I did install the center post kit from PBL to no avail (kids said it was like having the rails up at the bowling alley, ouch). I really think they will like the game play and especially the dislplay but...

this is discouraging.

Why do you think AS would get boring? It's an awesome game that I guarantee will never leave my collection.

There will be a honeymoon period as with any new pin, but it's basically "shoot this arrow, because" with variations on that per song, but they're all similar. The mini-playfield is the most worthless one I can think of in modern Stern history. Super dumb to bounce the ball 2 inches to get the targets up there lit.

That said, I think it will do pretty well on route, because it's very pick up and play, but at home I can see it getting old pretty fast. It's essentially a slightly worse-shooting KISS.

I own both - Aerosmith will be much better for your family. It's been a huge hit for everyone that's played ours - it's just very fun.

Completely wrong - Vic has a vendetta against Aerosmith as he's obviously upset about Kiss. Don't pay any attention to his posts as all he's doing is constantly posting negatively about it. If you don't think it's true, just look at his post history.

The mini-playfield is great - not going to repeat myself here but made a whole topic comparing it to others. It's suppose to be easy to get the targets by necessity of how it works into the rules. Once the targets are complete you need to get the outer loop shot which isn't easy from the upper flipper - but you can then get the loop with a ramp shot. Vic doesn't get it because he's too biased against the game.

Don't be discouraged - see post above - Aerosmith is awesome and most of what Vic says is incorrect due to sour grapes on Kiss.

A> I play AS with an open mind. Having played KISS extensively, AS is just too rehashed. I have no idea why the same people who complain about KISS not having a story driven game and just being told to hit lit arrows somehow give AS a pass when it's the SAME THING. Hit lit arrows in various patterns, depending on the song chosen, just like KISS.
B> Hitting the outer loop shot on the ridiculous AS upper playfield once you have the targets lit is dead simple. I have no idea why you'd say it's not easy.
C> KISS LE is still in my house and still gets played all the time, and having now played a TON of AS, I can say KISS is a better-playing game than AS. Where's the beef I have with KISS you're talking about?

I'm a pinball fan that's lucky enough to have literally almost every pin released, at least for a while, so I don't have to gloss over flaws in them to justify a purchase to myself. Another is always coming in the door right behind the current one. I call them like I see them based on extensive hands-on with them in my house. But hey, my opinion can change if the game improves. With the update this week Bat Turn mode made Batman'66 actually FUN for the first time since it was released almost 5 months ago, and I'm singing its praises.

The beef you have seems to be that you don't want Aerosmith to be liked more than Kiss. You chose to spend your hard earned money on a Kiss LE, and now that Aerosmith is the next music pin with a similar layout you just keep doggin' on AS. It's very evident in your posting history, as you keep repeating yourself. You're comments are obviously biased as you are harping on negatives that aren't really there, honestly.

I'm a long time pinball player myself and have a pretty good history of picking solid games - here are the Stern games I bought NIB because IMO they were excellent - NOTE that every game I bought early in it's life cycle - I didn't wait for others opinions, I played them and decided it was a good game early, and without following the crowd:

- TSPP
- LOTR
- AC/DC
- Tron
- Metallica - and I don't like the band
- IMVE - I didn't pick IM originally - this is the only one that had to grow on me
- TWDLE
- ST
- GOT
- GBLE - a great game, but does need some mods for excessive draining
- ASLE

The only other game I would have bought NIB, but it wasn't a good time is SM. These have been my picks of good games that I spent my money on. I think the list speaks for itself, and ASLE, Tron and Metallica are the ones that stood out the best from the start.

It's great you like KISS, and I don't want to bag on it - but I guarantee most people are going to like AS more. The majority of pinsiders were anti-Aerosmith based on theme alone before the game was ever revealed. Now many are seeing it's a great game, even though they hate the band/theme.

Sorry but I respectfully disagree. Aerosmith is the real deal I think and every single person that has played it likes it better than any game I have. Now I won't go as far as saying it my best pin but it's a keeper for sure. It doesn't have a deep rule set but that's kind of refreshing IMO. Every game doesn't have to be as deep as TWD or GOT to be fun. My Aerosmith isn't going anywhere, it's a keeper for life IMO.

Because the shot itself must be hit from the very tip of the flipper. Most good/great players miss it more than they make it.

The mini-playfield difficulty is perfectly balanced for it's reward. You are missing that the best time to get the 2x Playfield multiplier is during multiball!!! Which means you want to complete the mini-playfield during multi-ball - IE. while you are keeping the other balls in play. This is a key ingredient missing from many other mini-playfield implementations - and what makes it extra fun. It's not so easy to complete while you are playing both playfields at the same time. The game is designed so that you SHOULD go for the 2x playfield a lot to get the best scoring - it's meant to be easy - just like the bell on AC/DC. You wouldn't argue that the AC/DC bell is too easy, therefore no fun, would you?

It's all about the balance of difficulty, risk and reward which then results in making a game fun and exciting. Just like holding out for a 4, 5, or 6 ball Toybox multiball - it's extra exciting to know that you skipped starting a 3 ball multiball (taking a risk), and your on your last ball so you could lose it and get nothing (never even start it), or you do start it and get the bigger jackpots for the win. These extra risk/rewards in Aerosmith make it extra fun, as many are discovering.

I have to completely disagree with you on all fronts and I'm and excellent player and a hardcore collector that has had several hundred games throughout the last 17 plus years

I'm surprised the kids don't like GB with a center post - it only saves about 20% of the time or so. But I have both pins and I do like AS better. It's easier to see what to do and they will like the video screen. BSD is a keeper if you want a used machine

Totally disagree. Last night, I played a few games on my AS Pro at my place, then went to my good buddy's place for our regular 6-man 6-hour, Friday night "pin tourny" where he just bought an ASLE last week. (BTW, he has the best collection ever, GoTLE, STLE, TWDLE, MMrLE, GB Premium, Shadow, MET premium, GnR & finally ASLE) So, I got to play both the Pro & LE back to back. Well, for one, both are fantastic pins. Period. IMO right up there with MET & TWD. So ... I take back everything I said about the AS "upper mini playfield". I slammed it right from day one, as I too thought it was a waste of space & looked clunky, not smooth. Well, I was dead wrong. Both Pro & LE are great pins. Stern hit AS right out of the park!!

Good comparison: Kinda like, if you went into a Corvette dealer with your buddy, you both buy Zo6's but your buddy buys the convertible, both are awesome rides ... just different experiences.

I posted this in another thread as well but I have to agree with you about the mini-playfield. I really like it and did not think I would after seeing pictures / video. I played it A LOT on a Premium at the Ohio Pinball show and got a really great feel for it. It reminds me of the "Whitewater" field a bit where it doesn't spend a lot of time up there and is more of a conduit with multiple paths for the ball to travel depending on where you want it to go (not to mention a handful of targets and the extra double scoring opportunities).

What that said, I purchased the PRO for my collection just like you did. The mini-playfield was the ONLY thing that offered any additional personal value onto the game for me. The difference in color, limited edition stuff, extra lights, drop target, etc. did not add any additional value for me. So weighing all of the options, the mini-playfield was not worth $2k more and I couldn't justify the purchase.
(plus I have to admit that I love the elevator mold and the "kerchunk" feel you get when you shoot that scoop better on the PRO).

But, I really enjoy that mini-playfield and feel it is a fun addition. You really can't go wrong with any direction on this one (Pro, Prem, LE). Just get whatever your gut tells you to get!

(unless the cabinet falls apart that is - ba da bum!)

Still on the fence between pro, prem,le. I haven't seen higher quality pics posted on the prem/le . Let's see some pics!

I have both an Aerosmith Le and Kiss Le. They are both a blast to play. They are simply fun!! And the artwork is amazing on both!!! Just my opinion.

Everyone needs to quit saying such great stuff about AS.

I really don't want another music/band themed pin right now, and you're not helping! Lol.

It really is fun to play though. Nice to see Borg with another home run!

Time will tell. I think AS will become boring pretty quickly, you don't. We'll see.

I totally believe you have the right to enjoy it and talk about enjoying it. It's PINBALL, after all. Supposed to be fun. I DO like it, but just don't think it's AMAZING like you might think from reading the endless new toy fawning posts.

Then they're not good/great players. I'm a solid middling player and I can hit that 90% of the time. It's not a hard shot.

I'm not saying because I think it will be boring in a home collection before long YOU can't like it. *I* think it's not that great and will get boring - that's just my opinion. You've shared yours and it's a perfectly valid opinion. This isn't a dictatorship. We all get opinions! Yay!

And, for example, the fact that I will watch Xanadu more than once and like a lot of it each time shows that my opinions are not, well...always mainstream. Don't be offended if they don't match your opinions.

Finally! Some psi-ops to cool things down!

I'm pretty sure it was the idea that I was putting training wheels on the game that they didn't like, not necessarily the mod itself. Who knows what their thinking was? They're teenagers. I guess we'll have to take a trip to somewhere with an AS on location. They really liked Dialed In when we played it too but that's for a different thread. Thanks for the input everyone.

Dude not cool! You are a disgrace to fellow Kiss owners! Just embarrassing. Stop!

KISS and Xanadu enjoyment is not mutually exclusive.

I'm pretty sure the Elevator multiball starting animation is the best in pinball. Reminds me of my girlfriend in high school.

Upper Playfield questions:
1. Can you light mini-targets ahead (ready them), but wait to activate 2x scoring later? That would be wise.
2. Hitting the Drop target infront of elevator also lights lock? if so avoid orbits and just hit the drop twice (Pro must actually hit orbits which is harder!)

LCD on Premium lies when it says 'orbits light lock' no mention that drop targets also do! Thinking Elevator drops all day on the Prem. Especially since elevator is backhandable easy

I was very lucky tonight and got to play two Aerosmiths. A Pro and an LE. Purely personal opinion but don't think the Premium/LE is worth the extra moolah.

What a beautiful and fun game. Love the 'should I, shouldn't I ?' nature of the Toybox multiball.
The game is silky smooth and the ramps are a joy. Artwork and clearcoat is incredible. The light show is superb (even on the Pro). The LCD is crystal clear and the animations fit the theming of the game very well.
Sound is superb.
I REALLY liked it and am considering getting a NIB Pro a little later in the year.

Anyone as started to write a rule sheet yet ?

Pin LoOKS awesome, iof rules are great in a few months i will want one for sure

Thanks

Bottom line is this

The LCD
Artwork
Songs

Make it better than Kiss from the get go

Rehash? Wouldn't know or care, I won't own Kiss

This game is not Kiss. I've played Kiss and it's nowhere near as fun as Aerosmith is.

Yes. Once the targets are all lit, you activate 2X by making the trip around the outside, so you can either drop it down the elevator instead (which drains to the toybox launch) or let it run down the ramp (dangerous, can drain down the middle) to save the 2X for later. Then hit the ramp when you want 2X. Note that you lose the lit 2X arrow if you lose the ball, and once 2X is going do NOT collect an extra ball at the scoop (if lit) during the 2X since the unskippable extra ball animation doesn't pause the timer and that will eat about 10 seconds off the short 2X timer.

Jesus, give it a rest. Roughly 10% of your all time posts are in this thread. The only other topic that has more posts is the where is the kiss code thread. I get that you want 1 more kiss code release to clean up a few things, and are trying to push people away from stern but it's ok if other people want or are excited about Aerosmith.

Why would I be pushing people away from Stern? I'm an equal opportunity offender and will just say what I think on any given topic, plus or minus. I've said plenty of negative things about JJP, too (WoZ to have an unfixed lockup bug in all flavors of 6.xx for going on a year is inexcusable, ditto Hobbit's "popping sound" bug). News flash, all manufacturers have problems. Stern just seems to have cost-reduced a little too far in the past 12 months so they're getting reports of much more than usual.

For the record, for JJP I love WoZ and really disliked Hobbit. And of the recent Sterns I like Metallica Prem/LE, Ghostbusters Prem/LE, Game of Thrones Prem/LE, and KISS Prem/LE a lot. And with the addition of Bat Turn, Batman '66 is finally showing a glimmer of light on it's extended Alpha testing in the field. That's a lot of Sterns to like, isn't it? But I'm not going to go all "bestest pin I ever played" when one doesn't hit the mark. You will get my unvarnished opinion. But just because I don't like it doesn't mean you're not entitled to. By all means, have your own contrary opinion!

News flash, where else can you get an AS pro for $5200?

Don't think so. The overwhelming majority are buying the shit out of Stern pins for very good reason.

You just don't get it!

It's not that I don't like it, or even don't appreciate it. I'm all for multifaceted points of view, but over a 100 posts of the same thing? It all just starts to wear a bit thin.

That's a tiny 3% of this thread's total posts - a small counter to the huge amount of fawning posts from mostly the same people in this thread.

A counter to what end? We get it, you're not enamored with the game. If you are here to tamp down others excitement and enjoyment, it doesn't make you some kind of a realist. Instead it's just a daily pecking at the enjoyment and educational discussion that could be happening with the rule, strategy, or Easter eggs that could be found in the art. So I ask, what's the end game, what's the point.

Ac/Dc Premium out... Aerosmith LE in. Couldn't be happier. Nuff said.

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I'm not posting random negative posts about the game. Generally I'm responding to something someone has posted already. And, again, it's like 3% of the posts in this thread. The other 97% is something you can get behind. The 3% isn't made-up stuff. It isn't from someone who hasn't played the machine. It isn't from someone who bought their first pin. It's a counter for the people that maybe weren't going to get an Aerosmith, but they see all great posts with no realistic negative opinions. It's helpful for decision-making, and obviously spawns more conversation, too.

i'd disagree- i own both. each are very good in their own rights. Kiss is a more balanced game with better risk/reward shots. Its takes more than one good multiball to beat it and the shots are tougher. both are a very fun to play. If Kiss ever gets the code update it deserves i feel it will be the better game for sure for the serious player. On the other hand the new LCD display on AS is pretty sweet and the art is spectacular (kiss art is pretty damn good too- and a translite will never match the mirrored backglass that's on a Kiss LE).

Aerosmith LE has a beautiful backglass.

i stand corrected- I was thinking the AS LE was using a translite. Glad to see Stern kept up with a real backgalss on the LE's It doesn't make the game play any better but looks so much nicer to a collector.

I wish they would make real backglasses for all of their games and just tack on the price difference to the game. I'd gladly pay the extra for a real backglass.

It really does look good!

As for the upper playfield... I was also wrong. The game makes more sense with it there. So it seems the game is a winner in all versions.

You're right, this game is a winner regardless of which model that you buy. This game is one of the few games with an upper playfield that I think is pretty cool. Its also nice that the pro model is no dog and packed with features. This game is a huge huge winner for Stern. I went from saying that this game would suck because its such a terrible theme to buying it and it being one of my favorite games of all time. When a pinball company can do that, thats saying something, I don't care what anyone says.

I have great difficulty hitting the right orbit. It's not the machine but I think I'm just loosing coordination at age 64.
I may have to add a huge funnel to that area. Maybe Stern should make a granny version with extra large type, hearing aids, and walkers for legs.

Left orbit is harder for me.

And I really like color DMD's, but will not miss paying $420 for each one on new Sterns for sure.

I played one more game after my last post. 'Got my best score ever! The game gods must have been listening.

This past weekend, I played an AS Pro out on location. Without a doubt, the game looks great. The new LCD screens are perfectly implemented. The sound is great, and likely even better if you're a real fan of the band. As for game-play, I was expecting to be wow'd, but that didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, the shots feel good and the catapult lock mech is pretty cool. I don't really know exactly what it was but when I walked away I didn't have that "I can't wait to play that again" thought/feeling. It should be noted, I had a similar first impression with Metallica, and today I own one. I'll give it more time. I'm sure learning more about the intricacies of the code will help. What's a clear objective (other than the toy box mb) for one to go after, so the game opens up a bit more?