# Pinball Expo 2024 Recap [ 04 / 08 ] - Collectors & Creators weigh in on Game of the Show **Source:** In Before the Lock **Type:** video **Published:** 2024-10-31 **Duration:** 3m 14s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyOTQgKA3NA --- ## Analysis Pinball Expo 2024 attendees and collectors share their Game of the Show picks in a casual recap interview. X-Men emerges as the most frequently cited favorite, praised for innovative mechanical features, while Metallica, Star Wars (James Cameron Avatar LE), and Game of Thrones also receive recognition. Standout mentions include Ninja Eclipse as a surprise indie offering and various homebrews like Led Zeppelin and Tony Hawk, with one player unexpectedly choosing classic Funhouse for its nostalgic significance. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] X-Men received multiple Game of the Show votes and was praised for innovative mechanics ('doing stuff that was just wicked') — _Multiple speakers explicitly named X-Men as their game of the show; one called it 'my game of the show'_ - [HIGH] Star Wars game received significant reworking with new animations that went 'really dark' but was well-received — _Speaker stated 'The reworking is just amazing. The fact, the new animations, I know that they went really dark on it, but I think they did a great job'_ - [HIGH] Metallica was chosen for Game of the Show by multiple attendees and represents taking the theme 'to the modern level' — _Speaker stated 'I'll give Metallica the Jean-Paul de Win' and noted 'Some other people have chosen Metallica as well'_ - [HIGH] Ninja Eclipse was identified as a standout indie/boutique game that competes in the Spooky Pinball space rather than against Stern — _Speaker noted it as 'surprise of the show' and described it as 'in that Spooky Pinball that boutique area'_ - [HIGH] Led Zeppelin and Tony Hawk homebrews were displayed and drew significant interest from collectors — _Multiple speakers referenced seeing and wanting to play Led Zeppelin (with 'stairway' feature by Steve Converse from Utah) and Tony Hawk homebrew_ - [HIGH] One collector chose Funhouse as Game of the Show for nostalgic/personal reasons despite X-Men and Metallica being stronger modern competition — _Speaker stated 'The Heartstrings is going towards Funhouse, man' and explained connection to learning ball control on Funhouse after Medieval Madness got them into the hobby_ ### Notable Quotes > "X-Men was just doing stuff that was just wicked." > — **Collector/Attendee 1**, early > _Captures immediate visceral appeal of X-Men's mechanical innovation_ > "The reworking is just amazing. The fact, the new animations, I know that they went really dark on it, but I think they did a great job." > — **Collector/Attendee 2**, early > _Confirms significant Star Wars remaster effort with animation overhaul receiving positive reception despite darker tone_ > "They kind of in that Spooky Pinball that boutique area where it a good one that you can have in your home and if you like this is kind of a fun thing simpler rules simpler layout." > — **Collector/Attendee 3**, middle > _Defines market positioning of indie games like Ninja Eclipse as non-competing boutique offerings with different design philosophy_ > "The Heartstrings is going towards Funhouse, man... Just something about that nostalgia of playing a game that Game of Thrones got you into a hobby." > — **Collector/Attendee 4**, late > _Reveals emotional/nostalgic driver in game preferences that can override pure mechanical evaluation_ > "It's something about a cherry Funhouse. Like, don't get me wrong. Like X-Men's great and Metallica and yada yada. But just something about that nostalgia" > — **Collector/Attendee 4**, late > _Demonstrates how classic pinball history influences modern collector psychology despite newer games' technical superiority_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | X-Men | game | Stern Pinball machine; consistently named as Game of the Show by multiple Pinball Expo 2024 attendees; praised for innovative mechanics | | Metallica | game | Stern Pinball machine; received multiple Game of the Show votes; praised for modern theme execution | | Star Wars (James Cameron Avatar Limited Edition) | game | Stern Pinball; described as remastered with new animations that went 'really dark'; significant Game of Thrones connection mentioned | | Game of Thrones | game | Stern Pinball; noted as having been played at expo; mentioned as entry point game that led one collector into the hobby | | Ninja Eclipse | game | Indie/boutique manufacturer pinball; identified as 'surprise of the show'; positioned in Spooky Pinball market space with simpler rules/layout | | Alice in Wonderland | game | Pinball game at Expo 2024; praised for atmosphere and whimsical design; compared favorably to X-Men | | Led Zeppelin | game | Homebrew pinball; displayed at Expo 2024; features stairway-themed elements; created by Steve Converse from Utah | | Tony Hawk | game | Homebrew pinball themed after skateboarding; displayed at Expo 2024; multiple attendees expressed interest in playing it | | Funhouse | game | Classic Williams pinball; chosen as Game of the Show by one collector for nostalgic reasons; noted as significant learning game in their pinball journey | | Medieval Madness | game | Classic pinball game; cited as entry point into the hobby for one collector who later developed strong connection to Funhouse | | Steve Converse | person | Homebrew pinball designer from Utah; creator of Led Zeppelin themed homebrew with stairway features | | Pinball Expo 2024 | event | Major pinball industry event where attendees and collectors gathered to evaluate new and classic games; provided venue for Game of the Show deliberation | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; produced multiple Game of the Show contenders (X-Men, Metallica, Star Wars, Game of Thrones) | | Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; used as reference point for market positioning of indie games like Ninja Eclipse | ### Topics - **Primary:** Game of the Show voting/preferences at Pinball Expo 2024, X-Men mechanical innovation and design, Star Wars game remaster with animation overhaul - **Secondary:** Indie/boutique pinball offerings (Ninja Eclipse, homebrews), Classic pinball nostalgia and collector psychology, Homebrew pinball design and exhibition - **Mentioned:** Pinball theme licensing and integration (Star Wars, Metallica, Game of Thrones) ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.82) — Strong positive sentiment throughout; attendees enthusiastically praise multiple games; casual, celebratory tone. X-Men and Metallica receive almost universal acclaim. Only minor note about Star Wars going 'really dark' but framed as successful artistic choice. Nostalgia-driven preference for Funhouse adds depth without criticism of newer games. ### Signals - **[competitive_signal]** Ninja Eclipse positioned as boutique/indie alternative to Stern and Jersey Jack with simpler rules and home-focused design rather than competing on commercial/tournament scale (confidence: high) — Speaker noted 'they not competing with Stern, they're not trying. They not competing with Jersey Jack Pinball they not trying. They kind of in that Spooky Pinball that boutique area' - **[design_philosophy]** Collector preference for Funhouse driven by nostalgic/emotional connection and learning experience rather than mechanical superiority, suggesting emotional/historical factors influence game selection psychology (confidence: high) — Collector chose Funhouse over X-Men/Metallica explicitly for nostalgia; noted 'Just something about that nostalgia of playing a game that Game of Thrones got you into a hobby' and Funhouse as ball-control learning game - **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo 2024 successfully showcased diverse lineup of games spanning Stern commercial releases, boutique offerings (Ninja Eclipse), and homebrews (Led Zeppelin, Tony Hawk), generating strong collector engagement and consensus on standout titles (confidence: high) — Multiple attendees citing X-Men, Metallica, Star Wars, and indie offerings; active participation in Game of the Show discussions; expressed enthusiasm about trying new games - **[announcement]** Led Zeppelin homebrew exhibited with notable 'stairway' feature by designer Steve Converse from Utah; Tony Hawk skateboarding-themed homebrew on display (confidence: high) — Multiple speakers confirmed seeing and wanting to play both homebrews; specific design feature (stairway) mentioned; designer name and location confirmed - **[product_concern]** Star Wars remaster received significant animation overhaul described as going 'really dark' — suggests previous version may have had aesthetic or animation issues addressed in this revision (confidence: medium) — Speaker stated 'The reworking is just amazing. The fact, the new animations, I know that they went really dark on it, but I think they did a great job' — 'reworking' implies prior version needed revision - **[sentiment_shift]** Strong positive reception of Star Wars remaster suggests successful turnaround from potential earlier dissatisfaction or aesthetic concerns; darker animation tone accepted as improvement (confidence: medium) — Enthusiastic praise for 'reworking' and 'new animations'; caveat about dark tone immediately followed by 'but I think they did a great job' indicates successful management of tone change --- ## Transcript Okay guys, quick question. Game of Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show? I'm going to say X-Men. X-Men. X-Men, yeah. Alice is fun. Yeah, Alice is a lot of fun, but X-Men was just doing stuff that was just wicked. X-Men is my game. Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show, Metallica, Elite (LE version of Star Wars game), remastered. Yeah. Did Stanley want to play it? No, we got here, so we were here first in line and played it and blew it up. So it was fun. It's a blast. The reworking is just amazing. The fact, the new animations, I know that they went really dark on it, but I think they did a great job. Yeah, it looks awesome. It looks awesome. Really. The Wonderful Julie. Hi. I've got a quick question for you. Yes. Game of Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show. X-Men. X-Men. Yes. Okay. So fun. That's my game Unexpected. Yeah. Cool. Thanks. Thanks. Quick question. Okay. Ooh, that's a good... Okay, I'm going to give categories. Okay, that's fine. Okay, so I'll give Metallica the win. I know it's kind of a caveat because it's a great theme, but it's really taking it to the modern level. Some other people have chosen Metallica as well, so that's... Okay, I'll say surprise of Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show, Ninja Eclipse. Okay, yeah. I thought they did a very solid level of getting up to that... to do that, you know, it's not competing with Stern, they're not trying to. They not competing with JJP they not trying to They kind of in that spooky that boutique area where it a good small one that you can have in your home and if you like hey this is kind of a fun thing simpler rules simpler layout So those are the two things that really jumped out You're looking at home brews and the home brews, the Led Zeppelin's really cool. Yeah, I saw that, man. See that one with the stairway? Yeah, the stairs, yeah. That's Steve Converse. He's from Utah, so he's from our area. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Tony Hawk, I mean, come on. Yeah, I just wanted to get on Tony Hawk, man. I haven't played yet. Yeah. I haven't played yet. Yeah. So I think that's me this afternoon, I'll definitely do it. Yeah. Well, I tried Alice in Wonderland. Yeah. And I loved the atmosphere. Yeah. Because I love wanting to play as a clown and, you know, this kind of sense of mystery. Yeah, whimsical and well-rounded. Exactly. I like the labyrinth one. Yeah. So for the music, I would say for the atmosphere, this one. Yeah. For the ramp and the creativity, definitely the X-Men. Yeah. And, you know, for the movie and the integration of the license to Avatar. That's a very diplomatic thing. Yeah. And you know for the movie and the integration license, it's Avatar. That's a very diplomatic response, Nicolas. Yeah, it is. But it's a happy show as well. Alright, thanks man. Go for it. Game of Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show? I'm weird. The Heartstrings is going towards Funhouse, man. Okay. It's amazing. That's a big left field. Yeah, it's something about a cherry Funhouse. Like, don't get me wrong. Like X-Men's great and Metallica and yada yada. But just something about that nostalgia of playing a game that got you into a hobby. So you've got a big history with Funhaus. Yeah, so Medieval Madness got me in, but it was More Brewing Company of Funhaus is where I learned how to control the ball. _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 535f1cf1-c378-4530-9afe-5dd7df9d265e*