Its the first thing the Stern defense force goes with, bad art must be the license, high cost must be the license. It's never Stern just screwed up.

So I hit Pub 340 (great dive bar in Vancouver) and played Star Wars and Dialed In for the first time. The comparison is laughable Dialed In is fucking awesome. Star Wars is criminal at how bad it is and how they completely wasted the theme. The SW playfield is not dimpled it's cratered, didn't see any ghosting. Baron wasteland would be generous for Star Wars playfield. I can not say how good a job JJ did with no license. What they could have done with SW...

It is criminal how bad a miss Star Wars is. It's like no one that worked on it gets Star Wars at all, not even a little bit. I'm not a huge fan but I have seen the movies I understand whats going on and why people love it. I don't watch the animated series or read the comic books, the prequels are terrible. I'm just your average guy and I had the lunch box because I'm that age. One look at the damage on the playfield and I knew this was not going to be good. The choice in Star Wars is the standard Light vs Dark, that is what you choose and it is the basis for everything. You don't pick the character, you pick if you want to be the good guys or the bad guys. Then you earn stuff. You don't just get to be Han Solo, you pick the good guys and earn that kick ass moment. Then you don't pick what scene you want to play! You pick the system, Hoth, Endor, Dagobah... has no one at Stern seen one of these movies? The game should have a story mode that you progress in order or a pic your system mode. At home I would make so you can't pick a system till you achieve it in the story but obviously on route its better to give variation. Then I expect to see "In a galaxy far far away" and I cheesy pan or dissolve! Again has no one seen one of these films at Stern. I could honestly go on forever and I seriously recommend you get some real hands on time with the machine before putting any money down. This is not Star Wars, this is the cash grab Ewok TV special and I mean that in all areas, from code, to the UI, gameplay, it is just not there.

One important thing, there is something wrong with the drop targets. The ball gets on top of them then launched up into the glass and bounces down leaving craters in the playfield. If I owned one at home I would get that sorted out because I only played a handful of games and it happened leaving a divot in the playfield that would have had me hoping no one saw if I was on a golf course.

Like I clearly said it makes sense to have both. Doing the modes in order is hardly an RPG. There are pins that go in an order and ones that don't. I completely agree that Stern is stuck doing things one way in a rinse and repeat manner.

Two Sterns 5500 X 2 = 11000
Dialed in 8000
11000 and 8000 is almost the same amount. That is some pinball math you got there.

I do agree DI is pricy but looking at what you get it's a way way better deal.

You suck at maths

I mentioned it because I played both side by side. I then dropped it and focused solely on Star Wars in my next post.

Ah I didn't notice your avatar now it makes sense.

On other thing I have to mention is the ball save. Its another glaring example of a swing and a miss. It shows the right scene the carbinite freezer thing. But no Darth Vader "All too easy" and luke jumping out you just see a little smoke coming out, it makes no sense.

Short term I think the thing will kill on route. Long term I suspect it will fall off. I put more money in SW then DI because I wanted to like Star Wars. Next time it will be a very different story. You going to make out all right for sure, but I wonder if it falls off and how beat up they are how the resale value will be.

Yeah I don't route but I assume there is a point that you sell the game and invest is something else. Even if I loved it the playfield would scare me away. I know people say dimpling is normal but the one I played looked really bad already and I saw for myself the ball coming down off the glass and leaving a serious divot. If I was a kid in an arcade back in the day I would have booked it out of there. It was loud and left damage I instinctively looked around with a it wasn't my fault look on my face.

P.S. The market always changes so I have no idea what you will get for one of these used. I know I paid 5K CAD for my routed but perfect AC/DC Pro and at the time I thought it was a great deal. I think Star Wars is going to go for a little less than average because of the quality.

I found Star Wars confusing. I don't recall a single call out. Everytime I looked up it was a cockpit view with a tie fighter on the left or it telling me to hurry up. Then the mystery is the complete opposite please just sit there and do nothing and look at this very uninspired graphic. I'm sure it makes sense with a few plays but I gave up and moved in after 6-8 bucks. I then played Dialed In it has clear concise call outs telling you exactly what you need to do.

P.S. AC/DC the lights and sound make it super easy. Star Wars is not like that at all.

I forced myself to dump another ten bucks in, just wanted to see if I was missing something. I was not, it was just as much of a dog the second go round. I will say one positive thing, no one else was playing so I could focus on the sound. It's lame there are basically no call outs but you can't miss with that score. No issue with long ball times for me it drains and SDTM more than my AC/DC Pro. It actually drains on the ball save pretty regular, that cracked me up. Also playing it solo is super tough and hard to know what your meant to be doing. I could have used a spectator to fill me in.

I was watching SDTM talk about Star Wars and their comments made the light bulb go on why it doesn't work for me. It really is a tournament machine. Nothing random, no magnets, even the pops are safely tucked away. The crazy multipliers, this is for people that play pinball for points, that make shots that everything is deterministic. I have never cared about points or determinism actually completely the opposite. I just want to work my way through the story or levels. I don't want to stack the levels of do a bunch shit to score more. I don't play video games for points either. I want to see everything the game has to offer. I want to see all the animations, I want to get to play every character, I am a content tourist. Star Wars just does not deliver on that level. If your a tournament guy I think its probable one of the greatest.

Oh I have, just then I was a little kid and I could care less about points. In those days 25 cents was a lot and I made it last. Just because I don't care about points doesn't mean I can't play. Just for me crushing a machine is about how long you can play. Putting up the initials was just silly, in the arcades I always just put up GOD.

P.S. Maybe that's why I ended up in gaming I love all the little secret things in a game. I wanted to do things no one had seen, not rinse and repeat the easiest thing to score.

System 11s are what I love, before that is a little too primitive and before my time.

I have no issue with it just have no clue what they would make Star Wars a hard core tournament player machine. All the possible themes they thought Star Wars was a good choice for this type of play? I love AC/DC and its pretty hard core with lots of depth but it also very easy to understand and enjoy. I didn't feel like I needed someone to explain how to play it.

I know many of you will blow this off as a cargument. I work in gaming so its what I can use as an example. EA recently got the Star Wars license and release Battlefront. It is an online shooter and very casual. Star Wars is a license that allows you to grow you market. You have to be daft to make your first release for the hard core. EA already has the hard core, you don't spend all that money on a license to make a game for the people standing in line on release day. You make it a casual game to bring in all those casual gamers. Yes your hard core will complain but it really doesnt matter. Then you release the next game and its takes all those casuals and start the transformation to hard core. Then the next game is hard core.

It was a massive miss to do one pin and not start casual and fun. A new Hope you bring in the masses and sell to a new market. Its fun and easy to play but doesn't offer huge depth. The depth is intentionally a little light because just as people have seen it all in the first pin you drop Empire. It's hard but all those new players are ready for it, by the time you drop Jedi you market is exponentially bigger and you sold everyone three games instead of one. Why Stern can not see or understand this very basic of concepts is beyond me. I'm a pinball guy and they didn't even sell me one pin. They could have sold me three. I know pinballs are more expensive then games. Its just an example. The point is ease of entry and learning curve. Wow the big market first the hard core come later.

You guys like Star Wars and that's great. It is clear that many people have issues with it. The people that don't like it still count. When you get this type of feedback at the volume that it is coming in, it has validity. You guys can blow it all off and say things like well play a game before 1980 or well my 7yr old can figure it out. That actually provides nothing. It could have been much better, hopefully as the code matures they will clean it up and make it more approachable and fun for the masses. I'm not a hardcore player, I'm in it for fun I could care less what the guy next to me score. Right now I do not enjoy the experience. Its not about I like it so I'm right you don't like it so you are wrong.

I'm average in the consumer profile. I don't have any consumer loyalty to brand. I'm basically the exact age for Star Wars pinball demographic and I can afford a new pin. I'm not a huge Star Wars guy but I know the franchise and I have child hood memories about it. I should have been a very easy sell on this pin. That is the sense that I am average. If Stern did market research I am sure I would be the exact target.

I'm on this forum because I work in front of a PC and right now don't have a lot of work to do.

I have played it on two occasions, first go round I was very disappointed, I forced myself to go back again a few days later without expectations it was no better.

I was hoping for a Modern SW Theme with a nice LCD. I will give a try when the code is done and see how it is. It would have to be completely overhauled to change my mind though.

Like he said if you don't like the new Stern try one of the other SW themed pins. My response is that I really wanted to get a new modern SW theme and not an old one like the DE.

Like I clarified above I meant modern Pin not modern SW. No interest in prequels.