Gomez strikes again with a clunky design.

Shots B- / C

"A good decent pin that I don't need to own."

Ouch.

As long as you're watching. That's all Nielsen cares about. Just like Howard Stern in the old days. The haters were the ones that listened the longest to his show - he didn't care. Ratings are ratings.

They need a few truly secret modes. Ones that have such obscure requirements no one knows what's going on or how they got there for a while. Wouldn't overcome the playfield clunk, but it would add an element of exploration and adventure that the current framework does not have.

It didn't seem to work at all until the latest software release.

Maintenance nightmare on location. The backbox mechanical stuff is way too cheap for the duty cycle.

Complexity isn't the problem. Poor durability of materials is. They break on location. A lot. Or at least they did. Maybe they've improved the materials since the first few months after release.

Going to be tough to knock WoZ off the top, but at least it's already better than Hobbit.

You gotta get out of the honeymoon period before you have any perspective. You know that. I fell into that trap and ignored my own rule, thinking Dialed In could dethrone WoZ initially, but it became obvious after playing it a lot that it's a double or a triple and not a home run.

Way to early to see where jjPotC falls, except that wherever it is, it will be ahead of Hobbit.

I haven't played the new beta of DI, but my main problem is it gets old because the progression is very similar to Ghostbusters, but without the nostalgic bump to get you though. You're climbing the same ladders, uninterrupted and with very little variation, every time. It has way less multiballs than WoZ, and the "quick" multiballs are throwaways. They broke up the mode mode mode mode progression with the Chaos Multiball, and that helps, but there's very little actual integration of the theme in the gameplay itself. The city is under attack, I would have expected more "side" jobs like rescuing people or having the electrical guy go crazy and have him speed way up so you have to get him under control. Or maybe have the evil computer take over the selfie camera and take pictures while mocking you? The spiders are wasted, the drones are under-utilized, it's just a less cohesive package than WoZ.

That said, WoZ was no shining star at release, either. They seem committed to their software, so maybe DI will be less boring to play in a collection someday. Here's hoping. It could be much worse, though. At least it's not Hobbit.

Unjustified means without basis. Hobbit has all the bases covered for a less than favorable rating as a game. Graphics and music are top notch, but that can't sustain the love over time.

Same-y groups of modes, poor progression direction, and lacking "just one more game" feeling due primarily to ridiculously long ball times, but secondarily to boring gameplay (see:same-y mode grouping). There's a few more for you next time someone asks.

I'm not saying YOU can't like it. Just that there are definite reasons *I* don't. I'm not alone. It's literally the only JJP they're not making anymore. Jack gave up trying to sell it, and that's saying the MOST about market reception to the title (besides the low-and-falling resale values). Jack is tenacious - if HE gave up, you know it's bad.

I 100% agree that it's better now than it was, but still not good enough. I think most of it is just being hamstrung by a poor playfield design. There's not a lot you can do to make it fun, and JJP has DEFINITELY tried.

I'd rather have 4 actual choice 1980's Ballys than Hobbit.

More != better. See:same-y mode groups.

Last I heard they were done after Black Arrows stuck around like an unwanted in-law.

But is it FUN? The answer for me (and the market at large where prices are depressed on Hobbit) is no. You can probably make a great flyer out of those points. However long the list, though, they do not make a FUN game. It's an elusive thing, and often the harder you try the more it slips through your fingers as a designer.

Bust away. Multiple viewpoints on a crappy game is a worthwhile conversation to have. I have a thick skin and titanium balls (don't ask). The Hobbit modes may be technically different on a bullet point list, but they have a very same-y feel, and that's the death knell for me. Shadow has double interactive diverters. That's WAY more fun that the passive stuff in Hobbit. Individually controlled drop targets SOUND awesome. In practice they're a noisy yawn after the newness wears off.

I love Shadow so much I made that Shadow plastic superset in the Gene era so everyone could have access to new plastics when the Sanctum plastic alone was $300 due to rarity. I just bought a CPR playfield for Shadow with the intent of pimping one out to perfection in the future again. I, too, LOVE Shadow. It's a player's game for sure.

I don't remember. It's been months, and I hear things from all angles.

Is there a youtube mirror for us non-facebook types?

I'm starting to understand your love for Hobbit, and that's the first step to acceptance.

If you can pull Borg in, you'll have a BFD.

So does super jackpot actually roll under the plastic and drain to the left inlane? It looks like it could...

Hype train on fire for Munsters BFD express...
hype_train_Munsters (resized).jpg

You can get an OTC cream to take care of that.

Faze.

Your list is MUCH better. I was getting concerned until The Shadow finally showed up. If that was missing, I was pulling your pinball credentials. Swap WoZ for Hobbit and Iron Maiden for Star Wars and your list would be extremely respectable. Those slipups dropped the list to merely competent.

Firefly had one incomplete season of only 14 episodes and is tremendously popular in the afterlife. It happens.

Munsters shot seventy (yes, 7 dash 0) episodes in two seasons. That's SEVEN netflix seasons by today's standards. They have a lot of episodes in the can that are in constant repeats around the world, and they still hold up pretty well, so it does good in syndication, growing the fanbase every 8-10 years, and it's been through that cycle 5-6 times already. It's popular.

I really should not rely on my memory for a quick reply without double-checking the internet first. Post corrected, thanks.

Don't give Stern any more cost-reduction ideas...

He's not WestHollywoodBone.

"Castrated Monkey" is one of the awards?

EDIT: Some of the live cam shots are priceless.

(Gets very close to the screen) "Does that say CASTRATED MONKEY?!"

what_does_that_say (resized).jpg

I'm no prude, but "Altered Monkey" or something like that would convey a similar understanding to those that have followed along and would still get the reference, but it wouldn't be so overtly crass.

Castration is still alteration.

Did you say pumped?

arnold terminating a joint.gif

No apologies necessary for being right. The STATIC shots from Beatles concerts and appearances that DEFINITELY have moving video with sound available that should have been used are ridiculous. You can only pan and zoom a still so many times. Super lame and drags the overall effort way down.

So basically free shaker motor for all buyers?

Houdini sold a few hundred more than 500. Octoberfest sold a lot less (some say just a few hundred sold), so everyone gets a free shaker on Hot Wheels is a pretty safe bet. The license isn't going to turbocharge AP sales, and whoever pushed for that annoying spinning car should sent to a Pat Lawlor re-education camp.

Just being real. We had Houdini. Passed on Oktoberfest. Passing on Hot Wheels.

Rooting for AP, but they need to get out of their own way.

This is a perfect example of how AP needs to get out of their own way. Hot Wheels is what it is, and no amount of editing is going to change that. Too late trying to control the narrative and piss off people like Zach that are trying to play by the rules AND HELP THEM SELL MACHINES. It's not his fault. Let it fly and make the next pin choice better.

Something like what they did on The Last Starfighter homebrew?

More refined version:

Original rough attempt on The Last Starfighter:

Will do, thanks.

Very nicely done, but who started vacuuming at 13:20?

Sometimes I'm too subtle.

Let me send you a fan. PM me if you want one. I guarantee it will take care of the problem.

Haha. Yeah, word's getting out. It's not at the level of the spike 500W power supply fans yet, but these spooky quiet fan plug n play kits are definitely off to an unexpectedly strong start, which shouldn't be surprising, I guess - I can't believe anyone would put up with that noise in a home environment.

Bet it doesn't feel as strange as it does to Greg after eating all that NASTY Dominoes pizza and still losing.

Do it again. Although it might be dangerous on a game like Zeppelin where he'd be consuming mass quantities of drugs...

But in his colon, the battle rages on...

We'll for what it's worth, "Greg's confident enthusiasm turns to quivering jelly" videos are SUPER entertaining. I recommend you do more unboxings with this element worked into them.

Papa Johns is about the same level of awful. Either of those are total crap.

I think they got Dominos because they were tied into the first turtles movie. You know, for authenticity.

I'm assuming that the TMNT are the common kind of turtles that don't have tastebuds, so they eat for the texture. The only explanation for how they can choke down Dominos.

Not sure my wife would approve of me attending an ass party, let alone one featuring BIG ASS.

Please send the Pin Monk Tibetan Rectal Bliss cream back, then. I try to do something nice for your ass after that Dominoes blowout and this is the thanks I get.

Geez.

The only thing I really do not like is the perpendicular mounting of the top board hanging off the CPU board at the top, and that smaller board hanging off the bottom. I would have enclosed them, at least on the bottom of each board, and mounted them against the backbox using any of the available posts nearby used for wire routing, then had a jumper cable to the CPU board for a much cleaner install. Seems very sketchy the way it's done.

(I have no interest in selling amplifer kits, so this is just an opinion, not some competitive jab)

What does this mean? If you're using patch cables, they're connected or they're not. If the cables are plugged in, the state is known. I think most users can understand the concept of plugged/unplugged.

Plugging in a patch cable and plugging in a board are essentially the same operation.

And if dropping screws behing the MPU is the concern (as it should be - anything above the MPU is a bad idea) that's no problem. I was thinking the two posts below the MPU were the best mounting location. Were I installing this, I would make a tray for the two boards and a single patch cable with multiple connectors to clean up the install. The tray would connect to the two posts on the backbox below the MPU, and both boards and the tray would be parallel to the MPU. It would really clean up the install and reduce the chance for problems. Something like this...

pinnovators-tray (resized).jpg

Just wanted to make sure you knew what I was talking about. You may have been visualizing something else from what I said.

Thanks for taking the time to make a nice video for installing these!

This podcast is a study in contrasts.

meny-bright.jpg

(I debated making the setting Brightness or Gamma, but settled on Brightness)

No Shadow?? One of the most under-rated masterpieces of all time.

My general metric for underrated is, "Have I bought it for $750 before?"

Shadow was firmly in that class until I made the mistake of making the shadow plastics superset and everyone was able to replace formerly unobtanium plastics cheaply all at once. It never went below $1500 from that point on.

Another pin that's underrated is Johnny Mnemonic. So few people have played one, and even fewer have played one with a properly-working hand. JM has one of the coolest Midnight Madness modes, too.

Actually, it would take a while to experience them all to do it, but you should do a top 10 midnight madness modes. Pretty sure Munsters would be the best MM version, but there are a number of good ones out there. You'd have to roll Star Wars back to the one version that had it to see that one though...

Meh. Price doesn't help, but the software is underwhelming. I just can't get over the stills scrolling by from well-known beatles events when black and white video of the same event is widely available and would be much better. I could see having one for a while at $5k or less, and they're almost there for the golds, so...

I really don't know how you will ever top the TMNT unboxing. So good, every time.

I really think the comedic potential of you doing something punishing and disgusting while trying to beat Zach to the finish of a pin setup has just begun to be explored. You've set the bar high with that TMNT video, but looking forward to how you top it.

Very entertaining. I was fooled when Pinstadium came on after Big Bang Bar, thinking, "That's bold, but they're not wrong" - then I realized it was a sponsor ad and not a "most overrated" accessory interlude. Ya got me with that one.

And Whitewater is a fun game, just not for the price it goes for these days.

Munsters Prem/LE does this, too. It's not fun there, either.

I agree with Family Guy/Shrek being crappy. I find zero joy in that pin. But I am only an icon of pin taste, not the arbiter, so people have other opinions.

I hate horror/zombies and I came around to TWD once I got past the theme. It's a FANTASTIC game. Easily in my top 10, probably top 5. One of the few I still miss. Also demands a ColorDMD for the full experience.

Yeah, if you got it at the beginning in 2013 and sold it within a year or two, you really didn't experience the game. It was polished over a very long period of time and didn't get really good until around 2016-17. Haven't put my hands on jjGnR yet, but WoZ is still my #2 JJP game. I finally sold it a few months ago, and am not opposed to having it again in the future.

I hated TWD. Thought it shot like crap. Then Lyman completely redid the rules. Now it's one of my favorite games, even though I don't like horror. Code can change a "poor shooting" game into a masterpiece. TWD proved that. But it takes YEARS to happen.

If you sold it within the first 3 years (which it sounds like you did) you basically missed the game.

That was one of those things that seemed awesome until you had to do it, over and over. I don't like it, either. I think there's a good idea in there, but it still needs work it may never see to be right. TOTO is a much better ball save since it's short and quick.

Munsters makes a sub-B score easy. WWE was sub-B as well. They are out there, and not that long ago.

Next.

Maybe do it from the corner of the Stern warehouse still stuffed with unsold WWE Pro and LE machines they have to give away as prizes to move them onesie-twosie. That would be fun.

XMEN callouts are a D- or F+. Shitty Beast is not a C, or even C-. All the rest are terrible, too. One of the worst offenses against modern pinball ever sold. Layout is a lazy C, at best, too. It's another Borg mirrored shot map (see: Tron) with more complicated ramps.

You really need to use the whole rating range for it to mean anything. If the worst stuff is still a C, why bother with letter grades at all?

You're covering "general addictive hobbies" now? Hmm...pot, shrooms, heroin, x, coke? I don't wish for Greg to be strung out, but I admit I am curious if I'd notice a difference.

It will take something of that magnitude to top the genius of your TMNT unboxing.

Michael Jackson was a fan, but only after the Jesus juice sippy cups came out.

Does it vibrate?

Because it looks like it should vibrate...

Common problem. Lots of talk about it in the owner's thread.

Basically get a shorter barrel spring on the outside part of the shooter rod, or upgrade the factory orange shooter rod spring inside the cabinet to a stronger purple or even red one.

Scale is way too small for the top of the backbox on the machine. Plus, it's kind of an ugly version.

Looks good, but the uplighting doesn't have nearly the impact it should for the sculpt. Should have had a few strips in the very front on each side to uplight the stone, and again in the top of the stone ledge of each level on the inside pointing to the next level.

For the money they asked, these are obvious details that should have been worked out. Yes, I am picky.

indy_topper (resized).jpg

It's one of the best machines out there. I just wish it was easier to manhandle. By the time I get to Eternal Life multiball, my arms are killing me.

Pricing/shipping announced yet?

Convention centers usually have union rules, so something as simple as 10'x20' of carpet and pad for 4 days can get expensive. Depending on convention center rules, you often can't bring your own. Had plenty of experience with that at the LA and NV convention centers. Dunno what the pinball expo site rules are specifically, though.

Always nice to see Zach and Greg together on screen talking. Chemistry for days.

Haha. I like to say it sounds like someone is vacuuming in an adjacent room. Zach knows all about them, though. He did a great install video for the Spooky version of the quiet fan kit for the power supply.

You can download youtube videos. Lots of sites let you split out the audio only, too. Don't do any of the ones that want you to install an app. The browser-based converters are fine.

Oh, and also don't search for "youtube downloaders" on google since they suppress those sites somewhat because, well, they own youtube and don't want you doing that. You'll have better results on bing, usually.

It was a long time coming to make up for that TMNT unboxing you put him through, but you did good.

The single best unboxing you've ever done.

The discomfort Greg was experiencing was palpable as he shoved more and more of that grade D(ominoes) pizza down his gullet as fast as possible to beat your unboxing completion. The 6k views that video's received are almost fair trade for a Stranger Things. Almost.

Fixed up my favorite moment from the misery here...

Definitely should have spent some time with Elton John before declaring Foo the best shooting game of 2023. Foo is FUN to shoot, but not sure I'd call it a best shooting award winner.

But it wasn't most people's opinion, it was SDTM's, and it WAS played, so how it shot compared to Foo was known. I understand the arguments for and against, but if you're talking "best shooting" pin in 2023, it's not Foo (I say this as a non-owner of Elton John with no intention of bringing one in so I can immediately lose $2-3k when I move it along a few months later - JJP needs to get their code support problem FIXED, it's killing their resale).

I dunno. Lately I would put AP in the "worst at getting games out the door" camp. BoF, however, has come out of the gate guns-blazin' with their output. Really impressive for a new entrant.