Both can win.

Its very likely one could buy a GOT, have it delivered, and play it for 6-12 months before they could otherwise even get a TH delivered.

So, buy a GOT, play the shit out of it for 6-12 months, then sell it when/if you can buy a TH (if you want)....

Win/win

Art: Well, no question TH artwork is far more attractive than GoT
Display: Dont really care what fancy dots they do, TH also crushes GoT on display
Sound: dont know anything re: GoT, but would hard to beleive it could top TH here
Rules: too soon to tell, but suspect a close race here- eventually- given the pedigrees
Gameplay: cant comment yet, but i will say the GoT looks like it has POTENTIALY more interesting shots.
Availabilty: obviously With GoT shipping in less than weeks, a landslide win here.

So, I think TH crushes GoT on all the aesthetics. However, gameplay is still unknown, and its the ONE category (for me) that could trump all the others.

On things for sure- Ive seen enough that wouldnt even consider buying a GoT (or TH) without playing it myself first.

Btw- im HUGELY disappointed in the lack of effort towards the LCD. The disappointment made worse when i saw the items re: choosing a house to represent before starting the game, etc. This could have been done so well with the LCD... Sigh.

Or Magic Girl

Just saw the gameplay video on the GOT standard (aka strip down model).

Have to admit- game looks like a lot of FUN to play.... Code also looks better than I expected (from Stern).

Should make for an interesting matchup:

TH: looks gorgeously, all the bells and whistles (LCD, great sound, etc)
But gameplay looks a bit.... Well... Uninspired.

GOT: decidedly NOT gorgeous (at least what we've seen so far)
But looks like it could be a great playing machine.

What will people granvitate to? Beauty or Gameplay?

I wonder how long it will take to find both sitting out in the wild

First- you're assuming Sterns software is finished for GOT... that would be a first! - I'd assume you will see it take that same year to get it finalized...

You obviously disagree with the opinion- but I think it *IS* telling to get feedback from someone who's played both games.... suggesting it "says nothing about either game" is patently false. It's one persons opinion,nothing more, but also no less!

I was trying (and apparently failing ) to make a tongue-in-cheek dig at Stern and suggesting a typical Stern title is still a year+ away from software completion and as such- it WAS a more fair comparison.

Yup,

But for $8500, you should also be getting a straight answer on when your machine is shipping....

So, neither company is perfect.

Did you go to Boxcar?

I was there from like noon-1:30.... I figured everyone would going yesterday...

That's one thing I just don't understand.

With all the delays in TH, presumably becuase of the playfield rework, I don't understand why the software isn't further along? I had assumed one benefit of the delay would be theyd have over a year longer to refine the software for launch....