Fair and.honest review. I don't think jack has helped things shipping machines in this state. I think that at this rate it will be like showing up to a party the next day. The excitement is gone and you just have a big mess.

They aren't shipping in this state. These are demo dev games on site for people to get a feel for the game and potential. First I can tell the software on that machine is old and hasn't been updated even though we send updates out to ops fairly regularly.

I hear the same thing about it doing great money. A thousand dollars in one week at one location but the fact that folks are charging is up to the OP and not JJP. Yell at them. They are on free play when they are at the shows.

"A thousand dollars in one week at one location"

I believe Jack then said more the next week. I've also heard that's not near accurate. I would personally ignore any Jack earning reports. Wait til real ops have them on location and numbers don't come from jack

I am confused by this review? How old is it? The house has been working since the first game on location.

This came from the OP. Not anecdotal feedback.

1300+ plays @ 1.00 a play less some free play.

Technically it came from Jack and not the op. That was at the Shark Club right?

I'll reiterate. *I spoke to the op personally* and no not the shark club.

House didn't do anything? As in it didn't spin or actuate?

Ah, then talking about two different things. I just wanted to make sure.

All reviews are null and void until the code is complete and the game has shipped.

Now that makes no sense - if that were the case, don't put the pins out there for people to play and/or buy. It is completely logical to post reviews if the game is on location, finished or not. I think people are "smart" enough to realize the game, as it is, is currently not complete. Hell there are many pins that never got "completed" code and have glitches - doesn't mean you can't review them and have to wait forever for code.

Heck even JJP probably wants to see the reviews for things that may not be right.

This should apply to Stern games as well then..

incomplete code aside, I found the shots to be clunky and the upper right flipper apparently only has one target to hit.

I also didn't like the feel of the buttons, but I'm assuming that will change at final release.

The craftsmanship is top notch though for sure.

So I suggest we revisit this thread in 2029.

Pre-shipped reviews are probably best labeled as "impressions." I review products all the time, and there's a massive difference between a retail-ready product and a pre-release product. Anything that's not representative of what will be put into consumers' hands is best kept in the realm of previews or impressions. Reviews are for a product that has been officially launched.

But yeah, it sounds like there's still lost of code to get into the game.

They are merely test machines. Not to be reviewed until they are done.

The build quality and appearance is quite impressive. But from the progress previously reported, I expected to see it much further along, and I'm not just talking about the code. It may end up very well, but proximity to completion has been slightly misrepresented.

You test to get feedback

No, you're missing the point. the WOZ games that have been "on location" to date are NOT shipping, final product. They are test/PROTOTYPE games,put out there for whatever reasons (real-world testing, awareness building, customer feedback, etc.). The final games will probably have some minor hardware differences as well as a lot of software changes. It just happens that these test games have received a lot more attention than most.

Pinball machines, Stern or JJP games, are fair game for review when they ship to regular customers as a final product. WOZ hasn't reached that status yet.

Its a review of a pototype.

Wow! 1300 plays in a week! That would be 186 plays per day if the place is open every day. Assuming the place was open 24 hours a day then that means it is played 8 times an hour on average. If the place is only open 12 hours a day then that would mean it is played 16 times an hour. Very nice!

That's some pretty rough game times. Average game < 4 minutes. Highly doubtful.

And some of the boards on the "prototypes" they made themselves.....problems....

I guess some people can't stand that its really about to happen and is going to be great...

The math does not add up. Ball times on the game are really long even for a sub-par player. The 1300 number is not realistic. That is almost 100% - 150% utilization. From the TPF if you add in the 8 hours before the show fixing 2 games and replacing 3 boards; plus pulling the glass for stuck balls....Well that presents even more statistics to the math.

Yea maybe 100% at a show or first time playing but not in the wild.

We have to wait to see how they do once in the field; different locations and add in down time. That will be the true numbers.

Fixed.

I played it tonight. It's not great yet...

Pinchroma, can you confirm this? Is the 1300+ plays in one week's time? Did the op you talk to maybe have his numbers skewed?

I actually confirmed the price was 1.50. Made 1000 bucks but I was wrong about the $1.00 price point. It was $1.50. My mistake on pricing.

How do you review a game that has never been released to a single paying customer yet?

The same way gaming websites review games that haven't been released yet to a paying customer. The same way car magazines review cars that haven't been released yet to a paying customer. The same way a manager reviews an engineers progress on an item that hasn't been finished yet... the list goes on and on ...

Good honest pre review. Thanks for sharing. Hope to hear more as code gets more completed.

So, does that apply to positive reviews as well?

If you want. At this stage things are more previews or progress reports. Basically, his review boils down to: he doesn't like the callouts or the theme. He likes the animations and build quality. Everything else wasn't yet working or was still in prototype stage, so he wasn't impressed. Understandable.

This was based on a game played 3 weeks ago, and we don't know what software version it was running. I do know version 90P didn't start showing up until a full week later, but from YouTube videos taken at the end of March, the code that should have been available did have a spinning house and functional BALL targets, so that particular machine must have been running behind on updates.

the whimpsical theme is outdone only by the
the boredom of its gameplay

Sorry, didn't realize they reviewed unfinished games and prototype cars for the general public

Maybe someone would like to read my review of the prototype Metallica whitewood playfields? lol

Have you played the Metallica whitewood with out signing an NDA agreement? Then by all means, review it as represented.... a prototype.

The game does look good though. I don't want totally slam it. It really is the music that does it for me, I couldn't hear that every day.

Well, technically, they've been put in the wild, and money is being put into them to be played, so they are paying customers.

Jack was definitely put into a "damned if he does, damned if he don't" situation. Can you imagine the outcry if he didn't put them out and no one had even SEEN a WOZ as of yet. He'd be crucified as a scam artist (worse than what people say now).

These tepid reviews we've been getting for months now have definitely taken the wind out of the sails... not sure if anything will get the WOZ train back on track. Maybe that's why it's full steam ahead on Hobbit at this point and that will be his big triumph.

Though I fully support previews of unfinished pins, especially highly anticipated ones, one really has to question how informative versus misleading this preview was, given that at the time it was written, it was significantly behind the times on the code version available. And hence its value as a preview that could predict much of anything short of hardware (which was previewed favorably) is poor.

The poor predictive value of this preview, written at a time when the code was significantly further along than indicated, as well as at a time when Metallica is being released (with its own set of headaches due to distribution), just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm sure the author was just writing what he experienced, without an agenda, but unfortunately others, with an agenda, will misuse it to mislead.

Disclosure: I preordered Woz. I can't wait for it, but am patient because I didn't just buy a new pin, but an entirely new platform, which takes time to do properly.

I also bought and love my ACDC Premium in the interim and it is my family's current fave hands down.

This is almost as bad as the grammar police. Come on, because he didn't use the term "prototype" in the review, it's not acceptable? Everyone here with any brain knows the code isn't finished, knows more is coming, etc. Stop whining about semantics.

If a pin is available on route and people actually pay to play it, I don't see why they can't provide feedback, even if the code has been updated since.

Unfortunately a lot of people also crap on the game because the code isn't finished.

Exactly. Jack even said at the Texas Pinball Festival..."He would NEVER release a game that is not fully finished....NEVER"....Looking over at Gary. He just said that "is such a disgrace to do such a thing".......

So based on Jack's comments I have to assume that every game that is being played is a fully released version. Jack even said it himself.

Even without the sarcasm ...The game play itself and playfield flow can be reviewed. There is no doubt alot to be desired but hopefully he can salvage it with some change up in the rules that compensates for a really bad layout.

There actually is doubt. That is your opinion and is not shared by all so that itself creates "doubt". No doubt is an infalible statement meaning everyone agrees or it is fact. Incorrect.

Given your screen name too it's hard to gauge any level of unbiased response from your commentary.