I like to hit this to. Beer and Pinball just go together.

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That is one lame looking toy. Can we at least get a target decal?

Completely agree. SW was a dream theme for me but I also really want to see original creative themes and I think DI theme is amazing. I've spent several hours playing both and I was impressed with SW Pro but at the end of the day I think DI fulfills my desires a tad more than SW.

Now the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on DI is TNA and Houdini. TNA is not what I was looking for in terms of play style. But the streams of TNA are really cool and the price point is attractive in comparison to DI. And, as a fan and student of magic history, Houdini deserves a look. Too many choices and so little money to go around.

No right or wrong awnser as both have good and bad things for many people. I think sw pro is great for 5400 and i will own one at some point bc its relativity cheap and offers almost identical gameplay to the much more expensive le/premium much like met(which i love) . I actually just watched all the sw films to see what the big deal was ...they were ok but not my thing so the theme does nothing for me. Which brings me to dialed in and y i appreciate it as a cool original theme with lots of neat modes and tons of awesome music, sounds and callouts. Dialed in is very fast, flowy , difficult with tons of randomness due to all the magnets and toys. Theme is fun and very well done with lots to discover . It wont be for everyone especially people who are huge on licenced themes bc its very different from that ..but man its a great playing pin with captivating light show and lots going on.

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At least there's a target decal.

What are distributors saying is the current probably ship date of premiums?

lol.

LOL!

So somehow a tie fighter is less cool than a plastic electrician on a stick? I want whatever you're smoking lol. You need to keep the debate to total weight, BOM or how good you look in selfies, because there is no getting around DI being a terrible theme.

Actually, the electrician is much cooler. I thought the electrician dude was pretty dumb looking in photos and it's not my first choice for toys. BUT, after playing it the mech is way, WAY more fun and interactive that the generic tie fighter toy on a spring. Bashing the tie fighter is fun but that's all it does. The electrician on a stick is not only fun to bash but is a moving target. It also plays defense, making some shots very difficult to hit. So there is a lot more going on. I will give you that SW is a better theme but once again, there is "no getting around" that SW "theme integration" is terrible. DI's theme integration is massive and fun and well thought out.

Depends who u ask.... i dont care for sw theme that much and really love original themes over most licenced stuff. There is just something cool and refreshing about something new and off the wall..... much like some of the best pins of all time (many 90s b/w pins). Dialed in is done very well and it works great once you play it a good bit. So many neat things going on and to discover in the journey.

Star Wars is about as good of a theme as you can get in pinball, but somehow they always trip up on it. I can't say that Stern blew this one, but they definitely left a lot to be desired. They played it SO SAFE on this one, and that's far less than Star Wars deserves. It's not just the simple layout, which is actually pretty fun to shoot. The biggest issue is that the code is a 100% "we read Pinside and took everything to heart!" product.

Some people complained about the Ghostbusters laddered modes, so in Star Wars you can STACK EVERYTHING TO THE MOON. Hurry ups, modes, multipliers, and qualifiers are all lighting up the inserts to the point where you can barely parse out what each shot is doing half the time. All the modes start to feel the same, because there are 4 layers of things going on any shot, so nothing feels unique or focused. It's just a shotgun blast of lit inserts. Then you have a game that asks you to track all this stuff while managing the overuse of the action button, how your multipliers are building or shrinking, and your progress through all kinds of branching ladders of game progression. All that one what is probably the fastest playfield Stern has ever produced, and it doesn't make any sense. Total lack of cohesion between layout and code. Get deep enough and you're just constantly rolling multiballs into another and the game plays way too long, but if you don't know how to maximize score, it's a grind with a weak payoff. Skilled shooting takes a backseat to action button slapping management.

Dialed In, on the other hand, is very vanilla. It's smooth as any game you'll ever see, but it's very straightforward. Getting in to modes, finishing modes, and progressing to the wizard modes is a very measured and deliberate process. It's a throwback to the mid-90s, for sure. For people who might have a "been there, done that" attitude, they'll probably not warm to Dialed In very quickly unless the layout really grabs them.

Before sending in final payment on Dialed In, I got tons of time on it. I feel good keeping my money down on it (and it has already shipped). I also had an opportunity to play a lot of Star Wars to compare. Star Wars needs lots and lots of tweaking before I would consider a purchase. As it is, I don't like how unfocused and scattered of an experience it is. I'll be happy to play it on location or at a friend's house, but I just feel like, once again, they missed the mark for what Star Wars should be. Not a stinker, but just average and a bit of a head scratcher (not in regards to figuring out its depth, but in regard to the thought process for putting that code on that layout).

I pretty much made up my mind after the announcement of it I wanted a DI because of the theme. Seeing pictures and videos, then playing it only convinced me more. The toys, the animations, the incredible layout and original music clinched it. It seems to me a tremendous amount of effort and joy went into this game.

I do, however, find Stern Star Wars intriguing. Star Wars the movies offer so many possibilities for playfield toys it is perhaps a wise decision to only have a few "reminders" on the playfield and concentrate on other gameplay features. My impression is Star Wars is one of several games which is bringing video strategy game levels of complexity into the picture. I have the impression GOT and maybe ACDC are kind of similar. Other games like MET or GB strike me as having more traditional rulesets. Feel free to correct me as my experience with all the Stern games is limited. Maybe such complex rulesets would attract the video game crowd, attract new buyers. As rulesets become more complex I could imagine, however, that the information on the screen take an ever larger role in gameplay to the point where the game cannot be effectively played without the screen - thus becoming more and more a video game itself. From the online videos it seems Star Wars has a lot of menus on the screen directing play. I'm not sure this trend fits my taste, but I think it could broaden the appeal of pinball.

I'm a little surprised you think Stern "played it safe" on SW, given that (based on this and your several other posts on the topic) your biggest single issue with the game seems to be integration of the action button to constantly shift bonus multipliers around. Doesn't mean you should like or enjoy the game, but at least Dwight's trying something novel with the action button that significantly changes how this game plays vs other recent Steve Ritchie games.

It will be interesting to see if others share your "the game plays too long" feeling. The operator data posted in one of the other SW threads made it looked like SW has a very reasonable curve of ball times. Of course if you don't like how it plays, a three minute game would still feel long.

I have played SW pro and have to agree with jar155. I have not played the LE as of yet. But, based on people who have, you don't get much more. I really wish I could get into Stern games. I just can't. The reason is I love Williams/Bally era from the 90's and Sterns game play to that era is no comparison. But, Pat and Jack brought that back with Dialed In. So, just like Forrest Gump, that's all I got to say about that.

I did not say that he has to (or should) like SW, or that the gameplay is better than classic 90s B/W games. My only point was it's funny to say on the one hand that Stern went "SAFE" with SW and on the other hand, be so clearly put off by the addition of the novel and prominent use of the action button. Love it or hate it, that seems "NEW" to me.

The layout is VERY safe. Nothing unique going on there. The code is not complicated from an ability to understand (aside from some quirky decisions like how to start the Boba Fett hurry ups), it's just convoluted. Stacks on stacks with tons of action button usage thrown in (TIE Fighters, multipliers, add-a-ball, etc.). The game really isn't that deep, it's just a bit messy. I'm sure they'll clean stuff up, but the direction they took with the code would have been better used on a layout with more shots and a more controlled speed to it.

How funny is that.

Is it reflection on how good Metallica is after all these years or how average most other pins are in comparison?

One day they will need the winning combo to get back together again. Borg, Donnie, Lyman

you'll be fine, don't sweat it. enjoy playing your game!

my SW premium shows up in a couple weeks, so i guess that answers this threads question for me.

Met pro is a great pin one of the best ever but needs to be enjoyed with a color dmd bringing the cost up $420.

Rules, layout, flow, toys, art, dots, music it's got everything.

OK BITCHES HERE IT IS. I got both and I'm ready to party...Levi confirmed 20 grade player here to give you the straight dope. Crap...I was cleaning my DI and it caused a short that's blowing out a fuse. Dammit buddy came over to play it and everything. Well maybe next time.

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So...Star Wars?

The thing that pulled SW into the lead was playability. Like actually being able to play it yes.

EDIT:Looking at my pic I can't tell whom's taking it harder. Laia or my j-106 fuse

I have to say after having owned SW LE for a few days now, both games are really great and play entirely differently. I'd be proud to have both in my house...if somebody gave me a DI (or gave me a ridiculous price on one), it wouldn't go anywhere for a long time. But I just can't muster up that kind of money for a theme I can't connect with (and the cell phone/emoji thing annoys me). It's that simple for me - but DI is really an amazing game.

For me it was a wild chance meeting of cash & timing; just happened to have some laying around when the time came.
For me the theme was irrelevant. Any theme would make the price of that machine too high.

Pinball is weird. People would choose a vastly inferior game due to a disaster theme being such a hangup.

Luckily for Stern, not everyone dislikes their Star Wars as much as you! Unfortunately for JJP, not everyone is as tolerant of the theme on DI as you. I think that pretty much sums it up. Oh yeah, and $8.5k is a lot to spend on a pinball machine if you don't love everything about it, including the theme.

What makes it inferior? I've played both and SW is way more my style and I'm not talking theme either, they are very different and shouldn't be compared, whats next next IM or TZ? I'll take IM all day, but thats the type of pin I prefer, would u say IM is inferior to TZ or simply different? If you mention build quality I swear I'll open a vein.

I really don't know how you can have that avatar and be so disappointed in SW. As a fan, I'm really happy with it. Yes, it's a ripoff (at the LE level, at least), and there's not much under the glass. But man, it sure is immersive and a hell of a lot of fun...more so than DI, for me. (And I'm not a fan of the look of the plastic toys on DI either, so it's not just the theme. I can't get past Bob the Builder and the Progressive insurance chick.)

Well I hope everyone is happy. Look at what you did. This kid is crushed hearing the way you talk about Star Wars. You should be ashamed.

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Nope, kid saw the Star Wars playfield.

I think some folks don't like Stern right now and will go out of their way to bring down a dream theme that wasnt a vision of their own. SW was not what I thought it was going to be either. Oh well.

I think if Spooky or JJP came out with the same SW game as Stern Pro and priced it at $5400 delivered people would shit! Folks would rave about it and order it in 2 seconds I bet. No? I think so. What does this say about how weird pinball is?

I do wonder what JJP could have done with SW, but I don't think they could have afforded the expensive license in the first place. The wait for delivery from announcement would have sucked also.

I Just like games with a good family type theme that are fun to play. Love SW and my family does to. I want to play more DI, but I highly doubt I could handle the quirky theme, emojis and the camera long term. I will give it a good try though. I will get one if it works for me. They are such different games!

Fortunately for JJP, people are starting to love the theme. My understanding is that DI is a big hit for JJP and have a lot of backorders. I loved the theme from the beginning...not every element but the central concept of a SimCity-like disasater theme. Millions of people love that theme in video game format.

I generally think 75% of the movie themes look stupid. I would rather have some new imagination around a new creative idea instead of some rehashed movie theme from decades earlier. That's just me.

I've spent some quality time on both machines' base models and I like both. If SW had come out 1 year ago, I think that would be in my home. SW a fun game but DI is so much better at what it does than SW. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on DI is price. And with Houdini and TNA on the horizon, I may just wait it out.

I hope they sell tons of them. By most accounts it plays great, and some have even embraced the theme as you have. If it actually sells better than Hobbit, maybe JJP will make more unlicensed themes in the future, which would be cool.

My point was that theme matters (especially at these price points), and it's unrealistic to expect a Simcity/cell phone theme to have the same mass appeal as SW.

My vote is for a Alien pinball or The Hobbit

The spirit of pinball is the most important part about theme to me. The table (yes I said table) must be surrounded with aspects to bring that theme to life as it correlates to pinball. I think JJP absolutely nailed that with DI. It truly feels like pinball bliss. So much immersiveness, and life, that submerges you into this disaster pinball table. Much like WW and ES do. That's what you're getting with DI. That said, verdict is still out on whether it's worth the $9k~ price tag it demands.

As for SW. I am surprised at how underwhelmed I am with this one in its current state. The theme is not brought to life and if I'm brutally honest, It has the same initial impressions I had with BM66. Stripped, unsatisfying, cash grab. Code might save it, but it's gonna need a new narrative and some better call outs to help guide its theme, which I just don't think we're gonna get given sterns past. (Although, credit due - bringing in Urban to do ST call outs was a total hit IMO - once they mixed the sound tracks quality right in the last update(s) that is). For its price tag, so many better 'pinball' oriented themes out there (i.e. Most of the current stern pro production games and AFMr). There's nothing in SW that WOWs me, and I'm sad to say that considering the design team is one of my favorites. Still on my radar though pending the effort and direction code goes.

How are the Fake3PO call outs now that it's in a home environment?

I don't think so. The Hobbit isn't universally loved for being a JJP game (I think it's downright terrible, to be honest), and Rob Zombie hasn't been received well either (I personally don't like this one much either). Star Wars gets dogged on because it has lots of problems, mostly at the code level. The layout is fun to shoot, but it's the absolute definition of playing it safe. It's Star Wars! If you were ever going to go all out, do it on this game! I'm not talking toys, I'm talking about actual effort.

The rules are just bad on Star Wars. It's like you took Game of Thrones as a starting point and tore away all the deliberate pacing in favor of unfocused and scattershot modes/hurry ups/multiballs. Dwight heard some of the gripes about Ghostbusters' "too linear" mode progression and lack of stacking and turned it completely on its head. Now you can stack crap way too deep. Now individual shots are hard to parse out, because there are more things going on per shot than the game can even indicate with inserts or the screen. The game is breakneck fast, but they put a ruleset in there that forces you to take your hands off the flippers a lot. It's like it was designed by committee and nobody was told no at any point (aside from any novel ideas).

Somehow they went into the design process with pinball's most wanted theme and came out with something that is both vanilla and ridiculously convoluted. I seriously wonder if there should be an award for that. It's nothing short of disappointing.

Do or Do Not there is no Dialed IN. Happy you will be. Star Wars you must buy.

By the way, I think Star Wars is fun. I just think it's disappointing how it turned out. It has room to improve, and it probably will. I'll just always see it as some amount of wasted potential.

How about the quality?

with mode stacking off; one of things i like about SW is its rules and potential rules strategy. Still needs A LOT of polish to bring it together, but rules was not one of things that drew me back.

I hope future updates have mode stacking off by default. Similar to XMEN.

I partially disagree. I think if Spooky came out with it in their typical 300 unit production run people would have gone bonkers as it is a step up from what they normally make.

If JJP made it I think they would have been raked over the coals even more than Stern because their customer base expects more from them.

Choosing one over the other totally depends on the kind of game you want to play at the moment, or the kind of game you prefer to regularly play.

SW is more of the same from Stern. Playfield colouring and lighting are excellent. It's a safe fan layout. Nothing to see here otherwise. Theme integration is pretty good though — I'd hope so given it's SW. It's a fast flowing game. (I've played the Pro about 25 times, the LE only 3 times). Rule set looks decent, has potential. I expected more for this monster theme however, in the end I enjoyed playing SW Pro.

Dialed In shows more forethought in design. It looks new, not cookie cutter. There are a huge variety of shots around the playfield. This was refreshing. Theme's not as strong as SW, but I'm ok with it. Third flipper with many important shots adds another layer to gameplay. Only played it three times.

These are two different kinds of games, a choice between them comes down to preference. The game styles are that different.

And while I enjoyed playing both games, Dialed In is the only new game of late that's got me reconsidering my stance of never buying exorbitantly priced NIBs again. I was that impressed by it.

I really don't know what you are talking about with this. There are almost no callouts and the voice is done by the clone wars narrator and is not meant to sound like C3PO. I'll have to pay more attention, but definitely nothing bugging me near as bad as the damn DI selfie/emoji crap.