TOTAN - I have owned 3 just to make sure but never could get into it.
(Topic ID: 163243)
Clark, MO
there's been quite a few. TOTAN for sure. maybe xmen magneto, although I got a decent deal when I bought it and a decent deal when I sold it. instantly regretted buying my 3rd NGG. After first game I remembered why I sold the first 2. DOH!
I agree manimal about restoring games and eventually losing money when you sell it. lesson learned there.
Quoted from Manimal:Every game that I decided needed restored. By the time you replace everything you think it needs, add your LED's, and maybe a mod or two, you end up losing money and giving someone else a really nice game for a really nice price. Just once I would like to be the guy buying the game with all of the work already done...........
and what if you fix, but no led's and mods?
well, I guess it also depends on how much you pay the non-working machine in the first place..
Godzilla
I bought and shipped it after telling myself I would try too only purchase games I that required shipping if they were special.
I pretty much knew from ball 1. No problem though. I sold it quickly to a happy buyer and only lost my shipping.
A project SF2. Nuff said.
Raven would be an easy one to throw out there but it got me into the hobby. I would say besides that it would have to be Spacejam. That was just a giant turd of a game not to mention the super low quality of parts etc.
Quoted from Luppin:and what if you fix, but no led's and mods?
well, I guess it also depends on how much you pay the non-working machine in the first place..
It does. Bargains are out there, but hard to find these days....especially here in Chicago. I don't even have to add LED's and Mods to be in the hole though. My OCD doesn't allow me to live with broken plastics, chipped pop bumper skirts, glued posts, mis-matching rubber, etc. So I go through them pretty thoroughly from the start, to clean and re-fresh. Depending on the title, and all of the little "issues" you find, that can get pretty expensive in and of itself.
Quoted from Luppin:Its my fav game. When I got it, I was shocked on how bad it played. It was totally unplayable, and I wondered about all those great things I ve heard before about it, it all really did not make sense. It took few days to set it up properly ( BLACK RUBBERS!!!!, right inclination, few tweaks). Everything changed completely. Set up properly, its the best or one of the best ever.
I've gone back and played this game at pinball shows and in other people's collections. I just cannot get to like this game at all! 
Quoted from Toasterdog:Most NIB Sterns. I like em, but lose $ on everyone. Buy used and let the other guy pay the majority of depreciation.
Yeah play a brand new game for a year and lose $200-400. Pretty good deal.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Space Mission absolute worse EM I ever played.
That's because you haven't played Jive Time. I took a loss on that just to get it out of the house.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:laserball. Couldn't give it away. $230 fully working and shopped. Took a hit on that one.
Selling it for $230 isn't giving it away 
Trust me.. I did, literally, give away my Laser Ball (which I had also originally gotten for free). Was going to sell it for 400, but it had an intermittent issue with the 40-pin interconnect. The game sucked so bad I couldn't ever force myself to actually go through and fix it, so I just gave it away to a league member's kid instead. AFAIK he got it working it and still has it...
Quoted from schudel5:The first one. If it wasn't for that one, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in.
This thread should have been closed after this epic post. 
I feel like the mic was dropped.
I find it strange when i look back at some of the ones I've had and wonder what the hell i was doing, Attila Black Pyramid Speakeasy, I could go on. But by the same time didn't like SM and had to get one due to the great deal and now love it. Got Nascar and wanted to get rid of it until last week when I gave it one more shot. Kinda like it now. Same way with Met
Quoted from beefzap:Dr. Who. The sound just killed it for me. Someone needs to upgrade the sound and I will buy it back.
Just add a PinSound board!
Quoted from dasvis:?? Really Odin?
I know it's not an EM, but MET rocks!
Really. And so far 6 people disagree that I had regrets buying it. I used to like the band and was excited to get it. But after a few months of owning it I couldn't stand them anymore and didn't care if I ever heard them again. Then took a look at it and said "WTF are they making pinball machines for rock stars that I saw 30 years ago?" So I sold it for a loss. And set in motion a complete new attitude for me regarding modern pinball.
It really wasn't that fun to play anyway.
A hacked out shadow. Cost too much to get it fixed, and I paid a premium price. People suck. Blah blah blah.
Quoted from hassanchop:Safe Cracker. Got bored on day 1.
I never owned one but I've played it several times on a free play location and just can't love it, or even slightly like it at all. It's probably one of my least favorite games (if not the least), and I don't understand the hype. The whole "add time" thing seems annoying and isn't as exciting as it seems, I think a Williams Travel Time EM has a similar feature which I would imagine is much more fast paced and interesting however, this one just seems like and arduous and I find myself hoping I run out of time soon about 5 minutes into it. Multiplayer games are just multiplied time hell.
Maybe it's more fun if you put actual money in on location and you're fighting to keep your credit going? Maybe I just don't get it whatsoever. Total dud to me.
Quoted from wtatumjr:I hit "Buy it now" by mistake
Sure hate it when that happens...
X-files - I learned never to buy a game based on theme alone. Sound and gameplay just did not hold up with the rest of my collection at the time.
Who Dunnit? - Really wanted to like this one as the Theme, sound & dots are outstanding. After a short time I could tell the stop-and-go gameplay was not for me. Got to the point I never wanted to turn it on.
Quoted from beefzap:Dr. Who. The sound just killed it for me. Someone needs to upgrade the sound and I will buy it back.
Love Pinsound !
Quoted from Outlane-Avoider:I've gone back and played this game at pinball shows and in other people's collections. I just cannot get to like this game at all!
just out of curiosity: how skilled are you playing pinball? do you like flow games or stop and go?
Mine are a tie between Gilligan's Island and Hurricane. Absolutely loved them in the arcade back in the day. Once I got into the hobby, I picked both up (at different times). Total snooze fest. Do not buy games strictly for nostalgic purposes! Lesson learned...
Quoted from Luppin:just out of curiosity: how skilled are you playing pinball? do you like flow games or stop and go?
I'm more of a "stop and go" person myself. I'd consider myself just an average player. In my fifties now so my reactions aren't as good as they used to be. 
I didn't like how The Shadow played. I didn't like the upper playfield and I couldn't keep the ball up there long. I'm not able to do the multiple loops either. I'm not keen on the translite or the playfield artwork - Anal Challenge anyone??
Sometimes you just don't get on with a certain game. 
Quoted from Taxman:That's because you haven't played Jive Time. I took a loss on that just to get it out of the house.
What?! I want a Jive Time. Local one was selling for $700 and seller wouldn't budge, and eventually got his price after a few months. How much did you let yours go for?
Wheel of Fortune ..... it really is not very good
Popeye .... it really is not very good
Bad Cats ..... it really is not very good "Meow Meow Meow Meow"
Comet ..... it really is not very good
Deadly Weapon .... it really is not very good
Quoted from DaveH:Judge Dredd. Everyone said it would be great next to Demo Man. I sold it 2 weeks later for a small loss. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I hated it. It's just about the only pinball machine I actually hate.
Completely agree, the one I had ended up on its side a couple times.
Quoted from HighVoltage:What?! I want a Jive Time. Local one was selling for $700 and seller wouldn't budge, and eventually got his price after a few months. How much did you let yours go for?
Bought is for $125 maybe $150 and sold it for $100. But that was a long time ago.
Quoted from OldSchoolBlood:X-files - I learned never to buy a game based on theme alone. Sound and gameplay just did not hold up with the rest of my collection at the time.
Curious, in my collection, I feel it's holding its own. I especially like the light show with GI effects, and enjoy the audio effects and game play. The light show and audio effects really work well with the frenetic multi-balls. It also has the most satisfying, bad-ass pop-bumper sound effects I've heard.
I think this one can vary a lot based on how it's dialed in. I do have full LEDs including flashers, and upgraded audio with second back box speaker and highly sensitive sub, it probably helps a lot.
Quoted from DaveH:Judge Dredd. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I hated it.
fuggin beautiful lol...
Quoted from limelime20:Stargate,
was excited to get it, but never played it before. Multi-ball right off the bat got old fast.
As well as the call out "shoot the pyramid " over and over again...
There's a modified rom with this removed.
Quoted from TomT:Out of the 100+ I've had over the years Big Guns and El Dorado City Of Gold
wow. I have owned a ton of games and el dorado is one of my favorites still
I don't have many purchase regrets...even games I ended up selling, I more or less enjoyed my time with them.
But...
X-Men LE. Thought it was going to be a surefire winner as Borg was coming off a killer streak of games & it was the first Stern in a while with hand drawn art. I was excited at first but it turned into a never ending nightmare...from the horrible launch code, to the toys that broke or didn't function well, to the ear-rape of the terrible voice actors, to the auxiliary board blowing multiple times, to being a guinea pig with code updates that fundamentally broke the game....I consider it the biggest waste of time I've had in the hobby, and wish I had never purchased it.
Quoted from Outlane-Avoider:I'm more of a "stop and go" person myself. I'd consider myself just an average player. In my fifties now so my reactions aren't as good as they used to be.
I didn't like how The Shadow played. I didn't like the upper playfield and I couldn't keep the ball up there long. I'm not able to do the multiple loops either. I'm not keen on the translite or the playfield artwork - Anal Challenge anyone??
Sometimes you just don't get on with a certain game.
I see, TS is actually very fast and mainly a flow game. Especially the loops on the ramps (or the inner loop too!), they are enjoyable but require very precise, super fast timing. Also the mini pf: it's really amazing to play, but you have to get used to how it works, and it's very tense. Then you can keep the ball on (my best is clearing 50 in one attempt). About the translite, now the de facto standard in the TS club is the alternate Aurich translite, which is really beautiful.
Quoted from Rarehero:X-Men LE. Thought it was going to be a surefire winner as Borg was coming off a killer streak of games & it was the first Stern in a while with hand drawn art. I was excited at first but it turned into a never ending nightmare...from the horrible launch code, to the toys that broke or didn't function well, to the ear-rape of the terrible voice actors, to the auxiliary board blowing multiple times, to being a guinea pig with code updates that fundamentally broke the game....I consider it the biggest waste of time I've had in the hobby, and wish I had never purchased it.
I hate that the expierence you had with the game on release led you to feel this way. I have Wolverine No 003 and went through each and every one of those issues myself, very frustrating stuff at the time.
Xmen is my favorite game now that all the issues you identified above have been ironed out.
TZ-way too much stop and go and way to expensive to have it sit there and look pretty. Volcano-Drove 6 hours to get it. it had minor problems which I quickly and efficiently turned in to major problems. Had to pull it from the game room and put it in time out til I complete my counselling.
Quoted from TigerLaw:I hate that the expierence you had with the game on release led you to feel this way. I have Wolverine No 003 and went through each and every one of those issues myself, very frustrating stuff at the time.
Xmen is my favorite game now that all the issues you identified above have been ironed out.
Nope. Voices are still terrible, Wolverine is still a horrible "toy". As far as regrets go..I do NOT regret getting rid of it.
Quoted from dasvis:I disagree, put some of PBR's orange dot coils in the flippers. Makes a huge difference.
--- Though I may be a bit biased, King Kool (two player version) was my first complete restore from a totally dead carcass.
Learned a lot from that one.
Haha I knew whole time I was typing you'd be in here yelling at me 
Not enough to do in the game...coils won't stop the fact there isn't a lot to shoot at, and once rock is spelled you're pretty much done.
Quoted from Luppin:Love Pinsound !
» YouTube video
» YouTube video
Uff that's so horrible.
Auckland
when it comes to music tastes, it's such a personal thing.
with Pinsound you can add the music YOU like, that's pretty cool. I have direct experience as I did it myself for my TZ. I can tell that it's amazing, especially for pins you hate the original music. Beware: it's not enough to use the music you like, but it also has to have an evolving nature fitting a pinball game, and it has to be chosen wisely according to what's going on in a specific moment. That makes creating a good new soundtrack a very difficult task! Hence, much better a pin with a great original soundtrack!
Quoted from Rarehero:Nope. Voices are still terrible, Wolverine is still a horrible "toy". As far as regrets go..I do NOT regret getting rid of it.
Not beating a horse here but one of my favorite podcast lines was when the gameroom junkies called X-Men's bash toys "shampoo bottle toppers".
Quoted from beefzap:Dr. Who. The sound just killed it for me. Someone needs to upgrade the sound and I will buy it back.
Agreed. The stock sounds on Dr. Who without a pin sound are completely ear piercing.
Quoted from kermit24:Agreed. The stock sounds on Dr. Who without a pin sound are completely ear piercing.
I used to feel that way, but now i like it. I love the music, and really only the Daleks are annoying - but, they're supposed to be. Sometimes I like that older games sound "of their time"...to me it's interesting to see what the musicians/audio designers came up with despite the technical limitations. The PinSound mods are very cool, though! If you install a PinSound, can you switch between original & new music if you feel like it?
Quoted from Rarehero:I used to feel that way, but now i like it. I love the music, and really only the Daleks are annoying - but, they're supposed to be. Sometimes I like that older games sound "of their time"...to me it's interesting to see what the musicians/audio designers came up with despite the technical limitations. The PinSound mods are very cool, though! If you install a PinSound, can you switch between original & new music if you feel like it?
yes, anytime. even during gameplay. you can have as many soundtracks as you wish (limited only by the USB memory). Then you can switch from one soundtarck to another dropping the volume down to zero and up again. then down to zero and up again for the next. and so on...
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