I have the exact opposite experience. The older games are much harder to keep running and the newer games from Stern play for thousands of plays out of the box before needing maintenance. Not sure why these operators are having trouble, maybe its because newer games are receiving orders of magnitude more plays than older ones.
As far as original themes go, they’re still there but limited. I loved Black Knight 2000 and was thrilled when Black Knight Sword of Rage was released by Stern with Steve Ritchie’s involvement.
I've recently got into virtual pinball games and I've found the games that are original or have unique ideas always stand out to me, as opposed to the themed tables, and I was wondering if pinball enthusiasts felt the same way. Great video! Thanks for sharing.
Steve and Bobbi are the real deal when it comes to pinball, so is Replay. It's a real fun place to get together with family and friends and they literally have tons of games. It's even a great place to have a wedding reception. Love you guys!
I came here once out of curiosity and almost immediately became a regular. This place is basically my second house. I love everything about it. The vibe is great. The people who work there are great. If I don't go for a day or two, my wrists start to twitch.
Great video! I actually went to the Replay Museum for the very first time just about a month ago. It's about an hour drive from me. What an awesome establishment and tremendous value. I can't recommend it more highly to anyone who is in the west, central Florida area. Thanks for sharing this great testimony.
Arcades may or may not be closing (thanks COVID), but the home market for these games are sky rocketing. Prices on these pins, both old and new, are getting higher and higher with a new fanbase getting bigger every year. Super cool with this couple sharing the hobby and the enthusiasm they have for the hobby. A match made in heaven!
American Pinball does everything original, and Turner Pinball too. It is the smaller manufacturers that do not have the big budgets that Stern has that do original themes as they do not have cash flow to pay for the license.
There have been a few new pinball arcades open up recently in my area of West Michigan, which is really cool and has me hopeful. Some barcades with coin play, some just pinball/video games with a flat rate and free play. We definitely need more.
My problem with modern games is on the screens and using clips from the IP with the heavy reliance on "code" through its gimmick factors to use flippers for not flipping. Those elements goes beyond being a traditional pinball game. Whereas the creative work shines through more on a DMD screen and its programming. There is some IP bloat, not going to disagree with that, but I think you can still properly asses the game if you detract the IP from the game and treat it as more generic elements. You also have to understand that not every game is created equal. Anyways, awesome interview and hearing people's thoughts on pinball through running a pinball museum.
I agree their should be more original themed games but I think she makes it seem like none have been made in recent years. She only mentions Black Knight as an original theme that has been brought back but skips over games like Dialed In and TNA.
Avenger's infinity is a great game with awesome shots so bad match up to the opinions complaining about themes. BUT I do prefer fixing old games where you can replace a component and not a whole micro-board for a broken LED.
I'm in total agreement with intellectual property always being the theme around a table. The same songs playing over and over again, the screens playing the same clips... it's annoying. The depth of new machines is great for tournaments, and online connectivity is cool but that's about it.
