If there is any game on the market that needs to go away it is this. Did the designers not have a Data East version to play with first? Did they ever even hear of a Data East Star Wars? Was the cost of the licensing too expensive that they had to lay off the design department and revert to a 1970's playfield layout?

Can anyone share the internal thoughts stern had to produce such a lacking game? I'd love to hear how they can defend and market a game that is far worse than any prior release by other manufactures.

A similar example is making an Eight Ball Champ, after the Eight Ball Deluxe (except EBC is actually a great shooting game unlike this one).

-A crappy playfield layout with a complex and deep ruleset is still crap. It's like bathing a wild boar hoping to make it smell better, longer.
-The art is very plain, and appears to have no thought process. Just thrown on there.
-The premium looks like it could be decent but there is no place that has one in my area to play.
-The playfield is a side drain monster (I thought it was just me, nope.....)
-The Star Wars theme is not properly executed into the actual gameplay. It's almost like the programmers and designers were not talking to each other.

Any premium or LE's around in erie, buffalo, pittsburgh, or cleveland area to try out to form a second opinion?

And what is that supposed to mean? Yep I get teased about a small handful of my games, and I don't care. I looked at your collection too and you have an Iron Maiden. Do the comparison, it happens to be an excellent game from Stern, and EFFORT WAS PUT INTO IT!!!!! Art is amazing on all three editions, and integrates well, the software /ruleset integrates with the playfield unlike Star Wars Pro, and most of all it actually has a playfield with features and the playfield is NOT A DRAIN MONSTER. Repeat after me.....EFFORT.....WAS.....PUT.....INTO......IT. Facts are facts, being we all know JJP saved Stern's a$$ by actually being innovative, and making them step up to the plate, Star Wars Pro is like a giant leap back to when Stern sucked. Anybody can overpay for a license, exhale art work onto a firewood cabinet, write a complex code base without talking to the design team, and charge a lot of money for it. You can continue to defend firewood with legs if you wish.

I do not share this opinion alone. Here are some quotes from a pinside ratings thread:

-danodavis:"Very disappointing considering the license. Comes off as a paint-by-numbers shooter that was rushed out."

-drfrightner: "My issue with this game is simple. Great theme and not enough effort to incorporate the theme into the game itself."

-RobT: "I own it. Don't care for it. Rules don't mesh well with the layout. Shots do feel good and satisfying to hit, but the pin just isn't much fun. I don't like the implementation of the rules. Gets repetitive."

-middaleman: "I hate middle buttons and video modes. This game PROMINENTLY features a middle button and a video mode. It's dependent on the middle button and the video mode. Boo."

Yes we should be playing pinball not an arcade game. I know stern needs to justify the expense of Spike2 and the LCD they implemented kicking and screaming."

-stf_dnx: "I'm a big fan of Ritchie's tables, but this one looks like a lazy licenced themed pin. Uninspired PF, with poor design. Maybe it becomes nice after you really dig the rules... Myself after a dozen plays, i just did not find any fun at it. Animations are great, sound is what it should be, that's about it.
I guess this can be an option for SW fans, but as we are talking pinball, I have to agree this is one of the worst table recently produced. At least, you can play for free when you'll find one routed, because players usually leave it before they use all of their credits..."

-konghuster: "Pro just has nothing on play field. Game is still fun, but there is zero wow factor here. I like playing, but will never buy this one. Good to play a few games on location, but if buying, premium is way to go. The shots were a little tight, and the layout was very basic. You're definitely playing the LCD and sounds on this title, and nothing really on play field to interact with ball. A let down for sure, but still fun on location."

Too little of nothing. You wanna change the art and some code tweaks on the higher end models then sure, but at least keep the playfield features on the lower end models the same so they are not lacking.

I could not have said it better. No doubt DE SW needed a code re-write. But is now shines and comes out on top of them all.

Could it be that between the licensing of Batman66 and Aerosmith combined with the cost to design and implement the SPIKE2 system, coupled with the price of the licensing alone for Star Wars, there was just not any funds left? I mean LCD's are expensive these days.....

Oh...and I forgot to mention......With such a complex ruleset, I do not see myself or my friends lugging around an encyclopedia / iPad pro / or Laptop to be able to figure out how to play the game. If that was the case, mobile library's might become a thing again.

This game was on location. I cannot speak as to how it was set up. I would agree if all other games drained. But it was just this one.

ausretrogamer:

I enjoyed the read. Now only to find a premium (comic art or not) on location somewhere to do a fair comparison. Everthing is pro or nutin.....