I was the exact same way for Game of Thrones. Bought a Premium based in the feature list. Pre-ordered it immediately and haven’t regretted it at all.

This time it’s me and the daughter are Harry Potter fans, and I don’t have 2 games to sell to get it. But Harry Potter would be a dream theme and it could look good next to a GoT also.

If this is remotely true, I see two scenarios. 1) Outrageous licensing fee creates a Standard Stern game (that's not a hit as I enjoy most Stern games) at BM66, Beatles or even higher pricing that people bitch about. Or 2) Outrageous licensing fee creates a one movie theme or one scenario theme (quidditch or Hogwarts) that limits "toys" and people bitch about it.

This is one absolute guarantee no matter what.

Exact same reaction I had. Could have been my first NIB, but not after seeing and playing it.

Harry Potter/Hogwarts could be the next potential family NIB, we shall see!

This is the theme that would get my money for an LE.

If this is true I have found the one game that my wife wont question me buying.....let it be true!

$20K by Christmas

Hope we don't know who has the license until they reveal the game.

I really couldn’t care less about Harry Potter, but let’s keep in mind that both Stern and JJP have had stinkers with strong licenses, so...

Does Hobbit even count as a "Strong License?" Besides the nerds that sleep under Tolkin bed sheets at night, the movies are pretty universally accepted as luke warm.

I think the license is strong but the movies weren't if you catch my drift.

Also I was giving them the benefit of the doubt.

They arguably did a better job w/that than Stern SW (although both play fields are fairly empty and they have the same amount of LCD screens. Hmm, weird.)

Harry Potter is for sure a blind LE purchase for me. My whole family loves it. Agree that JJP would be the best choice. Maybe Stern will up the ante and go all out on it. Competition is good for the consumer. Great theme to really stretch the innovation and raise the bar.

There's no comparison though between how the mini LCD's in Star Wars and Hobbit are used. Where Stern choose to minimally code their mini LCD JJP went all out with the coding on theirs. JJP also put a book mold around the Hobbits LCD to at least tie it into something from the films.

My point is JJP puts the time, effort, and attention to detail not just into a games physical appearance but especially its code. That's another reason I rather see JJP make HP over Stern. Sure Stern would get the game out quicker but at today's crazy NIB prices I rather wait a bit longer for a higher quality and more loaded product.

I can't read a book playing pinball so I don't really care about a having one in the playfield.

It's fine if you want to wait, but if the license was just acquired, and JJP already has Wonka and GNR in the pipeline, Daniel Radcliffe will look like Gandalf by the time the JJP version comes out.

Any yes JJP puts time and effort, but their games are just not as fun as Sterns. I've tried them all. Dialed In is their best, and I could not get rid of it fast enough. Lasted 10 days. Great layout, except for the 100% flawed SIM card shot. Everything else was sub par.

So some candy colored powder coating would add to the “experience”?

There's no book to read and there's plenty of opportunities to glance up at the mini LCD. The Hobbit mini LCD shows mode objectives with a few words, time remaining in modes, time being added, a modes difficulty rating which factors into how wizard modes score, type of mode, etc. JJP then took the extra time to add custom book page artwork representing all 31 book modes, credit pages for the team, etc.

I don't mind waiting a while longer for attention to detail and code work like above. A Stern HP pin would come out quicker but by the time they complete the code JJP's pin would be out.

You haven’t actually played hobbit then. You’re not reading an actual book. It’s displaying basic things like current qualified story mode, time remaining. Literally only have to glance at it for half a second.

And I disagree with you about JJP vs Stern. I have yet to play a stern that is as good as WOZ or POTC. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Stern. I own GotG and have ST on the way.

Totally agree, people think because JJP has deep-over complex code and clustered playfields that should mean it is better and more fun than Stern games. In terms of fun-Stern blows JJP out of the water imo. Dialed In does have good flow-but the theme sucks and does nothing for me. I could care less about Harry Potter-seems like a really dated franchise and I hope JJP does get it-so Stern does not waste resources. Perfect theme for JJP to stuff a bunch of crap into so it plays clunky and takes an hour to have a decent game -no thanks.

I have not read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies...am I missing out?

-Funny every time I talk shit about JJP-I get thumbs down from JJP's official crusader- PanzerFreak-rinse and repeat

Yup, they are except for the part you mentioned about overly complex rules which isn't the case in my opinion. Sterns play faster, great. That's because there's far less in them. Any game will play fast if there's 2 standard orbits and 2 ramps in it that return the ball directly to the flippers. At upwards of $9k+ for a Stern LE I don't think that's a good thing. Same goes with shallow code for some of their games.

One of the rare times Stern actually loaded a game up, Ghostbusters premium / LE, they left the code a mess and unfinished. Still waiting on the next code update over 2 years later.

It just means I disagree with something you said, no biggie. I own Stern games as well that I've bought new, just Ghostbusters premium at the moment. Stern makes fun games, I never doubt that. What they charge, offer, and how they support their games in regards to code for the price is what myself and others have an issue with.

17 months and counting since Stern said a Ghostbusters code would be worked on once Star Wars code is completed...

Its a family theme that is wonderful to share with your kids. If I didn't have kids I would have never read the books or saw the movies.

I never really post but had to comment on this. Harry Potter is a dated franchise now? What about all of the old geezer themes in your collection?

To add to the topic at hand, I think that JJP should be the one building Harry Potter. I don't think Stern would do the theme any justice.

Yes Harry Potter is old hat

Bring on cool nostalgic themes like BTTF, Beetlejuice, Jaws, Lost Boys, Etc. We already have a LOTR and a Hobbit. Harry Potter-Meh

My kids are adults, my first grandchild will be here in a month. When she gets old enough I will have to check out the films.
Im looking forward to an excuse to watch the Toy Story franchise again as well....

I'm hoping they call Harry Potter and the Legion of Speccy Bastards*

(* I'm in that legion!).

Neil.

Oh I have. It shoots...is "boringly" a word? It's was a mashup of multiple designers and it shows. Maybe a WOZ layout with Hobbit code and I'd probably like it.

Funny I grew up with Indiana Jones and Star Wars and still love them. All of the kids from the Harry Potter generation seem to deny they were ever fans. My cousin's two boys literally had the hair cuts and the glasses 15 years ago and now they get embarrassed and deny ever liking it. Personally I have seen about half the movies one time and that is MORE than enough.

I couldn't have said it better. Hopefully HP and SM78 for that matter end up JJP games.

It's no WWE, amirite?

I keep telling him to take that off his list and not mention it... It's hard to take seriously.

I assumed since you said you "didn't have time to read a book" that you hadn't actually played hobbit, since anyone who has played hobbit knows that phrase does not apply. Which detracts from any constructive opinion you might have otherwise conveyed.

Kids love it. I keep it around for them. But personally, I'd rather play WWE than spend an hour on The Hobbit.

It's cheaper, fun, unique, and has more shots than the Hobbit.

It also has a 3rd flipper which has targets designed for it to hit. So yeah, it's no Hobbit.

And that's the bottom line.

stonecold.gif

What I'm saying is with a 27" LCD, why would you possibly need another LCD in there? You aim looking at your flippers. There's no reason to glance up at the playfield 95% of the time.

It would elevate it some yes. And no, a refinery isnt only candy paint lmao. The magic of Harry Potter pinball in Stern’s black krinkle!!wooo!