Quoted from swinks:

glad it is on the early movies, here is the exploding death star on the premium and le. His games are looking so stripped out

Quoted from zombieyeti:

I think I can safely pop in and share a few things (and if not - these are all LIES!), just to quell the 'Photoshop' rage.... these are NOT photoshop - these are painted compositions in a semi-Struzan style... done by Disney Star Wars artists... The cabinet's have differing artwork on both sides of each package too.
They look great in person & the game plays so... (*door breaks down* "hey, who are you guys? What are those gun shaped things in your hands pointed at me!?") ...

Quoted from jar155:

It's literally a tweaked AC/DC Pro. It's far more similar to that than anything else.

Quoted from pinmister:

Well I decided to pass on my LE, I had a gut feeling that it was not for me. I really did not want to pay over 8K for a rehashed AC/DC. So disappointed, like a kid at Christmas who gets a pair of socks. Oh well, so many good titles out there. I am now leaning towards Houdini. Anyone selling older HUO pins to buy SW-hit me up (;

Quoted from tbanthony:

Just comparing pics from Stern's own site of GB and AS with SW it seems apparent to me why there has been a hesitant initial reaction.

Quoted from beelzeboob:

But see, to me those first two games look like clown puke. It's way too busy and your eye isn't drawn to anything in particular...just an explosion of color. Art is entirely subjective, but I always prefer a LOTR or POTC type playfield over something that "loud."

Quoted from jgentry:

Take away all of the art and you still have 2 games loaded with toys and features and one that looks super empty.

Quoted from Mike_J:

Now you know.

Quoted from jgentry:

Have you even played either game? Have you looked at either game?
The interactive toys for both game are below. All of these actually interact with the ball.
Toy box locks up to 6 balls
Magnet has great action
kicker throws balls in to the toy box
upperplayfield
Slimer
captive ball
3 ball captive ball
subway lock
magna slings

Quoted from TKDalumni:

Any video yet?

Quoted from Pinhead1982:

Starwars pinball at ElectroCoin in London! Tomorrow...
I'm there!

Quoted from kermit24:

Something was lost in the translation...

Quoted from Aurich:

Whoever put that canned rock track on a Star Wars video should be fired. That was just awful. Maybe the sound package is still too raw to show? I really wanted to hear the sounds.
Definitely nice to see in action, and it looks better in high rez, no question. The Pro translite looked like a mess in low rez, in high rez it was a lot better for instance. I want to play one. I just don't have that "wow I want that" feeling still. Maybe hands on time would change my mind, I really want it to be good. I seriously don't care that it's competing with Alien, the Star Wars fan in me hopes it's great.
If I may though, that video mode looks really dumb. Why does Dwight insist on putting video modes in his games? I'm not a fan. I want to play pinball, not bang a button, or pick bacon or star, or do bad pixel fights. Just leave the video modes out!

Quoted from cait001:

OK BUT WHAT'S STERN'S NEXT GAME?

Quoted from Pinhead1982:

There are call outs but I have no idea who it is.
The screen plays video with sounds from the film.
The end screen is yoda.. do or do not, there is no try!
It's pretty cool! Lots to do and FAST, classic SR. loop under Death Star is brutal, SDTM sometimes as well as off the 3 Bank under the screen

Quoted from kermit24:

Lifting ramp is not on the pro, right?

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

I've said before your average pinsider doesn't understand pinball design or history, and this thread reminds me why I feel that way constantly.
Tell me the other steve ritchie games with playfield magnets that randomly throw the ball around the playfield ala the power or ghostbusters. That kind of randomness isn't part of his design philosophy and that's one of the reasons why I like his games.
People who are complaining about lack of magna slings and bash toys really didn't put much time into considering their expectations. This is a steve ritchie game.

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

Standup targets aren't bash toys.
It's like amateur hour in here.

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

IT'S A STANDUP TARGET

Quoted from Rolls-Royce:

...too small for me.....maybe along with the Death Star in the same scale.lol.

Quoted from iceman44:

Total bummer on SWLE.
ASLE is gorgeous and real. Why do I need 3 regulars?

Quoted from Push600:

Star Wars? How many different Star Wars pins have been made?
Boring.

Quoted from unigroove:

Steve mentioned in his seminar that the player has to choose a character at the beginning of the game, like on GoT. I found that a horrible feature on GoT. Never watched the show, so have no clue what to choose. Same with SW. Never watched the movies, so probably not a game for me. I seriously wonder how adding such choices to the game is helping novice players to appreciate it.

Quoted from unigroove:

I find non-licensed easier to get into as there isn't the need to know certain characters, or having to watch a movie first in order to understand the game. Dialed In is a good example: I found the game a blast to play and it brought back the funfactor I recall from playing pinball in the 90s.

Quoted from PanzerFreak:

.
Keith Johnson is a genius at creating deep objective based rulesets as they work every feature and shot on the playfield in interesting ways. LOTR, TSPP, WOZ and TH all require the player to work the playfield in unique ways.
.

Quoted from Chief:

I was lucky enough to play the pro for an hour last week here in London.
In addition to the upposts on the inner loop (Hoth/Deathstar shots) there is a physical ball lock/uppost on the left ramp return (kinda like on monster bash)
Great game, very fast, liked it a lot!

Quoted from PinB:

Star Wars gameplay stream is supposed to go down this Wednesday or Thursday. Dead Flip just announced this on his stream today.

Quoted from flashinstinct:

I don't disagree with that. What I disagree with is probably a smaller BOM and a price increase which makes it the.....(*thinking*)..... 10th-15th straight price increase? They have stripped down weight on their games considerably in the past few years to optimize cost. I don't fault them for that at all (ie. I couldn't give two shits about the old lockdown bar and I find the new hinges work better, service rails are somewhat missed but I don't think it's that big of a deal, switching the locking cab head mech for two bolts, let's not talk about the power switch...., only one board now VS 4 before). With that said, they have saved on parts costs by doing this and that's just wise from a business standpoint. What I don't find wise is reducing parts costs + reduce BOM + increase pricing.
That is my definition of stripped down and get value for what you pay for.

Quoted from thearcadegeek:

never understood the hate for GB. It's a great pin - hard yes, but loads of fun.

Quoted from robotron:

a nib pin and after unpacking noticing 2 different side rails, ghosted inserts, loose pieces, crazy airballs, shooter lane clear tearing off after every plunge.
but that wont happen to starwars, no way

Quoted from konghusker:

Any confirmation yet if dead flip is streaming tonight or tomorrow?

Quoted from Rarehero:

Don't get me wrong, I love stacking...but I don't like the choice to "pass"....just something inherently unsatisfying about it.

Quoted from trunchbull:

I like a slower, more methodical form of gameplay. The only Steve Ritchie game I really love is Flash Gordon (edit: oops! ST:TNG, then), the new ones feel like hyperactive video games, or like those Japanese rhythm arcade games, just things flying at you while lights flash. Jpop's pins are shallow (and the guy himself is a turd), but they balance theatricality and flow way better than Ritchie's pins. Modern Stern pins in general have never felt thematically cohesive to me. I like the focus on points in EMs and SS pins - Stars, for example - because they're difficult and simple, but I crave the actual wholesale packaging of pins like TZ and WH20, which aren't "deep" like GOT but have a presentation that feels lovingly crafted and generally together.
I've said it a few times but playing GOT feels like I'm playing with a fancy calculator while someone's watching a TV show. There's no soul. Obviously, that's a really specific thing to "feel" in a pin, but as a total package, GOT feels flimsy and obsessively mathematical. The game as a concept doesn't come together, so it's harder to lose myself in it. What happens in GOT? What's going on when Arya Stark is marking names off her list? Nothing! It's terrible, uninvolving gameplay and the only point is to get points. That's terrible. That's a terrible way to design a game. I need something to play for besides numbers. Pinball machines have a great capacity to be wholly theatrical experiences and it's frustrating to see it being wasted repeatedly.
What I love about Pat Lawlor, besides the methodical gameplay (stop-and-go, the antithesis to "flow" pins) and unique playfield geometry, is the sense of emotion that ties the pin together. There's the inevitable coup de theatre that defines the game, like Rudy's head or the cracking state line on Earthshaker, but there's also the sense of irony, whimsy, and menace. The pin isn't just a thing that adds up numbers based on when you push a button, there's an intent behind the gameplay that becomes apparent as you play. Rudy turning on you is one of the most astonishing moments in pinball, because it demonstrates that the game itself has an opinion about the player, and that's a key element that's not present in a lot of Stern's modern pins.
This is part of why I like Wheel of Fortune - even if it is silly and nonsensical, it feels like it's interactive. You could call it "character". Road Show is packed with character, where every mode leads up to a gag. Candy 2000 in Safecracker is in all parts of the game and she gives it a palpable sense of menace. Even the overlap of themes in Earthshaker - studly 50s cruiser meets cataclysmic faultline failure - generates a sense of ironic tension and fun. It's that extra step that creates a hook for the player that takes the game beyond being a series of switches, buttons, and points and becomes an experience. That's what's missing, and it's that absence that I hate.

Quoted from usandthem:

Any pin that I've ever liked has one or more cool physical gimmicks. Addams Family has the hand, the magnets under the playfield to randomize the ball. TZ has the gumball machine and magnaflip. LOTR has the magnetized ring that freezes the ball before disappearing onto the ramp behind the playfield. TS has the Sanctum, player-controlled diverters, and the best upper playfield in pinball. AS shoots the ball into the air into a toy box. NGG has the slam ramp to elevate the ball into the hole. The list goes on and on. This game has nothing in a physical sense. Does it have cool rules that Stern has shown that it is capable of when it tries? Yes. But that layout is SOO tired. Couple that with no, zero, zilch interactive toys and it's blah to me. And the fact that you have to pay 40-80% more for the version that may throw an interactive toy your way. Stick it!

Quoted from Aurich:

Well first off, I don't own an Alien, I honestly have little opinion on it as a game because I simply haven't played it yet.
But since you brought it up I will say two things about Alien that make it more appealing, on paper, to me.
1) The layout on Alien is original and different. 4 flippers, new shots, it's not a rehash of games I've already owned and played. That's really important. Stern hiring Keith Elwin is great, his Archer game for instance doesn't shoot like anything else. Innovate your layout if you want my money, repeating the same old fast-n-flow doesn't do it for me, don't care how smooth it is.
2) The modes in Alien were purposefully designed to not stack. It's the opposite, every mode is very much about the story and atmosphere, when you're in one you should feel like being in the film for those moments, it's meant to be singular and immersive. This is what I've been getting at as my personal preferred style of game.
Honestly Alien and Star Wars are really very different games, being bored by one has no bearing on the other.
Edit: I'm not going to bring up Alien on my own, but if someone asks me about it I'm not going to ignore them either, so downvote away if that hurts your feelings.

Quoted from Whysnow:

yeah, easy to say when you dont have a brand new game that is currently a brick not earning money and not playable. I hope you can see how this is just another thing in a long string of issues that suck much of the fun out of the NIB Stern experience.
GB > misspelled pf and ghosting
Aero > split cab
SW > game with no code
I think I am allowed to be frustrated with the situatiuon and even slightly pissed at this level of customer service considering we have bought EVERY new Stern pro since for the past 3+ years
Shit, an email from them to appologize would go a long way. It woudl show they actually care for their repeat customers.

Quoted from T-800:

STERN and Cointaker have always come through for me. Star Wars will be my sixth NIB game with them and I can't wait to get it.

Quoted from Yoski:

If Stern would test their machines on site for a year before shipping the first unit like JJP with DI then they wouldn't have all those quality issues. OK, a Stern pro can be had for $5200 versus $8000 for DI and Stern cranks out a title every 2-3 month while JJP about 1 per year. Playing DI, Alien and some recent Stern pros I think the $8K are a better deal.

Quoted from pinchamp:

SW will never be MET with that playfield layout. Not even close. Regardless of code

Quoted from pinchamp:

Just charge the songs in pinbrowser to whatever you want- duh. So simple. How you gonna change that playfield on SW?

Quoted from Manic:

"Don't worry dude... it's normal. It'll all even out!" lol
I've been buying machines ("collecting" I suppose) for over 20 years and have never seen these DEEP dimples like we're seeing on *some* of these newer PF's.
I think it does deserve a new term... not dimpling. "Cratering".

Quoted from Aurich:

.
the game is what it is and it's not changing.

Quoted from Rockytop:

I agree. I own ACDC, which I think is his best game, and STLE. I think STLE is a great overall package and while not as good of game as ACDC, it has the warp ramp, which is one of my favorite shots in pinball. I owned SM for a couple of years as well. I don't feel like I need another Richie. I don't know, I might pick up a SW premium down the line...depends on where the game ends up code wise. I would probably sell ST at that time though. I hope the game ends up great, it was my #1 theme, but it's hard for me to shake the feeling that this was a cash grab from Stern.