy points). Munsters just seems sooo monotone by comparison.

Blah, blah. I don't ignore anything...don't know where you heard this falsehood. Don't like Munsters...wish I did!

Nope exactly. I love classic 90's games, love IMDN, and sold Munsters after 30 games (which is a first...I'm a collector, not a flipper). With the exception of the truly outstanding art packages, everything else about the game is "meh".

Exactly. The TRON disk, MET Sparky, great Borg "attractions". Shit, even Gene Simmons on KISS is exciting compared with Herman. Sure IMDN doesn't have a cool "toy", but the layout is unique and cool.

I recently sold AS to make room for Munsters. Since the code for AS is really basic, I figured Munsters had to be better. Bad assumption on my part.

Don't know if you are a KISS fan, but the new code is awesome (much better than AS IMHO). I also prefer the KISS PF layout. 3 years is an unfortunate waiting period, but I'm glad I hung in.

I've seen many long-time player/collectors back off on buying Stern's latest offerings. After IMDN/Munsters, I've decided to sit on the sidelines as well. IMDN is a great game, but my Premium took forever to dial-in. If it isn't incomplete code, it's incomplete mechs! Considering Stern inherited the overall design, it's kind of disturbing they couldn't get the mechs "right" (especially since they aren't exotic). Sigh.

Love my current lineup, so it's not a big deal.

TRON is one of the greatest games Stern has ever made (and I'm not really a fanboy for the movie/license). Some folks don't like the "Photoshopped" artwork, but it doesn't bother me. I really like the way they organized the straight line of inserts/modes. Combo heaven. Disk with the translucent rubber produces the best ball action of any "toy" in pinball. The only game I've ever owned 2 of...one for each "coast" Getting to Portal is challenging but not impossible. Getting to Portal without passing through SOS is really an achievement (both my son and I have each done it once IIRC). LE goodies are subtle but very cool. The only thing Munsters does better than TRON is the artwork. Guess some folks love the new fangled LCD, but on Munsters it doesn't do anything for me (unfortunately), and I'm a big fan of the series (watched it growing up).

For me, cost and complexity aren't the issue. It's cost and FUN. Fun is obviously very personal, but there is no denying when a game has "chemistry" (between the dots/graphics, callouts, rules, etc.). As Coolpinballdino says above, the game is one dimensional. I believe the theme integration lacks "chemistry" (not just a Dwight issue). When you hit Herman, Spot, the shots don't feel fun. The callouts don't motivate. It's tough to quantify, but it's clear that many of us a feel the game is lacking. Fortunately, this is one of those rare games that I knew wasn't going to last after 30 games. I'm usually much more patient with my games/purchases. No big deal...they can't all by "great"!

IMDN was an outlier...way more out-of-the-box problems than most Stern games.

What specifically are you referring to in terms of Munsters being a "tank"? I don't notice anything that stood out.

Stern doesn’t even issue Service Bulletins anymore (as far as I can tell). Once upon a time, when they had an issue, they would issue really detailed Service Bulletins. I don’t think they issued one Service Bulletin on IMDN! And the Premium/LE’s had a boatload of issues.

If they don’t do Mea Culpa’s for the mechanical issues, I don’t believe they will do it for software.

Not only is the code "meh", but Herman is pathetic.

Just played MET, KISS, and TRON (all great Borg designs) and Sparky/Gene/Disk add sizzle to the respective games. Herman adds nothing.

The Premium/LE has a 3-ball lock and eject from Gene's mouth/tongue (above the PF). All models have a spinning disk (level with the PF) that throws the ball back. The spinning disk is a little anemic when compared with TRON (a similar mech), but it works pretty well. I agree the head is a little large, but doesn't detract from other elements on the PF.

Agreed. The problem is "simple ass" games are harder to justify for home purchases (and it doesn't appear the license is killing it on location).

My Munsters Pro left my home faster than any other game in my collector (past/present).

Blaming specific individuals isn't fair. Stern *isn't* a boutique pinball manufacturer. Stern is collectively responsible for the quality of their games.

Hope not. My collection is dominated by some awesome Stern titles that are a blast to play. Stern is also the most financially viable pinball company with the greatest manufacturing capabilities. Since they produce so many games, not every game is going to be a gem. This was true back in 2004 (with games like LOTR/TSPP) and it's true now.

I totally agree. Took me over 1 month to dial-in IMDN! Sure, it was an outlier, but my Munsters CPU died after 30 games! I've owned many games (as you know) and I've NEVER had a CPU board die on me. KISS "node board" died after 200 plays or so ($200 to replace).

My B/W games have been rock solid over the years. Power boards and bridge rectifiers need some love/care, but that's very infrequent (and inexpensive).

The notion that NIB == "rock solid and maintenance free" is BS.

It's not total bullshit. I like the license, bought the game. After 30 games, CPU died and I decided the gameplay was much too simplistic for me to justify keeping it. I've owned many games over the years and Munsters was by far my biggest NIB disappointment. From my perspective, the only standout is the artwork. Everything else "meh".

I respect that you love it, you should respect others don't!

I get it, but there is hypocrisy in wanting detractors to "stfu about it" (when you have been one of the most staunch advocates for the game!).

If you really dig the game, don't know why it matters. I guess some folks worry about resale being impacted? Who knows...

It's hard to know what algorithm Stern uses to schedule & focus on updates. Took 2-3 years for Stern to take KISS from half-baked to kick-arse, but it did happen. I always liked the KISS PF layout, but rarely played it because the code was so "meh". The code had "promise", but was just so unfinished. The latest release really is stunning and I'm playing the game more than anything else in my collection.

Can only hope they do the same for GB.