I love how people call it the NBA trick and not the Space Jam trick.

The game has stupid greedy outlanes and the reward is getting to play these tedious ball-save games.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Game would just be better with a regular layout.

And is nobody gonna explain this "italian bottom" thing to me? If you are gonna keep saying it you should know what it means and where it comes from. Was Ed Krinski Italian?!

Delivered?

Just heard.. LE does come with shaker.. I had to ask.

JJ

I don't care if anyone cares. I'm just commenting on how it's crazy to think that BM66SLE is selling for $9K more then this Pro machine - all because of limited quantity. But as you said, who cares... it's only money

I'm swapping my KISS for one.

I actually completed the "No Place Like Home" Ball Save...took me like 5 minutes - and then right after I did it, I drained the ball within 10 seconds lol

Space Jam didn't fling it like that...on Space Jam, the magnet just catches the ball as it flies off the ramp. It didn't have a saucer that launched it from the playfield. That was new for NBA.

It's the Indiana jones ark again. Art looks great... I don't judge until I flip her

Sorta. The ark is pre-loaded when you start the game, and just dumps them out after you hit it a bunch of times. On this game, the balls are flung into the box from the lock saucer. Much cooler. Borg took two cool ideas from two lesser games and turned it into one cooler feature.

I hadn't seen the pricing.

Pro Model: $6199
Premium Model: $7899
Limited Edition Model: $8999

That seems like a huge rise in the floor. People were talking about $100-200 previously. That's a lot more. On a game that's, again, looking very minimalist.

A standard DI / WOZ / Hobbit is going to offer far more than an LE, for $1k less ...

I think a bust's coming sooner than many would like to contemplate.

As far as variations go. They look minor to me.

Nope. $200

I agree in that the TOTO save is great and fits the game perfect. I used to be in the same boat on the state fair balloon save too. But now, after thousands of plays, I can complete it in one ball (factory) about 15% of the time, and/or can usually get a good setup in case I need it on another ball.

So I used to think the state fair balloon save was boring and tedious but now find it exciting with a sense of real reward for completing.

I like the WOZ mini ball save games. The hobbit one - not the biggest fan of but cool to have as its kind of like a quick mini video mode. So it's alright in my book.

Thats MSRP pricing. Street price from a distro is 5200 for a pro. So 200 over what GB was. 200 dollar raise on all three levels from what i understand.

Borg's been rehashing ideas for a while now...but when it works, it works. This game is a mashup of a bunch of his previous games. It doesn't matter. Pretty much no one buying new pinball machines cares if a game is sorta-kinda like another if it's appealing on its own merits. Look how far "Tron is Funhouse" criticisms went....nowhere, cuz Tron is awesome on its own merits. A billion games have two-ramp-flow layouts. Metallica is a lot like Monster Bash in some ways...but they both feel like totally different experiences. At the end of the day, it comes down to whether the layout & rules work together to make a fun game.

Stern's LE pricing has been whack for years now...but hey, people will pay it so why wouldn't they. What I like about this reveal today is that they're showing a Pro model that you can get for about $5k, that looks to offer a solid pinball experience with great art and cool features. None of the other guys can touch that. I get the feeling Aerosmith LE will sit for a while...they won't sell out 500 right away, as the enthusiasts who would pay that much are gonna hold off and make sure QC and code are up to par. I think Pros will sell pretty well on this one, as the value of what you get compared to other options & other companies is solid.

Unusual as not yet seen a post of anyone who is saying they have bought an LE!

I didn't intend to compare the allure of the Dominos theme with Aerosmith, I was just answering the question of what else is at this price point. Now that said, 'big step back' seems a bit harsh to me. Both have color LCDs and a similar fan layout with 2 ramps, the Spooky comes with a FF audio setup that would be very desirable but not included with Aerosmith... I am intrigued by the Metallica-with-a-Scared-Stiff-crate vibe though!

And yes, I would be 100% on a Motorhead pin sight unseen.

Pro is 5-5200 delivered...which is really good considering you dont need color dmd and cliffy for scoop

Every new everything I've ever bought is kinda a rehash of the older thing it's replacing. Damn these fridges with their samey double door layout!

Pro is going to be the runaway here. Fck it, I'm calling it now.

Agree.

Looks better.

Better flow.

No clunky upper p/f.

Metal ramps.

Way cheaper.

It looks beautiful and since I'm collecting the music themed pins out there, I'll eventually own one. I'll go with the Pro, as I'm not a fan of little upper playfields. It's a bit too similar to my KISS Pro, so I'm not in a huge rush to get this and likely won't be the first to own one like I was with KISS. Maybe I'll even wait until one of my buddies is selling their's a year from now.

Any day a new pin is released, it's a good day!

Have you ever played Dominos? I have at Expo. It was really really bad. LCD looked poor. Sounds were bare bones. Gameplay was meh at best.

That's a killer deal. I think I am going to buy it. I normally would buy a Premium or LE, but with the price increases I am going to towards the Pro models instead. I know Stern wants to make more money off their pins, but in my case, all they did was push me to their lower end model instead. Wondering if that's the case with everyone else? Just glad they have options for everyone, because at that price point I am in.

I agree, should have dream on and train kept a Rollin as well.

I think they cheaped out only having 9 songs, hopefully they can add with future code but I'm guessing they won't.

I'm a premium as default buyer too. Met and ST are outstanding pros that I own. I am pro here for sure.

No shit. This is what I've been saying in all the price whine threads. You want to spend $8000-12000 for a JJP game? You want to spend $7000 on a spooky game, or $8000 for a Lebowski?

Good luck with all of that. Stern is selling REAL pinball machines designed by the best in the biz - not amateurs - for $5000 or so just like they have been, but people want to somehow claim it's a slap in the face or there are "better options."

Not on new pins there aren't.

I think so also and ill wait to see the code since its not lyman ...but it reminds me of met pro which is my favorite stern ever so cld be a good value especially since dont have buy color dmd.. I like Aerosmith especially the older songs which it has alot of. I think the pro cld be a real hit like met.... heres hoping for great code .

It will have others in the mini wizard and wizard mode.

Definitely ...this premium isnt worth the huge price increase especially bc it dont have alot of features over the pro like they use to.

Totally agree on this model - Now put a shaker and powder coating on a Premium and at least I think about it....

There have been interviews with Gary Stern (or Stern employees quoting Gary) stating he wanted all games to have an "Italian Bottom", pop bumpers, and a manual plunger. Italian bottom generally means 2 lower flippers with inlanes, outlanes, and two triangular slingshots. I believe this term came about in the '70s as a result of a large Italian importer of American machines demanding this arrangement on the lower playfield.

Dream On would be pretty cool as a wizard mode track.

Re: MSRP rather than street price ... are you sure the close to $1k discounting on Pros that goes on in the US is going to hold? What with the 'Stern Army' and them establishing their own retail and distribution operations in the domestic market .... I wouldn't be.

You miss the point of that "whining" ...if a company is GOING to charge higher end prices, customers expect higher end shit in the box. $15k for a Batman Super LE is dopey as fuck when you can own a Hobbit & a WOZ for that amount of money. When Stern games are priced similarly to JJP or Lebowski...or HIGHER - you're not getting the same value. But yes, in the lower price zone, no one else can offer the value you get with a Stern Pro.

I haven't read that anywhere, is there even a wizard mode on the game?

The features graph shows 9 songs and I think that is lame. Even the RS pin has like 13-14 songs on it!

I hope your correct that there will be more added, left too many of the good ones out.

Agreed

I asked the exact same question a couple of years ago as I'd never heard it before.
The pinsider told me it's the lower playfield layout that the Italians / Europeans like. (Maybe Zaccaria started it?)
American pinball manufacturers wanted to please the European market to sell games there.

Basically, I believe its:

Outlane - Inlane - Slingshot - Flipper ( Drain ) Flipper - Slingshot - Inlane - Outlane

I think you can vary it with double inlanes also.
This is how I understand it. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

On a more positive note:

The almost total lack of animation and original art on the LCD for BM'66 happily doesn't seem to have infected Aerosmith.

Donnie appears to have done plenty of original art and simple animations for the screen on Aerosmith, and it looks great. So much more alive than its vastly more expensive sister machine. Hopefully this will be the shape of things to come, rather than just a one-off because Donnie wanted to.

Looks like a helluva lotta fun!

I don't think I missed the point. The last whineathon was a simple "Stern is raising prices across the board - it's the apocalypse" thread. Wasn't about Batman, was about the coming price increases.

Which turned out to be $200. Big f'n deal.

But hey, for just $100 more you can get a Domino's!

Ditto

I believe it will have 2-3 others as well ....

Stern is just killing it on the artwork. Sound is kick ass too.

Pro looks like excellent value with the Lcd, no color DMD needed and no crappy dots anymore!

Only thing for me is I hate that left side scoop. Really the entire far left side. Borg should have just put a Wolvie style head of Stephen Tyler right over that scoop. NOT!

As good as it looks, can't consider until Lonnie gets excellent code done.

I'm an Aerosmith fan so I'm liking this so far! I haven't pulled the trigger on one or two nib pins yet but this is now throwing my decision off!
Was originally looking at
Kiss Le(scared off for now)
Metallica prem
Batman 66
I've seen people mention possible othe bands for a theme. How about a"RUSH" theme?

I've been begging for years. Stern doesn't seem to wanna do it. Lyman loves Rush, so here's hoping!

Man.. another Borg/Lyman combo like MET would have been awesome.. instead he is stuck coding for a BDK re-theme. Oh well... hoping Lonnie can steal some ideas from Lyman on this, I did see a "Crank It Up" plastic on the playfield which makes me hope he is going to use some Lyman style tricks

Yep and pro has spinner and lockdown bar button.... pro cld be really good .Definitely best bang for buck...

I think Van Halen will happen before Rush. Maybe a boutique Rush pin would work, it's more of a niche audience.

I just saw the lighting effects...wow! It's awesome..some of it obviously lifted from the Hobbit. But it looks great.