# Replay of First Official Gameplay Footage of Stern Pinball James Bond is Now Available **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-10-19 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/replay-of-first-official-gameplay-footage-of-stern-pinball-james-bond-is-now-available --- ## Analysis Stern Pinball streamed early gameplay footage of its new James Bond pinball machine, featuring George Gomez and Mike Vinikour demonstrating a Premium model. The code is incomplete with many features still in development, including eight skill shots, a generic British announcer, ten licensed Bond songs (mostly instrumental scores due to licensing costs), and a 'Bond on a Wand' feature. The game will be available at several locations this week. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] James Bond pinball features 10 licensed songs from Bond movies, mostly instrumental scores by John Barry rather than popular artist songs due to prohibitive licensing costs — _Directly quoted from Stern's statements during the gameplay stream_ - [HIGH] The game contains eight skill shots — _Observed during gameplay footage and mentioned as a feature in development_ - [HIGH] Code is still very early and incomplete with many features not yet programmed — _Explicit statements from Stern team during broadcast; reviewer noted team saying 'when this is programmed, it will do XYZ'_ - [MEDIUM] Stern Insider Connected achievements have not yet been programmed into the game — _Reviewer inference based on no players logging into Insider Connected during stream_ - [HIGH] Spinner sound effects are temporary and not finalized by George Gomez — _Gomez stated he is a 'nutcase' about spinner sounds and hasn't finalized them yet_ ### Notable Quotes > "The game's code is still very early and incomplete. The team said a lot of 'when this is programmed, it will do XYZ' during the broadcast." > — **Knapp Arcade reviewer**, Article body > _Establishes early development stage and sets expectations for incomplete features_ > "Supposedly, the licensing cost to get many of the popular Bond songs were 'absolutely out of the question unaffordable.'" > — **Stern Pinball team (via reviewer)**, During stream > _Explains IP licensing constraints affecting music selection and game budget_ > "George is a self-proclaimed 'nutcase' about spinner sounds and he hasn't finalized that yet." > — **Knapp Arcade reviewer (referencing George Gomez)**, Article body > _Reveals Gomez's detailed attention to sound design and his perfectionism on specific mechanical sounds_ > "George Gomez's enthusiasm for the Connery-era Bond films is contagious." > — **Knapp Arcade reviewer**, Article body > _Notes the designer's passion for the theme influencing the game's direction toward classic Bond films_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | James Bond | game | Stern Pinball's new licensed James Bond pinball machine in early development; Premium model shown in gameplay stream | | George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer and creative lead; demonstrated Premium model during stream; focused on Connery-era Bond films and perfectionist about spinner sounds | | Mike Vinikour | person | Stern Pinball team member who participated in James Bond gameplay stream | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of James Bond pinball machine; streaming gameplay footage and providing game location availability | | Stern Insider Connected | product | Stern's online achievement/leaderboard system; not yet implemented in James Bond as of gameplay stream | | John Barry | person | Composer of instrumental Bond movie scores featured in the pinball machine's soundtrack | | Sean Connery | person | Actor from classic Bond era films that inspired the game's design direction; six Connery Bond films featured in pin | | Enterrium | organization | Location hosting James Bond pinball gameplay this week | | Logan Arcade | organization | Location hosting James Bond pinball gameplay this week | | Pinball Expo | event | Event where James Bond pinball will be available for play this week | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Source publication covering Stern's James Bond pinball gameplay stream | ### Topics - **Primary:** Early development stage and incomplete code, IP licensing constraints and music selection, Game features: skill shots, wand feature, sound design - **Secondary:** Stern Insider Connected integration not yet implemented, Designer creative vision and theme inspiration, Game availability at locations and events ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.72) — Reviewer expresses cautious optimism about the game's potential and layout design despite early development stage. Enthusiasm for Gomez's design vision and theme choice. No significant criticisms of the game itself, though reviewer notes incompleteness and licensing limitations as neutral observations. ### Signals - **[licensing_signal]** James Bond music licensing constrained to 10 instrumental tracks; popular artist songs deemed unaffordably expensive, affecting game's soundtrack composition (confidence: high) — Stern team stated licensing costs for popular Bond songs were 'absolutely out of the question unaffordable'; game features mostly John Barry instrumental scores instead - **[community_signal]** George Gomez demonstrates detailed perfectionism on specific design elements (spinner sounds); Connery-era Bond films provide creative direction for game theme (confidence: high) — Gomez self-described as 'nutcase' about spinner sounds and hasn't finalized them; his enthusiasm for Connery films noted as driving the game's aesthetic direction - **[announcement]** Stern Pinball officially streams first gameplay footage of James Bond pinball with George Gomez and Mike Vinikour; game in early development stage (confidence: high) — Article headline and opening paragraph explicitly document the official stream event - **[product_concern]** Early code incompleteness raises questions about timeline and feature implementation; many mechanics described as 'when programmed' suggesting significant development remains (confidence: medium) — Reviewer notes team repeatedly said 'when this is programmed, it will do XYZ'; multiple features explicitly stated as temporary or not yet implemented - **[technology_signal]** Stern Insider Connected achievement system not yet integrated into James Bond; no players logged in during demonstration stream (confidence: medium) — Reviewer inference: 'None of the players in last night's stream logged into Stern Insider Connected while playing, leading me to assume that achievements have not been programmed into the game yet' --- ## Transcript Last night Stern Pinball streamed the first official gameplay of its new James Bond pinball machine. George Gomez, Mike Mike Vinikour and others from Stern showed off a Bond Premium. The game's code is still very early and incomplete. The team said a lot of "when this is programmed, it will do XYZ" during the broadcast. Keeping that in mind, I thought that the Gomez layout looked really cool. The bones for another awesome Stern pin are there. Here's a few notes that I took while watching: - The game uses a generic British announcer to guide players. - Bond on a Wand does almost nothing at this point, but it has the potential to be very interesting. - The game supposedly contains 10 licensed songs from Bond movies, but it seems to me as though most of them are part of the instrumental scores from the movies, many by John Barry, rather than songs by popular artists. Supposedly, the licensing cost to get many of the popular Bond songs were "absolutely out of the question unaffordable." - The game has at least a whopping eight Skill Shots, which is really neat. Those will make some cool achievements to shoot for. Alas, when I watched I only saw one skill shot completed. The others may have not been fully coded yet. - None of the players in last night's stream logged into Stern Insider Connected while playing, leading me to assume that achievements have not been programmed into the game yet either. - The sound for the spinner in the game is temporary. George is a self-proclaimed "nutcase" about spinner sounds and he hasn't finalized that yet. George Gomez enthusiasm for the Connery-era Bond films is contagious. I went and watched "From Russia With Love" on Amazon Prime right after watching this stream. I plan to watch at least all six Connery films that are in the pin again prior to it hitting the streets. For those of you who missed the live stream, the pin will be on location at Enterrium, Logan Arcade and Pinball Expo this week. A replay has also been uploaded to YouTube. I have embedded it below: _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 0d15da71-0feb-45d1-bae0-91a12185a6ba*