It wasn't - it was kind of a flop for Dreamworks.

People forget that LOTR and TSPP were in re-run for 6-7 years after they were released. Spidey, BDK, and Tron had re-runs years after they came out and were officially "out of production". So, this isn't entirely unique. What is unique is that they're actually putting some extra effort into this one w/ the new toys, metal-whatever Mustang style cab decals, and redoing the lighting system & code for LEDs.

Crappy decals? Screen printed had that low res "pixelated" look that people always bitched about. Decals are higher res & look much better. Also, if the cab of a screen printed game was damaged, it's boned. With decals, they're replaceable. I have a Tron LE, but I think the decals of the later Pros look much better.

Also, lots of people liked the 2D translites, especially the "girls" one.

No, that would be a re-theme like FGY to Shrek. Plus it would be on SAM or the new system cuz T3 was Whitestar. ...but it's never gonna happen cuz Terminator Salvation came out years ago and sucked.

Screened cabs get scratched, graffiti'd, and worn by the flipper buttons. They look like trash and CAN'T be replaced.

Screen printed Sterns didn't have replacement decals since they were never decalled in the first place. Now it's an actual "part".

You make decals for all the Stern games before Transformers?

That didn't happen the first time...the licensor isn't going to change their mind about it.

Black's an LE. Stern will never remake an LE.

Vault = something they have the parts/technology for...recent games only. Re-creating an 80's game would be like making something from scratch.

Let me stop you right there for 2 reasons.

1.) There's no guarantee there is going to be a flood of "new vault editions". Again, I think Stern is just saying "we reserve the right to make more Pros & Premiums if there's demand, so don't cry about it if you thought you were gonna flip yours for 10k"

2.) Stern always has multiple games in production...if AC/DC and Metallica can survive on the line together, it's fine. People may not want any of the new games in production...but they might want an older title. It's a product line. Coke makes Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, etc...does Coke Zero take sales away from Diet Coke? Who cares, they get your money anyway. More choice = more customers = more sales.

They'd still have to start from scratch and re-tool & re-imagine the guts...just like Retro did with King of Diamonds and PPS is doing with MMr. It would have to be built on modern hardware. I doubt there'd be enough interest from the classic collectors and zero from operators. Any speculation on "vault" releases should be DMD "modern" Stern games.

Of course I didn't get it! The rules of the movie don't make a lick of sense! When Sam is zapped into Tronland - he gets hit by a disc and bleeds. Is he still biological or is he made of 1's & 0's? Why didn't he turn into sugarcubes like other guys that got hit? If they zapped-in humans are biological, do they have to eat? There's a scene where The Dude & Sam are eating a roasted pig....is that a real pig, digital, or is it merely symbolic? If it's digital, can a human survive in Tronland off of fake food? If it's real...where did it come from? Did The Dude zap in a pig farm since he knew he was going to be in there for a while? Why is there an ocean in a computer? Why is there a bar for programs with a crazy machine gun wielding owner? Who actually wrote "That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" on the script and thought it was a good idea for Sam to say it? When Quorra gets out and become "real" - is she flesh and blood real? In the original movie, it was "cute" that the programs and such were represented by human avatars....but the idea that they actually could be human? Whuuuuut?

The original movie was a "magical fantasy" that made sense in the 80's since computers were in fact like a mystical form of magic that as a culture we barely understood. Today...being surrounded by technology, Tron Legacy just seemed like weird nonsense...in this day and age, it's kind of impossible for Tron to have that fantasy sensibility...it has to play like a real tech movie with real rules.

Anyway, that was my impression when I saw it in the theater. Now that I have the Tron pin and love it like crazy...I did go back and pick up Tron Legacy 3D on Blu-Ray....I still think it's a dopey narrative, but if I just look at it as "The Dude & Daft Punk Trip Balls in Computer Land" I can kind of enjoy it

The humans were humans first...programs were always programs...but represented by humans (cuz it's a movie) ...I don't think the programs were ever really literally meant to be little humans running around in a computer. Again - in the original movie, we could buy that in the 80's...this was a little fantasy world about a magical place. In 2011, computers aren't magic anymore...they're understandable technology.

Ugh...then every game would sound like it had Beast from X-Men in it.

Ooooh Cluuuu...what a nut. That's actually interesting...what would happen if Clu went through? It's possible that he could get through since he was created in Flynn's likeness...but maybe nothing else would get through in human form? Maybe they would come through as some kind of electronic non-sense. Or- what if Clu comes through...and he's just human...walks outside and gets hit by a truck.

What about it? You can easily find them used for decent prices. I'm guessing distributors still have a bunch of Pros & LE's in the warehouse as well. TF won't get a rerun.