I second this notion! We love the Zach reviews, and we all trust you buddy! Just put a little disclaimer, and you're good. We need our Z-man's input!

Although, now that I think about it...there could be a problem the other way around, where his company is trying to sell a pin that he personally thinks isn't so great. Hard for him to do a video for flipNout where he says, "Come on down and buy the latest Stern!" but then on SDTM he says, "Man, this new Stern kinda sucks!" This crossed my mind specifically when it came to that new SW mini-pin that just got released. Its not the kind of machine that SDTM would probably devote a whole review to anyway, but I could see a conflict there between business interests and SDTM interests. So kind of anti-shilling in a way.

Just thought that might be another reason for Zach to not review machines, in case they're bad. Luckily, we live in an age where most new pinball machines are astoundingly good, when you really think about it. Prices maybe not so good, but sounds, music, rules, gameplay, are all pretty high for just about every machine that comes out now.

EDIT: Just saw Burley's post, and he has the right idea. I think we're of a similar mindset.

Another great episode. Thanks guys! I noticed that your podcast feed on itunes doesn't update anymore. Did you guys just decide it wasn't worth it to rip the audio and maintain a separate audio-only version?

Yeah, I might be speaking out-of-turn, but I think Zach is/was a Clinical Psychologist. If I'm recalling correctly.

I wonder what the show will be like going forward? I wouldn't mind if they started doing Skype/What'sApp/Facetime episodes with a split-screen, if it meant we got more content. I know they like quality, and of course its always gonna be better if they're in the same room, but at this point 60 days, or even just 30 days, between episodes is too long.

And I miss some of their long-running segments like, "This Month on Pinside / In Pinball" and "This or That." Hopefully, they can find a way to make it work going forward.

Munsters is fun on location though. I can play a handful of games on it, get to Munster Madness, see most of what the game has to offer, and walk away feeling good. On so many of the newer Sterns and JJs, I either walk away feeling like I got my butt kicked, or I walk away feeling like I'd have no chance to see everything in the game unless I brought it home.

Note: I'm lucky because a local arcade just put a Munsters in, so I can play it to my hearts content without worrying about the shallow code or about resale.

Yeah, how about we go back to bi-weekly SDTM episodes during this quarantine! Keep everyone's spirits up.

I'm sure the videos will be back up by tomorrow night or Sunday morning. I've been saying this a lot today, but man Pinball Media sure is a roller coaster! I've decided to just laugh off the drama and enjoy the ride. Can't control other people, just have to roll with the punches. Drama Queens gonna drama, and haters gonna hate.

Might as well just smile in their faces!

VICTORY!

New pinball machines finally coming out again...I think my pants are trending up!

Nice unboxing. I think SDTM might be the new king of pinball unboxing videos.

I hope that this means we're gonna get an SDTM review of Rick and Morty sometime soon!

I think it's interesting how so far no game has gotten a straight A. I wonder if any game will ever break the A- barrier.

Don't know exactly why, but I get the feeling that neither MM nor AFM are personal favorites of theirs. But I'd love for them to do more reviews period, as there are plenty of games out there that I'd love to hear their takes on.

Wow, just watched Episode 3 of SDTM back from Feb of 2017. What a fun blast from the past! Greg and Zach had such wide-eyed enthusiasm for the hobby. A few highlights that I got a kick out of were- the guys exclusively using the term "retailer" over "distro", the fact that in a one-year-period Greg had purchased 2 pins and Zach had gone through 25+. Sounds about right! I also enjoyed their discussion on The Jetsons pinball machine, that's a game you don't hear much about. Lastly, I thought it was fun that you could tell that even though Zach and Greg were friends, they definitely didn't seem to know each other nearly as well as they do now.

A very fun watch for an old fan, and even though it was early days, it's still a very good episode. It was great to just hear them talk pinball for 40 minutes. Look how happy those two knuckleheads are!

I mean, IMO it's at least as "loaded" as JP3, and more "loaded" than Stranger Things, at least comparing Pro to Pro. Plus, it's basically code-complete out of the box, which is big deal for pins these days.

Nah, Dominoes Deep Dish is pretty darn good.

Very nice to have all the install steps laid out simply in a video. Always easier to watch someone else do it, than read about it in a book. (That's what she said!) I'd be curious to hear a follow-up review after you've tried the system for a while and dialed it in. As you guys didn't seem quite as blown away by it as I thought you would. Sounds like it's more of a subtle improvement, maybe? Versus a total game-changer?

Also, I'd recommend that you guys try to just ignore the haters. It's the same two or three guys that post negative stuff after almost every video. They're broken records that think you're dying for their wisdom and critique.

BTW, I think it's awesome you guys are making so many SDTM videos again. There was quite a drought for a while, and now we're getting a new video almost every week. I hope the trend continues. Best damn Youtube Pinball show out there!

Nice job gentlemen. Thanks for blessing us with a Boxing Day SDTM treat! Fun idea for an episode!

Looks like a nice shooter, but I'm worried about how satisfying the mode/song shots are. I usually like it when a pin's modes have strong integration, and I like to have fun things happen when I make lit mode shots. It seems like on LZ the song continues either way, whether you make shots or not, and the only benefit to making mode shots is scoring and progress towards a wizard mode. Sorta makes it feel like one long multiball mode, regardless of the number of actual pinballs on the table. I just didn't see a lot of satisfaction from actually making lit mode shots. Still, that's just my initial impression.

Whoa! Strong take Chuck!

I haven't personally played Bug's Bunny's Birthday Bash, but I've watched others play it. And it actually looks like an alright game. Definitely far worse games out there.

Nice. Wife and I enjoyed the video. Helped us get a better look and overview of the game.

And people can say what they want about you Zach, but they can't deny that you've got enthusiasm coming out the ears!

I'm glad to hear that the upper loop is reasonably repeatable. I LOVE hitting the loop on Beatles multiple times in a row. So fun. This bodes well!

$8k for an SE isn't too bad. I expected worse. That compares very favorably to a Stern Premium. Me likey!

Wow, that's a downer. One would hope that he's come to terms with things now.

I don't know that just because the actor had struggles, that we shouldn't be able to criticize or make fun of the character.

It's pretty neat. I like that it has both a display and physical moving elements. I've never seen that before. It's a good idea that I'm surprised no one has attempted before.

Nice video guys. I'm playing a TS4 later today. Can't wait to see if it's really as fun as it looks!

You played it and thought it was that bad? I'm surprised, because it's a well-designed game, with lots of good shots, and fun code. I could see not liking it for personal reasons, but other than the price, I don't see how one could call TS stinky.

I can't believe people are still posting the "biased shill, paid off by the manufacturers" comments. I mean this happens after every single review.

Are people just now coming to these conclusions? I don't get it. Zach has been a distro for a very long time now.

I find SDTM videos very entertaining, and Iove Zach and Greg's personalities and interactions. I like to hear what they think of different games, but I certainly don't use their videos as buying advice.

Zach and Greg base their grade curve on the totality of pinball machines.

So if Toy Story is a B on rules, then a super basic early-SS game with no depth and unbalanced scoring might be a D or F, you know?

TS4's layout might be a B, but then a bad symmetrical-layout EM with little to do or shoot for might be a D.

Same with toys, compared to some 70s games with no ramps or drop targets, or toys whatsoever, TS4 is packed.

Take theme, sure TS4 isn't the best of Toy Story, but as a theme it's miles better than Tennis, Marbles, and Skiing. All of which are real pinball themes. If TS4 is a D theme, then what's that make Hangliding or Italian Merchant ships?

So Zach and Greg's grading scale is pretty accurate when you take all pinball machines together.

Yes!!!! Finally another SDTM This or That!

Nice one guys. Can't wait to watch it when I get back to the house.

Ooh, good one!