Quoted from TheGunnett:

My wife really wants this game but I’m getting a sick feeling in my stomach reading these forums. Anyone ever list a game for sale before they receive it ?[quoted image]

Quoted from TheGunnett:

My wife really wants this game but I’m getting a sick feeling in my stomach reading these forums. Anyone ever list a game for sale before they receive it ?[quoted image]

Quoted from Whysnow:

go play it!
game is a damn blast!

Quoted from vicjw66:

So it sounds like this may not be a revolutionary game that is the greatest ever? Because that’s what a certain podcaster was gushing about after he played it.

Quoted from vicjw66:

So it sounds like this may not be a revolutionary game that is the greatest ever? Because that’s what a certain podcaster was gushing about after he played it.

Quoted from Whysnow:

also, these look pretty damn nice together on route![quoted image]

Quoted from delt31:

wonka pumpers

Quoted from JediPimp:

Interesting how Pinbrowser works with Stern Spike which I thought was a closed system too? Is the only barrier toward creating a similar platform (albeit a big one) is that no one has put aside time to reverse-engineer it?

Quoted from Whysnow:

For butter smoothness I would rank WONKA > TAF > DI > TZ as far as Pat L games.
WONKA is way out in front for me personally. I would say anyone that like Pat L designs will LOVE wonka. JMHO.

Quoted from TheGunnett:Anyone ever list a game for sale before they receive it ?

Quoted from bigd1979:

Welp everyone we sld just cancel the wonka orders ... delt says its pretty horrible overall... .. since he is always right about pins and what they offer we sld all take his opinion and run with it. Thanks so much buddy.. u saved me and many others 7800-10k on this hot mess of a pin. Guess ill just stick with my low budget half of dead pool pro pin until u give us the go ahead on the next hit pin.

Quoted from delt31:

I'm like a proud parent watching their child ride a bike for the first time! You're getting it D!
And don't wait for my next recommendation - If you really like Deadpool trade the pro now and get the full experience (ramp, drops, disco etc) with the premium!
; )

Quoted from Looking4FirstPin:

I had a chance to play about 8 games on Wonka this afternoon at Helicon Brewing. I watched the reveal stream, but this was my first time playing the game. A short review follows:
Shots and layout: this machine has a lot of quality shots from all 4 flippers. The shots are incredibly smooth. The ramps are very makable, and provide great flow. The left outlane was a drain monster, but I am guessing it will not be too bad in a HUO game. The particular machine I played did not have a post, which was operator’s choice. As such, that amplified the left outlane drains.
Art and Lightshow: the standard cabinet art is not great. I imagine it will be flanked by other pins in a 3+ pin lineup. I really liked the playfield artwork. It is bright, and there is no question that it screams Wonka. I disagree with some other reviews about the lack of lightshow. I saw it next to Pirates and DI, and think it has the best lightshow of the bunch. I imagine that people walking by the pin will stop and notice it due to the great lights. It really stands out.
Code: I’m not sure this is much of a mode based game. Although there are 6 modes, this seems like it will end up much more shallow than the other JJP pins. It does not appear that it will ever be anywhere near deep as The Hobbit, Pirates, WOZ or even DI (which has fantastic code). I have no idea what version of code the machine was running, but the code still has a lot of room to grow.
Theme Integration: I watched Wonka several times as a child, but would not call myself a huge fan of the theme. I did not notice that that were substantially more callouts and clips from the movies than the release stream, but I can’t say for sure. It does not appear that JJP got the same licensing deal from WB than they got with The Hobbit. Code is still early, so this can change. As it stands now, this is a major question mark.
Music and Callouts: I was able to hear the audio very well, and enjoyed it. It did not bother me at all. The melody from “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” is now stuck in my head.
Innovation: I really love the Wonkavision. It is much larger than JJP’s typical in-game LCD, and I believe this is a solid enhancement. There are also several shots (from various flippers and angles) under the screen, so it does not interfere with gameplay. Helpful instructions are provided on the screen.
I also really enjoyed the use of the camera throughout the game. It is a fun toy. I cannot recall whether photos are saved with high scores at this point, but I can not recall any.
The Gobstopper mech is not particularly innovative, but I enjoyed locking balls.
Final Thoughts: I believe this game has some pinball magic (though in no way is it connected to the gobstopper toy). As it stands now, my highlights are the shots and layout, the Wonkavision, the camera ramp in the back of the machine (upper right flipper), and the lightshow. We’ll have to wait and see on the code and theme integration.

Quoted from MikeS:

I stopped out Schwoegler's in Madison for an hour today and played 10 games so figured i'd give some quick thoughts. My first few games were lousy but once I got a feel for the shots I started doing better. I think my last 3 games were all above 600K with my final game high score being just over 850K. I figured that was a good note to leave on since there were other people waiting to play the game which is a good sign for a Sunday afternoon in the middle of Summer.
The layout and gameplay gets a 10 from me. Great mix of easy and challenging shots, and a number of unique shots from each flipper. This is Pat Lawlor's best layout and is probably his best game overall.-and I've owned games like TZ and a Collector's quality Whirlwind. It's his best flowing game yet. Rules seem solid and not overly deep or complex which I think is a positive. Ball times are shorter than games like Hobbit or JPOTC and the rule-set seems to match up well for the layout. The game is more about making strategic choices and getting the right stacks in place. I still have a lot to learn as far as the rules go as I prefer to discover stuff as I go vs. seeing it on a video or reading about it.
I got to play at least a few of the modes and saw at least 4 different multiballs (Slugworth, Gobstopper, Kid, Oompa Loompa?) I had the third lock lit for Wonkavator MB but couldn't hit that shot cleanly for the life of me! I wasn't even aware that there was an Oompa Loompa MB but i reached it a couple times. I thought the light show was awesome, I really like the Gobstopper mech as it is really fair and doesn't give many rejects. The 6 mini playfield magnets did mess with the ball a bit and add some randomness but they were pretty subtle overall. The game's audio is probably one of the game's only weak points but i didn't think it was bad by any means. I certainly wouldn't stop me from ordering a game. It just isn't up to the standard of other JJP games like WOZ, Hobbit or JPOTC.
Overall though I think the game is great and will be a big hit for JJP. The only thing holding me back from selling a game and calling Kingpin Games to order one is that I will have at least 3 of them to play on location and have several friends' ordering the game as well so I will have plenty of opportunities to play it. I hope JJP continues selling their Standard models for $7500 as I think the game has a lot of value for the money. I really don't think you are missing that much going down from the LE. The Wonkavator lock shot isn't something you have to hit that often and I think the game looks full enough without it.-it doesn't seem lacking to me and I would be 100% happy with a SE. I think as people play the game more and more the reviews will get better for the game. For a game that's only been out for a week the game (and code) is very good and should continue to get better!

Quoted from MikeS:

I stopped out Schwoegler's in Madison for an hour today and played 10 games so figured i'd give some quick thoughts. My first few games were lousy but once I got a feel for the shots I started doing better. I think my last 3 games were all above 600K with my final game high score being just over 850K. I figured that was a good note to leave on since there were other people waiting to play the game which is a good sign for a Sunday afternoon in the middle of Summer.
The layout and gameplay gets a 10 from me. Great mix of easy and challenging shots, and a number of unique shots from each flipper. This is Pat Lawlor's best layout and is probably his best game overall.-and I've owned games like TZ and a Collector's quality Whirlwind. It's his best flowing game yet. Rules seem solid and not overly deep or complex which I think is a positive. Ball times are shorter than games like Hobbit or JPOTC and the rule-set seems to match up well for the layout. The game is more about making strategic choices and getting the right stacks in place. I still have a lot to learn as far as the rules go as I prefer to discover stuff as I go vs. seeing it on a video or reading about it.
I got to play at least a few of the modes and saw at least 4 different multiballs (Slugworth, Gobstopper, Kid, Oompa Loompa?) I had the third lock lit for Wonkavator MB but couldn't hit that shot cleanly for the life of me! I wasn't even aware that there was an Oompa Loompa MB but i reached it a couple times. I thought the light show was awesome, I really like the Gobstopper mech as it is really fair and doesn't give many rejects. The 6 mini playfield magnets did mess with the ball a bit and add some randomness but they were pretty subtle overall. The game's audio is probably one of the game's only weak points but i didn't think it was bad by any means. I certainly wouldn't stop me from ordering a game. It just isn't up to the standard of other JJP games like WOZ, Hobbit or JPOTC.
Overall though I think the game is great and will be a big hit for JJP. The only thing holding me back from selling a game and calling Kingpin Games to order one is that I will have at least 3 of them to play on location and have several friends' ordering the game as well so I will have plenty of opportunities to play it. I hope JJP continues selling their Standard models for $7500 as I think the game has a lot of value for the money. I really don't think you are missing that much going down from the LE. The Wonkavator lock shot isn't something you have to hit that often and I think the game looks full enough without it.-it doesn't seem lacking to me and I would be 100% happy with a SE. I think as people play the game more and more the reviews will get better for the game. For a game that's only been out for a week the game (and code) is very good and should continue to get better!

Quoted from SeymorGoldfarbJr:

I put about 10 games on the SE this weekend at Helicon. My quick takeaways:
Art - Honestly, when I walked up to the game, I was so drawn to the playfield I didn't even pay much attention to the cabinet. In reality, other than a game on the end of a row, the art on the cabinet doesn't mean much to me. The playfield art was nice in person, there was not much to nit pick at all.
Display - I found the home screen to be confusing at first. I don't think it was as intuitive as some other JJP games, but with a little more time I think I could get a quick status from it just as easily I do other JJP games. I did find some of the video assets had speech with coordinated with the video. Not all of it did, but it was better than at the time of launch.
Lights - The light show was up to JJP standards. The lights are more colorful than they appeared in pictures and videos. This continues to be a JJP strength.
Rules - My initial impression of the rules was this is a multi-ball heavy game. I easily started 3-4 different multi-balls and there were clearly others I did not start. I did not expect there to be as many and as frequent MBs as there were. Conversely, as expected, it was very light on unique modes, but the modes I did play were fun.
Layout - As others have stated, this is a smooth layout to shoot. Many shots were easy to hit with a few difficult ones. I really struggled to consistently hit the Mike Teavee shot. The stand-ups required lighting fast reflexes to save the ball when you hit them directly. The upper left shot to the spinner was very rewarding. The ball flew off the right ramp wire-form every 4-5 shots I hit it. Considering this is a near exact copy of the Wizard Blocks layout, I expected the geometry to be have already been very well sorted out and it was. I would also note the magnets appear to only function during multi-ball, but they definitely move the ball around when they are on.
Sounds and Music - Alas, the big one. A few months ago cleared the space and money to buy this game on day 1. I sat and watched the live release stream for a couple of hours as my enthusiasm and excitement for the game simple died. The non-stop sound effects without cohesive (and calm) baseline music killed it for me. I will say I was shocked by how much of an improvement they made in the sound package since the original release. In normal game-play, "Pure Imagination" is playing in the background. Yes, some of the sound effects were still there, but the music was much more noticeable which is a huge improvement to me. Additionally, the various modes and multi-balls had very nice changes in music and sounds. All-in-all, it was no longer something which would keep me from buying the game. The one HUGE exception is the announcer. He's terrible. There's no way around it, I don't know how anyone at JJP heard him and said yep, we nailed it. He exclamations of "jackpot" and "mulitball" are simply awful.
Takeaway - This is a fun-shooting, great looking (playfield) game. At first release it was a dream-theme ruined by the sound package, but now it is a dream-theme possibly spoiled by a route-focused, multi-ball heavy rule-set. This though may not keep me or many others from buying the game. If I put this next to my Hobbit and WOZ, it could be the perfect foil for the long-playing, going-on-an-adventure type games that they are. What's there is quite fun, just don't expect the same type of pinball experience you get with WOZ, Hobbit and POTC.

Quoted from SeymorGoldfarbJr:

In normal game-play, "Pure Imagination" is playing in the background.

Quoted from Amused_to_Death:

Confused, perhaps? All I’ve heard is (I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket. Again, you’d never guess this machine is based on a MUSICAL.