Quoted from snyper2099:

The real question is when are historical aspects of pinball actually going to be improved upon.
Like pop bumpers. They are great for randomly moving the ball around but why not actually incorporate them in to the rules of the game to be significant, regarding scoring (Funhouse and circuit voltaire)? They are "photocopied random pinball movers" and in ALMOST every game they are used, and they do not improve a game in any way beyond adding randomness.
Another thing that has always irritated the shit out of me is that MADE lock shots are worthless. Lock a ball, get zero points. In Transformers, lock 3 balls, get zero points. I understand the potential for scoring in eventually earning multi-ball but why not at least award 500K-1mil. for a successfully lit shot that in a ton of cases, is extremely dangerous?
The skill shot has evolved very slowly over time but I think Elwin has shown us the way regarding that pinball feature, expanding the rules of it in much the same way multi-ball rules have been stretched with add-a-balls and "earned revivals".
I can go on about other annoying things that make the current state of pinball monotonous and drab but I will leave it alone for now. The truly genius engineering seems few and far between amongst pinball designers these days. It does not help that these days, premium features are something that the consumer pays thousands of extra $ for in the form of a premium or LE product. So sad.