that's a good point, I've really gone off video games (aside from more simulation games like NBA2k and international cricket captain) as these day's they've all been dumbed down to the point of it feeling like all I'm doing is watching an interactive movie. It's been a long time since a game came out that really had me feeling absorbed and like I was doing something kind of new.

In regards to pins I agree modern pins just confuse people. Aside from my Dad and afew friends all my family or vistors to my place only seem to enjoy playing space jam as they drain to quick on comet and whirlwind, and ripley's confuses the hell out of them (they don't understand they've started a mode or know what to shoot, or they aren't paying attention when a balls kicked back out the scoop). Space jam seems popular with them as they can hit some ramps and baskets and get the multiball without really understanding how they did it. My mum actually thought she'd broken space jam when she got a multi ball on it.

I'd just like to point out also, machines just aren't "out there" like they used to be. Seems like 1 out of 4 arcades have even one machine any more. Years ago there was one in the corner of every bar, drug store and bowling alley, or a bank of them on a wall in any arcade (like Funway where I worked). Pins in the wild are a rare breed nowadays. The success of the home video game system linked to the Internet, enabling people to play other people on the other side of the globe without leaving their recliner has put not only pins, but arcade games as well, in the hurt locker. Redemption games seem to be the craze now, spitting out tickets for prizes that can be bought for half the money it cost you to win the ticket.

It would help if most of the machines I encountered on site were not complete garbage.

There was an X-Men machine at my local "arcade" I visited before viewing a movie recently. It was in tournament mode.

Machine was terrible, flippers were weak and could barely make it up the playfield, the rubbers were worn, cracked and in some places almost split all the way through, etc etc.

This was one of the first physical machines I encountered and had I not put the time into researching machines as I had I might have thought this was normal operating behaviour. I was just lucky I had spent so much time watching videos of it on youtube to know thats NOT how pinball was supposed to play.

This machine was front and center too as you ride up the escalator, why they would put such rubbish in such a prominent position I will never know.

So... let's hear that speech.

Hit this, then that, then this...

You know, Who Dunnit? kind of did that, there was an easy mode you could choose that I think guaranteed 2 minutes of ball time even if you were draining left and right.

Stern definitely gets this, as much as they make 'deep' pin rules, they also give out multiballs like candy. "Keep whacking Wolverine until you get multiball" is easy to explain, and gives people an easy goal for a pretty good reward.

Edit: Missed that captainadam_21 brought up W?D first.