# Kaneda's Pinball Podcast LIVE REACTION to seeing Star Wars for the first time.

**Source:** Kaneda Pinball Podcasts YouTube Lives  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-09-12  
**Duration:** 18m 4s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGAtUDA8Ee0

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## Analysis

Kaneda provides a first-impression live reaction to Stern's Star Wars: Fall of the Empire promotional videos, expressing significant disappointment with the game's presentation, playfield art quality, mechanical design, and value proposition at $13,000. He criticizes the AT-AT toy as undersized, the scale inconsistency, poor artwork aesthetics, text clipping issues, and lack of wow factor compared to competing premium releases like Harry Potter and Evil Dead.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The AT-AT toy is too small and mechanically illogical—the shot should loop around its legs to tie them up, not loop over the head — _Direct observation of game footage; Kaneda critiques design logic and scale of the AT-AT mechanic_
- [HIGH] Star Wars playfield art looks cheap and doesn't justify the $13,000 Limited Edition price point — _Kaneda's repeated criticism: 'It just doesn't look like a $13,000 game' and 'seems too cheap looking'_
- [HIGH] Harry Potter and Evil Dead (Spooky) look more visually impressive and expensive than Star Wars despite similar or lower price points — _Direct comparison: 'after Harry Potter and how beautiful that game looks, what Spooky's putting into Evil Dead, I think these Stern machines are looking like they're not looking expensive enough'_
- [MEDIUM] Star Wars LE would be more appealing at $8,500 instead of current pricing — _Kaneda's speculation: 'I think at $8,500 that LE, we would look at it differently'_
- [MEDIUM] The licensing prevented use of the full Star Wars theme song—only a 'weird version' was included — _Kaneda's observation: 'I feel like the licensing—they didn't have the theme song. It was like a weird version of it'_
- [HIGH] Text dialogue is being cut off on the display screen and should show full-screen scrolling — _Kaneda observes text clipping in gameplay video: 'I don't like the text is cut off. It should be full screen when it's scrolling'_
- [HIGH] Heads (Vader, Stormtroopers) look like 'shooter rod handles just dropped in' without bodies — _Direct visual critique of playfield design elements_

### Notable Quotes

> "It just doesn't look like a $13,000 game."
> — **Kaneda**, ~15:30
> _Central criticism anchoring his overall negative reaction to pricing vs. visual quality_

> "It's too small. It's too small. It's too small... Why are you looping it? Why is it looping around above it, Johnny?"
> — **Kaneda**, ~8:00
> _Core mechanical/design critique of AT-AT feature; questions game design logic_

> "The art is pretty bad, gang."
> — **Kaneda**, ~18:00
> _Direct assessment of playfield artwork quality_

> "I just after Harry Potter and how beautiful that game looks, what Spooky's putting into Evil Dead, I think these Stern machines are looking like they're not looking expensive enough for the amount of money they're charging."
> — **Kaneda**, ~16:00
> _Competitive positioning criticism; raises question about Stern's visual presentation vs. competitors_

> "There just didn't seem like there was anything magical happening."
> — **Kaneda**, ~17:30
> _Overall emotional response to game presentation; lack of excitement factor_

> "Not feeling the hype. Star Wars. I want to go home, mommy."
> — **Kaneda**, ~5:00
> _Expresses exhaustion and lack of excitement despite IP magnitude_

> "It seems very—it seems too cheap looking."
> — **Kaneda**, ~16:00
> _Value perception critique_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | game | Stern Pinball's flagship Spike 3 release being critiqued; available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition tiers |
| Kaneda | person | Pinball media personality; host of Kaneda Pinball Podcasts; providing first-impression reaction to Star Wars |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball representative who introduces Star Wars in promotional video; presents Spike 3 technology |
| John Borg | person | Lead game designer of Star Wars: Fall of the Empire; presents game features in promotional video; Kaneda criticizes his presentation energy |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Star Wars; subject of criticism for visual quality vs. pricing strategy |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Competitor; Kaneda cites Evil Dead as visually more impressive than Stern's Star Wars |
| Harry Potter (Stern) | game | Comparable Stern release; Kaneda uses as benchmark for superior visual presentation vs. Star Wars |
| Evil Dead (Spooky) | game | Competitor game; cited as example of more impressive visual execution than Star Wars |
| Spike 3 | product | Stern's new hardware platform powering Star Wars; features enhanced CPU, full HD display, and new audio system |
| AT-AT Walker | product | Mechanical toy feature in Star Wars; subject of primary design criticism for scale and shot logic |
| Sarlacc Pit | product | Playfield feature in Star Wars; accessed via drop target |
| Millennium Falcon | product | Playfield feature; hyperdrive escape mode via center jump ramp |
| Jedi Ball Save | product | Ball save feature; Kaneda criticizes the art representation of it |
| Death Star 2 | product | Multiball mode objective in Star Wars |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern's app/connectivity system for Star Wars integration |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Star Wars: Fall of the Empire visual design and aesthetics, Pricing and value perception for premium pinball machines, Mechanical design logic and playfield feature implementation, Competitive positioning: Stern vs. Spooky vs. other manufacturers
- **Secondary:** Licensing constraints and their impact on game presentation, Spike 3 platform capabilities and implementation, Limited Edition differentiation and appeal
- **Mentioned:** User interface and text display issues

### Sentiment

**Negative** (0.25) — Kaneda expresses significant disappointment with Star Wars across multiple dimensions: visual presentation, mechanical design, art quality, pricing, and overall wow factor. While acknowledging the game 'seems okay,' he does not recommend the Limited Edition and criticizes it unfavorably compared to competitor releases. His tone is frustrated and unconvinced.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Kaneda's negative reaction aligns with community commentary; multiple negative comments already appearing in live chat before detailed analysis (confidence: medium) — 'People are already saying all their negative comments' and 'first live reaction of Star Wars is exactly the commentary I've been hearing'
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern's visual presentation and craftsmanship perceived as falling behind Spooky (Evil Dead) and competitors on premium releases despite comparable or higher pricing (confidence: high) — 'after Harry Potter and how beautiful that game looks, what Spooky's putting into Evil Dead, I think these Stern machines are looking like they're not looking expensive enough for the amount of money they're charging'
- **[design_philosophy]** Multiple mechanical design choices criticized as incoherent: head elements appearing as disembodied shooter rod handles, scale inconsistency throughout playfield, ball save art showing literal pinball which feels lazy (confidence: high) — 'Vader and the Stormtrooper heads look like shooter rod handles just dropped in. Just bodyless.' and 'why didn't they just leave that—like why, why not have Yoda like—it looks like a picture of a pinball'
- **[design_philosophy]** AT-AT toy scale and shot logic criticized as mechanically illogical and undersized; design doesn't match thematic expectation from Empire Strikes Back scene (confidence: high) — Kaneda's detailed critique of AT-AT mechanic: 'It's too small... Why are you not going around its legs? It should have been bigger... Why are you looping it?'
- **[licensing_signal]** Star Wars theme song not fully utilized in promotional materials—only a 'weird version' of John Williams' iconic score presented (confidence: medium) — Kaneda notes: 'I feel like the licensing—they didn't have the theme song. It was like a weird version of it.'
- **[community_signal]** George Gomez and John Borg's presentation lacks enthusiasm; Kaneda criticizes lack of energy and emotional investment in the launch (confidence: medium) — 'John's not really the guy to get you excited, is he?... Not really—not really feeling the energy, Johnny. I'm not feeling the hype.'
- **[market_signal]** Limited Edition pricing ($13,000) perceived as misaligned with visual quality and feature set; comparison to Harry Potter and Evil Dead raises questions about Stern's cost/value proposition (confidence: high) — 'It just doesn't look like a $13,000 game' and 'I think at $8,500 that LE, we would look at it differently'
- **[product_concern]** Playfield artwork quality perceived as below premium tier standard; aesthetic described as 'cheap looking' and not justifying $13,000 price point (confidence: high) — 'The art is pretty bad, gang.' and 'It just seems too cheap looking. I'm just going to say it.'
- **[sentiment_shift]** No pre-existing positive sentiment to shift from; Kaneda intentionally avoided prior information to form authentic first impression, which was underwhelming (confidence: high) — 'I haven't—I'm not listening to what people are saying. I want to do my first impression authentic for everybody.'
- **[technology_signal]** Text display clipping issues observed in gameplay video; dialogue being cut off rather than showing full-screen scrolling as expected (confidence: high) — 'I don't like the text is cut off. It should be full screen when it's scrolling.'

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## Transcript

All right, we are live. We are live on Facebook. We are live on YouTube. I I this is not like me to be behind the pinball news like this because I terrible day. I I left my laptop where it wasn't supposed to be. I had to drive an hour. I've been in meetings, but I have a little window here. So, I'm quickly going to look uh at Star Wars for the first time. I haven't seen anything other than the blurry cabinet artwork. So, let me do this. Let me let me share this with everybody on Patreon. Share where I'm at. Copy this. Bring in the Patreon people. How's everybody doing? New pin day. Is everybody excited? Is everybody buying their lees? I'm trying. I haven't I'm not listening to what people are saying. I want to do my first impression authentic for everybody. Um, let me drop this into the community here that I'm live now. Let's get people here. And let me pull up YouTube and get the stern video. How's everybody doing? Here we go. Uh, let's see. Okay, hold on. I want to watch this live. Oh my god. I'm already I'm Don't Don't spoil it for me, guys. People are already saying all their negative comments. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Share screen. Okay. Move this down here. Look away. Look away. You guys are funny. We ready? Here we go. Hey everybody, it's George Gomez at Stern Pinball and we're here today in a galaxy not far away to launch you into the legendary Star Wars universe with our late game Star Wars Fall of the Empire. With its debut in 1977, Star Wars redefined pop culture and remains one of the most iconic and influential themes of all time. We're excited to bring Star Wars to a new generation of pinball players, taking them on an epic adventure to relive key parts of the Skywalker saga and save the galaxy once and for all. Fueled by our brand new Spike 3 technology, Stern Pinball Star Wars Fall, the Empire will have players returning to the story that started it all. Players will experience timeless Star Wars moments through a pinball adventure like none other. This next generation of Spike 3 technology features a robust enhanced CPU, allowing us to seamlessly integrate highquality film assets and custom animations that really highlight our new larger full HD display. Game assets, including John Williams iconic Star Wars score, sound amazing on our allnew audio system. And this is just the beginning of the Spike 3 platform. Over the course of the next year, you'll see an array of additional Spike 3 platform features that will continue to enhance performance and usability. In addition to the new technology, the game also highlights vibrant hand-drawn artwork. And now I'll hand it over to legendary game designer John Bour to take you through all of the exciting features in Star Wars: Fall of the Empire. May the force be with you. 

 Hi everybody, I'm lead game designer John Borg here to show you everything in our latest game, Star Wars Fall of the Empire. Players can take down the AT-AT by attaching their Jon Snow speededer's toe cable and shoot the spiral ramp to send it crashing down, mirroring the breathtaking scene from The Empire Strikes Back. Destroy the rebuilt Death Star 2 by lowering the shields. Dismantle the battle stations during Death Star Multiball in order to save the galaxy. Escape from Cloud City aboard the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive by hitting the center jump ramp to escape hyperspace. Take down the salacious crumb drop target to access the Sarak pit. Battle Stormtroopers and play through your favorite character modes and missions. 

 Use the Jedi ball phase to save your ball in your journey to defeat the Empire. 

 The Force is with us after all. 

 Oh dear, pinballs are everywhere. 

 Through the power of Insider Connected, players can explore and connect to the galaxy on a pinball adventure of a lifetime. Whether you're a Padawan or a Jedi Master, Star Wars Fall of the Empire is available in pro, premium, and limited edition models. Relive the legend, rewrite the fate of the galaxy. This is more than pinball. This is Star Wars: Fall of the Empire. Available now at sternpinball.com. Um, okay. okay. Um, John's not really the guy to get you excited, is he? I mean, damn, that was John. Uh, yeah. Not Not really not not really feeling the energy, Johnny. I'm not feeling the hype. Star Wars. I want to go home, mommy. I don't want to do 1137 podcasts about pinball. Um, let's see. I my my first reaction to Star Wars. Yeah, I I like I I feel like they didn't show much, you know, like the the clips that it's all in there, I'm sure, but I feel like the licensing, they didn't have the theme song. It was like a weird version of it. There wasn't really like a moment. Um, what I saw under the glass, like the adat falling down was fine. It's tiny. It's too small. It's too small. It's too small. I like the way it falls. It falls the way it does in the movie, but it's also makes no sense. Why is Why aren't you going around its legs? It should have been bigger. And there it should have been an orbit shot around the legs to make it fall. Why you looping it? Why is it looping around above it? Why is it looping around above it? Johnny. Johnny, you got to get the legs tied up, not the head. I I don't get the common sense. It's not even going like it needed to be bigger. It's like It's like Stonehenge from uh from Spinal Tap. It's like what is this? Is this a, you know, I I don't know. Um, and the Vader and the Stormtrooper heads look like shooter rod handles just dropped in. Just a headless, not a headless, bodyless. There's another teaser. Where's the other teaser? Put the link to it here. I I don't watch the other one. All right. So, put the link here. It's on Naps Arcade. Hold on. I don't I I don't know. Like, gang, it just doesn't look like $13,000 game. Like, I just I don't know what I I Harry Potter, man. much more impressive looking. I just the the blue man on the le. It's Star Wars. Um let's see. Official game trailer. Is this the one? That song is weird. It's like not the song you want. Let's watch this one. Then I got to go because I got to get Brenda the car. Let's see. We're saved. All right. Well, I um I I don't know. I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't know, Mommy. I don't know what I don't know. I just don't know. I'm in Star Wars. It It seems okay. It doesn't seem It doesn't seem spectacular. It It the playfield art doesn't seem great. It seems very It It seems too cheap looking. I'm just going to say it. It just seems too cheap for what they're charging. Again, I I think at 8,500 that Ellie, we look at it differently. I I just after Harry Potter and how beautiful that game looks, what Spooky's putting into Evil Dead, I I think these Stern machines are looking like they're looking like they're not looking expensive enough for the amount of money they're charging. And I think this game is going to I I don't I just don't feel like the Ellie is like wow. It's not wowing me. I don't I don't like the Ellie art to be honest. the blue with the like it just it just feels I get what they were going for. It's got that kind of like Kenner toys 1980s vibe going on with it, but it just doesn't just doesn't blow me away. I I it just feels like once you start putting just heads and and the scales wrong, you know, like I don't like scale being all over the place. Like I don't I don't know. I don't know. No. Um there just didn't seem like there was anything magical happening. The ball save's cool, but also with the ball save, I think it's kind of like why did they put a ball on the art? You know what I'm saying? It's like that's kind of lame. Like why didn't they just leave that yo like why why not have Yoda like like I I don't like having a an in it looks like a picture of a pinball where the ball save is happening. Is there like is there are there pictures anywhere Um, let me see. I'm looking at the art now. The art is pretty pretty bad, gang. I I like I like Jaba trapping the ball with his tail. What's this? There's a 27 minute. Here we go. Let's do this real quick. Then I got to run. This is game play. This will give us a better sense of a speaker panel. So again, you hear any audio clipping, it is what it is. I wasn't able to use their new HDMI out. Without further ado, let's get to the game play. jackpot. Super jackpot collected. A wonderful. 

 Oh dear, I can't look anymore. Knock is lit. Super skill shot completed. I'm like, what? How can I hear anybody talk? 

 He's got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him. 

 You take good care of Master Luke now. Understand? 

 And do take good care of yourself. Why is it cut off? 

 Do you junior? 

 All right, I've seen enough. I've seen enough. Um, okay. Um, I don't I don't like the text is cut off. It's It should be full screen when it's scrolling. Um, uh, I need to I need to I need to I need to run, gang. I'm going to watch some more gameplay. I'm going to do a show today when I get home. Um, I'm just going to say first live reaction of Star Wars is exactly the commentary I've been hearing is that it's it it looks okay. It doesn't look like it's mind-blowing and it looks like there's a lot going on. I know Stern the way Stern just does the assets. Lots happening. Uh, movie scrolls happening. I I'm don't I think there's a lot to be still put in the game. I bet they're still waiting on approval of like getting sign off on all the actors, but um I just I'm just not blown away. I'm just I got to be kid. I I don't feel like I'm like, "Oh, yeah, give me my Ali." Um not feeling that. Not feeling that yet. But I'm gonna go in the car. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna call some pimp heads as I drive back to Connecticut. But um yeah, first reaction to Star Wars is this the famous Retro Ralph. Ever see his videos? He was like, "Did Star Wars live up to the hype?" That's how I feel. Late everybody. Oh.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 13e596ef-8e2f-4775-89e2-e6ff8c0ccea9*