Total noob here, but have been skulking Pinside for the past few months as I researched buying my first pin for HUO. Played a bunch of EM games as a kid in the 70s and frittered away hours on 8 Ball Deluxe and Centaur instead of studying in college. Played an old EM game at a friend's home recently, and a dormant childhood dream was awakened to own my own pin.
Saw episode 4 in the theater when I was 13 and my teen daughters love Star Wars, so my pitch to the family was this game in the kids' playroom. Green light. But the wife was not fooled as she knew this was really my thing with a side of rationalization of "It's for the kids and their friends to hangout in the playroom." I almost pulled the trigger last year on a used SW Premium. I played it on location about 30-40 times and coaxed my kids to the arcade to get their buy in. (I have a great set of locations and games in my area, but mostly old dudes like myself frequent them, which my daughters found awkward and weird). I really liked the challenge of the game, but was not crazy about the photorealistic art, and the used game I looked at was not in the greatest shape. Started considering ST, DP, JP, DI, but the kids were not impressed with any of those themes. And frankly, I kept coming back to the play and shots of SW. Initially, I was unthinkingly influenced by the Pinside rankings as I looked at other games and saw SW dropping down the ranks. Then took a second look at the Comic Art Premium. WOW - the art is amazing. I finally realized paying attention to Pinside rankings is a bit of a fools errand. Do what you think is best for you, not what the resale might be, or what others think.
Good things come to those who wait. Just got delivery two days ago of a SW Comic Art Premium! I still don't understand the low rating from the Pinside haters, but I don't care. I like it, the family likes it (as I am trying to add the analog pinball experience to their digital lives), and I have my childhood dream. A game with an iconic theme, amazing art, superfast Ritchie flow, a deep ruleset, tough and satisfying shots, and a freaking hyperloop to boot! I will keep this one until they carry my body out in it. Glad to join the community here. I just hope I can keep my habit to one game...