I was told middle of March

Thanks.
Seems longer then I would have imagined, but oh well, could be worse.

The game in California played very well.

IMG_0249 (resized).JPG

Quick question....would it be possible to change out the Pro's LED GI lighting for purple like in the Premium/LE? I prefer the Pro without the upper play field, but the white lights under the slings are harsh.

On GB all my GI are 44 style LED bulbs. So very easy to swap. I don't know how the uppers on this game are. Both y he lowers appear to be same style.

Any updates?? Still waiting on more reviews as these arrive on location.

Neck Balls??

We were told ours should ship next week.
We shall see.

Hey guys! I played an AS Pro this week on location. I was actually pleasantly surprised with it. I pretty much had low to no interest in the theme, but after playing it I think it has the bones to be a pretty nice game. Here is a simple review, and those that know me will tell you Im not a fanboy of any pinball company and am pretty fair with my game assessments.

Right away I feel like the code is starting off in a really good place compared to other recent Stern releases (I can't be bothered to play Batman66 again it feels so incomplete). Was able to activate/complete all the song modes and get to the resulting mini-wizard mode. From the beginning I felt like there were different strategies I could use to play the game, and I made efforts to combine modes with multi balls. Speaking of which I think the multi balls are very fun, and I loved the risk/reward of building up the Toy Box to a 6 ball.

The art and design of everything is a mixed bag, but in person it definitely is packaged together better than I thought. The Front and Center band portrait is the only thing that bothers me. Its like the ACDC Angus face all over again. But other than that, I liked the art. The art also translates to the LCD screen pretty well! From still photos I thought it was going to look hokey, but animated it had a very Aqua Teen Hunger Force style to it. The animations were also pretty entertaining, a highlight being "Dude Looks Like a Lady" mode. Overall this game is a much better showcase for what the Stern team can do with the new screen than Batman66 was.

The game plays and feels like a better Kiss to me. In both the rules and a few of the shots, it resembles a second chance at Kiss. My buddy even said it was like Kiss and Metallica had a baby! Some of the shots are hard to hit, and the orbit through the pop bumpers is my personal kryptonite, but its all the more satisfying when you hit them.

Overall I kinda really like this game right now. I sold my Tron last year with the intent to buy a NIB machine... and then I ended up not liking how GB played even though I loved the art/theme. Now AS comes out and I like its a good playing game but I could care less for the theme. These 2 games give me hope that there could be a goldilocks machine in the future. I might sit on this money a bit longer and see whats coming out.

Any new music other than the original 8 in the mini wizard mode?

Sorry, I couldn't tell. Loud-er barcode and Im not really familiar with their catalog to begin with.

Doesn't seem to be much hype for this game, which is a shame as it seems to play really well. I thought the Dead Flip video of the game looked amazing. I'm definitely interested in seeing some more footage and hearing some more opinions.

I see some posts that the Aerosmith promo machine has ghosting on the inserts, I hope this isn't GB all over again. You'd think Stern would have fixed the issue already.

Sleeper for sure. Will be interesting to watch the story unfold. I think it's going to be a massive hit. Pro will be as popular as the premium in homes. A bit like the Metallica story.

I played a Pro at Logans Hardware on saturday. I was really impressed with it.

are US games aside formt eh few test locations starting to ship yet?

Launch parties are slated for weekend of March 18th so coming up quickly.

sneak preview... can't wait till next year! ... going next to my MET & Aerosmith!

ironM-stern (resized).jpg

Wait! Is that for real?? ^^^

Anymore details on the so called mini wizard/wizard mode?

It's a photoshopped TWD.

Rob

Wrong screen, for one.

Aerosmith is going to be good, its easy to see that already.

... couldn't find a BM66 with new LCD screen at the right angle, so I settled for a TWD ... just keeping my dream alive!

I share your dream. I want an Iron Maiden pin even more than Star Wars.

Stern definitely has the license and is planning on making Iron Maiden. As I mentioned before, they were playing Iron Maiden videos at the 30th anniversary party - at a public event. You can't legally do that unless you have been given permission to do so. All the other music videos they played were ALL Stern Pinballs already (including Aerosmith).

that is positive news on Maiden, ... as I patiently wait for my AS Pro to arrive .... soon?

..me too..^^^

Some of the domestic Pro's started shipping out of the Stern Factory yesterday.
Hopefully we will start seeing the unboxings soon.

Our location in Birmingham is supposed to have two arrive tomorrow. Here's hoping for Aerosmith at Louisville!

Some slight ghosting on edge on new sterns might the new normal. I have a Kiss pro and IMVE that have slight edge ghosting. Kiss insert is in front of Genes head that the ball lands on when ejected from mouth. IMVE is the left red orbit insert. They are both on location and not worried about it, they have over a thousands plays each. The playfield clearcoat is different from they were using on early met. and TWD, no ghosting at all, over 5k plays on each. No ghosting on star trek i bought new last summer.

Anyone figure out how double scoring is activated on the pro or if it's even there? Not talking about the jacky double scoring in mb, but double / triple scoring that's activated using the upper pf on the LE.

They show up?

Whatever the code is today or in the next month is what it will probably be in two years. This is based on almost every other Lonnie coded game, so the code has to be really good now, or there are going to be lots of complaints in the next two years.

FYI, current Aerosmith Pro code version is 0.90.2 as of last week's Dead Flip stream.

as-v0.90.2 (resized).png

Watch Pro gameplay streams at:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/125259264
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/125276305

We still don't have any confirmation yet if the wizard mode includes Dream On, correct?

I haven't even heard if a wizard mode even exists or how to get to it.

I did notice in one of the videos on the LCD screen there is some text that says wizard mode.

One would assume that the wizard mode would have to include something different but who knows.

I'm amazed there hasn't been any unboxings yet, there are two distributors I'm aware of that have them in hand already.

Yeah anybody get one unboxed yet? Hearing the code is great and so is gameplay. Code is light years ahead of batman for Aerosmith at this point

From what I've seen, the band animations seem to be in sync with the music so someone did a very good job on that!

Rob

This game rocks. I'm a Kiss fan, this game blows Kiss away. I don't own any Aerosmith records and never been to a Aerosmith concert. Lonnie Ropp did a great job so far on code. Art package is amazing. Animation well put together and yes they changed the jesters voice.

What code are you running that has a different voice on the jester?

I'll look tomorrow

They probably changed the jesters voice after people complained and the severe lack of preorders compared to previous titles, hoping to juice sales. Is anyone buying an LE at all? Like even WWE had people wanting the LE, I haven't seen hardly anyone saying they were buying this LE. I think WWE and mustang was the last time I saw such apathy towards a new title, I think unknown situation of the code has finally caught up to them on this one. When the game isn't a big seller, it seems like the code doesn't get updated forever.

Most people that are even buying one (rather than boycotting because of the code problems with Stern titles) are getting a Pro. The LE extra playfield is simple to the point of retarded. Why bother with it? Seems like most people getting an Aerosmith are skipping the LE.

Changed it to what? The hillbilly from TWD?

Rob

Yup, done with buying games and hoping code turns out well.

If Lyman is the lead, then and only then might I bend my rules. But still have QC worries anyway.

This happened yesterday.

Madison Pinball picked up an Aerosmith and brought it to the WaunaPin tournament in Waunakee (the only Waunakee in the world is the slogan i think).

Pretty fun game from the 2 game I got to play.

Aero (resized).jpg

I originally ordered an LE but after watching Dead Flip, the ridiculous upper playfield (one of the worst I've seen) forced me to rethink my decision & I instantly downgraded to Pro. On AS, Pro is the way to go!

Added over 7 years ago:

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my pro

Our local arcade got one yesterday. Went and played it. I have mixed feelings. My wife asked if it was the pro or the premium, which is a good sign for sales of the Pro. Stern has done a HORRIBLE job on selling me on mini-playfields with recent games, and looking at this one I'm not sure the Premium would be worth the money.... when a "super VUK" (OH NO A VUK WITH A STRONGER COIL?!? SSUUUUUUPPPEEEEER PREEEEEEEMIUMM!!!) is listed as a defining feature, or it's 8 RGB LEDs versus 14 (wow that's a whole 5 dollars of savings guys, thanks for the coded obsolescence), and questionable upper playfields for a LOT more money.. ugh. Come on.

So, basically... the good:

1. Game shoots well. Shots are tighter than they look, especially the orbits and that center ramp shot is no 'gimme' like the one on Kiss.

2. Code already supports things like double scoring (My wife got it off mystery award), mystery add-a-ball for multiball, shot multipliers.

3. You're not locked into songs for ridiculous lengths of time if you can't make the shots. Most modes seem to consist of two timed portions from what I think I saw.... one where you build the value of the shots initially, then a second phase where you collect shots.

4. The toy box lock is pretty cool....if it works. If it doesn't the game is smart enough to try to reload it for mulitball up to the number of balls it needs for the active player. If someone else locked more balls in there than is needed? Shut the lid, jester gets balls to the face.

5. Shaking motions of the jester are kind of crazy, way more active than a lot of Sparkys I've seen, and Stern has upped their game on magnet manipulation of the ball as well, using lessons from the ghostbusters magnaslings and applying them to a normal playfield magnet.

6. Right lane software ball save "VIP Pass"...analougous to the "Lord of Light" from GOT or the left side save on KISS/ST... game I played outlanes were open wide, so having a ball save was nice, and it lights from the two chicklets on the either side of the toy box, so it's not horrifically dangerous to try to relight.

7. The Jester animations are great, IMO. Really liked the Extra Ball one and the lock videos.

8. Elevator is fun to shoot at, I like that the ball gets ejected at a higher trajectory and up and over....stays away from the exposed wood lip. Might help with wear in that area?

The bad:

1. The shot for the toybox lock is not easy to make directly. In that regard I would rather have had a scoop or something. The ball will frequently bounce in there from the exposed pop bumpers or a flubbed shot to the toybox or elevator, but trying to shoot it directly and you screw up is usually a drain as you hit a mini standup or post and then to the sides it goes.

2. Game has *severe* delays while the machine calls up a video or decides what to do. Every time it ends up in the ball lock area, there is either a 2-3 second delay before it kicks the ball back out if it's unlit, or if it is lit, then there's a VERY long animation that feels like it's probably about 7-10 seconds, then the animation stops, and there's a good 2-3 seconds of the game just sitting there doing nothing while it figures out if it needs to load the box or hit the Jester in the head. Mystery animation and extra ball animation seem to have the same problems. They're long, and there's always a little delay after they play before the game does anything further. All of this SHOULD be fixable in code?

3. Jester's voice is SUPER whiny and flat. I'm sure this game is running factory code not what's been updated apparently so this is a minor nitpick for the time being.

4. Game needs a clear callout when it's time to change songs, and when phases of modes are ending. Right now it just says "Time's up!" or something like that with no explanation of what just ended.

5. Wow...the exit from the pop bumpers is BRUTAL with the outlanes open. It's seriously every bit as bad as Walking Dead. Hope you love not getting to flip the ball, because it happens quite a LOT, IMO.

6. Standup targets on the left side below the pops are like....you ever shoot those intentionally, you're an idiot. Those things are way too close to the flippers and it's pretty much a guaranteed STDM if you full power shoot them directly. Just brutal.

7. Elevator multiball is REALLY difficult to qualify on the pro. From what I can tell you need 3 shots to both the left and right orbits, both of which are really tight shots and the left side goes through the pops, so you're repeatedly putting yourself at extreme risk of the ball exiting the pops straight to an outlane. Neither my wife or myself got it, so I hope it's very lucrative on the points side for the stupid amount of risk compared to shooting the relatively safe toy box to qualify locks...