# Concord Open 2026 Women's: Final game 3/3 on Stern King Kong Prem. Streamed from The Flipper Room.

**Source:** DRI374  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2026-05-02  
**Duration:** 28m 26s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwq4-xzHe0

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## Analysis

Commentary from the final game (game 3/3) of the Concord Open 2026 Women's tournament, featuring competitive play on Stern King Kong Premium streamed from The Flipper Room. Commentators discuss game strategy, mechanics (gong, modes, multiball sequences), player performance, and venue/equipment observations during multiple players' turns.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] King Kong had launch parties and was featured in California Extreme's main finals the previous year — _Commentator discussing tournament history: 'I went to a number of launch parties for this game and then it was in California Extreme's main finals last year'_
- [HIGH] The gong mechanism on King Kong Premium is problematic and commentators would prefer it on virtual/Pro version — _Commentator: 'If I owned one of these, that gong would be on virtual, though. I really don't like the mechanism' and 'I prefer the pro. I don't like the gong'_
- [HIGH] King Kong has received multiple code updates since initial release — _Commentator: 'I haven't played this game in quite a while and there's been a couple of updates' with reference to new features like 'golden banana'_
- [HIGH] The physical lock on King Kong blocks the banana shot on Premium version — _Commentator: 'I don't like the physical lock is blocking the banana shot and stuff like that'_
- [MEDIUM] Motor World requires 2 billion points to clear (according to 'Mom's word') — _Commentator discussing scores: 'You need 2 billion on that, I heard. Yeah, that's [laughter] Mom's word on that.'_
- [MEDIUM] Stern games have been incorporating 'sneak in' features in recent releases — _Commentator: 'Stern really likes their sneak ins in the last few games' with reference to similar mechanics in Stranger Things_
- [HIGH] Keith Elwin games are known for decision-making depth for players — _Commentator: 'I know everybody talks about Keith Elwin games and the decision-making it gives players'_
- [HIGH] King Kong has 14 different banana variants to collect — _Commentator counting bananas: 'And there's 14 different ones of them. Kind of looks like it as well'_
- [HIGH] The Flipper Room venue is currently operational and hosting the Concord Open 2026 Women's tournament — _Video title and streaming context from The Flipper Room_

### Notable Quotes

> "If I owned one of these, that gong would be on virtual, though. I really don't like the mechanism."
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, mid-content
> _Direct critique of King Kong Premium's signature gong mechanic design choice_

> "It's absolutely fantastic. It's just there's so much to do in like I know everybody talks about Keith Elwin games and the decision-making it gives players"
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, mid-content
> _Praise for King Kong's strategic depth and comparison to Keith Elwin design philosophy_

> "This event is like pinball ADHD. There's so much stuff going on."
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, early-content
> _Meta-commentary on tournament pace and concurrent events creating distraction_

> "I remember when the game was announced and I kind of looked at it, you know, and I just praised that gong to, you know, it was the coolest mech ever to put in a pinball machine given the IP, right? But, then then when you play it's just like, 'I prefer the pro.'"
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, mid-content
> _Reflects evolution of opinion after actual gameplay experience with King Kong Premium_

> "Stern really likes their sneak ins in the last few games. Yeah, but it's it's just like, you know, putting it like putting a gate there is just like just messes with the ball trajectory"
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, mid-content
> _Technical critique of sneak-in mechanic implementation in recent Stern designs_

> "Banana banana banana Yeah, you're collecting bananas here now. That's the name of the game. And there's 14 different ones of them."
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, mid-content
> _Humorous reference to King Kong's banana collection mechanic_

> "Look how that kind of just came down there. Weehoo. Bonk. That was a warning, no tilt, but we went sideways."
> — **Commentator (unidentified)**, late-content
> _Real-time commentary on a dramatic nearly-tilted ball recovery (Lazarus)_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| King Kong | game | Stern Premium pinball machine being played in Concord Open 2026 Women's final |
| Stern | company | Manufacturer of King Kong Premium and recent Stern releases discussed (Stranger Things, Motor World) |
| Concord Open 2026 Women's | event | Tournament event streamed from The Flipper Room, final game 3/3 being analyzed |
| The Flipper Room | venue | Venue hosting Concord Open 2026 Women's tournament, location of stream |
| California Extreme | event | Tournament where King Kong was featured in main finals the previous year |
| Keith Elwin | person | Pinball designer referenced for decision-making depth in game design |
| Motor World | game | Pinball machine referenced with 2 billion point requirement mentioned |
| Stranger Things | game | Stern game referenced as having sneak-in mechanic similar to recent Stern releases |
| Avengers Infinity Quest | game | Game referenced for comparison to King Kong's stegosaurus encounter mode mechanic |
| Christie | person | Tournament player competing in Concord Open 2026 Women's final game |
| Linda | person | Tournament player competing in Concord Open 2026 Women's final game |
| Stephanie | person | Tournament player competing in Concord Open 2026 Women's final game |
| Jackie | person | Tournament player competing in Concord Open 2026 Women's final game |
| Jared | person | Tournament official/rules arbiter making calls during final game |

### Signals

- **[gameplay_signal]** King Kong offers multiple viable shot sequences and mode approaches, with commentators noting different player strategies observed at tournaments and discussing decision-making between aggressive/conservative plays (confidence: high) — Multiple shot strategies discussed (center to left feed, right bailout, gong shots, spider pit, banana collection) with observation that 'everybody had a different approach' at tournaments
- **[product_concern]** The physical gong mechanism on King Kong Premium is problematic for gameplay, blocking the banana shot and creating unwanted ball trajectories; commentators express strong preference for Pro version without gong (confidence: high) — Multiple direct quotes: 'If I owned one of these, that gong would be on virtual,' 'I don't like the physical lock is blocking the banana shot,' initial praise was misplaced after actual gameplay experience
- **[code_update]** King Kong has received multiple software updates since initial release, including new mechanics like 'golden banana' that commentators had not previously encountered (confidence: high) — Commentator: 'I haven't played this game in quite a while and there's been a couple of updates' with explicit reference to discovering 'golden banana' as a new feature
- **[design_innovation]** Stern has been incorporating 'sneak in' gate mechanics in recent game releases, but the design has technical issues with ball trajectory disruption (confidence: medium) — Commentator: 'Stern really likes their sneak ins in the last few games' with comparison to Stranger Things and critique that it 'messes with the ball trajectory'
- **[competitive_signal]** King Kong is a competitive tournament-caliber machine with high skill ceiling, generating diverse player strategies and repeated inclusion in tournament main events (confidence: high) — Referenced as featured in California Extreme main finals, commentary on launch parties, observation that 'everybody had a different approach' at tournaments
- **[gameplay_signal]** King Kong requires significant skill to execute modes effectively, with commentators noting the difficulty of managing multiballs and specific shot sequences, particularly on Premium version (confidence: high) — Repeated references to difficult saves, multiball management challenges, and gong-dependent mode stacking on Premium version
- **[event_signal]** Concord Open 2026 Women's tournament running with multiple simultaneous games, creating venue coordination complexity and spectator/commentary challenges (confidence: high) — Commentator describing 'pinball ADHD' and 'There's just too much going on every time there's a pinball event,' references to official ruling interruptions and venue staff managing flow
- **[venue_signal]** King Kong Premium at The Flipper Room shows variable rubber wear and maintenance state, particularly around center drain area and outlane protectors (confidence: medium) — Commentators noting 'looks like there's no rubber on the post,' questioning rubber removal, and observing that worn rubber affects save difficulty on center shots
- **[design_philosophy]** King Kong features complex multiball sequences with many variants (octopus insect, stegosaurus, biplanes, pterodactyl, train multiball, save Anne) creating strategic depth but also cognitive load (confidence: high) — Commentators discussing different multiball strategies, mode-specific rules, and admitting they don't know 'these multiballs good enough' despite high game familiarity

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## Transcript

Or doesn't, yeah. All right, last game here. Christie got herself in a very good position here. Oh, this game got the volume turned all the way up. All right, let's see how we play this out. I usually just knock down the drops here to kind of get my the main kind of free ball multiball kind of, you know, get a few locks in there and so I can get down to business with that. Oh, wow. That magnet. Oh, nice save. Oh, that ball wanted to drain in an outlane and wanted to drain immediately into the outlane. Oh, nice. Just pocketed in the right inlane there. Oh, well, the left inlane was the right lane of the three. All right, we're in uh we're in octopus insect multiball. Completely dry. There's no other thing going here. Add a ball is in. Shoot the spider pit. So, I think Okay, so there was another ball save on that. Nice save there, but could not manage to keep all three in play, but Yeah, with That should have been running with that mode. That would have been so nice. But, yeah, this is a premium. So, you kind of need to nail that gong with a vengeance to uh get anything started. Wow, that pit is really paying out somehow. Surely locks must be lit now. No, there's one more standup. One more drop. Save and That wouldn't be the mode I would play with the um on a premium with a gong. Excuse me? I know her. Okay. All right, so drop target completion. Yeah, so that I didn't quite follow all of what happened there, but Yeah, got a lot of work done there. I mean, we might see another pit. We might see another pit from Linda, who knows. [snorts] All right, so And this event is like pinball ADHD. There's so much stuff going on. Yeah, that's the that's the problem with these things. There's just too much going on every time there's a pinball event. Decisions, decisions. It looks like no rubber on the post, so I wouldn't be trusting that ever. Looks like there's a rubber, right? Yeah. Got to love this game. Yeah, it's great. I mean, it's it's absolutely fantastic. It's just There's just so much to do in like I know everybody talks about Keith Elwin games and the decision-making it gives players, but Yeah. Yeah. This one, I mean, we went I went to a number of launch parties for this game and then it was in California Extreme's main finals last year and it was just so fun watching and playing in those tournaments because everybody had a different approach. Yeah. Yeah, there's definitely a lot to to do on it. And it's kind of like what what kind of shots and returns are you kind of comfortable with and you can kind of adjust the strategy Yeah. to that. I love uh shooting the center to feed to the left. Um that bailout to the right is nice. That's a lucky save. All right. Oh, wow. Oh, it's going to it's [laughter] going to Oh, yeah. Yeah. He's just like, "I'm going to drain here. I've I've decided. This is my This is my drain." You know. Backhand through the gong. Good. Yeah, he's just like Congratulations. [laughter] If I owned one of these, that gong would be on virtual, though. I really don't like the mechanism. No, I don't either. I mean, I I remember when the game was announced and I kind of looked at it, you know, and I just praised that gong to, you know, it was the coolest mech ever to put in a pinball machine given the IP, right? But, then then when you play it's just like, "I prefer the pro. I don't like the gong, you know." And I don't like the physical lock is blocking the banana shot and stuff like that and you just But, yeah, nevertheless, fantastic game. So, this stegosaurus encounter, what what do you do on that? So, this is similar to the power gem in Avengers Infinity Quest, which I realize is silly to say cuz nobody plays that game. No, yeah. I doesn't say of lit shots and one of the shots is worth, I think, double, definitely more points. And that would be the faster the blue shot then, I guess, up to center here now. Oh, is the one here? Yeah. Oh, so you need to get it up in the So, you can you can shoot either of them to make progress, but if you want to do it quick and for the most points, you go for the faster blinking arrow. Oh, faster blinking. Okay, got you. A golden banana. What is a golden Is that new? Yeah, I haven't played this game in quite a while and there's been a couple of updates. And there's a nice safe lock. Got a free hit on the spider, it looked like there without the magnet causing havoc. Wow, look Did you see that shot? Yeah. Oh. that? Wow. Yeah, I I don't have any Yeah, I don't have any instant replay there, but that was beautiful. You kind of ricocheted off the left standup from the gong into the kind of, you know, the cavern shot there. That was mad. Seen some really good control play here. Mhm. Christie seems pretty uh confident in this game. Good nudge there. Oh my god, he got it back into play. Yes, let's go. So pretty. Yeah, I mean, all right. So, I think you know, at this point, you know, as I play Oh my god. Oh, see that? That's what we're talking about. Yeah, wow, what a reject. That's the worst thing I've seen. Never seen anything like it. Yeah. it, god damn scooping it back and just like, "Nah, [] it." Okay, so we got another lock there. Oh, we got a super secret skill shot on the plunge there. Oh my god. Nice. Is this game leaning right or what's the deal? These games these balls want to Oh, okay. Yeah, that's Nasty. That ball has been drained for the last 5 minutes. All all the It was definitely fighting it there. Great great ball though. Good progress on just about everything. Yeah. That is a Being at 54 million with that much progress set up is a Oh! Good place to be in ball two. Good kinetic satisfaction on that kink on the top back there. All right, we can do biplanes all day. That's that's fine. No? Yeah. Unorthodox. All right, two more in the pit there and we got some action. But, you kind of want to get the pterodactyl with the with the pit. That's my favorite. Yeah, I like that one as well. Um I don't know that I have a preference in the pit. I'm trying to remember which There's one of them and it's like stand-up focused. Oh, here we go. Oh, that's a warning. I thought that was Yeah, I was just like, "All right, so ready for multiball here." But, No, okay. Yeah. Banana banana banana Yeah, you're collecting bananas here now. [laughter] That's the name of the game. And there's 14 different ones of them. Kind of looks like it as well, so Yeah, it's just so brilliant. Such a good game. So fun. Stephanie needs to be careful. I think Was she on two warnings or one? There's definitely warnings here. So See a lot of movement in the game. From this POV. So, the giant Good sweep combo. Yeah, I don't know these multiballs good enough to know I'm in the stand. All right, we're out of it now anyway. Oh, got a sneak in there. Stern really likes their sneak ins in the last few games. Yeah, but it's it's just like, you know, putting it like putting a gate there is just like just messes with the ball trajectory and Yeah. And uh the ball gets kind of sat there, whatever, right? Stranger Things has that issue and I remember and yeah. I like the sneak ins. So, yeah, that's money right there in the biplanes going for the spinner cranking those switch hits. Come on, get another one. Oh, okay. So, we're going into No? It's a madhouse in here today. Yeah. Seeing a lot of uh friendly rollbacks from that center ramp. Every time that happens to me, it's down the middle. Oh oh oh, that's two. yeah yeah. The thing is, I was just waiting Wait, where's Like, did the tilt bob just fall out or what happened? But, it's there. Maybe she was deliberately countering, you know, the movement of it because yeah. But, that first warning was a long time ago, so you got to wonder if she remembers that it happened. Mhm. Oh! No, there it is. Yeah, there it is. I'm up on water world. I'll be back in a bit. All right, see you soon. Yeah, there it was that second All right, looks like Jackie needs one more bank for the train multiball or whatever they call it. Oh, nice. No. Oh, [] It sort of, you know, it was sort of saved and then it was not saved and you know. So, what does Christie have going here? All right, save Anne. And there's Oh my god. Yes, I guess save Anne is good to play with a multiball with the with the main multiball. You kind of get a everything is lit situation and shoot the gong when when there's opportunity. No no no. Oh my god. Good read on the left. Left lane there, but uh yeah. That is like really hard to save that when it gets into that center uh center kind of thing here, right? And just like because there's barely any rubber here. Like, there's like And they might have removed it as well. Now it looks like there's some rubber there. All right, that would probably ruin Yeah, that just ruined the Stephanie's dreams. Yeah, that would have been difficult to pull. Yeah, there's a lot of things going on here today. Jesus. All right, Linda G, you're up. Yeah, I'm not sure where what happened here. Okay, there she is. We're just jazzing with the soundtrack here. We only got three letters on King Kong. Oh, wow. Good skill shot there. Banana combo. Oh my god, Lazarus. What a Lazarus. We got a Lazarus. Look how that kind of just came down there. Weehoo. Bonk. That was a warning, no tilt, but we went sideways. All right, we got We got Bobby back. That's mediocre 300 million on Motor World. What are you going to do? Yeah, you need 2 billion on that, I heard. Yeah, that's [laughter] Mom's word on that. Jared, what's your secret, man? Okay, ball three. Stephanie in first, Linda Oh, no, I'm sorry. Christie had a good ball, too, I see. Oh, wait. Oh. So, where is Oh, it's a sling. The sling is firing. Are we going to correct that live or what? Feel like Garth and Wayne's World when Wayne storms off the set. Hi, chat. I'm having a good time. Not. Where's Michael's cold in action pinball button? Sounds like it might be play on. Oh, Jared's looking. All right, we got a ruling from Jared and it was inconsequential and play on. Yeah, they called the Where Where's my cold? I think it's my aux toggle. Yeah. I was looking for it. Yeah. Okay, well, it's qualified. I think it was qualified before. Oh, sh Oh, nice. No, it should be back in No. Man. Such [***] that was. All right, we got our winner. Jesus, walk-off on Kong. What a What a win. What a win. That was awesome. All right, I need to get ready for the kind of ceremony here and then see if I can catch some comments from our winner.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 36695824-99e1-415c-a8d3-00efed030f78*