Ultraman (Blood Suckers Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
Ultraman (Collectors Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
Ultraman (Standard Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider snaroff.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Macs adds meta data to the usb stick that basically corrupts the file at the games cpu as you need a completely clean stick to run an effective update.
From what I can tell from reading about this on the HWN forum you want to stay away from Mac entirely.
Not supporting modern Macs isn't acceptable and isn't competitive. All my other pins can be upgraded from a Mac (including Rick and Morty). This isn't rocket science.
Hopefully Spooky will confirm Mac compatibility.
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:Stop the complaining and just use your phone then
Childish response. If Mac's aren't supported, it's a big deal. Apple is a 3 Trillion dollar company...they sell a boatload of computers (no longer niche).
It's not a tech issue, it's a bug.
Quoted from Crile1:This thread needs to get more positive. I’ve been playing the game all weekend with both 1.02 and 1.04 code and it is a blast. Knowing there is a lot more to come is awesome. The core Spooky team is still in place. Spooky has also shown to adapt when necessary. UM is a ton of fun. Take some time off Pinside and breathe. When your game comes, it will be fun. I’ve played Godzilla pro and I am not sorry I chose UM. Don’t want to get into a comparison because they are completely different games. That is what I like most about Spooky. Their games are unique and they try different things. In lane lifters really add a dimension of randomness during a multiball. Having to work three playfields and be ever ready in the lifts is crazy. Control freaks will hate that, but pinball is supposed to be chaotic.
The negativity is unfortunately not unique to this thread. Considering the low number of machines produced, it's shocking to me that I can't find my game a new home @ a substantial loss (which in this market is saying something).
Decided to purchase UMCE after loving my Rick and Morty (my first Spooky game). Even though Rick and Morty required a lot of love to dial-in, Spooky gave me great support and I decided they were a company worth supporting (getting bored of Stern's games).
I'm hopeful Spooky will fix the Mac installation issues and make this game great over the next year.
Quoted from Frax:Yes, let's not get into this discussion that you added to now that a cogent point was made.. I don't give a hoot what their market cap is. Your statement was:
And they're simply NOT.
And total LOL, yes, diversification is a good business strategy, and Samsung does that well, by making top-tier components like OLED screens and DRAM. How is it not fanaticism again when one company is praised for their success, but another is not, even though the company being praised is entirely reliant on the other company's products as part of their supply chain? They have the ridiculous volume and can meet the quality standards. Get outta here. Nothing further needs to be said, because the argument was over as soon as you posted that.
The Apple/Samsung pissing contest is really off topic and not the point.
My first Spooky purchase was a Rick and Morty. I had no issues updating from my Mac. I purchased UM with the assumption that updating from my Mac would still be possible. Not supporting this is just lazy. Professional companies have standards across games/designers. Spooky should simply be saying if Mac installs are buggy, it will get addressed asap. Period.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:The "FLIPPERS" are the only ones that seem to be disappointed as many bought to make a quick buck.
Hmm...don't think "flippers" are the "only ones" that seem disappointed. I'm definitely not a flipper and decided to sell my machine at a considerable loss because I don't have patience this time around (and trying to keep my collection to ~12). Found a great buyer who will give the game the love it deserves. Not a big deal...part of being in the hobby for such a long time is knowing what you like (and don't).
Quoted from Tranquilize:This reminds me of the stock market. People freak out over the smallest issues. Then the same thing always (and I mean ALWAYS) happens: money is transfered from the impatient to the patient.
Losing money in the stock market early on is a life lesson worth double whatever you lose. You either learn to relax or you go broke.
You also learn how ridiculous it is to try and pick tops/bottoms. The common thread with pins and stocks is you win some, you lose some. If you win more than you lose, it's goodness. Last year I sold a few games and did really well. When I make buy/sell decisions with pins or stocks, they are made in the context of a pin (or stock) portfolio. Selling a game at a loss shouldn't freak people out...!
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Some of the people that bought in were not aware of how Spooky's game lifecycle works. I knew from talking to Barcade owners who had American Most Haunted , Rob Zombie, and ACNC. Code takes a little while to mature and tweaks often had to be made.
The game is good. Just needs a bit more polish.. No reason for negative reviews or anything. What this game did more than anything is show who the Pinball speculators / flippers are. That said some people are merely selling for life changes an events that are happening outside of their control.. 2022 is going be tough. Pinball never meant to be a flippers market. Pun intended but wrong.
You can stop preaching "the game is good" and stop trying to predict the future! (2022 is going to be tough?). It's possible to be aware of everything you mention and still want out (of any game). Spooky does great work and I'm sure they will do whatever they can to complete the game. Even when polished, some people will not like the game. Whatever.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Sometimes patience is key.
As far as future telling. My comment about 2022 wasn't about this game at all and apologize for confusion. I know many folks that
have been in situation where they need to sell things due to fiscal issues. That is what I was talking about.
No doubt that patience is key...totally agree.
While selling my UMCE, I picked up a GNRLE at a nice discount over NIB (with a few cool mods). Since the GNR code has been baking for well over 1 year, I was more in the mood for fully baked software (and love R&R pins in general). GNR has better flow/speed than I originally thought. Still unsure if it will be a keeper for me, but it's very different. The scoring/rules are pretty ornate, but you can ignore it and just "experience" it. The light show is just sick.
Yeah, it's hard to know how many people are entering they hobby without financial forethought. I don't have a good feel for this (and don't feel qualified to make any predictions
Quoted from Palmer:Last time I checked this is an owners club
I was an owner for several months and just recently sold my game, so you'll have to put up with me for a little longer. You can always ignore my posts if they offend you.
Quoted from Rarehero:They’re pre-sold, at least with deposits. This doesn’t affect Spooky at all in the short term. Now, if the reputation of these games doesn’t recover by the time their next game comes out…pre-orders will shrink to AMH levels. Not all people pre-order to flip, but they expect their games to BE GOOD & HOLD VALUE…that’s the “deal” for taking the risk. If Spooky games no longer offer that deal, pre-order is over.
Yep. I think the challenge any pinball company has is developing teams with track records. I've been buying Stern games since 2004 and 2 factors dramatically influence my "buy" decision...the license (duh) and the lead designer. The lead designer *usually* has a lot to do with the outcome of a game. The most glaring example of this recently is Keith Elwin designed games.
My decision to purchase R&M (my first Spooky game) was the license and Scott Danesi (who did an awesome job on TNA). I was so smitten with R&M, I took the pre-order plunge with UMCE without really thinking about who was working on it. The license meant nothing to me, but was cool/quirky, so I took the plunge. After playing it @ Barcade in Highland Park with my son, we were very disappointed. Sure, it was early code, but it was scary basic and we found it annoying. So, decided I wasn't in for a "journey" this time around and sold. No big deal...sold to someone who fully understands the "journey" and is looking forward to it. Win/win.
Quoted from arzoo:R&M had issues with the geometry/rails, flippers, and other various physical stuff, but the game code was pretty good from the start. Ultraman/Halloween seems to be exactly the opposite. Also, people weren't trying to get out of R&M for 1k losses. But you're probably correct and eventually this will all sort out.
Yep...and developing 2 themes *simultaneously* was a pretty aggressive move. Don't believe it's ever being done before (Shrek was introduced 1 year after Family Guy was completed).
Quoted from Thunderbird:Not weird at all. Most of us would not pay these exorbitantly high pinball prices if we thought we were going to lose a great deal of money at a future resale point.
The primary reason P3 Multimorphic might never take off is precisely this: people cannot sell their over $10k purchase and recover their money. It is sunk costs. Traditional pinball machines are known for holding value. If it is a good title, with lots of mechs, good layout and highly sought after license, it usually will sell for at least what was paid or higher (R&M comes to mind).
Everyone’s concern about UM/Halloween future prices is legit. If games were say a few thousand dollars like they use to be, then most of us would just “enjoy the game” as you say. We were not concerned about losing a great deal of money, because old pricing was so low, we could just enjoy the game. Pinball is now near the price of many used automobiles, depending what you buy.
Sure, but the other HUGE factor is this...
For many buyers with disposable income, the slot/space in the lineup is more critical than the loss of selling the preorder OR actual machine. It's that simple.
I still own LOTR, purchased NIB in 2004 because it's one of the best games Stern ever produced. Rick and Morty will never leave my collection, no matter where the price lands. Ditto for STTNG and WH20. With all the new titles being produced, the price difference between the awesome pins and "meh" pins will be more pronounced. Not all pins appreciate! Just look at GNR, 2020 "Game of the Year"...they can be bought for ~2k less than NIB currently, often with very low plays.
Quoted from Damonator:Where are you seeing those deals on GnR?
The lowest I’ve ever seen a CE sell for is +$5k over MSRP. Most of the LEs being sold are at MSRP (keep in mind MSRP has moved from $9.5k to $10.5k since release). SE had a bargain here or there, but those have dried up.
As for people selling UM spots - why does everyone of them seem to be from PinballStar? What am I missing?
I don't track CE's...not a market that interests me.
LE's are now 11k on the JJP site (and I don't believe it includes shipping). In some situations, tax will also be added. So, a NIB can weigh-in @ ~12k. I recently picked one up with very low plays and 1k of nice mods for 9.5k...and there was another one that wasn't moving for $9,300 IIRC (and could likely have been picked up for 9k).
Quoted from smokinhos:This is a perfect example of how ridiculously insane the pin hobby has become. It's not about losing money, it's about making money. If UM and HW were blowing it up for $12k right now, the same people dumping their spots would be listing them for Stern LEs and whatever pinball game they wanted to trade for. At this point everyone knows the life cycle of Spooky pinball games. Look at Rush. Everyone snagged LEs and they were listed within 24 hrs to trade or sell outright. With Stern pros now at 7500 all in, a Spooky pin in the 9-10k range is reasonable AND expected. Buyers have been spoiled by the constant price hikes and the extremely low risk of buying and losing money. I hope new buyers who missed out on the fast sell out of these pins get to jump on one of these. I'm sure the early adopters at the very least will break even. Lots of rumored pins this year, huge backlog of games, and maybe we are starting to slow on pin price inflation. I have two really nice games on the market and haven't been able to work out something. But like my patience with Spooky, I'm patient with my other games. I don't need the money so I'll trade or sell when the time is right. Let's revisit this in 6 months.
You said the magic word...patience. I really want a Rush pin, but given the hysteria, I might opt for being patient and wait 6-12 months to purchase one when people start chasing the next game I was patient with GNR and it paid off. It's unlikely to be a keeper for me, which is why I decided against the NIB option when it first came out. Ended up being the right move. You win some, you loss some. Fine with me
Quoted from Damonator:Ok - I guess that’s your perspective, but the original LE NIB price (the one 80% of buyers paid) was $9500. Your assertion that GnR LE has depreciated $2k is a stretch. It has neither appreciated or depreciated - which is typical of games that are still in production.
Ok. No argument. In any event, based on what’s unfolded in our hobby, 9.5k with mods felt good/fair. That’s all I’m really saying.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:CE preorder spots are selling for 5, 600 bucks, people will just start forfeiting their deposit soon. May as well let Spooky keep the 2 grand and actually teach pinball buyers (flippers) what a "preorder" is supposed to be.
Pretty ridiculous response to frankmac sensible thought.
Having many people publicly "throw in the towel" isn't good for Spooky/business. Spooky's growth and improvements to manufacturing & hardware are impressive, however software is what brings the game to life. The software on the UMCE I played wasn't simply unfinished, but bad (obviously subjective). Nevertheless, I've been buying games for nearly 2 decades and have never purchased a game this unfinished. My financial loss on the game isn't Spooky's problem...it's mine. I purchased the game without playing it because I had such a great love fest with my Rick & Morty. Didn't really occur to me that an entirely different team would be working on this game. Oh well...live and learn. Buying a game before playing it is always a risky move.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:Maybe next time these guys shouldn't buy a game they haven't played if they're not confident in the team behind it.
Agreed.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:do you guys not read anything before you commit to buying a 7 grand toy? [quoted image]
7k? My invoice was for $10,500!
Quoted from metallik:We didn't "think" anything, we were TOLD in no uncertain terms that Bowen was going to be working on Halloween and UM.
That's my recollection as well...a player I have a lot of respect for.
Quoted from Tranquilize:So.... You sold your game before the code was done and don't know how to tweak a new machine. We've heard your sad tale a few times now. You've likely instilled all the tragic fear possible into the tender hearts of the preorder crowd. Great story, partner. Sadly, I think it's time you hit that lonesome trail.
Hard to believe people are so thin skinned. It's possible that turbo2nr didn't have the patience for tweaking a game that he didn't seen any promise of liking. If people can gush about a game, they should be able to criticize a game without being exiled! Especially if the post is coming from someone with actual experience, not to mention financial loss. He's not a troll and he's only posted twice to this thread...give the dude a break.
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:You sure about that?
He has been ejected from the other UM thread multiple times.
[quoted image]
I'm not, but the definition of a troll in this context is unclear. Not interested in debating it either...more fun stuff to talk about.
Quoted from Coindork:If you go back and read the guys post history it’s pretty clear.
Let me save you the time of going back and looking all that up and give you the basic cliff notes.
- Spooky announces new games.
- Dude puts deposits down on 3 machines (2 Halloween’s and 1 Ultraman). Typical flipper move by placing extra deposits to try to flip them to subsidize the purchase of the third machine. I.E. planning to gouge the collector at above retail pricing so he can get a machine for free or below actual cost.
- Dude tries to flip his Halloween’s and it doesn’t go so well, gets called a flipper etc.
- Dude gets his Ultraman and loves it. He even posts things like “Love the machine” and “It’s a keeper”. Even posts pictures of his mom playing it wearing crazy sunglasses etc. I bet he goes back and deletes these posts, but they were still there at the moment I typed this.
- Dudes sales on his Halloween’s are not going so well and he’s actually loosing money rather than making money and Starts blaming Spooky.
- Dude starts to have a meltdown and decides to sell his Ultraman.
- Dude Finally sells it (at a loss).
- Dude systematically posts negative comment on every Halloween and Ultraman for sales thread because he lost money and totally trolls every singly sales add out there. Like every single add. The dude is relentless.
- Dude continues to troll by posting negative stuff in all the other Spooky threads until he gets ejected.
This is the condensed readers digest version of the story, but you get the basic idea.
I’m sure I missed something, but that’s the gist of it. Go through his posting history and look it up yourself if you like, it’s all there.
I’m sorry, but this guy is a product of his own creation and his problems stem from greed and poor decision making. A bunch of people bought these machines thinking they were going to flip them for a profit and that wound up backfiring on them. Halloween and Ultraman were announced when Rick and Mortys were selling at a big premium and even distributors were price gouging on things like Mandoloreon LEs. Dude thought he was cashing in and didn’t. Now he lost money and blames it on Spooky and has made it his personal vendetta to bash them every waking moment.
I’m sorry but nobody made him buy these. Further, Spooky is not a financial advisor and did not promises him a return on his investment.
If you want that, go hang out in the Stockmarket or Crypto thread.
This thread is about pinball and is a club thread.
People like him are the reason prices are going down.
Way too many people bought these thinking they were going to flip them and the amount of machines and preorder spots for sale saturated the market. He’s a product of a situation he helped create.
Like I said, go back and read his post history if you like. It’s all there.
People flipping games are very unfortunate. I don’t pay much attention to who is flipping and who genuinely loves pinball. Trolls and flippers are different beasts. No doubt NIB pinball has become a shitshow.
Quoted from metallik:Maybe CA had a weirder vibe but we in midwest pinball central were very happy to get our hands on LOTR/TSPP.
My first 2 games were NIB LOTR/TSPP (after seeing them in a "Sharper Image" store in Los Gatos CA). At the time, I wasn't a pinhead/pundit...just someone that wanted to play (and could care less about comparisons). Loved both of them...still have LOTR.
Quoted from Medisinyl:Indeed, too many criticize what Spooky does best, which is having the balls to make unique, risky, yet awesome layouts that stand out in any collection, and niche themes that many feel very fortunate to have, that no other company would make.
The Pinside noise and fear-mongering is in stark contrast to the 100s of Spooky owners I've connected with, which often gush about their Spooky games and will never sell.
I absolutely love my R&M and have invested a lot of energy in making it play to its full potential (with the support of Spooky). I have tremendous respect for Spooky as a constantly improving company. Some Spooky games I love, some I don't. True for Stern, JJP, B/W, etc. A lot of the Pinside noise you refer to is fanboy-ism that is unfortunate (from my perspective, at least).
Quoted from NashtyFunk:I was happy to get $6950 for mine. It is what it is. I lost $2350 but I have space for a new machine now.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I also never know which titles I’m going to connect with and when you have to buy before you play it’s the risk you take.
Yep, I lost money as well. I'm not a "flipper" and sounds like you aren't either. Most of my games stay ~5 years.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:The game is cool as hell, so is HWN. Buyers are just spooked by the negativity of the pinside echo chamber. Especially the never ending negativity of flippers who couldn’t turn a profit. That’s not what this hobby is about. I am as excited about these games as I was about TNA RAM ACNC and even more excited about these than any tepid Stern offering. Let’s face it…STERN is good for ONE good game a year. The rest is a BORE. Anyway…just my two cents no one asked for.
If you can't acknowledge that the software was wildly immature (AND NOT FUN) when this title was released, then you are living in a dream world of your own making. Sure, I can hear it now...Stern does the same thing. Nope...not on the same scale. Saying all the negativity was generated by flippers is just BS. I know many avid enthusiasts that are disappointed with this game.
I'm with you on flipper negativity, though. The number of NIB games being sold by non-distributors is very sad. Price increases are bad enough...flippers asking 10-12k for a NIB Stern Premium is pretty depressing. They do occasionally deliver 2 great games in one year...Rush and GZ are both awesome games.
Quoted from Roostking:You didnt lose money, you chose to sell at a loss. Big difference.
And Halloween way better than Rush lol
Are you for real? When you purchase something and sell it for less, it's called losing money (especially when it's NIB). Have you ever sold something where you didn't chose to sell? Perhaps someone forced you to sell? Not me. Everything I sell is my choice, so trying to differentiate is superfluous, dood.
I'm happy you like Halloween and not surprised you like it better than Rush. Different strokes.
Quoted from Roostking:What lesson did you learn? You already knew Spooky was a smaller co. You already knew code would continued to be refined. What are you surprised about?
Play before you pay? Don't trust that Spooky won't bite off more than they can chew? I'm surprised they decided to tackle 2 licenses at once with a modest software team that didn't have a track record and wasn't firing on all cylinders. I'm sure it will all come together eventually, but not everyone wants to wait months/years to have a fun game. These beasts take up a lot of room and with all the other titles on the market, they have to compete for a slot.
And just to be clear, I still love/respect Spooky. R&M is a masterpiece that will never leave my collection.
Quoted from TigerLaw:I would say the avid enthusiasts “were” disappointed with this game. The code has evolved to the point where all the pinball people I know are satisfied or pleased with the code now when they play the machine. Spooky has more in store for the game as well.
Not surprised the code is improving, however you never get a second chance to make a first impression (and pinball folk can be tough critics. The price/perception for this game will unfortunately suffer for awhile (no matter how many owners try and convince the community otherwise). For those that love the game, it obviously doesn't matter. For those that don't, it's a bummer. A reminder you win some, you lose some...even in pinball.
Quoted from Rarehero:Yes, it’s an option direct from Spooky. Once again - it’s art screened on wood and clearcoated. Not decals. Radcals are decals.
It's the finest cabinet in all of pinball. Whatever process they use is even nicer than cabinets restored by high-end pinball restorers (which cost an arm and a leg). On one hand, it's an expensive option if the game is being shoved in a lineup. OTOH, with all the folks that gravitate to Stern LE's because of the rarity, butter cabinets are extremely rare and beautiful. My R&M cabinet is butter and it was worth every penny. Highly recommend.
Quoted from Frax:Hey Snaroff....care to not be a chickenshit and explain the downvote? If I'm actually wrong it's in everyone's best interest. I'm not aware of any code divergence in terms of how the modes are structured. They've said it MIGHT be a possibility at some point, but afaik....we haven't gotten there yet.
Quoted from frankmac:It is just a down vote. He might have hit the wrong button. Deep breath.
Exactly...apparently hit the wrong button! Changed accordingly.
Please...sorry I caused you any stress, but I'm not a "Chickenshit" (whatever that means).
Try not to sweat the small stuff, Frax. A pinball buddy I've known for over 12 years passed away this weekend. He is also a champion jet skier (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3870556273052479&ref=sharing).
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider snaroff.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ultraman-kaiju-rumble-owners?tu=snaroff and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Jupiter, FL