The art isn't horrible. It's not great either. The shots look like they are cool. The layout feels different which is great. I don't care about external art but the dragon looks cool (of course I'm not an LE buyer.) Has potential to be cool. Can't wait to play it.

Doesn't matter. All the ones on the left are better by far. If you show a fully populated PF it is just rubbing it in.

Put a Hobbit LE populated PF next to the GOT LE populated PF for a real WTF moment. Don't bother with the cab and back box...just gets worse.

I actually love what you said here. I am a fan of the show so I am picky on the artwork. The show is very dark and mysterious but they have it bright and cheerful looking, that's probably my biggest beef but the game (LE) looks fun to play. They just need to scrap the art and start over. I've seen coloring books with more detail.

Impressive rage. You said "everything under the glass is the same", when it clearly isn't. Saying you can fit something later (at additional cost) is missing the point entirely when comparing off-the-shelf costs. But, whatever. Feel free to punch your caps lock a few more times if it makes you feel big.

My MMr order is safe...whenever it will arrive.

Neither Winterfell (of which almost none of the show takes place in) nor Castle Black are traditional castles that look anything at all like the one on this playfield.

And I must have missed the pivotal battering ram scene from the show - can someone point it out to me please?

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It does if you are Daenerys Which is why I could see the brown theme going for her part of the story and the LE themed around her... but can't see it working for the Stark premium edition. Maybe the PF will differ...

But like LOTR, I'm sure there is detail in these regions we can't simply see in the photos so far. My grief is with those crazy huge bare inserts sticking out like Duplo pieces.

i think the giant sword graphic on the ramp sucks too. no ones said that yet!

Because once again they used THE FREAKING OPENING CREDITS as the basis for the entire playfield art package.

Seriously dude... read a book. Both Winterfell and castle black ARE very much traditional castles... Maybe you think a castle looks like Medival Madness's castle? The castle in the PF looks more like what one might think you'd see in Kings Landing.. or even meereen.

As for ram scenes... yes, you've missed it.

I just saw on the feature matrix-> the Premium/LE have 63 RGB inserts, plus RGB spotlights, plus RGB pop bumpers.

how long after the first look photos do they show a video of gameplay typically? a month out?

Don't stare at the PF too long - it will burn your eyes out.

It's been said before but worth saying again - it's too bad that first impressions on the art package are already smearing this pin. I look forward to every Steve Ritchie pin that comes out and can only imagine that this pin is going to be FUN to play. I'll pass final judgement on the artwork once I see it in person, in it's intended setting with full lighting immersion. With that said, it really is too bad that the initial impression is "I need to play it first," as compared to past titles that were "I need to buy this now."

From that pic it looks like those two mechs under the dragons wings make the wings flap? I guess that's what they mean by "animated Dragon". Still better then the "animated Band" in AC/DC though

Disagree.

I think the TH playfield looks far more striking until you add that lizard head

But, back to GOT:

Perhaps Im in the minority, but I think the PF art is passable on the GOT (certainly not anything that will be called beautiful, though), but the cabinet and backglass art is more disappointing....

Meh, at least for me, the game certainly wont be bought on artwork alone, but then again, Id never buy a game on looks alone to begin with! (Since I'd certainly never have bought an ACDC!)

I kind of like the playfield art. I guess it could have been a little darker but I don't think it's all that bad. I was more worried it would be filled with a bunch of clipart of the actors.

I have one of each (ST pro and AC/DC premium) and I think I actually like the clips more. I've played an AC/DC premium on location where the lockdown bar would slide like 3/4" side-to-side. I absolutely hated having the part of the machine I'm holding/nudging feel unstable. I can't see that happening with the clip design. It also seems a little easier to keep the lockdown bar centered exactly as you lock it back in.

I guess the clips are a cheaper/less-complicated design and yes, they take slightly longer to work with, but that is really minor to me.

That said, playfield pegs still suck.

Honestly, I kind of wish EVERY initial impression to pinball machines was "I need to play it first."

Agree but LE buyers have 7 days to cancel, so it's not like we can play it first. Of course with the tepid reception I'd bet the LEs will be sitting in inventory a long time (combined with the highest price ever from Stern) so no pressure to buy the LE until you can play it first.

I thought Stern had turned a corner with Metallica beautiful PF art but that was just a dead end apparently.

SM VE had better be outstanding is all I can say, if the go hand drawn it should be like Metallica.

Well, it looks like I'm actually going to have to try watching this show now. Having that context would be nice. Tried the first two episodes a couple years ago and it was so boring, I fell asleep before I could finish them.

Game seems to have a fun layout though and I'm looking forward to finding it out on location somewhere this fall.

Sometimes this site sucks and today is one of them, let the fucking game come out first before condemning it to the manure pit, IM, ST, AC/DC and many others recieved the same negative intial reviews in terms of artwork and yet have become great sought after pins, every single time this happens, what a joke. Artwork and cabinet details do not encapsulate a pinball machine in fact along with display are the least important factors, looks cool to me but if the gameplay isn't there I wouldn't buy it. Sorry but its getting tiresome, if you back out of this pin over these pictures then you are a fool. JMO

I understand thinking the Pro looks bare and the cabinet art "blah". But the Premium/LE playfield looks really cool. I don't understand all the hate for it. Looks to have a ton of toys and features. Lighting could be amazing too.

Lol, I hear you on that. At least now I don't feel rushed to drop a sizeable chunk of change on blind faith... A little refreshing to feel ok about taking a wait and see approach.

It was just a quick job in Photoshop. I think all MM, LOTR, and TH stand way above GoT even without showing them fully populated. There is strong cohesion not just in theme, but of the elements themselves in those three titles that are missing in GoT. Like others have said, GoT looks like it was a generic medieval theme that had some Game of Thrones elements tossed into it.

Yeah - who knows, if they thought this art package was good enough for us pinheads it makes me wonder what they'll do with an icon like Spider-Man...

I think most people get an extremely negative perception of the game when they see just how cost cut everything is (the entire pro being the obviously thing you see). Hard to say "Wow, I'm excited for this!" when the first major thing you notice is that the Premium is really the game, and the Pro is half the game. The 10th grader art design is just the shit icing on the shit cake, not the sole reason we got a bad first impression.

I think the LE looks pretty cool in terms of design. I also can't play it yet so I have to speculate based on how it looks, and how it looks is vomit.

i got the impression leading up to this game that a lot of people who have yet to buy a NIB would take the plunge on this themes PRO version, but after seeing how stripped down and just the horrid art seems like everyone has put the check book away. I'll plunk some quarters in it on location for sure and give it a whirl but wont find its way in my home.

i know The Hobbit took a lot of flack and a lot of people don't love its playfield art, but GoT looks like Duplo to Hobbit's Lego.

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i can't get over those dorky shield borders.

The gray circle gradient behind the shields is top notch though.

No way, first the game looks like a JJP game. I love to play it but I'm holding my cash for something I want. Title does nothing for me.

Gradient fill = radial? Been a while since i used Photoshop.

"Spinning Target with Sync-Flash Super Bright Flasher"

Anyone find the spinning target?

Never mind, it's just a Spinner.

Left orbit.

Feature list is out. It is a VUK.

The matrix makes things sound exciting:

Spinning target = regular spinner
Elevator = VUK

Pro locks so bare and stripped down, (even when I try to imagine this game without having ever seen the LE) that combined with the ugly playfield I'm not even interested in seeing how it plays.

LE/Premium at least have all the toys and knacks of a moden pin, but then again...the PF art does make me cringe.
Did I mention that the upper PF does even look worse to me? Soooo generic and uninspired - could be put without a change into any fantasy/medieval game out there.

Sure, these render pics may not display the "real" look of this game, but I still don't think I can ever come even with that I've seen today.

Man, that comparo between the Hobbit art and GOT is hilarious. I didn't mind the GOT artwork before that but now It looks awful to me.

Before this morning, I wanted to make GoT Premium my first NIB game (still waiting on MMRLE... black trim...). I was pretty bummed on the confirmed rumors that there would be no LCD again, but I was going to try to push through that and just focus on whether it would have some compelling gameplay and toys. I never expected the artwork to be so horrible. I'm a graphic designer; I don't care how fun the game is, I'll never be able to bring myself to buy one that looks this amateurish. I'll play one on location if I ever come across it, but I would feel sick seeing it in my house and thinking about how much I paid for this high school looking effort.

Aside from that, I'm wondering just how well the game is going to tie into the GoT universe. For example, on the mini-playfield it looks like you're fighting the dragon. Why? If you're against the dragon, what happens if you're playing House Targaryen? Why is wildfire such an important tool in this game? From a GoT wiki (http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Wildfire) it looks like wildfire is controlled by the alchemists' guild in King's Landing, which means only Lannisters will have access to it. If you're another house are you going to have to defeat the Lannisters at King's Landing before you can use wildfire? The impression that I'm getting so far is that this game's story concept is just MM except you pick the protagonist.

So, I just went back and re-read the official press release for GoT, and this sentence stood out to me:

"In addition, the limited-edition model comes with a certificate of authenticity, a numbered plaque, a designer-autographed playfield, a hand-drawn cabinet and backglass artwork by Bob Stevlic."

I have no idea who Bob Stevlic is, but I find it a little odd that he should get called out in this way for art that's being extremely poorly received, while Steve Ritchie doesn't get mentioned by name anywhere? Is there a reason why Stern chose to simply use the term "designer-autographed"? It seems odd that Steve wouldn't want to be recognized, or that Stern wouldn't want to use his involvement as a selling point. I know he may not be as well-known to the general public, but is he any less famous than Bob Stevlic?

Are these pics legit? It's not even close to the feel or atmosphere of the show or the books, its completely out in left field. Looks terrible!

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I'm not that put-off by the artwork. It could certainly be better but it could also be worse and is not a show-stopper for me (unlike the AC/DC playfield and translite art). The opening in GOT is iconic and the wooden gear motif does fit.

Like ST, I would rather have somewhat generic playfield artwork than horrendous photoshop images of the actors in various action poses or stills scattered around the playfield.

I expect a Ritchie game to play well and the LE/Premium playfield looks promising. I don't mind a mini playfield blocking the view of shots that don't require player interaction, like orbits or vuks, if it adds to the overall gameplay.

No LCD is a disappointment but I think good code and sound could pull the game together. Also, just because a game has an LCD doesn't mean the content will be done well and add value to the playing experience.

I expect Stern to over hype their toys in the feature matrix (ie. the "Animatronic" Band in AC/DC). So, not really expecting much in that department. Maybe the dragon's wings will go up and down (fly) and the red LED in its mouth will glow (breath fire).

I like the use of all the metal habitrails and the LE/Premium looks pretty full featured.

Will wait to play the game and for the code to mature before making any real judgements.

Full disclosure: I've read all the GOT books and watched the HBO series. I'm also in on TH.

Maybe we should buy their designer an updated copy of a book of Photoshop tricks. I think they've applied every kind of 2003 Layer Style they could to the shield and all the elements around it. Drop shadows, bevel and emboss, inner glow, stroke, color fill, texture, and satin.

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I'd venture to say the Premium will have the best art package.

Where's the Throne, where's the white walkers ? It needs some dark evil imagery and some action ! The translite should encompass all 5 current seasons.

I want a kick ass translite like POTC and LOTR. I want an action scene with a mind blowing collage of sensory overload.
The LE translite is not doing it.

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Is it usual for Stern to put out 3D renders?

Maybe they're testing the water and not in production at all yet.

I wish it were the case.