Quoted from Pinball-Wiz:

Congrats!
How's the code?

Quoted from mtp78:

Anyone notice the one skinny and star post on the right sling, Weird combo wonder what the reasoning is?

Quoted from mufcmufc:

Looks lovely, has the right hand sling shot star post sunk or is it a trick of the light?

Quoted from indybru:

Thank you for sharing the pictures the game looks great.

Quoted from romulusx:

Everybody is itching to see if sounds and video is improved with latest update.Can you give us your opinion on game?

Quoted from JediPimp:

Game looks amazing, I cannot wait to try it here in Australia when it arrives here sometime next year haha
Questions:
Is it as smooth of a shooter as everyone says it is?
Does it feel like a slot machine with the sound effects?
Is there audio from the movie in here at all?
I think this is a game where they got the basics down extremely well, and will absolutely POP with mods! There are so many to choose from. I know the SE looks a bit empty in the back but it allows for a huge Mod opportunity (albeit non-interactive).
Overall it feels like although it is slightly paired down with the bells and whistles (compared to previous JJP games, but still miles ahead of current Stern games), the positive is that the reliability has hopefully been increased to the point where operators get more confident to place these games on site!

Quoted from Amused_to_Death:

Exactly what we’ve all been afraid to hear.

Quoted from cjmjmm2006:

I believe time will tell with code revisions and strategies developing. At a glance I like the game and I will surely give a true analysis of my thoughts on the game overall. The LE will be swapped in for the SE at Helicon in the very near future. I'll give this unit a run this weekend and check back in with y'all then.
Thank you everyone for all the continued support at Helicon. It's incredible to see everyone enjoying the place so much. It's getting more press than I'd ever imagined. Best!

Quoted from Pinballomatic:

I scored 1.087m this morning, knocking my wife off the GC score. That help?

Quoted from delt31:

OK - I'm going to bring this thread back on track. Here are my impressions of this game:
I played a ton of Wonka today - by myself, loud music, it was very close to a home use experience. Shout out to Helicon Brewery who not only had the game but also was right there asking how it played and tweaked the flippers in about 5 min to get it to play perfectly (as it needed a little more juice). Doesn't get better than that place!
So here we go.
My biggest concern with this game was not how it shot but the music, effects, lack of JJP "stuff" and integration. After spending hours playing it and really taking everything in, I definitely have a position on this game.....and it's not good. Very disappointed. Just one man's opinion so play it yourself but I thought I would summarize my experience.
First the good stuff:
+Shots. Butter. Expected but def necessary to call out. It's a smooth shooter with clear shots that are visible right away to the player. I will say that my previous butter champion (DI) still has it over this game and that's primarily due to the layout of Wonka. For me, who is not very good at pinball, I could sit there all day and hit those ramps on Wonka. Right ramp is so wide, it's a joke to hit while the left ramp is still very easy. They just aren't very satisfying. The top right flipper is also very easy to hit that top ramp while the top left flipper feels the best when you hit the ball to the spinner on the top right. That's the best shot of the game. Surprisingly the Gobstopper shot was frustrating b/c I had many times where the ball would bounce out of the hole. I will also say that although ramps are easy, it's super outlane drain friendly which at times feels cheap and reminded me of how Pat wanted this to be quick ball times and good on route. Again, I'm not very good at all and dropped some major coin during my gameplay!
+Assets. Yes - many are worried about not enough speech or video, etc. Maybe it's the new code but the game def has enough video and speech that I didn't walk away saying there was a major gap. Now how they use it is another story but to say JJP didn't pack in real audio and video just wouldn't be accurate
Now the negatives.....
- BY FAR the biggest issue with this game for me is the music and sound, including the narrator. Holy shit - JJP can update the code, add in 4 more toys, integrate it so you literally are in the movie but if they don't fix the music and sound, I would still pass on this game. This has to be the most annoying game to play I've ever tried....ever. It sounds like overkill but the effects when you hit the ramps and other areas of the game - as I was hitting them I said to myself - omg just shut the F up machine. It's that bad. It takes you out of the experience. It's painful. I sensed it the first time I played it and thought wow - it's even worse than I thought and it only got worse. The narrator is absolutely positively the worst I've ever heard as well. It really pulls you out b/c it's so bad. I can't think of any other machine I've played that even comes close to having such a negative impact on my experience.
- Integration. Yes JJP has the video. Yes they have the audio/speech but it's ALL over the place. They just put in random clips here and there and it seems like it's been put together by an amateur vs what we expect from JJP which is everything is in sync - like video and audio matching gameplay - this game tries to bring you into the world of Wonka but it's so mashed up and the video is just that with no speech of the characters (it's very jarring and really takes away from the impact).... everything just feels like it's being thrown at you. You don't really appreciate it b/c of that. They also seem to completely forget about the dark part of Wonka and just focus on the happy go lucky/over saturated world so you feel like the game is familiar in one sense but completely lacking in another
- Innovation/"Stuff". I stood over Wonka then looked to the right where POTC and DI stood and the first thing I thought was I now know exactly why JJP was able to build this game and deliver as expected. The game comparatively speaking to his others titles is so much more simple, it's staggering. As a result, this is the first game from JJP that doesn't feel special. It's by no means a stern pro. But there is something lacking. The gobstopper toy is a major disappointment to me in person considering it just doesn't look good and the mech is just so who cares. The Wonka video in the back right doesn't look nice either (not visually appealing) and although it shows you some text, the entire wonkvision/camera trick just wasn't impressive in the slightest. The game really has nothing else that even comes close to magic. This is another area I was ready to be disappointed about based on online videos but it was even worse in person. Art is extremely generic. Also where are the magnets that effect gameplay? Yes it stops the ball for the flipper but there is no craziness in ball action. btw - I reached all of the MBs (I think).
- Lighting. I'm still scratching my head trying to understand how some people could even compare this games lighting to WoZ. Really? The little LEDs that are new to pinball, are just that....little lights and they did nothing for me. In fact the game seems to either go full seizure mode with all the lights on or just standard but there isn't that elegant WoZ look where it ties to the LCD like Toto escaping. I was really disappointed in this area too. It took away from the magical feeling. This includes the ompa lompa MB which just was pure seizure mode with no finesse to it.
btw - there was what appears to be extra clear or mylar around the sling posts. See pic attached. Not sure what that was but with the recent clear issues, it did look a little funny.
Overall, games like Dialed-In which I was disappointed in upon reveal, was a TOTAL diff story after getting my hands on it. This game unfortunately is actually worse than I even thought mainly due to that sound/music issue and it feels just like a super watered down version of what I expect from JJP. It just wasn't special and for the first time, didn't have that wow JJP feeling after the first play.
I know JJP are going for the less is more, but it was sad to see. I was already off the NIB list but at this time, I'm even holding off from HUO unless they fix the major issues. JJP def makes MAJOR code updates (see hobbit) so I'm hopeful things can be turned around.[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from kermit24:

I wonder if they would ever change the callouts this late in the development? I think it is warranted. They are absolutely terrible.

Quoted from f3honda4me:

I’d buy the game if they used a new voice actor for it.

Quoted from Whysnow:

It is BY FAR the best layout and designed Pat L ever. Also the smoothest/best flow game I have ever played. Liquid silky smooth everything!
and so much fun angles and ball interaction plus great divertors.