Quoted from twenty84:
I feel like threads get filled with these kinds of reviews every time Stern releases a game based on a popular license. Reviews from people who haven't played much if at all, but want to share their disappointment about the layout, art, code, rules, quality, etc. with a dozen other likeminded people that show up in every new game thread to do the same . We saw it with Iron Man, TWD, GoT, BM66, SW, DP, Beatles None of these games were perfect, or the way I imagine they could have been if someone else did them, but all of these games are ones I enjoy enough to have in my collection. Luckily Stern releases a new game every 3-4 months so those that want to complain about a game they don't own, plan to buy or play quickly move on to the next one.
People can certainly get a “feel” for a game, I remember when Ironman was released it got absolutely hammered, but I remember liking the look of the simple gameplay at the time and the crazy fast gameplay, it was my first Stern and I still have it.
TWD, BM66 and DP all grabbed me and I found myself enjoying the reveals and early gameplay reveals, even BM66 I knew as a fan of the crane from BDK I would enjoy that mech with the 66 theme and Lyman it was a risk I was willing to take. TWD & BM66 certainly matured from absolutely terrible to two of the best Sterns ever, but they still grabbed me on initial reveal, same with Deadpool, on reveal it looked different and fresh and had me hooked, the fact Tanio absolutely smashed the code into a fantastic game is brilliant.
But there’s been plenty of games that haven’t grabbed me GOT, I appreciate it’s a great game it just doesn’t grab me personally (it didn't on reveal) and I’ve played it a lot and it still just doesn’t do anything for me. SW is the same huge Star Wars fan but it just isn’t what I wanted from a SW game, another great game but for me it just doesn’t have “it” for me personally.
I agree these in depth reviews off people who haven’t played the game get old fast, especially when they have given them a dozen times and counting, say it once or twice and move on (but that works both ways, we have the pumpers hyping the game constantly and the haters bagging on the game over and over) but certainly a first impressions feel is ok from people.
Stranger Things was a disappointment for me I’ve only said it once before I think, upon reveal, maybe it will grow on me in time with hands on but at the moment it’s not grabbed me and given me the desire to do so, the demogorgan just doesn’t look fun and the amount of missed opportunities with this theme leave me cold, just my first impressions. Luckily like you said Stern pump out 4+ games a year so there’s hopefully something for everyone, what ticks my boxes won’t tick someone else, but that’s the joy of this hobby so we don’t all end up with the same collection of games as our neighbours.