# Straight Down The Middle: a pinball show Episode 7: This Month In Pinside

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2017-03-17  
**Duration:** 32m 9s  
**Beat:** Pinball

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

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## Analysis

Zach Sharpe and Greg from Straight Down the Middle podcast discuss recent pinball news including Magic Girl's problematic shipping (incomplete code, high secondary market prices up to $33k), Pinball Rockstar's Minions machine in development, Highway Pinball's Aliens shipping positively, and Pinside's new civility policy. They debate collector pricing, community discourse standards, and compare iconic Stern games.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Magic Girl machines from American Pinball/Zidware have shipped with incomplete code and assembly issues — _Zach Sharpe and Greg discussing shipped Magic Girl units; they reference Kaneda's Pinball Podcast videos showing mechanical issues_
- [HIGH] Magic Girl machines are selling on secondary market for $30,000-$33,000 — _Zach and Greg cite specific eBay sale near $30k and Pinside listing at $33k; both hosts discuss this extensively_
- [HIGH] John Popaduke collected over $1 million for Zidware and failed to deliver games before bankruptcy — _Hosts recount Zidware history: Popaduke promised three titles (Magic Girl, Alice in Wonderland, Zombie Return), took money, went bankrupt, then was hired by American Pinball_
- [MEDIUM] Approximately 19-25 Magic Girl units have shipped with some being prototypes — _Hosts debate exact number: 'there was like 19 and then something like maybe like four prototypes' vs '25'_
- [HIGH] Pinball Rockstar (Rotten Dam team) produces weekly updates on Minions machine every Friday — _Greg and Zach praise the team for consistent progress updates and transparent development process_
- [HIGH] Highway Pinball's Aliens was not fully functional at Pinball Expo but shipped with positive reception — _Hosts note mouth extension ball lock and scoops weren't working at Chicago expo; Zach says people getting it are 'loving it to death'_
- [HIGH] Pinside announced new civility policy removing users who aren't respectful and courteous — _Hosts discuss staff announcement about removing disruptive members; Greg supports the moderation approach_
- [MEDIUM] Ghostbusters Stern has deeper/more complex rules than Metallica Stern according to Zach — _Zach states 'with the shots, with the rules, it's a lot deeper game' but Greg immediately challenges this: 'It's definitely not deeper'_

### Notable Quotes

> "He took over a million dollars. It was a lot of money. And didn't produce any games."
> — **Greg**, ~4:20
> _Summarizes the Zidware/Popaduke financial collapse that has haunted the pinball community_

> "It's so Popaduke. It's beautiful. It's really Popaduke."
> — **Greg**, ~12:40
> _Encapsulates the community's complex feelings about Popaduke—acknowledging both the art quality and the dysfunction_

> "You're paying $30,000 for a bad pinball machine. Yes. But it's very rare."
> — **Zach and Greg (dialogue)**, ~9:50
> _Core tension in Magic Girl pricing debate: rarity vs. functionality and ethical concerns about profiting from victim sentiment_

> "I wouldn't buy that game. You would. I'm so tight."
> — **Greg (jokingly)**, ~14:00
> _Reveals personality difference in how they approach rare/expensive machines; establishes Zach as more acquisition-oriented_

> "It's a community, and most of all, to help each other with things."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, ~29:15
> _Articulates the vision for Pinside as supportive versus toxic; justifies moderation policy_

> "Just because something's rare doesn't make it collectible."
> — **Greg**, ~17:50
> _Philosophical challenge to the Magic Girl hype; draws parallel to undesirable rare games (Adams Familyland)_

> "It gets kind of old for me. I just feel like there's four different shots and you hit them multiple times."
> — **Greg**, ~54:30
> _Criticism of Metallica Stern's depth despite community reverence; controversial take on iconic game_

> "Metallica is like the Sam Stern game until Walking Dead came out."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, ~53:00
> _Establishes historical significance of Metallica in Stern's catalog before newer releases shifted consensus_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Zach Sharpe | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle podcast; pinball enthusiast and collector; owns/operates Flip N Out Pinball |
| Greg | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle podcast; provides color commentary and debate counterpoints on pinball market and games |
| John Popaduke | person | Pinball designer; founded Zidware, collected >$1M in preorders, went bankrupt without delivering; later hired by American Pinball to design Magic Girl; known for art quality despite business failures |
| Andrew | person | Head of Highway Pinball; handled Aliens production launch; praised for not rushing game despite pre-order pressure |
| David Teal | person | Composer/sound designer for Highway Pinball's Aliens; hosts described as 'music sound extraordinaire' |
| Kaneda | person | Content creator (Kaneda's Pinball Podcast); produced detailed Magic Girl videos showing mechanical/code issues; was banned from Pinside; runs popular pinball YouTube channel |
| Mick | person | Member of Pinball Rockstar (Rotten Dam team); involved in Minions pinball development |
| Robin | person | Pinside moderator praised for implementing civility policy |
| Zidware | company | Pinball company founded by John Popaduke; promised Magic Girl, Alice in Wonderland, and Zombie Return; collected >$1M in preorders, ceased operations/bankruptcy |
| American Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; hired Popaduke after Zidware failure; contracted to produce Magic Girl machines for original preorder holders; shipped incomplete units |
| Highway Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; producing Aliens machine; praised for quality manufacturing and not rushing production despite pre-order pressure |
| Pinball Rockstar | company | Homebrew/boutique pinball builder (Rotten Dam team); developing Minions-themed pinball machine; produces weekly Friday update videos |
| Flip N Out Pinball | company | Owned by Zach Sharpe; pinball distributor/retailer; produces Straight Down the Middle podcast and related content |
| Pinside | organization | Major online pinball community forum; recently implemented civility policy to reduce toxic behavior and personal attacks |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; games discussed include Ghostbusters, Metallica, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, and others being compared by hosts |
| Magic Girl | game | John Popaduke-designed pinball game; originally promised by Zidware; finally produced by American Pinball after Zidware bankruptcy; shipped with incomplete code and assembly; selling for $30k-$33k on secondary market |
| Aliens (Highway Pinball) | game | Highway Pinball's recently-shipped game based on Alien franchise; positive reception from owners; not fully functional at Pinball Expo but improved at shipping |
| Minions | game | In-development homebrew pinball machine by Pinball Rockstar (Rotten Dam); based on Minions IP; receiving weekly progress updates; praised for transparent development |
| Metallica | game | Stern Pinball machine; historically considered flagship title until Walking Dead; hosts debate its depth and accessibility versus Ghostbusters |
| Ghostbusters (Stern) | game | Stern Pinball machine; compared favorably by Zach for depth and linear mode-based design; hosts view as more accessible than Metallica |
| Walking Dead (Stern) | game | Stern Pinball machine; mentioned as competitor to Metallica for 'Stern flagship' status; part of game comparison discussions |
| Pinball Expo | event | Major pinball industry event in Chicago where Aliens was shown non-functional but received positively; hosts attended and played demo machines |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Pinball podcast produced by Flip N Out Pinball; hosted by Zach Sharpe and Greg; focuses on community news, game reviews, and industry discussion |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Magic Girl pricing and secondary market ethics, Zidware/John Popaduke bankruptcy and victim compensation, Pinside community moderation and civility policy
- **Secondary:** Pinball Rockstar Minions development transparency, Highway Pinball Aliens shipping and quality, Stern game comparison (Ghostbusters vs Metallica vs Walking Dead), Collector mentality and rare game preservation vs playability, Online forum culture and toxic behavior reduction

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Hosts express frustration with Magic Girl situation and community toxicity but are enthusiastic about Minions progress and Aliens reception. Tone oscillates between criticism and appreciation for different aspects of the community.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Zidware collected over $1 million in preorders, failed to deliver any games, went bankrupt, raising questions about manufacturer financial vetting and customer protection (confidence: high) — 'He took over a million dollars. It was a lot of money. And didn't produce any games.'
- **[community_signal]** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast creator was banned from Pinside despite producing well-regarded Magic Girl analysis; suggests moderation tensions around critical content (confidence: medium) — Hosts mention 'Kaneda... he got banned from Pinside' and acknowledge he 'created some videos' with 'really cool videos of it' showing playability issues
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pinside community expresses concerns about toxic discourse, price-shaming, and personal attacks on sellers; moderation team responding with civility enforcement (confidence: high) — Hosts discuss Pinside staff announcement requiring respectful behavior; cite examples of 'price police' and repetitive derogatory comments from specific users
- **[community_signal]** Pinball Rockstar's transparent weekly development updates on Minions machine garnering strong community appreciation and viewership despite homebrew/boutique status (confidence: high) — Hosts praise team for honesty, consistency, and fun atmosphere; Greg notes 'It's refreshing from all the other drama because this is just straight guys having fun'
- **[competitive_signal]** Game comparison threads on Pinside (Walking Dead vs Ghostbusters, Metallica vs Ghostbusters, Game of Thrones vs Walking Dead) reveal shifting community consensus on Stern flagship titles (confidence: medium) — Hosts note comparison threads are popular and opinions shift; Greg finds Metallica less deep than community narrative suggests, preferring Ghostbusters' linear design
- **[design_philosophy]** Ghostbusters Stern perceived as more accessible due to linear, mode-based structure; Metallica positioned as requiring deeper game knowledge despite historical reverence (confidence: medium) — Zach: 'I don't think Metallica is easy to understand to understand is what Ghostbusters is... Ghostbusters is very linear.' Greg agrees this affects player perception
- **[market_signal]** Magic Girl secondary market pricing (up to $33k) indicates strong collector FOMO/rarity premium despite game quality concerns and ethical issues around profiting from Zidware victims (confidence: high) — eBay sale 'close to $30,000' and Pinside listing at '$33,000 or best offer' cited; hosts debate whether rarity justifies price
- **[product_strategy]** Highway Pinball's Aliens experienced manufacturing delays and was incomplete at Pinball Expo (ball locks, scoops non-functional) but shipped with positive reception (confidence: high) — Hosts note 'wasn't fully working in Chicago' and 'mouth extension ball lock wasn't working. One of the scoops wasn't working' but owners are 'loving it to death'
- **[product_concern]** Magic Girl machines shipped with incomplete code, assembly issues, and non-functional components despite being delivered to customers (confidence: high) — Hosts reference Kaneda's videos showing machines that 'don't totally flip' and lack complete code; acknowledge components 'aren't put together real well'
- **[licensing_signal]** Aliens machine based on Alien franchise; hosts discuss Ripley character availability and new Alien Resurrection movie affecting game content (confidence: medium) — Hosts mention uncertainty about Ripley's prominence in game; reference new Alien movie coming out affecting IP landscape

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## Transcript

 You hit it off with a bumper, now you're straight down the middle again. Middle again. You had a fling with a slingshot, you're rolling out the alley again. I tried to cradle you with my flipper, it was all in vain. It was all in vain. Baby, baby, baby, why are you doing me wrong? What's happening, guys? It's Zach and Greg with Straight Down the Middle Pinball. This month, we get to do our This Month in Pinside discussion. Yes. Not a lot happened. We said that last time, didn't we? Yeah. The drama's toned down on some things. Some things. But we're going to start off with some drama. Are we? Some magic girls. Some magic girls. Magic girls. This is big drama for a lot of people. And with due reason. Yeah. A lot of people got screwed on that pin. We're not real in-depth on it. No, because we're newer guys. We are. And I remember when we first got into pinball, I followed some of the J-Pop stuff and everything that was going on. That and the whole Skit B thing with Predator and stuff, too. But I wasn't real into it, so we can't get real into that. We're talking more about Magic Girl being shipped. So the story, though, excuse me, guys. The story is J-Pop makes some terrific pinball machines. He no longer worked for Bally Williams and said, I'm going to make my own company called Zidware. Give me your money. I'll make you some pinball machines. Here's three titles that we're going to come out with. Magic Girl, Alice in Wonderland, and Ben Hex, Zombie Return from a... What is it? Zombie Adventureland or whatever. I can't remember what it was. It's not being made, so it really doesn't matter. So, he took over a million dollars. It was a lot of money. And didn't produce any games. Yeah. And people said, what the hell? And then he went bankrupt. And then American Pinball pops up. and says, we're making games, we're making Houdini, but we're hiring J-Pop to do it. And people are like, what the hell? The dude's still got my money. Yeah. We can't support you. And then they said, we'll make it right. We're going to make these magic girls for you. So they said they were going to have them done by December. They didn't have them done by December. But they've started to be shipped now. And there was something like 19 of them, I think. I thought there was 25. Well, there was like 19 and then something like maybe like four prototypes. Okay. Aren't they all prototypes? The way that people talk, they're not complete. Like definitely code's not complete. And some of the components on them just aren't put together and aren't real well. So the pin side thread is? It's just basically about them being shipped and that they are getting to people. and there's some for sale threads that are okay what some people are considering ridiculously priced and that's sort of what we're we're going to talk about with this well let's do it man yeah it's it's the prices man like there's one of them on uh somebody had told us at expo we won't name any names um let's do it let's name names i won't name names but that one of them on ebay had sold for close to $30,000. I'm not sure the whole transaction and how stuff happened, but it was close to $30,000 on there. There's one on Pennside that is listed for $33,000 or best offer. Might that be the same one? No, it wasn't the same one. This was a different guy. Some people are saying it's overpriced, it's terrible. There's a lot of argument on that. The thing with an overpriced game is it's just what somebody's going to pay for it. You can't say a game's overpriced if a collector wants it because it's a rarity, even though people got screwed. That's where my problem is. If it's a rare game and you're going to pay $33,000 do I think it's worth it? No. But if I had the money and I was a collector and I wanted rare stuff, by all means. And I'm not going to knock whoever would buy that. Are you not? No, man. What are they buying? Greg, for $30,000. A car is a car. You take a restored car. You take anything that you would spend stupid amounts of money on. Okay. It's all stupid amounts. Like what? Collector. Cars. Cars. You take any vintage cars. Okay, name one. I don't know my cars enough. A Ferrari? That's a collector's car? Okay. You take a Ferrari. I'm not going to name numbers or anything because I don't know enough what I'm talking about. But you take a Ferrari well into six figures. Okay. And you take a Z06 Corvette that you're going to get for $80,000 that is going to be comparable in 0 to 60 in time. To a Hyundai. A Hyundai, not a Hyundai. I like a Prius. Oh, I had a Prius. Oh, no. No, but you see what I'm saying? I don't because here's the problem, Greg. Your Ferrari is a Ferrari. Oh, okay. It is. Oh, it is. It is a terrible. is a terrible analogy. He walked right into it. I will agree. It doesn't play. It is very true. At least it's a high performance. But it's a collector's day. I'm just going to knock anybody that wants to spend the money on it. It's their money. I think... Let them do it. I will politely knock on you. I'll politely knock on you because I don't know what the hell you're paying for. And a lot of people agree with you. A lot of people agree with you. You're paying 30... Like, I'm not going to be a dick about it, but you're paying $30,000 for a... I don't want to say a box that lights up because that's what everybody says. But a possibly non-functioning game that has very little code. Yeah. You're paying $30,000 for a bad pinball machine. Yes. But it's very rare. It's very pretty. You have to give it that. You have got to give it that. I love it. It's so pretty. It is a pretty game. It's really nice. But you know why it's pretty? Because it's on Vietti. That's why it's pretty. Well, yes. And the other artist, I forgot your name out there. I apologize. but because of the art. But I'll never knock anybody for what they want to spend for a machine. It's just what happens. But I do have a problem with so many people getting screwed. That's the big thing? That's the big thing. And we don't want to go over that again. No, no, yes. And I just don't know how comfortable I would be buying that machine or even selling it, making a giant amount of profit off of it. I think I'd be all right with that. I wouldn't either. You got a dick again. just on somebody else's back knowing that their money went into that game they're still making the decision to buy the damn thing someone is yes yeah so why would you feel bad well not not the person i'm talking about people who actually did not get the game or the option that has put money in oh yeah when they were having the game created when they put down they're not giving a damn machine he didn't get paid for his work i don't even know what's going on with it What? Hey, you know what? The guy probably, is it Jeremy? He probably doesn't even want the damn thing anyway, but it's still nice to get it and at least recoup some of the costs. And it's honestly a subject that we don't know fully about that we can't comment on like we did some other stuff last month. Yeah. But it's a touchy thing, and we just want to bring it up because it's so fresh. How much would you pay for that machine? Right now. Right now? I wouldn't pay for it, anything for it. You would pay. I'm so tight. You see my games. You are tight. I'm not going to buy that game. How much would... I'm trying to think honestly. If I had the money... Because everything has a price to me. And I don't care how shitty a game is. If it's good value, I don't mind buying it. If I had the money and it was one of those things where I brought people in and I just wanted to flaunt it as... $10,000. If one came up... Let's say one... You wouldn't buy it for $10,000. No, you wouldn't. Why would you? Because it's worth more than $10,000. It's market, man. it all about the market It is worth it It worth it in what somebody else is going to pay for it and be able to turn around and sell it But as if you were going to buy it because you wanted that game We not talking about that I am, though. I'm not talking about that because it doesn't play. You said it yourself. It's a collectible. You're not buying it. We don't know how much it plays. At this point, people are being very secretive about it. You guys at this point have probably watched, what's Guy's name? He got banned from Pennside. Kaneda. Yes. Kaneda, he is a frisky little guy, isn't he? Yeah, a lot of people like him. Got a lot of energy, that guy. That's all I'll say. But he created some videos. He's got a pretty cool place, though. I like this. I like the little loft there. That's awesome. But it was. It was nice. He's got a cool English bulldog. Excuse me. But he had some really cool videos of it, and I very much appreciate the guy. He went in-depth. He showed what worked, what doesn't work. So it flips. Yeah. It just doesn't totally flip. And it doesn't have the code. Well, and what's the quality going to be with it being kind of thrown together and even the code? And what's the chances of somebody actually stepping up and writing code? How pretty is it, Greg? It's beautiful. It's really pretty. It's an awesome game. It is really pretty. I hate to say it. But if we're talking about it being a collectible, $10,000. I mean, if it was a collectible and you thought that it was going to actually gain money and that was your goal, oh, easily. I don't think you buy that game with it being any other goal. I think so, to show off. You want to bring people in. If you've got a high-dollar collection and you've got that money, then to me, I would be like, listen to me. You love pinball, Zach. Yeah, you're right. Come here. Look at what I've got. And you're going to be wowed by it. I'm going to say how much of a shit game it is. You dumbass. You bought a magic girl. You are, but you're still going to look at it and you're still going to be like. I'm going to be like, that's cool, man. And then I'm going to leave it as a magic girl. Dude, he bought a magic girl. You are, but you're still going to love it. All right, so it's a beautiful game. I thought it looked like it flipped, kind of, but there's so much stuff on it that doesn't make sense. Yeah. So to each their own, man. If somebody wants to spend $33,000 on it, let them. Sure. Yeah, it's whatever. It's whatever. It's a rare game, but a lot of people got hurt. Just because something's rare doesn't make it collectible. No, that's very true. I mean, look at pinballs in general, man. Some of them. Look at Adam's statement. Look how much Adam's. You don't want that. Well, no. I mean, I'm just talking about the same thing. Nobody wants a disease. Just because it's rare, it doesn't make it collectible. I don't wear gloves or anything like that. You do. You're lucky I ain't playing pinball on gloves. You do. I've got my shoes off right now. The Cassaday Gray. Keeping it sterile. That's right. Keeping it sterile. I'm going to Clorox all my machines after Zach leaves. Oh, man. I do have a cough right now. All right. So, Magic Girl, what else do we want to hit on this damn thing? It's pretty, but nobody's going to buy it. No. No. Well, yeah. I think people are going to buy it. If you owned it, would you let people play it? No. No. You wouldn't? No. Hell no. Because I'd be scared to death to think it'd break. I don't like to play my games. How do you guys feel about that? Do you guys ever... Do you know collectors out there that have games that they don't want you playing? I'd be hard pressed if I had like a HEP restored machine that I paid a ton of money for. It'd be hard to play. I would have a hard time playing it. I know you would. So I mean I don't know if I'd ever You know I have owned games in the past that the reason I got rid of it. This is no bullshit. The reason I got rid of it is because it was a bit too nice. Oh! I bought a Star Trek from Zach. I loved that game. I put 200 plays on that game in a short amount of time. But I was literally terrified. Just because of Home You Sold I mean it was a brand new game. Yes it was beautiful it was basically a brand new game and I was terrified of putting a scratch on that game or something to add to it. It's like we talked before. I love nice games. I want nice games but I don't know if I can deal with doing the box nice games because I can. I love them. I'm scared to death of my kids. I love them. Putting a scratch on it or me doing something to it. I mean I'll cry but I still love it. I'm too tight with the dollars. I feel that way sometimes about Bally Williams games though. Yeah. And it's not because they're too nice. It's because it's like, oh crap, I keep playing this. I know something's 20 plus years old. Something's going to go out. Yeah. It's scary. Or something that's got a rare piece to it. And that's the way I think it is with Magic. Like that motor's never going to get refixed if it breaks. Yeah. And nobody knows how good the quality is right now. $10,000. I think I might buy it. You would. I think I might. But I wouldn't keep it. I'd buy it and try to make some money off of it. I know you would. I'm sorry. That's not very nice, but yeah, $10,000. So Magic Girl is being shipped. You guys will continue to see the drama unfold on Penn's side. It's going to be ugly. But to a better note, I love this. I follow this every week, and I think more people are. And I think there's a lot of people that follow it that just don't post. They don't talk about it. So I don't think the guys know how popular they are. the Minions pinball that's being built, man, from Pinball Rockstar. Those guys are fantastic. That's a cool game. That's a cool looking game. It is. And that is something, man. But who is it? Do you have the name of the guy? Pinball Rockstar? Mick. I know one of them is Mick. Rotten Dam? They're Rotten Dam. Rotter Dam. Rotter Dam. Okay. Overseas. Overseas, yes. And I love the guys, man. They get together on a Friday. They hang out. they got it's almost like like a like a biker game like they got like a clubhouse yeah it looks like but they've got a bunch of pins in there ghostbusters they got kind of stuff and they literally drink a few beers yeah play pinball work on minions for a little bit play some more pinball why minions why minions i think minions are hilarious as hell like i think they're funny okay i love me in the dirty little ornery like little funny thing you window don't talk yes They're hilarious. But their machine. That's a lot of time to be put on a Minions. It is a lot of time, man. But it's looking good. There are a few things that could be polished here and there. But, damn it, I could not. The undertaking that they have taken, like, is beyond. It's really cool. It is fantastic. You guys have done a great job if you're out there watching. You guys have. And you guys seem like awesome guys. So they do updates every Friday. They do updates every Friday. Yep. their time difference is a little different from ours. I don't know what it is. But it's still, it's every Friday, man. And if you guys haven't checked it out, if somebody's on Penn site and you have not checked out the Minion guys. Weekly update. Look at that. Because it's cool seeing their progress, man. And the innovativeness that they're doing to make things happen. And what they pulled from this game and that game. Dude, I just love it. It's refreshing from all the other drama because this is just straight guys having fun, doing what they love. And it's... We should make a pinball. machine, Greg? No. No, we shouldn't. No. We could. We'd like to. We wanted to do a Goonies pinball. Oh, man. But I don't want to mess it up. No, yeah. I want somebody to come out with it so I can just pay a lot of money. Yeah, and that's the great thing about the Minions, Rockstar. These guys are like, yeah, we messed it up. Yeah, we're going to do another piece. Who cares? But they're doing such a good job. They are. It's a great looking machine, man. The head of it looks fantastic. So check those guys out. And so the next thing we got, another game being shipped, but there's, there seemed to be a lot of drama around this is a alien, alien, aliens. I was in ball. Guys are getting it in. People are loving it. People are loving it. And, uh, I think it's gorgeous, man. Uh, I'm not completely sold on the head and the way the cabinet, I love the idea of the interchangeable playfield stuff, because again, I've got stairs. I would love to be able to just grab a playfield, go, you know, sell it to Zach and just literally pull it out and carry it up my stairs put it in the back of my car and send it to Zach man Like it would be That be cool It be fantastic then hauling a big 350 pinball machine up So I do like where they're going. Do you like the theme? Oh, I love the theme. Do you? I love it. I think it was emotional. Love the theme. I love it, man. I'm a big Alien fan. Prometheus, all that. I love the Alien franchise. They're coming out with a new game, Alien Resurgence, or Alien Resurrection. There's a new movie. The new movie. Insert an adjective. Yeah, there's something. I love it, but I don't follow it like I should. But, man, yeah. I'm okay with Alien. I'm okay. Where's Ripley at, though? I would like to... You know, I don't know. I don't know how much Ripley's there. I didn't get to mess with him. You got to play it a little bit at the Chicago Expo. How was that? Excuse me. Was it all you thought it would be? It wasn't fully working in Chicago. Yeah, it just wasn't fully working. I loved it, though, when I played it there. The shots were really cool. The layout was really cool. The art package was really cool. I can't wait to play more of it. At that time, the mouth extension ball lock wasn't working. One of the scoops wasn't working, so they had that down. But I gave them a lot of credit for bringing it out there and saying, you know what, you guys? It's not complete. It's not fully functioning right now. But people were wanting it. Yeah, but you guys want it. We want to show you it. And I think Andrew at Highway has been doing a really good job because pre-order owners have been getting really antsy, rightfully so. But they weren't going to rush a game, it seems. That's right. It seemed like they were doing the right thing by keeping the game. And a lot of owners say that. They're like, take your time, Andrew. Just make this thing right. Yeah. So he's been doing real – I think it has been a very smooth manufacturing transition. I think so. Yeah. I agree. The game was a lot of fun, though, and I'm looking forward to it. It seems, like you said, it's like a – The people who are getting it are loving it to death. And here's the thing about it. It's different, though. They've said that it feels different, but in a good way. Highway's machine itself, like full throttle, when you look at it in pictures, you think, it doesn't look as nice as other pinball manufacturers. Just the cabinet, the head and stuff. But honestly, once you guys see it in real life, it looks cool. It's really well made. It feels really good. I was going to say, I've heard that they feel solid. Yeah, there's no problem. Everything feels good about it. No problem. I heard the light-up, I think side blades on there light up. Those are a really cool feature, as well as the lit panels on the sides. Yeah. And some people knock the trim, the benzel or whatever, around the glass. Yeah. With it being so thick. No, that's cool. But I heard you don't think anything about it. No, I promise you it's cool. I heard you don't notice nothing. It's really cool. Yeah. I like that. That's nice. So, Alien, I'm really looking forward to that game. I don't. And David Thiel, I apologize. I think he did the music and the sounds, and he's the music sound extraordinaire. So it sounds like it's going to be a really integrative game. Yeah, I agree. So those are being shipped. People are getting them. No smack talk here. Oh, no. Just good stuff. All good. Happiness in those. All good stuff. So speaking of smack talk, there was a thing released on. Is it shit talk now? No, not for me. But a thing released on Pinside. They want you guys to be nicer to each other. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the staff announcement. Yes. And if you're not courteous and respectful of other people, then they're going to boot you from Pennside. And I honestly think that's a good thing, man. I know that they've caught some flack from certain people. But, you know, I think some people are really hesitant to post some things on there to ask a question that they feel stupid about. And I feel that Pennside's changed a bit from when I got on there a year ago the first time. People did seem a little more helpful. when I answer your questions, and it seemed like it turned in some aspects into other forums, where you ask a question and it's like, well, why don't you do search? Why don't you look for this? And some people should, but some things may be... Read earlier in the thread. Exactly. It's like, oh, 22,000 freaking posts. Like, I'm not going to find what I'm looking for. Would you please just answer my lighting question or something? And that's what I feel Pennside's for, man. It's a community, and most of all, to help each other with things. And I think some people are scared to post or ask a question because they're scared of the feedback they're going to get from some Pennside members. And even sometimes posting games, man. There's so much razzing from the price police and everything. That does get on my nerves. It does me too. Just again, like back with the Magic Girl thing, man. Let people post it. People are only going to pay for a game what they feel it's worth. Hold up. I'll play the devil's advocate here. Why do we have the right to tell them what the hell to post? Like, if they have an issue with it, why can't they post that they've got an issue with the price? Well, they can, but then it's just somebody else. They're giving somebody else, they're saying, heads up, dude, don't pay for this. Like a newbie, don't pay for this crap. That ain't worth it. It's a very double-edged sword because it's like, oh, that's not worth it. But then again, some of the games are nice. I mean, you take like your Star Trek you had. We're going to talk about that again. We're going to bring it up again. Next gen, yeah. People talk about, oh, I can't believe they're going for that price. Are you serious they're going for that price? But that was a damn nice game. It was like a one-off. Yeah, but what about the games that they do not sell for that? They do not sell for $2,000 more than that. I almost in a sense feel that if you're found Pennside and you're on Pennside, you know enough about pinball machines. Really? I could be wrong. I think you somewhat know enough. I think that you have been burned once or twice by a retail place and maybe paid retail price. I think if you've stumbled upon Pennside, you might know. Why can't there be dicks on Pennside? There can't be. It's just not cohesive. It's not. What is Pennside? I think it's a community for people that love this and find help. And I think that when you've got people. But what else is it? I think it's also entertainment. It is entertainment to a lot of people. Okay, and entertainment. cannot be my little pony all the time. But I think entertainment for those certain people is not what Pinside's meant to be. I think it's literally meant to be a community where I go ask for a problem. I completely agree. But I think people do treat it as their entertainment. I think they deliberately go on there. They're sounding more than they want attention. They stir up shit to get attention, to be able to have something to do and post. It's like people who do pinball shows, right? It is like us. They need some attention. But, you know, I don't want to post a game. This is my problem. I don't want to post a game and have to defend that game or that post and spend every 30 minutes checking it, defending myself, writing a damn novel. Why is it they're always great? There's always that one guy, that one crappy post is fine. All right, dude, back off. Here he is again. He's posting again. And that's the kind of playoff I think they're targeting. I don't really necessarily think fully there's something wrong with saying, hey, man, that game's a little overpriced. Because there's a lot of games I want to jump on and be like, are you serious? But sarcasm is fun. Sarcasm is entertaining. Some sarcasm, but I think there's a difference between some sarcasm and just being a straight ass about something. Who gets to be the judge then? That's what's hard. That's what's going to be difficult about it. But I agree with what's going on, that they are trying to put an end to it and bring more community. I think it's great. I do too. So good job, Robin, everybody. All the moderators. Exactly. Yeah, there are some pin-side dicks on there. Oh, man. Some of them are very constant. I think that's the one they're going after is the ones who are on multiple threads. The things that hurt me at a deeper level is racist comments, prejudiced comments. Oh, easily. But I don't think they're allowing any of that to go on now. no now they not but I seen the posting is just pretty atrocious oh no yeah Come on guys Don personally attack people It not right I don like the ugly, ugly stuff, but if you want to be a smart... I like smart-asses. I'm kind of a smart-ass myself. But there's a difference between us being smart-asses and razzing people. I mean, again, that's why I like with the mod thing that we discussed. We didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. When we discussed threads in last month's stuff on Penn Slate, we didn't want to mention names. So we don't, it's not our purpose to drag people through the mud. But some people, it seems like that is their purpose. Good friends care about one another. Decent people in general care about one another. But they have fun and they jab one another. But they're quick to tell that person, I'm doing this, I really like you, I really respect you. Well, and there's a difference between going, you need to get this game off of here because this game's overpriced. And what are you thinking? Are you stupid? Are you crazy? And being like, man, your game's a little overpriced. You might want to think about just the net price and kind of seeing what the market is going for. Drop 2K and we're done. There's literally, you're expressing the same thing in those two thoughts, but it's the way you're doing it. And then there's the people that continuously just keep coming back and hounding their point. Don't. Just say it. Say it in a nice way. I just don't want the community to be too goody-goody. I don't think it will be. All that will happen is everybody will go to another site. No. And that will develop. I don't think they will. I don't think they're going to go anywhere, and I don't think it's going to. I don't think that they're trying to make it that goody-goody. I just think it's literally people who post over and over just derogatory, terrible stuff. Yeah, lay them out. Moderators. I agree with that. Take them out. I agree. So a couple other things that we found are some games. Yeah, so I think we kind of topped off our list of things to really cover on Pinside. but the threads that I always like, Greg, are the ones that... We keep seeing them pop up. Yeah, they're short and simple. They'll say things like The Walking Dead Pro versus Ghostbusters Pro and then everybody gets on there and says their opinion and it's weird because one day I'll be like, oh, that's... duh. And then the next day I'll be like, well, I don't know. So we picked three sets of those that we found. Yeah, just to say what we think about. Yeah, our opinion. So we got Metallica Pro. Okay. versus Ghostbusters Pro. Okay. My pick, I'm going with Ghostbusters Pro. We'll review that game soon. Yeah. I just think with the shots, with the rules, it's a lot deeper game. It feels better to me. It's definitely not deeper. Well, it's not deeper. It's not deeper. They're more modes. It's more mode-based, obviously. Yes, it is. So I like a mode-based game. So my opinion, I'm a Ghostbusters guy. I'll go Ghostbusters 2. I know you guys think we're crazy. Metallica is like the stern game until Walking Dead came out. But we'll review that game soon, too. But Ghostbusters Pro, it's very special to me. I love that game. The layout, the sounds, the call-outs, the art, everything about that game is awesome. I love Metallica as well. But for me, Metallica, oh, this is just sacrilegious to say. It gets kind of old for me. I just feel like there's four different shots and you hit them multiple times I know there's more to it and then you crank it up it seems like people don't understand Metallica easily I listen to a lot of people talk about Metallica and they literally just don't understand it until they hear somebody else who has a very good understanding of the game and they're like oh well hell that's what I'm supposed to do so I don't think Metallica is easy to understand to understand is what Ghostbusters is. Does that make sense? Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. Ghostbusters is very linear. That's a mode-based, linear game. You can stack some multiballs and some multipliers and stuff. But for me, Ghostbusters is where it's at. What's the next one? So this one, it might be tough. You've got a Ghostbusters Premium versus Walking Dead Premium. Oh, wow. So Ghostbusters Premium versus Walking Dead Premium. To me on this, I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan. I love Ghostbusters. But I have to go with Walking Dead Premium. I'm with you too, brother. Walking Dead Premium is fantastic. And it's such a step above the Pro. We need to list our top ten games at some point on the show. Oh yeah, easily. Because I love the Walking Dead Premium too. It's really good. I love Ghostbusters Premium. I'm not certain that there's a huge jump gameplay-wise in popularity between a pro and a premium Ghostbuster. Do you think? What do you feel? Say that again? Between a Ghostbusters pro and a Ghostbusters premium. Do you think that there's a huge jump? Oh, hell yeah. Popularity? I mean, I know you've got Ecto Goggles. You've got the Subway. Hell yeah. Really? Oh, hell yeah. You think it's that much better? I think people on Pinside think that Ghostbusters pros are shit. Really? Yeah. I still kind of like the pro. Oh, wait, wait, wait. You can't go into that one yet. We'll wait on that one. Okay, so we both went with Walking Dead Premium over Ghostbush Premium. I'm not sure there's a better game. So this one here, the next one. This one's really easy. Somebody's asked. Walking Dead Pro, Walking Dead Premium. Hands down, Walking Dead Premium. I don't know. How not? I don't know. How not? I have literally never talked to anyone who does not like the premium. way better than the Pro. The cheat button? No, it's not even the walker bomb. It's not even the walker bomb. Is it the floppy ramp? No, the floppy ramp does suck. Is it the crossbow that really doesn't do anything? It's just the lighting or what, but it isn't. The red and white lights? Shit, it is just a better game. It feels better. I'm just busting his chops. I get it, but you have to take into consideration. I'm not saying the Pro, walking the Pro is bad. I'm not saying that by any means. but the premium into consideration $1,500 no oh on that machine maybe yes maybe $1,500 to $1,700 on that machine yes Ghostbusters no I'll take the pro Star Trek I'll take the definitely on Star Trek I will take the pro okay Walking Dead I've got to get the premium I love the premium I've got to get the premium. I can't do it. I can't do it. I have a Walking Dead Pro as of right now. This week I have a Walking Dead Pro. Yeah, you've had it for a while. Because I like it. Yeah. I really like it. It's brutal. Sorry, guys. It's tougher than the premium. It's tougher than the premium. It is tougher. It just doesn't feel as good. Like, you actually can hit the left ramp and it goes fast. It doesn't jump and bounce and come back down. It's different. It's still got drop targets. It's still got a magnet. It's both good games. Premium wins in my book. For the money? I'll take the premium. Yeah. So, guys, that's some of the stuff that's kind of gone on on Pennside this month. That's right. There's always a lot more and a lot less, but we just kind of want to give a rundown of some of the drama and different things going on. Very true. Next month, you guys will have juicy drama as well. Check us out on Facebook at SDTM Pinball, straight down the middle, pinball, as well as Instagram. and for God's sakes, if you're watching this on YouTube and you haven't subscribed yet, throw some brothers some bones and give us a subscribe. Definitely. Subscribe. Have a good one, guys. See you. Thank you. Thank you. Why are you doing me wrong? Who is wrong?

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 470957d9-dc84-46e8-a83c-3745453a069d*