...says the guy with a Space Shuttle...

But seriously, love that game, the pop x drops are brilliant!

Shatner is a hack, but a lovable one. And he has certainly learned to use his innate hammy bravado to his favor. But let’s be real: in terms of charisma, acting talent, and indeed raw human awesomeness, Sir Patrick Stewart is ten times the man.

Exhibit A: (TV) (Picard owns Tomalok)

Exhibit B: (real life) (Patrick Stewart answers a question from a domestic abuse survivor, speaking eloquently and sweetly about his own experience with domestic abuse growing up, and they share a moment at the end)

Anyway, to your broader point: It shows a fundamental ignorance of both franchises to even frame them as comparable -- Star Wars and Star Trek don't have much in common. they both involve space ships, and that's about it. Star Trek may not be “hard” science fiction in some peoples’ opinions, but Star Wars is not remotely sci-fi by even the loosest standards. it's a fantasy epic for little kids who are too young (and adults who are too dim) to understand they're being shoveled meaningless hokum dressed up as some kind of epic tale. it's a swords and sorcery tale about a royal family. it's the man-child’s equivalent of little girls devouring tales of growing up to be fairy princesses.

mostly, though, i am just excruciatingly embarrassed for anyone that mistakes Yoda's nonsensical platitudes for profundity.

What's worse is the truly idiotic subtext. maybe it's just inherent to the form, or maybe George Lucas really is a dangerous a-hole (on top of being a moronic filmmaker), but at every opportunity, the Star Wars trilogy goes out of its way to champion some really ugly ideals: Only a tiny handful are born into divinity (the force), and through that innate right, are morally justified in ruling. the answer to the problems in this galaxy is always more violence. good guys are all attractive. bad guys are the ugly and disfigured. every character and dilemma is framed in a childish black and white, good or evil light. well-justified perfectly human emotions must be repressed and ignored. the result is not merely an awful model for meaningful storytelling – it’s downright repugnant in its lame authoritarian anti-humanism.
I’m not crazy and I’m not the first to notice this. David Brin and others have been pointing this stuff out for years.
http://www.salon.com/1999/06/15/brin_main/
http://autotelic.com/star_wars_-_force_and_state
I could go on. Here is an interesting one, actually:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/critics-spar-over-star-wars-trilogy-on-1983-nightline-episode-18344732
it’s from 1983. Roger Ebert and John Simon sparring on television. Simon rightly points out that the characters are shallow, the story is pat, and the values are childish. Ebert’s main rebuttal is that it’s for kids, and the kids seem to like it. A fair point. But I don’t think he’d be so quick to defend the thing if he could have seen into the dark future and witnessed a theatre filled with adults cheering on every dumb explosion and dimly muddling over each idiotic Jedi tenet as if it were a real philosophy or religion.

Granted my criticisms are aimed at the original trilogy. but let’s not bring the prequels into this – that’s a whole other sarlac pit of complete failure, isn’t it?

Ahh, but now alas it’s time to go get tacos. I’d planned to contrast all of Star Wars’ garbage with Star Trek, but I simply haven’t the time tonight. This got a bit out of hand I admit. Maybe part two tomorrow, hmm?

Demo Man!!!!!!!!! Close down the thread, nothing left to be said!

Police Force is still a good party game (and tournament if you set the menu right), but I agree, would have been better as batman. I don't think the theme really distracts as much as others...

I would say Austin Powers. Although I enjoy the theme, I just don't enjoy the theme in a pinball setting.

Vid must have him on ignore, when are we getting the douchebag meters?

Of course, leave it to me to mention the oldest pin so far: 1982. You young whipper (flipper?) snappers!

I don't mind being on ignore, but Im not so sure Ive earned enough scorn to get a douchebag meter. Should I check my mail?

Baywatch, Ripley's, Last Action Hero, Flintstones, Congo, Johnny Mnemonic, Demolition Man, WWF Royal Rumble

If Robin wants to test out the douchbag meter, I volunteer my account as a test probe.

What is camp about Space Shuttle?

First thing I thought of was Hardbody. It really is amazingly terrible in the flesh.

Oh, come on...NOTHING beats some of the tragically awful themes of the early days.

You think people whine about Super Hero themes now? Imagine if something like "Fashion Show" was announced today, by Stern.

Pete

Fashion_Show.jpg

Big hurt
Shaq attack
Who dunnit
Roy Clark entertainer (sorry, Mike)

Fine, you aren't a sports fan...but those aren't bad themes for the time.

Now that's just crazy talk. LOVE that game, and the theme. Heck, the theme is the best part about it....totally kick-butt Peter Gunn soundtrack, and a "solve the murder mystery" angle that CSI missed out on.

Wow...

- wof
- woz

Finally, someone posts about an EM. Thank goodness! But, how does it play?

Wrong, in fact i am a huge Shaq & Lakers fan (although i realize that game isn't laker themed). I think your key word is "for the time", i was thinking it hasn't aged well. Same goes for Frank Thomas as i don't find his celebrity timeless.

I just hate that game and maybe i'm letting that influence my decision about the theme. Oursler is my favorite designer, too. Weird.

My vote is for Police Force (anthropomorphic cops? ugh) or any of the Disco-themed games, of which ipdb.org lists: Disco, Disco '79, Disco Dancing, Disco Fever, Discotek, and Roller Disco.

"I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes." -- Hunter S. Thompson

Edit: Ouch, I just looked up those disco games in ipdb, and the Roller Disco backglass is truly eye-burning: http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2005&picno=8453&zoom=1

Not my favorite "theme".

image-3.jpg

A theme based on eating outdoors - with a hobo.

image-3.jpg

teenage mutant ninja turtles

I see side boob

Okay....I'm going to step in and defend JM.

Horrible movie.....yes. But the theme itself (and even the book) are not bad at all.

The movie really hurt it, but I actually kind of like the theme (not as much as if it were a MATRIX pin!) and the pin itself is a great machine.....great, not good.

Wow. That one is bad. The hobo looks like he is going to commit some serious crimes against those unsuspecting picnickers.

Edit: And I didn't even see the teddy bear. That thing looks like a creepy horror film prop with blood in its eyes and mouth.

Love the pop bumpers...and the skill shot requires just the right finesse with the plunger to shooting the scoop

Flintstones........ I'm convinced if the pin was an alternate theme, it would be a $3K game...great pin, terrible theme.

// Error: Image 57216 not found //

There already is.

Sure that's true, but that's true for every pin ever released in history.

The point is that there are MANY more people who will say that WOZ is a terrible theme compared to AC/DC or Metallica.

Gay Cruise...........beat!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brancusi/181661358/

I agree, and I feel the same way (to a lesser extent though) about Demo Man.

From a theme standpoint anything 80's and prior has a fairly good chance of a WTF response. Some of them are so off the wall that they're almost cool...Future Spa?

However my first thought was Waterworld. I disliked the movie that much, though the game itself is kind of fun.

JM, Baywatch and Congo all fun games but theme takes away from them IMHO.

Well congo theme is fine if you have not recently watched the movie.

I added Laser War to the list. Could have been such a sweet theme, but no, laser tag...

I noticed there seem to be a lot more non-tragic themes actually on the list than truly tragic ones.

If this thread lives long enough, we'll have every game ever made listed.

Raven. Maybe a good game, never played it, but the translight and cab art looks like crap. Cute girl, but they could've done better.

LW3 is not tragically bad(?), but it could have been a lot better game if they spent more time on it.

Raven.jpg

That definitely depends on the audience. I guarantee that the Wizard of Oz the movie is liked by more people in the USA than AC/DC the music. For people that play pinball (not limited to fanatic pinheads) then it is probably more even.

How about "conceited cow hanging out at the beach" as a theme?

coronation.jpg

LOL

I know it's been mentioned a lot. But WOZ is the one for me. You couldn't pick a worse theme if you tried. Just horrible.

I also don't think that JM is a "tragically bad" theme. It's got all sorts of character and is backed up by a solid story. So, as themes go there are many that were less well-thought out than JM, regardless of the movie that uh, --cough cough-- we should all just forget about. Given a choice, I don't even know if I'd turn mine into a Matrix...

Anyone who thinks STTNG is a bad theme is an IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess im an idiot

It would be Kiss for me.

Have you played it??

I didn't say it was a bad game I said it was a bad theme...theres a difference...to each his own..I absolutely can not stand star trek in any form...The Shadow is a great game but based on one of the worst movies ever made...good pin bad theme

I know that this is sort of the reverse of the question, but seemingly every theme that I love ends up in a machine that I really don't. Indiana Jones, Batman and Back to the Future, are all themes that I love, and the only machine out of them that I care for is Batman Forever, by far the least of the Batman movies.

I tend to give the great games with bad themes passes because I overlook the theme for gameplay, but I'll nominate Baywatch and Viper Night Drivin' as outstanding games with embarrassing themes. Baywatch for the side art mostly, and Viper Night Drivin' for the absolute worst jackpot call out on a game ever. I have mine permanently set to kiddie mode because the regular mode is just downright embarrassing.