Last Friday I got to spend quality time with both machines. I'm buying a NIB this year and I'm trying to narrow it down to DI, SW, Houdini or TNA.

Star Wars was fast and fun. The integration with the theme is lacking though. It feels like a mess of ideas. Some of this will hopefully get addressed in code as the game matures but as an owner of a KISS Pro, I'm not confident that this machine is going to get anymore love than KISS. The skill shot is really odd and feels very floating and no skill - just luck. I just felt that every thing on the playfield was lit up all the time. I guess you just shoot for everything. So in between games on Star Wars I played AS Premium that was sitting next to it. WAY MORE FUN. The toys were better, the shots more satisfying, the theme integration was great. It just felt good. The animations on the LCD are 1990s quality - like clipart (sprites) following a path on the screen with no depth or perspective. Today, consumers expect 3D rendered art and animations like DI provides. Although I really want to like Star Wars, it just felt like... "okay, just another average Stern at best."

Dialed In felt great. I had a blast playing it. So much to discover on the playfield, especially around the SIM Card area. The theme is kick ass. I know it's not for everyone but once you're playing it, the theme really shines. I think if JJP licensed the Sim City franchise, everyone would be pissing themselves with excitement for the theme. It is essentially, a Sim City-like theme. The whole eyewitness news vibe is cool. The disaster modes are fun. Lots of little modes to play and discover like the BOB modes. Lots of depth but I didn't find it confusing.

The cell phone gives me some main objectives to go after and moves the narrative along. To those who are still calling it a cell phone game, you are being either uninformed or just trolling. This game clearly not about a cell phone. It's just a toy that is extremely well integrated into the overall disaster theme. The phone is cool as hell. Reminds me a little of Metal Gear Solid with the comm link thing that gives you objectives and info. In contrast to the SW playfield screen, as someone new to the game, it didn't really add to the game and is poorly integrated.

The DI callouts also guide you along. With Star Wars, the callouts don't really guide you at all because they are clips from the movie. The toys are pretty damn good as well. The Quantum Theater is awesome, it adds a lot to the game play (like hurry-ups) and is much bigger than the googles in GB. I thought the QED electrical guy look cheap online but in person these toys appear to be really well designed. He really adds another dimension to the game play... he is easy to hit but hard to avoid.

Downside to DI? Not much but the callouts are uninspired at times. The beeps and noises were weird... reminded me of the arcade area at my local movie theater.

Is DI worth $3,000 more that a SW Pro? If you can afford it - no question about it. DI is the clear winner in my book, not even close. AS Premium is pretty damn good and I found it much better than SW. To borrow a computer science term, DI is an order of magnitude better in almost every area - theme integration, playfield design, rules design, LCD integration, mechs/toys, quality, etc. My choice is down to DI, Houdini or TNA.

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.

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.

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.

Just curious, what's wrong with the spike system? How is it half baked?