# SDTM: 2023 Pinball Review: The Best & The Worst

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2023-12-16  
**Duration:** 46m 3s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5_E5TGA7U

---

## Analysis

Straight Down the Middle reviews 2023 pinball games, awarding accolades for best and worst releases. Key winners include Foo Fighters (best shooting/design/rules), Pulp Fiction (best callouts/sound/music/topper), and Labyrinth (best theme integration). Worst performer was Chicago Gaming Company's delays on Cactus Canyon. Market experienced summer dip before Venom release due to supply chain recovery and new game competition.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Foo Fighters is the best-selling game of 2023 among releases that year — _Hosts debate best sellers and conclude Foo Fighters likely outsold others in 2023 releases, though they note Godzilla might have overall higher sales_
- [HIGH] Chicago Gaming Company's delays on Cactus Canyon have extended nearly a year since announcement in March, still incomplete — _Hosts discuss filming for Pulp Fiction feature in fall 2022, and Chicago Gaming announced they'd let Play Mechanics catch up; now almost a year later still making Cactus Canyon_
- [MEDIUM] Pulp Fiction pinball is the most sought-after pre-order product in the entire industry — _Hosts state this is 'probably the most sought after product pre-order in the industry' despite no animation or film cuts_
- [MEDIUM] Venom's Insider Connected system represents the closest pinball has come to video gaming mechanics — _Hosts note Venom's XP system, character leveling, and username carryover between home and location is 'the closest to gaming that we've ever seen in pinball'_
- [MEDIUM] James Bond 60th Anniversary is one of Stern's best multiplayer games of all time — _Host states 'it's one of Stern's best multiplayer games of all time' and describes it as 'like a pissed off The Beatles'_
- [HIGH] Galactic Tank Force had one of the worst launches and experienced airball issues at release — _Hosts detail poor launch with extended teasing, higher pricing, and specific mechanical issues including airballs and flawed code_
- [HIGH] The Shadow RGB plume topper sold more units than probably any topper previously sold by the hosts' operation — _Host states 'we've sold more of that topper than probably any topper we've sold in our' [life/operation]_
- [HIGH] Market experienced significant dip in summer 2023 just before Venom release due to supply chain recovery and new game competition — _Hosts detail market fluctuations, stating 'one of the deepest trenches of the market happened kind of in the summer of 2023 right before Venom came out'_

### Notable Quotes

> "this game almost shoots too well"
> — **Greg**, ~7:30
> _Describes Foo Fighters' exceptional shot geometry and accessibility; defines it as best shooting game of year_

> "it's like a pissed off The Beatles"
> — **Zach Sharp**, ~5:20
> _Characterizes James Bond 60th Anniversary's superior multiplayer experience compared to Beatles pinball_

> "this is [shit] this thing is a work of art this is one of the coolest ever cool as hell"
> — **Greg**, ~15:30
> _Immediate reaction to Pulp Fiction machine; captures hosts' surprise at retro throwback's effectiveness despite lack of animation_

> "it doesn't really miss just holistically just holistically said like what you were just naming like art"
> — **Greg**, ~3:15
> _Describes Scooby-Doo's comprehensive quality despite not winning individual art category_

> "you made a mistake I really did"
> — **Greg**, ~22:00
> _Host regrets not purchasing Pulp Fiction Limited Edition at $9,500 price point; reflects on market opportunity_

> "It is the closest to gaming that we've ever seen in pinball, and it is a step I think probably in the right direction"
> — **Zach Sharp**, ~48:15
> _Endorses Venom's Insider Connected system as innovative direction for pinball-video game integration_

> "they checked every launch box that they could"
> — **Greg**, ~52:00
> _Describes Barrels of Fun's execution on all fronts: design, layout, theme, toys, pricing, and showing complete game at Pinball Expo_

> "supply chain issues have have loosened and Stern in a new building they're cranking out games"
> — **Zach Sharp**, ~43:30
> _Confirms Stern's operational recovery and increased production capacity in 2023_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Zach Sharp | person | Co-host of SDTM; pinball community figure; provides market analysis and game evaluation |
| Greg Bone | person | Co-host of SDTM; became operator in 2023, running Bonehead Amusements LLC; emphasizes community roots |
| Keith Elwin | person | Stern Pinball game designer; led James Bond 60th Anniversary special edition; praised for design excellence |
| Jack Danger | person | First-time pinball designer; designed Foo Fighters for Stern Pinball with Keith Elwin on code |
| Jeremy Packer | person | Artist (Zombie Yeti); created artwork for Foo Fighters; recognized for art direction on multiple games |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Artist; awarded best artwork for Galactic Tank Force; also worked on The Godfather artwork |
| Eric Meucci | person | Jersey Jack Pinball designer; designed The Godfather with innovative wire form mechanics and power distribution |
| David Van Ness | person | Co-founder of Barrels of Fun; involved in successful Labyrinth launch as part of 'dream team' |
| Matt Scott | person | Spooky Pinball designer; part of Barrels of Fun team; recognized for code/design work |
| Mark Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer; designer of Pulp Fiction arcade game for Play Mechanics |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball veteran; worked with Mark Ritchie and Josh Sharp on Pulp Fiction for Play Mechanics |
| David Theal | person | Sound/music designer; created Pulp Fiction soundtrack after leaving Deep Root; licensed five music tracks |
| Dwight Sullivan | person | Stern Pinball designer; designed Barnyard alongside Jim Sullivan |
| Foo Fighters | game | 2023 Stern Pinball release; Jack Danger's first design; awarded best shooting, best design layout, best rules; best seller of 2023 releases |
| Pulp Fiction | game | Play Mechanics arcade game; most sought-after pre-order in industry; awarded best callouts, best sound/music, best topper; priced at $8,000-$9,500 |
| Labyrinth | game | Barrels of Fun release; awarded best theme integration; surprise hit of 2023; fully loaded single-tier model strategy |
| The Godfather | game | Jersey Jack Pinball 2023 release; themed pinball by Eric Meucci; priced at $112,000+ with eliminated standard model |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Spooky Pinball release; awarded best theme and best toys overall; kickoff game to 2023 season |
| Venom | game | Stern Pinball 2023 release; awarded innovation for Insider Connected system; XP-based character progression |
| Galactic Tank Force | game | American Pinball 2023 release; original theme; awarded best artwork; had worst launch with airball issues and poor reception |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer; released multiple 2023 titles; built new facility enabling increased production |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; released Scooby-Doo in 2023 |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Godfather; eliminated standard model entry level |
| Barrels of Fun | company | New manufacturer in 2023; released Labyrinth; assembled 'dream team' of designers; awarded biggest surprise of year |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer; experienced significant production delays on Cactus Canyon remake; criticized for extended timeline |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Best games of 2023, Worst releases and launches of 2023, Design awards and accolades, Market fluctuations and supply chain recovery, Innovation in pinball (Insider Connected system)
- **Secondary:** Pricing strategies and product tiers, Boutique vs major manufacturer competition, Greg Bone's transition to operator role

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Hosts are enthusiastic about 2023 releases overall, particularly Foo Fighters, Pulp Fiction, and Labyrinth. Critical of Chicago Gaming delays and Galactic Tank Force launch, but balanced with acknowledgment of game quality. Market dip discussion is analytical rather than negative. Overall tone is celebratory of strong year despite challenges.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Galactic Tank Force weak sales despite quality artwork and gameplay; original theme and pricing proved problematic for market adoption (confidence: high) — Hosts note 'nobody's buying it' and attribute to theme risk, pricing, and perception of 'porn campy' rather than fun campy; one of worst launches
- **[business_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball eliminated standard model tier, raising entry price to $112,000+ for The Godfather; combined with weak theme appeal hindered sales (confidence: high) — Hosts state entry level was $112,000 with CE at $155,000; note 'people are not begging for this theme and people are not begging for this price'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Strong enthusiasm for Pulp Fiction despite retro mechanical-only design; unexpected market reception validates risk-taking on original concept (confidence: high) — Hosts initially skeptical ('how is this going to go over') but upon playing confirm 'it went over with everyone the way it did us' and cite as best game contender
- **[community_signal]** Barrels of Fun's mystery teasing annoyed community initially; revealed 'dream team' composition shifted perception to 'biggest surprise of year' (confidence: medium) — Hosts note mystery company 'kind of annoyed people' but when dream team revealed with David Van Ness, Matt Scott, and others 'people loved it'
- **[market_signal]** Significant secondary market dip in summer 2023 driven by supply chain recovery, new game competition, and dealer inventory correction (confidence: high) — Hosts identify 'deepest trenches of the market happened kind of in the summer of 2023 right before Venom came out' affecting sales of games released after
- **[market_signal]** Supply chain recovery by late 2023 with Stern building new facility and eliminating dealer back orders; production capacity increased (confidence: high) — Hosts state 'dealers really have back orders now we have plenty of inventory now' and 'Stern in a new building they're cranking out games'
- **[personnel_signal]** David Theal returned to design after being 'imprisoned by Deep Root'; licensed five music tracks for Pulp Fiction at significant cost (confidence: medium) — Hosts note David Theal 'was imprisoned by deep root he couldn't get out and create he comes out' and designed Pulp Fiction soundtrack licensing
- **[market_signal]** Pulp Fiction priced at $8,000-$9,500 including topper; positioned as premium value vs competitors despite lack of animation/film footage (confidence: high) — Hosts state 'priced the thing at like $9,500 bucks for an Avatar Limited Edition with the topper' and note 'entry level $8,000 great job'
- **[announcement]** Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics officially confirmed as retro throwback with Tarantino requirement; no animations, all mechanical; priced at $8,000-$9,500 (confidence: high) — Hosts detail playing the machine at Play Mechanics, filming feature content, discussing topper design; game publicly shown and pre-orders actively taken
- **[product_strategy]** Chicago Gaming Company's Cactus Canyon remake delayed nearly one year from March 2023 announcement; still in production as of review recording (confidence: high) — Hosts note Play Mechanics filmed feature in fall 2022, Chicago announced March 2023, 'here we are almost a year later and they're still making Cactus Canyons'
- **[product_concern]** Galactic Tank Force experienced airball issues and flawed code at launch; some video assets show actors reading cue cards above lens (production quality issue) (confidence: medium) — Hosts mention 'came out with airballs uh code was kind of flaw' and note some actors' performances appear to involve reading cue cards
- **[technology_signal]** Venom's Insider Connected system represents significant innovation integrating video game mechanics (XP, character progression, username carryover) into pinball (confidence: high) — Hosts award innovation to Venom; describe system as 'closest to gaming that we've ever seen in pinball' with XP progression and character unlocking

---

## Transcript

all right let's kick this [Music] [ __ ] it's been a long year it's been a hard year it's been a big giant throbbing year it's been 2023 and this is straight down the middle with a year in [Music] review [Music] baby baby baby why you doing me hey what's going on everybody Zach and Greg we straight down the middle what are we going to do today Greg we are doing a year in review are we what year in review are we going 1979 no 202 not to be confused with a rear end review a rear end review we can do pretty good on that oh yeah that's a B+ ass right there that ass talking to me that's a I don't know I feel like that be a lot of A's that ass just Falls C minus ass right there you ever seen those big asses that like you think it'd be nice but it's just big old ass it's just it falls into the it's because it's just like fake some of them are they're fake they're fake you know who got a nice ass brother got a nice I can't even uh we get to review everything that came out uh that made us happy or that made us question or made us sad in 2023 few things made me cry did they no I don't think so I love pimble what we had at the end of like what was it 2022 they were coming out with spooky uh Scooby-Doo yeah Scooby Scooby-Doo where are you uh we both bought one we both really like that game I'm still getting into it I haven't had a lot of time to play Pinball this year sadly but uh but I still love the looks of that game I still love that they took a risk on that game and we won't get into it too much but it's worth mentioning that Scooby Scooby-Doo came out uh kind of January is December January is of to kickoff 2023 yes woo now as we're going through these videos Greg I I thought why don't we we we always say we're going to we talk about the best and the worst of the year and we'll we'll do that but why don't stamp it why don't we do a stamp on it you and I have agreed on certain categories whether they award-worthy categories that we can stamp as some of the best and worst of this year yes and I think Scooby-Doo deserves a couple stamps and that is best theme boom of 2023 we had a lot of themes we had Elton John yes we had Godfather we had Foo Fighters yeah Scooby-Doo's best theme how about that truly truly best theme and it's probably one of the best do we have theme migration on yeah but they didn't get that buty it's it's a I would definitely consider I would also consider art for Scooby-Doo I would consider art for scoobydoo oh it's beautiful beauti it really is but it didn't get art either but what it did get is best toys overall best toys you got moldings you got Scoobies that going up in a barrel you got the little bookcase the mystery machine that lights up I still love that magnets and stuff that's a cool upper play oh and the ball locks wire I still look at those ball locks on the the the bat ball lock the uh mystery machine that holds balls physically like there are so much cool toys in that game you know what I I don't like it it really encompasses a lot of it doesn't really miss just holistically just holistically said like what you were just naming like art it didn't get art but I can say like theme integration like Scooby kind of has like the animations are cool may not be the best of the year but might second or third yeah that's say but it encompasses maybe more than a lot of P again it's not the best it's one of the best all around best all around close yes okay I could I could argue that I can argue that let's move on though we had Stern Pinball they released the Cornerstone of James Bond by George Gomez earlier in 2022 but at the end of 2022 into 2023 Keith elwin was at the Helm of the special edition which was the James Bond 60th anniversary single level yes big old cost yes it was multiple multiple payments that was the only thing I heard negative about that game everybody that plays that game loves it they love it the shots are fantastic oh it shoots so good smooth it feels amazing it's awesome it is a great game it's expensive it is expensive it came with a Topper that I could argue is maybe the greatest topper of the year didn't get it with us but that topper was so uh with the LED lights and we hit the spinner like that thing was one of my favorites underrated very underrated topper heaviest topper heaviest topper that we've been shipping but uh that was a fun game it was a really fun game people were bummed out it didn't have animation or it didn't have a lot of the cuts no cuts from the movie and it would have been fine but honestly when you play it it's such an enjoyable game you don't miss it it's one of Stern's best multiplayer games of all time true of all time it's like a pissed off Beatles that's what we called it a I think it's way better than Beatles then the next game that came out was in the first like March marchie uh marchie everything came out remember all the big old all the manufacturers like we got a game we got a game we got a game we'll start with st Stern Pinball M expectations for Foo Fighters were low yeah they really were people heard Foo Fighters they thought yep I like the music but yes and then they showed the game this is Jack Danger first designed game yes and then it was uh Tel kly and team on code and everybody was anticipating that from Deadpool we love Deadpool right so what are we going to get in Fes then we saw the theme that they were going with was like this alien abduction hand Illustrated art by zomie Yeti [ __ ] this game is a hit it became a hit overnight yes that was a big hit um what I can say about Foo Fighters was that if we're stamping stuff MH I would stamp it with the greatest shooting game of the year this is the best shoot I could see that it is like this game i' I've said it on podcast and everything this game almost shoots too well yeah that that's an it almost shoots too well I I don't have a lot of time on it but what I have played of it it took me by surprise about how smooth all the shots are and how many shots it's not like a smooth shooting game where you got like you know a realistic like four major shots this has a ton of shots everywhere and every single one of them is smooth like the geometry is so nice and it's not just a fan layout no no it's very unique unique even the premi with that upper worked the right ramp is kind of steep but to get it to the upper play Work the upper play Field's fun uh that game is [ __ ] Dynamite that is a that is a great game the reason I said it almost shoots too well is because there are times when I'm playing it and I'm like a little too too good like what is going on it could be even the dead post that's a cool feature that bum I can see that that's a winner of a game so much so that we're stamping it with definitely best design layout shooter uh also best rules I think it's kind of Deadpool is where it is accessible going to the cities it is it's full uh there's no glaring holes it's not glitchy it is solid code uh and it's full and it's hard to get to the very end but it's it's manageable if you really work hard to get there and all around it's the best selling game of the year oh wow think of a different one think about it what's a better sell now I would argue that Godzilla still probably sold that's what I was but for what came out3 see yeah oh yeah I think it was the best seller I can see that I'd have to go back and do the numbers but uh yeah pretty much so so very approachable game so Stern Pinball killing it once again in 2020 great job and then uh P3 came out with final resistance Scott Danesi jumped over I heard good stuff I haven't got to get my hands on but I heard fun it's fun game it's easily their their best game it's brutal um it still has the Lim a of the P3 system I think that um I like brutal I like brutal too uh but I'm just still not sold on P3 the multimorphic P3 system uh there's things I just don't like about it it feels really dated to me at this point that operating system and it shouldn't it's supposed to be the future techn technological piece it's been around for a while now though it's been around for a long time it hasn't got any upgrades really so um I think final resistance would be even better in a regular on a regular wood play field a regular cabinet regular flippers I still like the thought I still don't mind the flippers I still like the thought of it I just I just need better just better animation I need more going on then jjp comes along and they release The Godfather now we teased that in our predictions episode and we said really Godfather now it was totally Godfather when it came out there was no question undeniably straight up Godfather it was everything Godfather was uh with even extra fun stuff the rules were awesome layout was awesome on it it hit a lot of the check boxes people love like everybody that's bought one that I've talked to they love it they love the depth of that code yeah they love the shots on there Eric tried a couple new things I like the mechs wise the way coming out of those wire forms the way that He adjusted the power to go to different things like he did a lot of really cool stuff that like I would like to see moving forward oh yeah um it was beautiful oh it was gorgeous it was gy I loved how beautifully gy it was but that's that's what that was like I did too I love the only thing again that threw me like I would have liked a more realistic sculpt for the gangster I didn't like the incorporation of doing like more of a cartoony guy but dude every everybody's talked great about that pin it was received very well yeah it was it really was sales weren't bad yeah sales weren't fantastic like G&R though but again it's one of those things like you go into it's still Godfather not a lot of people clamoring for theme wise it still hindered it a little bit but it was a good game it was really good game really good solid game a lot of people say also it's tough because they got rid of the standard model at jjp so the entry level was $112,000 to get into still pretty high and then the CE was $155,000 that's pretty high so you got a theme that it's people are not begging for this theme and people are not begging for this price yes that's that's it hurts it no matter how good the game is absolutely yeah and then uh I think we stamp them though we still give JP for to win uh the stamp for best animations and display that's some of the best work he's done still I'm Blown Away by that freaking the Mosaic like that stained glass beautiful Renditions of like the company workers that were the gangsters and stuff it's beautiful the cut sequences are beautiful uh we talked about ah Foo Fighters really made a push this year with animations that that was beautiful it was it's it's the level of detail though f fighters was amazing like it was very good but JP it it's just so different it's more elant it's more of this it's so hard they're very they're both very well done refined it's just so well done he's just a hard gu to beat so yeah they're they're taking home a best of from straight down the middle this year then we had play mechanics oh they make they make arcade they it's all Thrills they make arcade stuff but wild did they knock something they have Mark gie making arcade games so he came back with the help of Josh Sharpe George Petro who was a coder for B Williams in the past with you know working with Mark Ritchie and they create Pulp Fiction yes oh boy yep Pulp Fiction and they create a old retro throwback which Quinton Tarantino required and demanded if they were going to make a Pulp Fiction pinball machine and this thing still hasn't been made but still is probably the most sought after product pre-order uh in the industry and it's so crazy because you know when we first heard this we were like like man like how how is that going to go over like what is going they're doing a single level game there's going to be no kind no animations at all there's going to be numer yeah there's going to be nothing like how is this going to go over and then we go there and we work on that and we film it we did the feat do the feat for them and we're like this is [ __ ] this thing is a work of art this is one of the coolest ever cool as hell and then you're still though even leaving there you know we were like how is this going to be received because we knew we were sold on we got to play it we got to see it we spent the day with it we were all over there we heard the call outs we heard the music yes it was explained to us Topp yeah in absolute detail but how is this going to go over but it it went over with everyone the way it did US you see the difference though uh then if we're comparing to Godfather better theme more people want that theme stylistically cooler game and the price yeah signicant priced the thing at like 9500 bucks for an Le with the topper that Topp amazing insane and then entry level $8,000 great job on that topper we it's just got to be built yeah that is a that is a home run of the game that for me is in contention with Foo Fighters thus far for the best game of 2023 it really is but for right now we'll stamp it with a couple accolades including best Hopper is there is there a better topper Labyrinth topper was close Labyrinth topper is close this topper is damn cool it is so cool with the cars and the TW dancing it's it's a cool topper it's the best topper it is the greatest topper honestly all your spots I I was on the fence about buying one and I didn't get in on that LE yeah you made a mistake I did you made a mistake I really did but you're best friend's dealer so maybe we maybe we'll figure something out but we'll find one but uh yeah you made a mistake on that also uh getting awarded by straight down the middle Pulp Fiction is going to receive best call outs come on easily wow can like it has the greatest [ __ ] Royale with cheese it's got does he look like a [ __ ] it's got everything in it it's so good and the the accolades keep coming we gave it the best sound and music too David Thiel coming back he was he was did a great job imprisoned by deep route he couldn't get out and create he comes out and they get what probably cost more money to license the five music tracks in there than even the license of Pulp Fiction alone and it's all but it's worth it you got to have it you have to it the jungle boo yes the briefcase they got the [ __ ] in there man they got everything so good it deserves every one of those it deser I'm telling you it's hard it's hard to argue against that as best game of the year but great we can't just be positive we have the talked about having the worst of it can't be you butterflies and rainow and puppy FS it's got to be the worst one of the worst things in 2023 was the delays from Chicago gaming company we I mean we talked about it but we hit it even harder now like there's there's delays and then there's I'm I love the guys there but then there's cgc delays yeah I even think probably play mechanics at this point is like what the now think about it we filmed for that featurette it was in the fall yeah of 22 yeah it was a long time they had been making that game for like four years which is fine because they didn't announce it but they even said you know what we're going to let them catch up to Cactus Canyon we're going to wait to announce this in March hopefully they're caught up here we are almost a year later and they're still making Cactus Canyons love to see that do you think this makes play mechanics a little bit hesitant to to even dive into making a pinball machine again or with cgc again I would think how do how does it not yeah but they build good games okay they build such a solid game okay I know I know delay point you have to think to yourself maybe we cut back a little bit on whatever it's taking us so long to do yeah it might be one of those things exactly like maybe I'd rather repair a maybe you refine it and say hey we're limiting stuff a little more uh just from a production standpoint but man they build such a solid game and I think play mechanics is going to roll off of this uh hopefully they roll off of this with something else that that's really great and they're already working on something after the success of this game um so yeah I don't know that's one of I see what you're saying one of the worst this year they delays agre nobody likes delays that's rough cuz we don't even know what they'd come out with next year or this 2024 yeah cuz it's going to take so long yeah more we've discussed that before where's the code for Cactus Canyon I mean come on there all right let's talk about happier things American pinball they then came out with Galactic tank Force what you like an original theme look I like the game I selfishly for some reason I like this game I own this game I've heard people like it works for me it worked for no one else like no I mean I've still heard some good stuff people still like shooting it sure the people who own it the people who took a chance nobody's buying it no but that's what I'm saying the people that took a chance they like it they like it they like it they like it they like that corniness that goofiness I think what happened was it was a risk if we're talking about accolade it was one of the worst launches they had a really bad launch they kept teasing people for too long there was a peak of like interest and then they kept teasing kept teasing we just kept and then once they came out with it kind of a higher price it looked like a tank um it hit the corny level for some people in the wrong way mhm they didn't see it as a good campy they seen it as like a porn campy kind of thing they weren't really into it and then uh they didn't like like a single ramp they intolerant man I think the game's loaded it's got magnet use that I love they didn't like of Co stuff it came out with airballs uh code was kind of FL so but again it's one of those hard things when you go original theme like I I thought it was a I thought though that it was a I thought it was a very good I thought what to do an original theme they tried something new and I kind of like that I like where they went with it about kind of creating all their own video assets and doing all this stuff I mean that's what it kind of takes now a lot of video assets it is a lot of fun stuff to make and I I I don't know I kind of championed them in the direction they went I just it's still an original theme it's still tough to hire good enough actors that are going to be able do great like one of the actors it comes across this campy but in the wrong way and this is an example you can see them reading the Q cards above the lens but maybe not part of are you sure no there's nobody that's that deep into the rabbit hole meta wise that no no no all the puns the milk puns it's so weird cuz you love that game I do like it it's so bad I love the looks of it I like oh I love the way it looks it's gorgeous it's a neat pen uh so much so that we are stamping it so it had one of the worst launches you know what let's throw another worst had one of the worst additions that came out this whole money grabs a signature that was a little it like 25 it was a lenticular back glass for six grand more and a thermos a lunch box yeah you got to be a little careful with that no and I remember when it was coming out I was like guys no this isn't going to work don't do it don't do it if you had a license theme that was super strong didn't sell maybe get away with that they're still trying to push this thing it's not selling I like my le it folds down it looks like a tank it's awesome it's got the track it is super cool that's what I'm saying but it does deserve a best a best of the whole industry of last year and believe it or not one of most sought-after categories in my opinion uh it receives from straight down the middle the best artwork the artwork is fantastic that's Christoper franie taking an original artwork piece and that's the beauty of that game yeah it is the beauty it is gorgeous artistically even those tracks are artistic yeah even the shape of the head is Artistic the design again if if you take even the folding of it into a that's artart it's still part of the C it's still artay of like the the Playfield art is gorgeous are pretty everything on that game is it looks like it's old 50s space even the colors of like a s just not in your face it's not all blown out it's just not it's not too over the top so Christopher franie for best art from straight down the middle this year he's done some artwork this year in Godfather I think this is this is more unique this is better I won't say that I don't disagree right uh so best artwork even over zombie yet he did Venom we'll talk about zombie Yeti did Foo Fighters okay yeah f fighters was good Galactic tank force is still what stands out on that game f fighter is a tough It's a runner that's I think Venom it's hard to argue against Venom too Venom that's that's his wheelous beauti his wheelhouse he did great Rush accessories were then released finally that was on a Antonio Cruz ship so we got to see the topper that was a cool to is nice spin GE think Godzilla topper came out in 2023 pretty cool not I made a video and everybody wanted to buy it the little shadow the the plume oh the shadow is cool yeah the RGB plume that was cool they like $1,000 you're crazy we've sold more of that topper than probably any topper we've sold in our I like it it's okay it's not it doesn't blow me away but Toppers aren't Shadow oh actually I say that but Toppers he's got Toppers in all of his game I literally ever one them haggas then releases Centaur is it y Centaur r that was a and that's been a really good seller too I think people just like classic stuff and fathom mermaid Edition with the 2.0 code sold everybody they love the new code on that so they're looking forward to Centaur fath's a super amazingly beautiful game but I think Centaur is is striking in its own right and then if they have those little touches and they do everything with Centaur that's going to be an amazingly beautiful game too and they decided to drop the classic edition keep the the big Le Edition they call the Beast Edition but then they also added a model that's a very rare it's only they only making like 25 or 50 or Oblivion that's even it can do black and white play or color Playfield they got a big top all kind you get a leather jacket yeah some cool stuff there so uh haggas came out big this year but they didn't make too big of a splash they don't want to don't pay too much attention we're just going to keep our nose at the grindstone we're going to do what we does and they're catching up so things are going things are going really well great then we had speaking of hais Flipping Out pinball company the exclusive us dealer congratulations yay woohoo buy yourself a hagus pin ball machine they do make good they're solid games they are solid and then Greg becomes an operator so you became an operator this year 2023 ex how's that going it's going good you like it yeah I like it so far you're running like tournaments and [ __ ] and giving away like prizes yeah it's fun I enjoy it your own LLC bonehead amusements like what I get I feel so yeah logo is fun it's good uh yeah I like I like I like getting back to like my friends and people that I like I know you're yeah and like that that brings me back to like it h makes me feel like when I first got in pinball yeah you're at Zan bar you're so I love it I go there and I'll just sit there and have a beer and look at my own pins that's right there's nothing better no there's really I mean it's just like in the basement I knew you'd be an operator some like you just seem like Yeah The Roots the Roots and the Heart of the industry and the community and the hobby you're not yeah I mean it's got its thing but I mean I enjoy the hell out of it some exciting stuff in 2024 oh yeah oh bigger better bone always oh man Chrome it brass it black nickel it candy Chrome it powder coat it the possibilities are endless at pinball plating. your pinball machine deserves the best at Comet pinball you'll find the best variety of LED products with the best quality LEDs and and most importantly at the best price your collection is begging for an upgrade order yours now at Comet pinball.com [Music] we started seeing some Market fluctuations over the last year or so right the height of the we were up and then we came down a little bit I would say one of the the deepest trenches of the market happened kind of in the summer of 2023 right before Venom came out yeah right stuff started to really go downhill we and because not only just General market stuff we had all these new games coming out so people were vying and fighting for for products and dollars and uh that's going to affect anything coming after and secondary Market of people trying to sell stuff so we've seen a pretty big dip in the mark in3 it was Theon of catching up that was 2023 in Parts stern was able to catch up no dealers really have back orders now we have plenty of inventory now so uh supply chain issues have have loosened and Stern in a new building they're cranking out games everybody's able to crank out games uh but right before Venom comes out we see this dip which did affect the release and I think the sales thus far of Venom by stiring pinball which was next uh that was a Brian Eddy game with Dwight Sullivan our friends over there at Stern uh and sales sales weren't bad yeah it wasn't out the they weren't the typical Stern sales and I always argue it wasn't just it wasn't a Venom no it was it was the situation and I'm still hoping that that game comes back cuz it's it's still fun I like it a lot um and we got one on location that it's that's the only one that I go play there oh wow um is that one and I just I don't know man I really like what they did with The Insider connected I like leveling up I like I like the the team uh aspect of it to where that you can work together to to beat you know the different characters like it's not a mode based it's a different type it's very different and and once youed yeah once you wrap your mind around like it's it's a neat ass game it's got a lot of really unique cool stuff going for it that that no other games do yeah so like yeah man I like it a lot Venom it wasn't like the theme that's going to scream something like a Harry Potter a Jaws or anything like that but it's still popular strong po uh so much so one of the highlights that Venom had is going to get uh you know a nod from us in the best of 2023 and that was Innovation yeah it brought a different way to experience and play Pinball yes it really did especially with their new Insider connected you know system you take the mechs that changed the game literally change the game incorporate that with The Insider connect the leveling up the unlocking characters the the going from uh my username from home and I can go to I can go to your operation plug it in and I'm still carrying over I'm trying to defeat null at the end and that's XP it's XP it is the closest to gaming that we've ever seen in pinball and it is a step I think probably in the right direction I do too I like it a lot I want to see it go on on so there I don't think these people could argue that that had easily the most innovation of this year yes wow okay and then the newcomer hit us over the head comes out of nowhere barrels of fun oh yeah that's a barrel of a name yeah cool kids just call it barrels uh just call it barrels they started teasing things as mystery pinball company it kind of annoyed people and they were like what like another new company what's going to happen exactly but then we started hearing who was involved in this company David B wait a minute uh bone Kens wait I know bone K Eric PR key I love Rick and Morty wa Scott holy [ __ ] we had a dream team here and then all of a sudden they checked every launch day box that they could they showed the game they showed it in its entirety they killed the design the layout the theme immersion they had toys everywhere only one model they break through with their own type of uh system where they're saying one model fully loaded you can buy some accessories but this thing is fully loaded is an Le a really good price uh and they they blew it up and they had games at Expo in boxes ready to go and when people played it people loved it solid game solid GID G they didn't take the the glass out of the Expo games they brought 12 games didn't take them out but just a couple ball traps yep that's it yep that's insane like that's killed people were so surprised so this is the the biggest surprise of this year uh that we're saying biggest surprise of this year uh it also received easily easily best theme integration we were talking about Scooby Doo and stuff and that makes a good that makes a good argument but there is no world underglass like this David Bo Lain it looks like a little town like it's insanely impressive things are moving the worms popping up the fies are coming out they're they're they're cute they're Charming then you got Ludo lifting the building he's under there it's got magnets it's got diverters this thing is insane it is good and it's [ __ ] selling phenomenally phenomenally this thing is still selling I guarantee you today I'll get a sale of Labyrinth that's awesome unbelievable I would never thought it went over that well but we're going to have to go down there to Houston they're based out of Houston go visit barrels I love Texas let's go visit barrels maybe we do a feature maybe yeah and then Stern said look guys we like selling games too you guys like black and white Alva here's the blood red kiss Edition gorgeous wow now little controversy there these people thought wow I just bought a 40th anniversary for 20 something th000 why am I buying this and now this is this is only 13,000 yeah I'm on the like this has got glitter red throughout the whole thing it is a pretty this is gorgeous it's got the dagger the B dagger go watch the video that we have here on straight down the middle where I showcased an unboxing and and a lot of people are getting rid of their premiums to get this version they are we've seen that yeah and and Greg's says you know at times uh alvar's house of HSE is not the easiest Stern to to do to do work on uh you know but uh yes other than that it is gorgeous and it's a fun game yes and it's sold a lot better than I thought it would yes I didn't think it would sell that great I'm like do we really need another Al we just had 40th yeah I was kind of mixed on it so really it really I think I might have sold more at of this than Venom and and it it was only 500 units sold mhm that I sold a lot of that uh pinball Brothers said we might not have a game guys but we still have alien yeah and you guys have been one seor weav or even wanting Ripley to come back so you know what we paid the money yeah we not only got her back on the cabinet artwork we got her back in assets we have clips now audio clips video clips of Sigourney Weaver that's what everybody wanted I think that that really uh that pulled a lot of people in that initially didn't want the game yeah but it gave them what they wanted and now they're in it was uh plus they come out with this Ripley Edition and I would say this is a tie for best of bang of the buck for $ 7995 under $88,000 I own that that LV was beautiful this in pul fiction Le I like this it's hard not to buy these insanely cool looking game wow absolutely uh jjp says we're not done either we got two games out in the year we've always wanted to do that we got two games out in the year they kind of did that the year before but even more so this year Godfather here's Steve Ritchie with Elton John that's exciting what a dazzler of a game I was happy for them shoot like a dream you have not you I haven't got to play it yet you haven't got to play it no but I've heard I've heard it shoots great I should have brought one over yeah but I mean it's Steve did you expect did you really expect anything plus it's like one of the most colorful loudest flamboyant it really is beautiful pinball machines of all time you walk up to this thing it looks like a what they call the fart fari Crystal like it looks like it's just glittering oh my God and they got laser Toppers and stuff like it's so damn cool uh but it's Elton John yeah I like his music it's kind of like we were talking about in the other video If you haven't seen the the sneak peek in 2024 like Journey yeah I like their music don't need the pin yeah there's certain games that I just don't really care if it's a pinball machine or not maybe they should throw a ke on it then I'd like it Elton John and ke it shoots like a dream I probably will own one at some point just because it shoots it's butter it's butter what else in 2023 we did have oh I got to give we got to get the best of Elton John gets the best of lighting best lighting oh yeah I heard that is spectac oh but when's jjp not kill wow yeah absolutely uh stranger things gets another run yeah I think Stern knows how to deal with the market when the Market's going down they'll say fine we'll we'll just keep giving them what they've been asking for and that was we didn't have enough stranger things so they brought back the pro and the premium which have sold probably better than most cornerstones the damn thing is selling great well it was such a it was such a small run to begin with because it got it got crapped on so hard when it came out and then they were just like okay we're done with producing these like well we move on it was on the uptick and then so then that's one the secondary Market because there was a whole lot to be spoken for and then the pin gain gained you know immense popular Le were going for 20,000 yeah so and now I mean it makes sense to re to rerun those light cuz you just didn't produce a whole lot yeah absolutely one of my favorite games of all time I won't get rid of mine I love it but yeah they brought that back and people people have been buying the hell out of them nice surprise really nice surprise and the the property is still hot yeah it is and it's going to be even hotter when the new season comes out yes oh my gosh maybe we'll get a code update for that kind of stuff it would be uh Stern Pinball did The Insider connected the previous year it's been a phenomenal hit it's been huge for people and it's only going to get bigger and better with uh for operators for homeowners homeowner leaderboards playing against other people downloadable content it's all coming it's all going to be fantastic uh but this year it got even bigger with an app it got its own app this year everybody was wanting an app make it to where I can just log in I've got my QR code boom it's an app I don't want to have to log into the website on my phone that sucks yes they fixed it and it's working very very well good you'll you'll love it it's a lot especially as an operator you will love that and one of the coolest things to see is the growth grow of spooky pimble oh man they uh they're no Boutique no they're no Boutique they they get probably the second best themes in the entire industry uh here they come again they had Scooby-Do at the beginning of the year they've made over 1,500 of those damn things and now they're ready within a year to launch their next game it's impressive of what they can crank out like they they're taking me by surprise and at the end of 2023 here Greg they announced Looney what a classic theme and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre right in their wheelhouse of horror I love Texas Chainsaw I I don't think it's as it's an odd thing because I think that Looney Tunes may be a little stronger themed than Texas but man they're cool games like they are cool games and they just throw everything at that and again you talk about price you go back to the pricing like for what you get in those games the stern premium and you get fully loaded with topper powder co co armor yeah everything it's that toys that move interactive features magnets and this is unlike got yeah that's what I was going to say this is unlike anything they've ever made before shooting game four ramps like it's it's an insane it's got a lot going on and it is so lat in the year at this announcement that we haven't had time to dig in digging no uh but people are really liking these and they're really liking uh the the layout yeah the people were ready for a fast great lay from spooky L of repats and I think spooky spooky said look we can do it give us a chance we can do it people didn't think they could do it they proved it here yes I think they proved it plus here they are coming out with two games last time they did this Halloween Ultram man same rules same layout same stuff like that this time on these two games you might want to own both because they have different coding teams yes they're different coding games two different different inserts like they're different games all together that's super interesting uh and as we talk about our so I'm I'm interested in getting ours here in the next couple months oh yeah yeah yeah I'm want to I can't wait to one of each we we'll we'll bring you all kinds of stuff here straight in the middle so make sure to follow like And subscribe to that but uh one of the coolest things uh I don't know if they they might have seen this spooky pinballs still have something up their sleeve before the end of the year uh but one of the other cool things is that um looking back at straight down the middle of 2023 we were able to produce uh professional videos for we're still amateurs but uh professionals you know our own in our own uh we were able to work with three different manufacturers we started with Georgy Jack pinballs The Godfather we got to go up there and see our friends uh Eric Minor y Ken Cromwell Keith P. Johnson Joe there were the whole the whole crew was up there Marcy they're like family at this point absolutely so we got to do we got to do that that was that was a lot of fun it was we improved a scene that you you really shot a nice scene for that featurette uh with the the pallets and the warehouse and stuff that was our best backdrop for a damn you're good at that you're like a scene designer a set designer I'm run that production man you're good at production stuff equipment stuff throwing ideas throwing we're blessed to do that then we were blessed the fall before but it didn't get released uh pul fiction yep that was awesome to me a new team and petro and Mark Ritchie that was fun those guys were just pure fun amazing wom felt like the most professional thing that we've done where we come in we had plenty of time to work yes we gave it our all and I think that's probably today probably our best feature document I agree I agree and then we have to work with spooky another company we've not worked with yet not only for their featurettes this a big it was a overhaul we had two games to do two featur two Sizzle reels trailers that we had to do we had to crank you drove all the way up there I flew ran in a car drove another two hours to get two but they were friends so we wanted to be able to work with and they were so like theyit it was like we joked the entire time it's like friends just shooting some film it literally was there was no pressure it was just us hanging out you know we went back to to bug's house and we ate some dinner we did stre yeah streamed a little bit they they fully trusted us without yeah we had worked with us yeah we didn't Luke grilled a steak in the office but didn't bring us one like a SM like a rib ey which made it worse yeah like what are you trying to attct dudes like me and you were like SM damn man for like 2 hours he just like a ribey which was amazing amazing amazing time that that was one of my favorite that was was really good these viewers might see like man they didn't have as many videos this year mhm but we worked probably harder this year yes than we ever have we did so much production work and that's some of where our passion is sure it is bullshitting around with you guys I love that that's more fun than anything but it gives us more sense of purpose at times to be able to diversify and do all kinds of things uh and the relationships we've made along the way some of the stuff that we've already almost Inked to do in 2024 uh is fantastic and we've just learned like I I mentioned before me fun we we learned a lot this year and a lot of it was in some of our production stuff so like you know I think in 2024 you're going to see some better some better quality stuff thinking about all the work say it and 90% it rest on his shoulders and we will continue to work on uh our own feature film oh sorry short St short film what do you what [ __ ] feature film yeah we're going to work on that and it might not be too short long what else is 2023 well the the rest of it like we haven't got food fibers accessories that sucks that's one of the worst things when stiring pinball has a game out for so long we still get ter pumped about those accessories no accessories no accessories for Venom yet I know now birdie did tell me that the topper for Venom be on the lookout really be on the lookout that's going to help sell some games oh okay San likes flexing on his Toppers he brought Mandalorian holographic Topp that's an amazing topper Venom's not just going what I'm hearing and then the the the comeback award is James Bond the code has really turned around on James Bond I'm telling you what bond is one of my favorite games we knew that would happen I I hate this and I just don't want to spend the money on it but I told you like there's one Le that I've always wanted and it's Star Trek Le this is probably one of the only one oh nice I would freaking I would probably buy James Bond Deli if the price was a little cheaper cuz it's so pretty and I just dude that that game has floored me I love that game and I'm okay with a I'm not like not giant bond that air Bond think good them but like I like it enough that I love the game so much that like and it's just so pretty that teal works it does it's so gorgeous it kind of gets me gets me a little bit oh gets me so I don't know what's uh I don't know what's in store really for 2024 yet we're just jumping into it but that was your review of 2023 it was a hell of a year I think it was a better year than 2022 yeah and if the rumors are true about 202 came out bringing stranger things back all this other stuff yeah if these people could see what we have seen oh that they will be seeing in this year yeah things we just talk and what we've heard things we can't talk about well we could we would just not be in this industry we can go out the bank if want well that's right that's a that's a all right in the meantime all you got to do is follow like And subscribe do it for us do it right now you'll want to follow uh all the social medias all the YouTu Facebook enjoy I'm a little grey I'm a little grey follow like And subscribe to flipping out pinball go buy yourself a pinball machine too we've talked about a lot of them here in 2023 we've given designations on what's the best of this year stay away maybe from some of the worst but uh what the best is go buy yourself a pinball machine or accessory today at flipin out pinball.com or email me at Zack z a h flip the letter in out pinball.com when you open up your game if you have a little trouble email Greg Greg flippinout pimp.com is your El bye byee how it's not working fix fix fix fix fix fix you H it off with the bumper straight down the middle you had a with a slingshot you're [Applause] R oh did you see a they're releasing a trailer for Exel for I did see that you remember we did that like a whole episode that was so bad you got healthy go Aqua aqua iing love it s It's s s it's not Serge s this sounds like a cleaning oh my God Bronson Pichu yeah that's his name I love that guy yeah oh my gosh they need that he's coming back I yeah but I want that as a game a pinball machine I would take i% take a like I would oh my God okie dokie the Third I still like the third one I do too I love the H shell that is one of the few [ __ ] franchises that even though the third one took that weird turn it still wasn't it's still amazing that's one of the best trilogies ever whenever he's on that ride he's like jumping to save like so awesome dude you're underneath [ __ ] Wally World and they're making the the counterfeit money yes the Wally bucks that were supposed to be but they're M God it's actually great love it and it still had uh judge Ryan hold whatever I hope this one's good I am so pumped about it it won't be no but I'm still pumped about it I think

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 26e4e948-2a7a-4436-9dc5-37d7e4534ac8*