I'm with you on this one. I agree with all of your points. I'm not digging TWD at all. Huge bummer. I was psyched for this game!

Worse than Wolverine????

Yeah my brother gave me a pretty similar review.

Thanks for the review. This theme was a "gimme" for me, I was all set to drop a bunch of cash on the LE. However the early impressions and the price point have me putting the wallet back in my pocket.

Maybe a couple years down the road I will be able to pick up a nice HUO LE with the topper and save myself a few grand.

I played a TWD Pro at the Downtown 1Up in Denver for about 30 mins yesterday, and was specifically looking for this issue since I've seen it mentioned multiple times, but never had a SDTM throw off of that magnet, nor from shots at the Prison door or Prison zombie head. So it's possible this is just a matter of adjustment (or somehow machine-specific).

I agree that the Well Walker doesn't look too good (it's a zombie so it's supposed to look ugly, but it has a shiny plastic look and a somewhat bland color scheme). And while it didn't detract terribly from the game play for me, it wasn't a highlight either. Overall though, I was generally pleased with the layout of the playfield and the shots available.

Agreed 100%, the voice work is an absolute theme killer at this point, more suited to a Dukes of Hazard or Beverly Hillbillies game than to TWD. Hopefully they can get this fixed, either by integrating sound from the show or finding actors that seem a bit less chipper about the zombie apocalypse.

Although since you mentioned BSD, I'd take the Well Walker over the Dracula figure for looks any day, and certainly the TWD playfield over BSD's study in teal!

After a couple weeks on location it does

Well, SOMEBODY better buy them so they will get a code update!!

I player it in league the other day and it's really boring. Even with code I think it has dud written all over it. I love several stern games but this thing needs some umph!

Pretty my review to a 'T'...I canceled my LE also after playing the pro. I can understand the code not being there..but the shots just did nothing for me. Stern's bash this..bash that approach to pins now is kinda getting old. Plus now I have to pay extra for the cool stuff like armor and toppers? I felt as if I was buying a Premium...and had to build my own LE

Looking at TH and TBL...TWD looks like a Zizzle...and played like one.

I played it a number of times and feelings are generally meh... there are some cool features (or rather, features that will be cool when fleshed out) like the inlane multipliers, and the skillshot is fun to master, but overall it seems like a step down from Metallica in almost all non-rules aspects... art, music, callouts (yea, worse than Lars) and PF layout. I'm not judging rules yet since the software is so early. Clean shots to the right orbit would rattle at the bend and be rejected, and the well walker consumes a good chunk of shot-space.

Wow, I was starting to think I was the only one. We got a TWD on location across from where I work and I was pumped. I am a huge zombie fan and I've been chomping at the bit for the first zombie pin to hit the streets. I thought TWD looked great and didn't mind that it didn't have a lot of tie to the show, but I was let down from the first day I got my hands on this game. I played 7 games in a row the first day and found myself debating whether it was worth playing my replays by the end. I have since gone back almost daily, but still feel about the same. I have seen people on here dismissing the unfair stdm drains, but I have been getting plenty of them from the prison magnet and the pop lane. The machine is level! The ball can exit the pops in almost any direction it wants. Usually, it goes to the left flipper as designed, but it can even exit to the right flipper and anywhere in between frequently enough. I get concerned every time the ball enters the pops, which is too often. The ramps are also steep and slow. There's only a little dash of flow with a few shots. And while I wasn't expecting much from the code at this point, it seems like a new benchmark has been set for bare bones early code. Having said all of that, I do REALLY like the DMD animations, the art and the music in the game. I could easily end up changing my mind with time, as this is still I title I want to love, but I don't see this going down as one of Stern's best efforts right now.

stern better up their game and not just their prices! pretty sad such a cool license has gone to shit so badly. as it stands i wouldn't buy the le for half the price. i hope stern can turn this around but i have my doubts...putting lipstick on a pig comes to mind. can't wait for tbl to be made.

Stern expo annoucements so far have sucked so i dont expect much of a turn around

I've probably played it about 25+ times so far. I'm still forming an opinion on it. It's no Baywatch, that's for sure.

I am a bit curious about the playfield and how the game's theme was developed. The playfield doesn't have any art that's specific to the AMC TV show. There aren't any characters from the TV show on the playfield or shown on the DMD. (There also aren't any callouts from actors from the TV show as of yet, but this could change?) The Pro features the AMC label on the backglass and has play cards on the apron with pictures of characters from the TV show. The art on the side of the Pro includes characters from the TV show. What I'm getting at, is that it almost seems like the game was developed without the certainty that they'd get a license from AMC? The AMC TV licensing seems "slapped on" after the fact. Am I thinking about this wrong? It seems a bit odd.

_{Post edited by guyincognito: I love the Baywatch pin!}

Geesh, this playfield had such HUGE (and I mean H-U-G-E) potential. When I first saw it, my mind almost went numb imagining the possibilities of game play scenarios. But, I have to say...the vids and the reviews of players have been a let down. I've got a verbal hold on an LE...but I think I'm out. I can't pay $7,600 for a game that is ho-hum. Makes me really sad, too. Stern has had quite a few good titles in the past few years.

I would have paid $7600 for a ho-hum TWDLE. Sadly it's not even that.

After buying Borgs last few LEs...I kinda feel like we're breaking up

No you are right. It's exactly what it feels like. Besides cab art, what really makes it TWD? Nothing.

I know many will disagree, but I haven't played a stern that I liked. I'm just a huge fan of williams/bally. They were just built so much better.

You are not wrong in your half butted review. I played a couple of quiet games on it. The best I can say is that it felt just like a Stern. I could take it or leave it. I'm sure it will do fine on route though. Not so fine in my home game room.

Isn't that a Metallica in your collection?

Push600...I disagree...I respect your opinion, in fact I used to feel the same way. But, there are quite a few recent Stern titles (AC/DC being my favorite) that are absolutely dynamite.

I hate to say that because I don't want to ever see them fold. But I really haven't seen them build something that I had to have.
I had a met pro and sold it. Haven't missed it for a second.
It was the only stern I have owned. I have played many.
I can't say I will never own another, but I'd have to really be "wowed" by it.

That's all fair...I have to say tho...my experience on IM, AC/DC premium, Met premium, Tron....All VERY positive. They are just flat out fun.

I own AC/DC prem. It is absolutely fantastic.

I can't believe people are paying $400 for an aquarium full of heads. Mine is real, and it cost me a lot less than that.

I went with Tron after trying TWD cause there
Was nothing Wow about it !

How about LOTR now to me that was a must have Stern and doesn't at least to me play like other Sterns?

Hopefully some important changes can get made and Lyman will pull through with an awesome ruleset. It's early. Great pinball machines are greater than the sum of their parts. There's still time.

Man I really cannot agree with this review. I spent about 2 hours with the game in my shop. Not on route, but in my own possession. So I was able to hear the sounds, spend time on it without waiting in line, etc. The first couple games were way brutal. The ball times must have been about 15 seconds. But after I learned what not to do, things started to pan out.

The shot flow is pretty fun to hit. The ramps are easy to hit and satisfying. The right ramp is harder to hit due to its angle, but it is still fun. The shot that goes back to the plunger is also where extra ball is at is pretty satisfying and is difficult to hit. The game has a lot of shots for a 2 flipper layout.

The ball was not in the pops as often as I thought it would be after watching some videos. But the lower right pop is a flow killer in that it sends all orbit shots into the pops. When I get my LE, I think I will disable that pop bumper switch or make it so it doesn't trigger if hit from the top.

The large walker toy is not in the way. The wolverine blocked some of the shot on XMen. That is not the case here. The toy is large, but it does not block any shots. The prison shot is pretty evil and that magnet does toss the ball down the drain. But it's random and this is the case with magnets on playfields in other games as well. It's definitely not as evil as the magnet on say iron man's iron monger or even Wolverine magnet on xmen. The prison, itself, is well presented and when it starts glowing, you can see the silhouette of people trapped in the building. Looks cool.

The rules are very good so far. This has some typical Lyman stacking in rulesets but so far its done pretty well. I had at least 4 modes running on ball 3 often and was able to stack 2 multiballs taking them through these modes.

The call outs are not terrible at this stage, but they do not pull you into the game at all. The sound package is one of the worse sound packages I've heard on a recent stern game. But it's not terrible by any means. The software is pretty good for this stage - definitely seems better than the initial release of Metallica or AC/DC (Lymans previous 2 games).

I am excited for the LE. There were definitely game play features that looked like they needed something to shoot at. There are modes where the zombies are attacking and you need to pick them off, and on the pro there's just nothing that changes on the playfield other than some flashing shots. On the LE, I expect the drop target to appear and the ramp to raise, for example.

I finally played TWD and just got bored after 3 plays. I really love the TWD series, almost to the point of obsession, and was very excited for this title. Game just seems "blah" when playing.. same ol, same ol bash toys, one magnet, shoot a lit shot here, and way too much pops time for me. No real creativity in design or interactive toys (I don't consider bashing interactive).

I feel this game could have been so much more with all the material they had to work with.

And of course, the real kicker to me is that they raised the MSRP price and gave us this.

The good news for me? I have no desire to spend $ on one, so I don't have to move anything out of my collection.

I think at this point the games I am looking forward to are the Big Lewbowski and The Hobbit. Stern is going to have to step it up a little for me to get interested in them again.

I'm thinking it might be time to skip a couple of these new games and wait for better games in the future.
I don't wanna insult any manufacturer here....but the new offerings just seem kinda lame. Especially with the prices attached to them.

I'm sure they'll lower the prices real soon on new games, good luck waiting

I stopped reading after that.

Feels like BBH... Should be the greatest pin ever!...well second to BBH of course.

I just finally got BBH running today....only had it a week before it crapped out....

Oh, Now I love to hit that moving target Buck...How I wish TWD had Zombies on tracks coming at me...
Then I'd feel the "theme" more..

You both are correct, that Tron and IM (and acdc premium) are all superior games so far TWD does not wow me, have played it and watched the videos and have not really seen too much to make me want one.

IM / Tron are my two favorite games. Also have positive feeling about Met. So I can see how Borg - Sheets combo was greatly expected to be stellar.

I have not played enough of TWD but when I did I thought it was ok certainly not Tron or IM (wow factor).

Too soon to tell, and the code will improve for sure, but not a sure fire home run IMO. However I will say some people like different games, some people don't like Tron or IM (I don't understand why, but I'm sure some people will really be happy with TWD, just because some don't love it does not mean it's a total dud).

Glad you did. I've owned 30 machines, and it doesn't take as much for me to realize the game doesn't have much to offer.

While I got bored in 3 games, I played more just because it was new and I had played the other titles there more than enough over the years. What does it take, in your opinion, to really decide?

I honestly don't think my opinion will change of the game.

When I played IM early at a one of my friends house, I knew I liked it while others didn't. I even offered him cash that night for it (and he turned it down).

So I'm going my my gut here...

Everyone is entitled, and it seems you are not alone as other people echo your sentiments, the super fan boys who own the game can not be totally unbiased.

I prefer reviews from people that played more then "a few games" on a machine. Because those are the people that get more time on the same table and end up loving it. Remember RGR's initial review of AC/DC? I believe he summed it up as a big turd.

I disagree big time but the TBL isn't doing anything for me so to each his own. I played it last week and really liked it, good shots, coolest theme I've encountered and great sound, that's the pro too I think the LE is going to be amazing.

3 play review….

read my post, I played it more, but it only took 3 plays on a new machine to get bored. If there isn't a bigger red flag, I don't know what is.

Anything past boredom is just forcing myself to like it IMO.

This is sterns biggest problem. Release the bare bones Pro, folks don't dig it, then try to sell the LE's. Wth?? Bring out the best first then sell the lesser model after the LE is sold out.

I have no idea why they still time these this way.

Well, maybe you should reevaluate when the code is done? I mean we both have Lotr Le, Wh20 and Ac/dc but I think we can keep an open mind for what is to come…..

If Stern keeps "selling" this way, they will be done……….too many options today...

I don't own nor have I ordered the game. Jackass.

Rob you beat me by 30 seconds.

Except without the colorful Robness added in

I'm with you. I've played it several times at Expo and enjoyed it, though it seems to be about as brutal as IM. They've had maybe 8-9 pro models here with long lines the whole time, so there are others who are also enjoying it. I overheard during the Stern tour that there are something like 800 callouts built into the s/w, though most of them have not been activated yet due to beginner s/w. The topper was shown on a pro during the tour and it plugs into the game and lighting is tied to the game lighting. It looks awesome!

I'm still in for my TWDLE, gonna buy the mods too, just about all of em!

( except shooter rod head. Not digging it.).

Stern is making a show at adaptation in this changing market. I'm giving them a chance with this title as we asked for gore and guts, we got it. Updates on software are more ( hopefully) consistent and with the potential this title and pf design has, could be a great one.