Arcade Collecting > Pinball
Big Buck Hunter Pro
nostrebor:
So my daughter goes to bowling league on Tuesdays. They have one pin, "High Roller Casino" at 50 cents a pop. It's "sorta clean" so I load up a buck.
The pops are dead, one drop target will not drop even if you drop an a-bomb on it. Slings are super weak, half the switches won't register hits. I can easily "hate" this experience because the game was screwed up. It took all the fun out of it.
Conversely, playing any good working pin is satisfying because you can learn something about the pin and come to a conclusion if it is more fun or less fun as Jim stated. Who produced it never crosses my mind. I get to spend a few pennies to do something I enjoy, and NO pin is so bad that you can't have a fun moment of discovery playing it.
To simply decide something is bad because of who produced or designed it, is narrow-minded at best.
Xiaou2:
--- Quote ---I still say any good working pinball is a good game simply because there aren't enough good working games to go around.
--- End quote ---
You are saying, that because a game is New, that it Solves the problem
of Good -vs- Bad simply because its New?!
I know what you mean.. but that is a joke man.
A new pin can break down just as fast as a 20yr old pin. Ive seen brand new
pins last mere months before failure of some sort... Way before they have managed
to pay themselves off.
An OP has no time to try to tear apart Pins to fix all the problems. And that IS
a reason why Pinball is just about dead. Manufacturers Have to design them
to be more durable.
Given the choice to play a broken M.Madness, and a perfect
Ripleys... Id play NEITHER.
Pinball is not just about what Works. Its about what is GOOD as well.
A) Go get Nasty burger
B) Go get burned Steak
C) Forget about both, and grab a Sub down the street.
Option C is what most people are going to choose.
(basically, spending money on Other forms of entertainment, OR buying their
Own machines and playing them instead)
And even IF some people choose to try BBH... do you REALLY think they will
repeatedly pump money into it over and over again? Nah. Its lame. The
only thing Sterns have going for them, is initial curiosity... And that level
of income is not going to keep Ops buying pins... and is Not going to get home
buyers to plunk down their fist fulls of cash.
--- Quote ---"What you got gainst womens"
--- End quote ---
Woah... Thats HILARIOUS! (not)
smartbomb2084:
We need to read the posts people. I never said anything about NEW being better. I'm the guy that asked: "Can you say electro-mechanical?" If you would rather not play a game because it is beneath your standards then I wouldn't want you to lower yourself. I am not as worried about the theme or manufacturer of a game as I am worried about its physical playable condition. If you can't play a perfet RIPLEY'S because it appalls you, fine, send all the perfect RIPLEY's my way and I will gladly play them. It's only pinball folks. I thought it was about having fun. Sometimes having fun is making the best of what you've got. If all I have is ROLLERGAMES ( UGH! ) I would turn down the sound, crank up the stereo, and hope the flippers are in good shape. In other words I try to have fun PLAYING pinball not CRITICIZING it. HATERADE anyone?
Pinball Wizard:
--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on April 06, 2010, 02:49:58 pm ---... and is Not going to get home buyers to plunk down their fist fulls of cash.
--- End quote ---
Most home buyers (not collectors) that are looking to just add a machine to their basement will indeed buy it. The home market (again not collectors) are not looking at how the game plays or sounds, they look at how it looks and if the theme is good. Say Batman, a game that has a well known theme, is going to appeal to the average joe finishing off his basement even if the machine is good or bad (played it once at a tournament, can't speak to much about the playability) more so than buying a Monster Bash. Batman is more recent and more appealing theme.
--- Quote from: pinballjim on April 06, 2010, 05:12:14 pm ---I dunno, before I was a collector, I was perfectly content to play games that were dirty and probably weren't working 100%. Didn't know any better and they were still fun.
:dunno
--- End quote ---
I'll agree with you on that. Even as a collector I still go to the local arcade and play games that are dirty, complete features missing, weak flippers, broken plastics, not working solenoids (I played a Big Guns for 20 minutes on an already free game because the center post was stuck up), etc. These games maybe in really bad shape but it's cheap entertainment and really truly a fun thing to do. I mean crap food and $5 of pinball will vs. movies at now 10.50, I'll choose the pinball. It'll be longer, I'll be interactive, and might even win a few bets at games.
Xiaou2:
--- Quote ---Most home buyers (not collectors) that are looking to just add a machine to their basement will indeed buy it.
--- End quote ---
I seriously Doubt that.
Pinball isnt a hobby like painting, or RC cars. You talking 2(used) to +$3000 here.
A person spending that much money on a game, is not going to be making
sheer impulse buys. They are going to play it, and, check out other machines
as well. Its called Research.
And just like anything... Looks count.
Pinball is supposed to be a work of art. Not a generic photoshop nightmare
printed with a super low-res dot pitch.
Half the price of a cheap car Remember?! The thing should stand out like a
Lamborghini in the middle of the City. It should Oooze beauty in every last detail.
And yes, Sound DOES count. Especially at the home, where there isnt a
buttload of background noises to hide the hideous low quality mono samples.
In fact, its proven that good sounds can improve the Worst media. And bad
sound, can make the Best media unbearable.
To date, I dont think Anyone has made a good Batman pinball machine.
And theme isnt merely the issue. Indiana Jones (Williams) is an excellent
game. Probably one of the few movie games that is actually good.
Put BBH (licensed theme) next to a Theatre of Magic (creative Non-Licensed theme). Lock out the game, so people cant play... but only LOOK at the machines.
Ask which game they would prefer to own based on mere looks. Theatre of Magic, even re-made today, will outsell BBH 200 to 1. And I would also make that bet, that even if you gathered people who never played either machine, would still buy
the Theatre's 200 to 1. Actually, Id be surprised if Anyone picked the BBH... even if
the BBH cost $1000 less.
Things of Artistic Beauty always sell better... even if they are not well
known. Hard to believe... but years ago... people actually had creativity and
imagination... and created ORIGINAL things! *GASP*
Theatre isnt some Photoshop photo-nightmare. Its intricately shaded ink
work by professional artists... and it shows. If Stern were to make it
however... it would be something like a bunch of generic photos of Chris Angel...
and some horribly generic line work. I wont even comment on the sounds and
music. And the cabinet "art"... to puke over!
Be real. Stern has No competition, and they still are in the Death rolls. Its not
because Pinballs wont sell. Its because they try to sell Crappy pinballs... and
most people just are not having it.
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