Nope. Absolutely not.

Because there is a sense of character with B/W. They don't appear to be a cheap "cash in" with their games.

Look at how unique and different most of the PFs are. NO other PF resembles the layout of Corvette. No other game has a ramp like CFTBL with the whirlpool at the end of it and the massive loop it does with the lights on the side. Today's companies haven't released anything close to "Red and Ted" or "Rudy" from Roadshow or Funhouse.

One innovation after another from a working gumball machine AND clock in TZ, the Thing flipper in TAF, strobe MB in AFM, mist ball in BSD, the Shadow "disappearing ball", Champion Pub's jump-roping ball - just unprecedented in comparison.

B/W games are fricking bricks in terms of strength and build construction. Just compare their leg brackets to "today's leader" and that says it all.

B/W has an excellent mix of licensed themes as well as unique themes. For every Terminator 2 there was a Cactus Canyon, for every Johnny Mnemonic there was a Medieval Madness, for every Doctor Who there was a Whirlwind.

Then you have the themes that were unlicensed but "close enough" to actual licenses: AFM to Mars Attacks, MM to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, No Good Gophers to Caddyshack. They weren't carbon copies of well known media; they were unique enough that they could stand alone and become beloved.

Then you have the really unique and different "well, let's try this!" attempts at something different. Safecracker is an excellent example of trying to appeal to a newer crowd with the board game on top, the tokens you can win, and a smaller machine packed with just as many goodies as a full-sized game. Pinball 2000 was another try at something different. I really wish SWEP1 had come out FIRST and then Revenge from Mars. That might have saved that format, but hey, at least they TRIED....!

Finally, they are JUST FUN. I don't need a book of Chinese stereo instructions to understand how to play AFM. I plunge the ball, listen to the call-outs and figure out what to do. I don't need to choose from 27 different characters at start-up; I either play as the humans or the martians in my own mind while I complete the game. And when I play these games, they don't literally fall apart around my hands as I play, and if the boards fail, well hey, at least I have the schematics to fix them and any mods added won't "nuke the boards". They are steadfast and proven to work.

I'll play AFM over nearly any game that comes out today. There are two games that nearly got it right: Alien and TBL. Too bad both are extremely limited to the general public.

AFM and MM may be similar. Stern said "Well, watch this!"

Granted, this was in the "down times" of Stern, but these both were released within one year of one another.

Shrek and Family Guy. I mean, damn....

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Then we had IM, MetPro, and GotG....while they may not all 3 be absolutely identical, there sure are some similarities with some overlap across all three:

1. Fuel lane on Met and GotG
2. Ramps in nearly the exact same locations on all 3 games.
3. "Lock" toys to the immediate left of the right ramp on all 3 games.
4. Groot and Sparky placement.
5. Pop bumpers in same location across all 3 games.
6. Ball scoop in exact same place on GotG and Met.
7. "Raptor kickout" in same spot on GotG and IM.
8. Two left in-lanes on Met and GotG, which was a rarity back in the B/W days.
9. Nothing but bash toys on all 3 of them.

Points to IM for at least making Iron Monger come out of the PF and retract once defeated. Gives an extra shot up the middle which is very satisfying when hitting it for Monger JP.

Points to MetPro for metal ramps and habittrails.

Points to GotG for copying both the previous designs.

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