# I Played Led Zeppelin...

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2021-01-17  
**Duration:** 13m 44s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkJvaGz6qTI

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy reviews the Stern Led Zeppelin Pro pinball machine after playing it extensively. He criticizes the game for poor theme integration, describing it as "basically a Led Zeppelin jukebox with flippers," and highlights the removal of the upper flipper wire form ramp as a critical design flaw. While acknowledging good music and sound design, Hardy concludes the Pro model lacks value and satisfaction, predicting it will become a quick-flip game like Stranger Things.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The Led Zeppelin Pro is essentially a jukebox with flippers, with theme integration that is non-existent — _Core thesis of the review; stated directly multiple times throughout the video_
- [HIGH] The removal of the wire form ramp on the upper flipper shot is a critical design flaw that kills the game's satisfaction — _Emphasized repeatedly as the main mechanical complaint; Hardy calls it 'almost kills the game'_
- [HIGH] Stern claims the center ramp is accessible by all flippers, but it is not; Hardy tested this and barely made it halfway with the upper flipper — _Hardy directly tested the mechanic and states Stern is 'blatantly lying to customers'_
- [MEDIUM] The Heavy Metal Home Pin has more satisfying shots and mechanics than the Led Zeppelin Pro — _Direct comparison after playing both games at the same location_
- [MEDIUM] Led Zeppelin Pro will follow the pattern of Stranger Things as a quick-flip game — _Hardy's prediction based on theme vs. gameplay value assessment_
- [HIGH] The game's best feature is its sound design and the fact that Led Zeppelin music keeps playing even after you lose your ball — _Explicitly praised multiple times; also contributes to 'jukebox' criticism_

### Notable Quotes

> "I mean, it's basically a Led Zeppelin jukebox with flippers."
> — **Cary Hardy**, opening
> _Establishes the core criticism in a memorable one-liner_

> "The theme integration is pretty much non-existent. There is, like, seriously, this game could easily be stripped of all the artwork and the zeppelin and you could put anything else on top of it and you wouldn't know the difference."
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid-review
> _Directly articulates the main design criticism_

> "They should not have taken out that wire form for your upper flipper shot that almost kills the game."
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid-review
> _Identifies the specific mechanical flaw responsible for poor satisfaction_

> "You're pretty much blatantly lying to customers to the fans out there of your product by saying that it's accessible by all flippers."
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid-review
> _Strong accusation against Stern's marketing claims about the center ramp accessibility_

> "I felt like if I wanted a better Led Zeppelin experience then I could probably play almost any other game and put led zeppelin music into it like for better satisfaction on the shots at least."
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid-review
> _Summarizes the fundamental problem: the music is good but doesn't justify the game design_

> "If you had gave me a choice between Led Zeppelin Pro and any other home pin from Stern, I would choose the home pin version... I would turn the volume all the way down, and I would just play Led Zeppelin."
> — **Cary Hardy**, late-review
> _Damning comparison showing preference for other games over Led Zeppelin even with music turned off_

> "I see this being another Stranger Things... you'll play it if you buy it you'll play it for a good while and you're like all right i think i've had my fill and then you'll sell it."
> — **Cary Hardy**, conclusion
> _Predicts the game's market trajectory as a short-term keeper_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | YouTube pinball content creator and reviewer; played Led Zeppelin Pro extensively and provided detailed critical analysis |
| Led Zeppelin (game) | game | Stern Pinball title reviewed; Pro model; designed by Steve Ritchie; criticized for poor theme integration and stripped-down mechanics |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Led Zeppelin; criticized for mechanical design choices and misleading marketing claims about ramp accessibility |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Designer of Led Zeppelin; Hardy expresses disappointment because Ritchie is one of his favorite designers |
| Heavy Metal (game) | game | Home Pin title with same layout as Star Wars; compared favorably to Led Zeppelin Pro for shot satisfaction and mechanics |
| Star Wars (game) | game | Stern home pin referenced as comparison; Hardy would choose this over Led Zeppelin Pro |
| Stranger Things (game) | game | Referenced as historical precedent; game Hardy predicts Led Zeppelin will emulate as a quick-flip title |
| Judge Dredd | game | Game Hardy uses as example of customization with Led Zeppelin music via PinSound |
| Last Action Hero (game) | game | Another game Hardy modified with Led Zeppelin music via PinSound to enhance the experience |
| George Gomez | person | Designer credited with the Home Pin ball lock mechanic that Hardy praises in Heavy Metal |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Theme integration and aesthetic design, Mechanical design and playfield satisfaction, Pro vs Premium vs LE tier value proposition
- **Secondary:** Music and audio design in pinball, Game market lifecycle and flipping trends, Stern's marketing and design claims accuracy, Home Pin vs Pro comparative quality
- **Mentioned:** Steve Ritchie's design pedigree

### Sentiment

**Negative** (0.25) — Hardy is disappointed and critical throughout, though he acknowledges specific positive elements (sound design, music, combo mechanics). The overall assessment is that the game is not worth its price and lacks core satisfaction. Only positive sentiment reserved for music and audio production, not gameplay or theme execution.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Led Zeppelin Pro's theme integration fundamentally misaligned; artwork and theme could be replaced with any IP without affecting gameplay experience (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'this game could easily be stripped of all the artwork and the zeppelin and you could put anything else on top of it and you wouldn't know the difference'
- **[market_signal]** Led Zeppelin Pro predicted to follow Stranger Things pattern as quick-flip game with strong location appeal but limited home collector value (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'I see this being another Stranger Things' and 'I see it being great for location because that gives everyone a chance to play it'
- **[market_signal]** Led Zeppelin Pro priced at ~$6,000 but lacks value justification; Hardy questions whether just the license and music justify the cost (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'what am I getting in return for what I'm spending?' and 'instead of having to cop up the six grand for a machine'
- **[product_strategy]** Pro model stripped down significantly compared to Premium/LE; lack of middle mech and upper flipper wire form creates bare-bones experience (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'the pro is a pin, like a home pin, like the basic...four and a half grand model...stripped down, bare bones' and repeatedly emphasizes stripping
- **[product_concern]** Removal of upper flipper wire form ramp criticality impacts playfield ergonomics and satisfaction; center ramp accessibility claims appear inaccurate (confidence: high) — Hardy tested the mechanic and found the upper flipper cannot adequately access the center ramp; describes it as a critical flaw
- **[sentiment_shift]** Reassessment of Stern Home Pin quality relative to Pro; Hardy now views Home Pin (Star Wars, Heavy Metal) as superior to Led Zeppelin Pro (confidence: high) — Hardy stated initial skepticism about Star Wars Home Pin value, but after playing Led Zeppelin Pro, would choose it over Pro model

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## Transcript

I mean, it's basically a Led Zeppelin jukebox with Flippers Arcade. My God, Johnny Pinball. You need some LEDs. What's up guys welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball so if that sounds interesting to you then hit that subscribe button down below. Well I finally played Led Zeppelin and I want to talk about it and I was almost not even going to do a video I was like you know what let's just do maybe a podcast let me put out a podcast I haven't put out one in like three months it's been a while but like I was like yeah maybe I'll just a podcast and then i was like no i'm gonna do a video and i may do one solely on led zeppelin or i may do one that also incorporates the other games that i have yet to talk about in my videos when it comes to newer titles like for example um avengers Infinity Arcade quest and even Heavy Brewing metal so i may throw those into this video as well we're gonna see how long it pans out so what do i think about Led Zeppelin. This is the pro model, guys. I didn't play the premium. I don't even think so yet. But I have not played the LE. But I did play a lot on the pro. And it's one of those things where I have played games that I've had my thoughts and opinions about and I've been proven wrong. And then I've played games where it's even been worse. or it's just been basically confirmed. And by playing this game the way I have, it's confirmed on what my initial thoughts were, that the game shoots well, it's got plenty of flow to it, although one particular shot, not very much, and it's fun and everything. The theme integration is Papa Duke much non-existent. There is, like, seriously, this game could easily be stripped of all the artwork and the zeppelin and you could put anything else on top of it and you wouldn't know the difference that was my main thing is that i didn't feel like i was in a world of zeppelin or i was at even like a concert for zeppelin or anything like that the only thing that really gave it away that it was led zeppelin was the fact that it was playing led zeppelin music which honestly is what kind of kept me More Brewing Company entertained was the fact that it just had a real you know it had good music playing so i was constantly bobbing my head although i wasn't singing along as much as i was on the beatles machine which was just down the row but even my buddy that was with me was playing another game next to me but i found him also kind of just bobbing his head to the led zeppelin as i was playing it and the thing is is that i felt like this game was More Brewing Company of an interactive jukebox than American Pinball machine in a way because the game it shot you know i was i was going through the motions i was racking up the combos because that what this game seems like it it all about when it comes to your points is combo shots Combo I actually got the Grand Champion Arcade on combo but not the main score for whatever reason But I was racking up combos and just going through it. I love the sound effects. The sound effects, I've got to give a good shout out to that. That sounded good. Every time I hit that spinner, it just felt good. I'm like, yeah, it's got a good sound effect going to it. and that was probably the only satisfaction that i got playing the game was actually nailing that orbit that has the spinner and i'm still gonna harp on it guys they should not have taken out that wire form for your upper flipper shot that almost kills the game it almost kills the game because other than that spinner you're gonna get no satisfaction playing this game there is no shot that you make where you're like that just that just feels good you know or like oh i'm gonna do that again because on the pro model you hit that upper flipper shot and if you actually make it in there you hit it it comes just immediately out it's just like oh okay there is no there was no satisfaction to it whereas if i felt like if i was to hit that and that ball would hit the damn ramp and just wind right back to my flipper there would be a time of just like yeah I hit that shot and it would just make it so much Bob Betor. But due to the fact that there is no wire form there, no ramp, just a solid target that you hit, and then it comes out and hopefully doesn't go to your right out lane, that's what you got. Kills it. That upper flipper is designed to hit one thing and is that one target. and stern wants to continuously say that that center ramp is accessible by all Flippers Arcade it's not it's not i tried many times like i'm gonna hit it on just the tip of that flipper i'm gonna i'm just gonna try to get it up there and i got it like maybe halfway at one point and it don't say it's makeable don't even say it's accessible don't you're Papa Duke much blatantly lying to customers to the fans out there of your product by saying that it's accessible by all Flippers Arcade okay so it's one of those things and i don't think they're ever going to just say okay guys we made a mistake by saying that they're they're just going to go we're just going to pretend we didn't say that but i thought it was kind of funny that led zeppelin would continuously play even after you lost your ball so it was like the song would keep going after you lost your ball so you could actually hear a song all the way through if you so wish to or when your ball's in the shooter lane you could hit the flipper buttons 'bait and switch' (deceptive marketing) songs so that's what kind of led me even More Brewing Company down the line of it being a led zeppelin jukebox but i felt like if i wanted a Bob Betor led zeppelin experience then i could probably play almost any other game and put led zeppelin music into it like for Bob Betor satisfaction on the shots at least. So I'm doing a Judge Dredd mix. I could just, okay, let me just put some Led Zeppelin in there. I did that with my last action hero. I've got Led Zeppelin on that pin sound mix. Dynamite! And that really adds to it. The Led Zeppelin music and everything is really good for pinball. is just when it comes to theme integration with Led Zeppelin for this Game On Arcade the Pro model, it's not there. It almost seemed like the Pro is a pin, like a home pin, like the BASIC (vintage programming language used in early game code displays), you know, four and a half grand model for their machines. Like this has been stripped down, Bare Bones Bar, this is what you get. But the funny thing is, I walked mere few feet down the road and I played Heavy Brewing Metal, which is the same layout for their Star Wars Home Pin and stuff like that. And we know that the way the mechanics are in that game, there is no physical ball lock where it launches the ball out. No, the way it works, it's a brilliant design George Gomez (legendary Stern designer) did for the Home Pin thing, and it really honestly felt like there was much More Brewing Company in the Heavy Brewing Metal Home Pin than there was in this pro stern game that shouldn't feel that way but it did i felt like Heavy Brewing metal had so much More Brewing Company going for when it came to shots and just the way things were going in excitement wise in comparison to this led zeppelin pro this led zeppelin pro feels like it's stripped like to hell it's just Bare Bones Bar if anybody out there is getting a pro you've got to be just downright a led zeppelin fanatic and love it i do not foresee this being a Game On Arcade the pro i'm stressing this guys everything i'm talking about especially when it comes to negative about this game it's going to be pro let's just get that out of the way right now so i don't have to keep specifying it i have not played the one with the middle mech that comes out of the playfield I just don't think it's going to be a saving grace. It'll help, but I digress. I just don't see the value. I didn't feel the value. It wasn't there for me. And that's sad because I remember talking about Star Wars pen and the new Heavy Brewing metal and how the materials and stuff like that, I didn't see the value in it. But after playing the Led Zeppelin, I'm like, if you had gave me a choice between Led Zeppelin Pro and any other home pin from Stern, I would choose the home pin version. Like Star Wars, whether it be comic or whatever, that's what I would go with. I wouldn't go with the Led Zeppelin. I would go with the Star Wars, and then I would turn the volume all the way down, and I would just play Led Zeppelin and have a much Bob Betor time. I really don't think there's much More Brewing Company to explain. I'm trying to go through this game in my head, and there's not much to say. I mean, it sucks, because Richie's one of my favorite designers, guys. So, when this came out, and I played the pro, and it stripped down so much to where it like it almost it just like not worth it And that my main thing is that a lot of the times when I looking at a game pro premium or LE I looking at it like what am I getting in return for what I'm spending? And Innovative Concepts (ICE) Led Zeppelin and I'm like, it's not worth it. I mean like for what, just the license, just to have the artwork of Led Zeppelin on the side of a machine or on the play field or to hear their music. Like I said, I could easily have Led Zeppelin playing on any game or just playing in the background of my house if I wanted to, instead of having to cop up the six grand for a machine to do it for me. If you got your Led Zeppelin Pro, I hope you enjoy it. I hope it's everything that you thought it was going to be. But Innovative Concepts (ICE) this being another Stranger Things. and Innovative Concepts (ICE) it being a game that came out people were excited about then they play it and then they go maybe not it'll be a quick The Flip game you'll play it if you buy it you'll play it for a good while and you're like all right i think i've had my fill and then you'll sell it you'll get something else whatever's coming up next Innovative Concepts (ICE) it being great for location because that gives everyone a chance to play it, experience it, and not be essentially stuck with it. So in a nutshell, Led Zeppelin Pro, fast, fun, sounds good, got you a good head bob while you're playing, but not much satisfaction within the game. Theme integration, non-existent. And I honestly feel what could have saved the Pro model is that they would not have taken out that middle ramp with wire form shot. That was one thing that should have stayed in the pro hammer that in stone guys that was one thing that should not have been removed from the pro because you've stripped it so bare that it just it's definitely not worth it and that is my opinions on led zeppelin i want to take a moment and give a special thank you to my patreon supporters out there it's because of you guys that i'm able to actually put More Brewing Company mate/man into what I've got coming into the future when it comes to photography equipment, special tools, and stuff like that. That's all going into the channel, guys. So the mate/man that is supported to me by my Patreons is going directly back to you information-wise. So I've got a new soldering tool that's coming into play. I've got content for that to show you what I've done with that. I have also purchased all new toolbox equipment, and I'm going to be doing a video on that as well. I'm constantly on Amazon just looking through all kinds of things to help improve the production quality of what you will see in the future. That's all, guys. If you like what you've seen here, give me the thumbs up. And if you haven't already, hit that subscribe button. That way you can be notified of whenever I upload content for your gaming pleasure. Until next time, guys, peace out. We'll see you next time.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 26c4651c-12c8-413a-842f-c145fbfd87d9*