Request Most Wanted Newer Stern Tables - Pick Five

[HOW]

Wow, LOTR is popular.

Coz it's bloody GOOD!

 

[Dutch Pinball ball]

I think rolling stoned without that awful jagger is a great machine. That is a real gamebreaker and i cant believe it passed beta status.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Coz it's bloody GOOD!

Exactly right!

 

[Bowflex]

Bloody well right!

 

[Kevlar]

I'm not doubting LOTR in any way, I've never even seen one! . I was just shocked to see it in the lead because in the short time I've been taking an interest in pinball ( since TPA came out! ) I've never heard anyone banging on about it being so good.

 

[Bowflex]

I think Lotr flies under the radar being a newish table and produced during a dark age for pinball with no arcades really left. Hard to find but it is just really solid all the way around.

 

[ScotchYeti]

They have a LOTR machine (pretty worn and with missing parts...) in Eurodisney Paris in one of the hotels. It's great for beginners and pros.

 

[dtown8532]

I hope to see LOTR in the TPA. From the theme to the wonderful wire form ramps I think its one of Stern's best. Its deep enough to be challenging for the experienced player but is somewhat forgiving for the novice to enjoy a game for longer than 60 seconds.

 

[Ark Malmeida]

I'm surprised POTC isn't more voted, that's one of my favorites in the list.

Totally didn't even notice it in the list or it would have been one of my picks. I was down at Disney World of all places and they had one in the resort we were staying at (Riverside). There was actually someone there cleaning it and testing it out with the glass off. It was cool to see all of the modes activated during his testing. When he was done he had racked up a lot of credits which he was nice enough to let my son and I have. I burned through them way too quickly because I had never tried the table before but it was definitely fun and they implemented the theme well IMO.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

I've become fond of Lord of the Rings for an unreasonable reason: just because it's one of the few tables at the Canobie Lake arcade that is not too broken to play (though one of the flippers is getting droopy).

Also, I love the idea of J. R. R. Tolkien spinning in his grave at the very idea of a Lord of the Rings pinball machine with BASH BALROG mode.

 

[Actionball]

I'm not doubting LOTR in any way, I've never even seen one! . I was just shocked to see it in the lead because in the short time I've been taking an interest in pinball ( since TPA came out! ) I've never heard anyone banging on about it being so good.

Well the funny thing about Stern games is that to be near the top of the Stern list you only have to be sort of terrible and to be the leader of the pack you just need to be 'Ok' Ive never seen one IRL but its got a license I think would be good, along with TRON as a pinball. All of this doesn't even matter though, those licenses will be far to expensive and there is not the devoted following for those machines that would make a kickstarter for the license work.

 

[Dutch Pinball ball]

LOTR is not ok, its a fantastic pinball machine.

 

[mmmagnetic]

Man, some of the Stern tables look incredibly tacky. The ones based on non-real-life themes looks pretty nice (Simpsons, Family Guy, Monopoly), but that Rolling Stones table looks like some bad 90s Photoshop nightmare. It's especially jarring coming from the early 80s Bally thread - I'm aware that not every table can look as good as these, and tables like TotAN or ToM are top-ranked not only for gameplay reasons, but some of these Sterns look like something from a dollar store.

And Avatar would actually the one table I wouldn't buy as DLC - that's how much I hated that movie. The moment I've heard the word "Unobtainium" as a completely straight-faced metaphor about the greed of man and how we ruin nature, I knew I was going to hate every second of it. I can't stand the thought of playing pinball with these smug blue fanfic fantasies staring at me the whole time. Rant over (And I kinda like the style of RBION even though it's certainly not beautiful in the way that TotAN, ToM or even CV are.)


The Simpsons Pinball Party looks incredible, though, not only do I love the series, but it looks like a perfect theme for a pin and the toys on the field look like a ton of fun. I also kinda dig the style of Monopoly, don't even like the boardgame, but looks like a very cool theme of a table - bright, noisy, gambling theme plus Lawlor can't be bad!

 

[dtown8532]

Man, some of the Stern tables look incredibly tacky. The ones based on non-real-life themes looks pretty nice (Simpsons, Family Guy, Monopoly), but that Rolling Stones table looks like some bad 90s Photoshop nightmare. It's especially jarring coming from the early 80s Bally thread - I'm aware that not every table can look as good as these, and tables like TotAN or ToM are top-ranked not only for gameplay reasons, but some of these Sterns look like something from a dollar store.

And Avatar would actually the one table I wouldn't buy as DLC - that's how much I hated that movie. The moment I've heard the word "Unobtainium" as a completely straight-faced metaphor about the greed of man and how we ruin nature, I knew I was going to hate every second of it. I can't stand the thought of playing pinball with these smug blue fanfic fantasies staring at me the whole time. Rant over (And I kinda like the style of RBION even though it's certainly not beautiful in the way that TotAN, ToM or even CV are.)


The Simpsons Pinball Party looks incredible, though, not only do I love the series, but it looks like a perfect theme for a pin and the toys on the field look like a ton of fun. I also kinda dig the style of Monopoly, don't even like the boardgame, but looks like a very cool theme of a table - bright, noisy, gambling theme plus Lawlor can't be bad!

Unfortunately, the sparse and lower quality artwork was an example of cost cutting by Stern to make pinball tables, to keep it alive and most of all, to turn a profit. Your right in that the animated themes (Simpsons and Family Guy) don't suffer as much because of their art style. As a person who prefers original artwork over the use of actor/actress photos I agree that I prefer the look of tables from the late 70's to the 90's over most Sterns. However, in their defense, many Stern's have deep rules that tell a story and keep you playing. LOTR is a perfect example of this. One thing that I do miss is the importance of "Jackpot" in the newer Sterns. A lot of them don't make a big light show or too much excitement on the DMD like tables from the 80's and 90's. Now, its all about the completion of modes.

Oh, and Rolling Stones not only LOOKS bad, it IS bad.

 

[Actionball]

the Stern guide to bulding a pinball game.
Photocopy, poorly, a movie poster and use it for a backglass, find a dozen toys at the local kmart, superglue them to a playfield. Pay programmer to conjur the most complex ruleset possible that could only be kept track of by Rainman. Don't forget to have some 6th grader vomit paint and lettering EVERYWHERE so that you can't keep track of what mode you are even on, much less figure out what you need to do. Finally, make even the biggest accomplishment seem underwhelming. Don't have big light show, music and DMD animation build ups to big modes or have them score points that make it seem worthwhile. Poof! You have built a new Stern, congratulations.

Maybe a little over the top, but thats how they look and feel to me.

 

[Shinobi100]

And Avatar would actually the one table I wouldn't buy as DLC - that's how much I hated that movie. The moment I've heard the word "Unobtainium" as a completely straight-faced metaphor about the greed of man and how we ruin nature, I knew I was going to hate every second of it. I can't stand the thought of playing pinball with these smug blue fanfic fantasies staring at me the whole time. Rant over (And I kinda like the style of RBION even though it's certainly not beautiful in the way that TotAN, ToM or even CV are.

Some people probably also hated how the movie was supposed to symbolize how in our world us white folk came into North America and killed all the Native Americans and stole all their land. Those in your face truths are kinda hard to swallow sometimes. I'm not talking about anyone in particular when I say this, but I can't stand the thought of ignorant people.

When is FarSight gonna work out the same day and date release with modern Stern tables? They're coming out with X-Men. How many better licenses are there out there than that? None. They've already done Spider-Man, Batman, Avatar, Lord of the Rings. What's left...Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter?

 

[pseudokings]

Just a little note (and my first post here), when I voted, I voted for AC/DC & TRON, but I did so under the assumption that while not tagged as such, if they ever did happen they would do the LE versions of them, and not the massively less cool Pro versions.

I also think that while a lot of the criticism of Stern is warranted, they do still make a pretty damn good pin half the time or so, and that it was really hard to pick only 5. I would have liked to have voted for POTC, Iron Man, Fam Guy, Elvis, Monopoly, T3, and Transformers, too, but they just all barely missed the cut next to LOTR, Spidey, Batman, AC/DC & TRON.

And seriously, to FarSight, if you guys ever work out deals for any of the newer Sterns in the future that have an LE that actually has upgraded playfield elements & software, and isn't just a plaque and some chrome, do the LE version, don't bother with the basic "Pro" models. Unless they just won't license the LE versions to keep them "exclusive" for the owners.

Might have voted for X-Men - Wolverine Limited Edition if it was part of the poll too, but since it was just announced...

And I might just take Jersey Jack's Wizard Of Oz over any of them.

 

[Moon Jump]

Spider-Man
The Lord of The Rings
The Simpsons: Pinball Party
Batman: The Dark Knight
Tron: Legacy

 

[Kolchak357]

I can't remember what tables I voted for, but if I didn't vote for LOTR, it was a big mistake. Walked into the local pool hall (Groov Billiards) today to look around, and what is the first thing I see? Yep, LOTR. Never saw one IRL before. Looked ok on YouTube, but what a blast to play in person. Played 10 quick games (unfortunately too quick), but I will be back tomorrow. Table was in nice shape. If you are anywhere near Kutztown PA check it out.

 

[Dante Kleinberg]

I voted for Simpsons, Monopoly, and RollerCoaster Tycoon, because I actually like those and want to play them a lot more than I currently can. After that, I don't really care? Any two is fine? I voted for Pirates because I suck at it but I like the theme, and for Batman because it's Batman. But honestly, if they put out High Roller Casino, which I've never played in real life, I'd buy it. Pinball is pinball. I want it all.