So, like what is the long list of licenses Stern has "stolen" and sat on from the competition guaranteeing no pinball will ever exist? It's not like the competition even have a big list of titles.

JJP:

WOZ - As Jack tells the story, he wanted this
Hobbit - we know Jack really wanted this as his answer to LOTR and got it
Pirates - Stern already did it before, didn't stop JJP from getting it
Rumored:
Toy Story - obviously this is a AAA license

Heighway:
Alien - from reports, Stern also wanted it, Heighway got it... are we better for that having happened?

Spooky:
Rob Zombie - they wanted him, they got him
Alice Cooper - they wanted him, they got him
Jetsons - subcontract job but license was still acquired.
Godzilla - doh! But remains to be seen if Stern will release one.

Dutch Pinball:
Lebowski - as the story goes, Gary had no interest even though people asked him for this game. Didn't stop DP from getting it.

I just hope Stern really makes Godzilla, I'll get that NIB. If Spooky was making it I'd probably hold off.

Well since you decided to follow back up. Stern has made some of the best games ever made. No game is for everyone but they have several incredible games. Anyone that plays them and denies that, I would say doesn't like pinball. Sure you may like 1980's games better or EM's but there is no way you cannot find some joy in playing some of the stern games if you actually like pinball. When typing on a phone grammar is not the easiest but I'm also not the best at it either, so feel free to internet shame people about it if it gets you through your day. Editing peoples quotes is also a pinside rules violation so you might want to consider that while grammar shaming folks.

I was in a crappy mood this morning and I am generally not a fan of Stern, and I regret expressing it in the way that I did because I think it took away from legitimate complaints. I am not a fan of 95 percent of their work since they became a de facto monopoly. That is a subjective matter, you're right.

In fact, I have you to thank for introducing me to a lot of the (IMO, superior) games of the past at your arcades, and I think what you're doing to preserve pinball and arcade culture is really awesome. I do think some of Stern's games are great, some are fine, but most are not for me.

Less subjectively, I think they have some QC issues and business practices that are underhanded and in bad faith, and I feel that voting with one's dollars (or quarters) is the best way to correct this problem.

As for pinside forum rules, yeah, well, oops.

Tron. I need one.

Me as well. Would look good sitting next the Sega version.

No worries on my side, I have pretty thick skin and it's pretty easy to let pinside get to you. I believe you are thinking of jwilson with the arcades though. Good dude, owns all of the game galaxy locations.

I agree 100%, you don't like the company they don't give them your money. It wouldn't stop me from dropping a quarter in one though, that's what keeps the route owner going and different games coming in. Nothing wrong with checking out the newest stern to see if the QC problems are improving.

Save the virtue signaling for Facebook, dude.

P.s. Stern makes kick ass pins.

I'm getting my TN pinheads confused ... or who knows, maybe I snuck in your house and played all yr stuff ....

Johnny Socko would be perfect for Spooky.
Gamera would also be great.
Ultraman would be great as well.

Does any of the code fix the fact that Groot sucks balls? Figuratively and literally.

Make a licensed "Creature that ate Sheboygan" pinball! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1783/creature-ate-sheboygan

If Spooky got the Godzilla license, they would have made and awesome Godzilla I’d want to buy.

But..

If I didn’t wake up the day they announced it and read pinside, I’m waiting a year to get it?

The waiting list is a year for TNA, a year for Alice Cooper.

Super sweet pins. But damn - in some ways I hope they don’t get a dream theme because I don’t want to wait a year to get it.

It sucks for Spooky as it’s their dream theme, but there are a lot of themes Spooky could do something amazing with.

Who else is going to have the balls to produce full on horror themed games other than Spooky? Stern are targeting the mass/nostalgia markets.

I want to see stuff like Halloween, Friday the 13th, SAW, I’d even take a Scream themed game get all the horror classics made and I’ll buy one of each!

Hmm...maybe Phantasm

thanks for the Spooky transcript.

I found this quote interesting from Charlie:

The market is too small. The customers are all the same.

When I consider that with Spooky selling 1000 machines... well, if the customer are the same, and everyone is fishing in the same pond, then who lost the most to those 1000 sales?

Yup, Stern. It's just business. Small fish or not, there's a fight going on in the pond.

That whole bit of busting into a meeting that's going on isn't a good look, however.

You guys can move Deadpool to Stern's Announced/Confirmed section.

BEST podcast yet guys. Can we keep him on the podcast? Really enjoyed the frank discussion. And agreed with a lot of the insight and logic in the discussion. And the chemistry was spot on. I liked the Zach wasn't as goofy.

"Charlie: I won’t talk about the one guy at Stern that I do not get along with. Who did a very – what’s the word I’m looking for – douchy thing at the Licensing Expo by breaking into a meeting I was in the middle of, to introduce himself to the licensor that we were in a meeting with. And say [whispers] “hey, I’ll call you next week”. That is not cool. Maybe that is how that one particular guy out of a lot of people over there that we’re friends with, “just does business”. But it is not how Spooky Pinball does business."

---

If that's an accurate reflection of what happened, that's appalling behaviour. Guess it's pretty obvious who he's suggesting it was.

Does it really need to be Godzilla specifically though? The kaiju concept is pretty universal by now, why not make an unlicensed game with a sense of humour in the vein of Attack From Mars?

I’m sick of Godzillagate. Who gives a shit?

No kidding, go secure Braveheart, Breaking Bad and Dexter, I'll buy all 3 gladly and all 3 could be made into kick ass pins with the full use of the license.

He has a name, it is Dennis! and he has his own podcast you can hear him every 2 weeks

https://soundcloud.com/user-465086826

Deadpool topper needs to include this, and move.

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Rules look interesting. Can't wait to find one to play.

I actually have that game. Haven't opened it yet though. Bought all the box games and micro games that were out when I was a kid that I didn't get to play. Something for retirement I guess... the cover art was amazing on those things.

Maybe reclassify guide from Beginner to Intermediate. You inspired me to look around and I found this cool article about Wayne Neyens. He never got a real job. http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Meet-the-true-pinball-wizard-in-Mountain-Home-Ark--491594061.html
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Maybe, but the style evaluations are cursory and there were a lot more names that could be included, especially if you wanted to focus even earlier on the industry.

Neyens has led an interesting life. Have you owned any of his games? I had a woodrail of his; it had a fun middle-pop that got a lot of play. Never really owned anything else like it.

Neyens' designs, especially the Double Award games from '54, show how much thought he put into entertainment value for the player. Several goals to work toward as you climb the ladder to special, and each -just- out of reach. A true master of design.

I've played a few of Wayne Neyens games but they didn't leave an impression. I am impressed by how many games he designed - 180 electromechanical's. I think that is the record. With the lack of big name titles, I've always thought his games couldn't be that good or would pretty much the same. His talent was the thinking outside the box and his lasting legacy was inventing parts and mechanisms, which found their way into his games. The man must have been a genius.

Interesting in that he is still alive. The last of the great EM designers to my knowledge. He just turned 100. I believe Pinball Magazine's latest issue, going to print now, features an interview with him of significant length.