Steve gets a bad rap starting with Star Wars, and it was undeserved on that one. That machine is fun as hell. Where he really seems to have started to slip was on BKSOR. It just didn’t work and it really exposed how far the pin world had passed him by. The avalanche of opinion was off and running by that point and it swept LZ up into its wake. I think LZ is a good, but nothing special game if it was judged standing purely on its own. But when you know it’s a SR game, you look at it sideways and wonder why it’s not Star Trek or Spider-Man good.

Cutting the designed magnet toy from a game FEATURING the FORCE was ridiculous. Ritchie was constrained by BOM on Star Wars, and it showed. We have the original design showing where he wanted to go before the magnet was cut.

Yeah, it could have been a great game had Gary not forced the BOM cuts at the time. But as far as the design itself and layout, the game shoots well and is fun and fast.

The Pro is dull as dirt, but the Prem/LE shoots fine. The game still has some really great moments. It's just irritating that the game that was shipped will always be a less-than package because Steve's assigned anemic BOM wasn't up to the license he was given and he was forced to cut OBVIOUS, CRITICAL features to the license like the magnet in his original design meant to simulate THE FORCE.

Ever think about giving him a little kiss?

Well, maybe that’s why he left. That’s what he said anyway….

And maybe he’ll be able to make some great progress at jjp. Who knows…..

I thought Gary/Stern licensed it to screw over Spooky? Wasn't that the origin story?

But Stern can offer designers something JJP can't- which is a chance for their work to actually see the light of day in games shipping to customers. At JJP's current pace, it's probably 2025+ best case for a Ritchie game.

JJP will not stay limited to just a main and a smaller sub line forever. Moving the whole operation to the new factory and then the pandemic slowed down the transition, but I would not be surprised to see them with 2 full-scale lines up and cranking out pins simultaneously within the next year.

You're not "alienating" a market by releasing a pin that a demographic doesn't like. That's like saying JJP alienated all people who aren't GnR fans by putting out that game. If the Rush game isn't big in one market, you can be sure their next game will be.

I get what you're saying, and not everyone is going to like every pin... but I still can't think of a mainstream music pin where a bunch of the markets would have no interest at all. I have no interest in GnR but of course the units for Australia sold straight away.... either way, I guess we will find out!

Yes.

Trouble is mate, earlier you suggested Ferris Bueller's Day Off was a bigger license. Which makes me think you might not quite have your finger on the pulse like you suggest.

Stern guessed well when they went for the Godzilla license and assigned Elwin to design the game. One reason Godzilla makes such a strong theme choice is that in spite of numerous movies, there is no real defined plot. If Godzilla shows up, breathes some fire and crushes Tokyo, you have captured its essence. Other movies such as Jurassic Park have strong movie lines, but Stern ignored them to build a Jurassic themed pin instead. Fans wanted to see movie clips and sounds and although they got none of that, the game is still loved. I am amazed that Stern got away with it for JP3 but they won’t have that issue to contend with for Godzilla, as it doesn’t have to conform to any script.

Time for Stern to bring back Dirty Donnie as artist. He did outstanding work on MET and I’d love for him to have another go at it. I’d forgotten he did AS, Pabst and Cosmic Carnival. It’s too late for him to be used on the pipeline of BTTF, Bond or Welk, but Jaws may join the rotation one day and it could make for a good candidate. Don’t care what theme he gets, as little no as Stern just brings him back.
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SW
ST
GoT
SM
ACDC

Steve has designed some of the best pins of the past 20 years

Eh. That’s my opinion. But I concede they are close comparisons in the pop culture zeitgeist. If you wanted to argue that BTTF sells more than Ferris, I wouldn’t argue that point too much. They’ve already made one BTTF pin, so you have evidence in the past that it was true. I personally wouldn’t pick either for a pin license today. But I would make a Goonies pin and expect it to sell all day. I stand by that. I’ve heard clamoring for Goonies in this hobby for 20 years.

Gary told Jody to go get the Godzilla license because it’s a huge get. Jody made a big scene of cockblocking Charlie (according to Charlie, who I have never heard any reason to think exaggerated or misrepresented the events). Yes, Charlie got screwed out of Godzilla. But Gary isn’t in the business of being petty on licenses. It’s a huge property and he wanted it. Jody was just a prick and crashed Charlie’s meeting with Toho.

Maybe they will reskin that shitty "Whoa Nelly" pin again for Rush...

Terminator 3 never gets enough love (and dare I say) is a better game than 2 as iconic as it is. Also his first at Stern. Much deeper code as well. I have both but seem to play 3 more. And all the metal in it!! That would cost a fortune now.

Must have listened to the latest Silverball chronicles.

Just a perfect theme for pinball. Time to right the wrongs of the past and get a proper Matrix pin made.

That's the dream, really. I would love it if the market and manufacturers could sustain an annual output of 3 Sterns, a JJP, a CGC remake, a Spooky, and an AP.
I think JJP will eventually get to the one per year rate.
Spooky is one every 1.5 years and I don't see that shifting because they're cautious with growth.
AP is about the same, maybe every 2 years?
CGC, I've ranted about before, but I hope they work up to one remake a year and keep pumping MMR games out as along as the market can absorb them.

But since this is my "dream", that also means the market stays hot enough to sustain this and more and more places adopt pins / the hobby grows further

Stern also offers their artists the opportunity for their art to be visible on a playfield that that doesn’t pool and chip just by breathing on it wrong.

Oww did I hear Jaws?

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I don't think that was their original plan, but when each new release sells half as much as the one before (and the first one was less significantly less than 1000), you have to huddle up and make a new plan. Hopefully Nordman has convinced them they need an actual professional art team for the on screen stuff. Because they do.

Ok Rush fans. Wednesday on Reelz channel in evening Rush documentary.

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you do realize that the artist they have has been doing pinball art for 20+ years. He has done these titles, although you might not like the art, id say he is a professional

Apollo 13
Batman Forever
Baywatch Sega
Hot Wheels™
Houdini Master of Mystery
Independence Day
Mini-Viper Sega SS
Oktoberfest
Pinball Magic
Space Jam

That's been rumored literally for a few years at this point. Supposedly Stern had the license for the shark and the music, but no other assets.

Sounds lame, but they did a great job with just that on JP, if you ask me.

Maybe he couldn't make the transition from 128x32 essentially grayscale screens to full res 720p or 1080p full color?

Whatever the problem he's objectively terrible at on-screen animation and on-screen art.

Cradle to the Stage series has an episode on Geddy Lee with some Rush in there, too.

I also saw there is a new Halloween movie coming. Makes me want Halloween game. Godzilla is more of a life long theme. I just hope Stern makes me proud!

" You're going to need a bigger wallet "

Good one!

So does anyone know the official price of the next release yet?

6,660.00 for pro..

$8699 for a premium.

Plus potential tax as well. YIKES!!

New pinball machine…

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Do people pay sticker?

It's been awhile since I've bought NIB.

I wonder what an LE is going to go for?

The best I have found is you get about $200.00 off msrp, but I'm new to buying NIB, so don't know anyone to so I can get a better deal.

And then some……