I'm a big star wars fan, but stern's SW was a pretty big disappointment for me. Empty and drainy. Folks say the code is awesome, but I don't see it. It doesn't seem approachable to me and seems jumbled and confusing.

ST is probably the better of the two if you want stuff to do on the playfield and have a clear set of rules.

Hard when you don't own the game or have ready access to it. I've only been able to play it a half dozen times at shows. It just doesn't resonate with me, and I find myself bypassing it to play other games.

Believe me, because of the theme, I *want* to like it--it's just not a very good game from what I've seen thus far.

I don't think it's too confusing, and I haven't gotten a whole lot of game time on that one either. You hit a shot, it explains what the status is and what you need to accomplish next (either visually or with simple text). SW doesn't seem to present game info in an easily digestible format--too much text, too much stuff wizzing by. Part of the problem is that there is no text on the playfield that indicates anything. Just inserts with a bunch of "x"'s. I get that the x's were sterns attempt to make the inserts versatile, but it doesn't really work for me. Maybe putting the empire/alliance logos on them would have been more attractive, I don't know.

TH, DI, and POTC are somewhat confusing, though--there's way too much going on in order to quickly/easily grasp what's happening. Woz had more of a guided approach compared to the later JJP games.

Exactly. You either have to study the game intently, or just resort to flailing around randomly and hoping something happens. It's not one of those games that's "easy to play, but difficult to master", it's difficult to play and difficult to master. There's no obvious targets that lead you through the game.

That's why certain games have consistently remained in the top 10. They are enjoyed almost universally, and not just by experienced tournament players.

There's just a big hump to get over on SW before you even begin to figure out what's going on.

As with most stern games, a colorDMD is a big improvement.

That would be awesome