# SDTM Episode 53: Reviewing Reviews

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2018-03-11  
**Duration:** 42m 24s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JegKpiuk9Fw

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## Analysis

Straight Down the Middle hosts Greg Bone and Zach Sharpe conduct a year-end review of pinball machines they've previously covered, updating their ratings as code has evolved and their play time has increased. They introduce a new category—Display and Animations—to account for LCD screens now standard in pinball. Notable rating changes include Batman 66 moving from mixed reviews to B/B+ composite, Dialed In holding strong at A-/A composite, and several games like Ghostbusters, Aerosmith, and Metallica receiving minor adjustments based on sustained play and code updates.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Batman 66 underwent the most significant rating changes of all machines reviewed, moving from C-/C to B/B+ composite after code improvements and increased play time. — _Greg and Zach explicitly state this was the machine with the most change in their reviews; they provide before/after ratings throughout the segment._
- [HIGH] Dialed In remains one of the show's highest-rated machines, holding at A-/A composite and winning multiple Twipy Awards. — _Greg and Zach confirm ratings stayed the same; they reference multiple Twipy Award wins and game-of-the-year status._
- [HIGH] Code updates to Batman 66 transformed rules and code from D/D to B+/B+, with improved villain modes and filled-out code that 'could turn out to be a Walking Dead.' — _Hosts detail code improvements including multiple villain modes, different season structures, and mini-villain modes being tougher than main modes._
- [HIGH] Music and call-outs on Batman 66 received a huge jump from C/C- to A/A-, driven by improved orchestration of film clips and animations. — _Greg notes the jump from C to A; Zach describes animations as 'some of the best orchestrated film clips' he's seen._
- [HIGH] A new Display and Animations category is being added going forward for all LCD screen machines, covering integration, animation quality, placement, formatting, and even font. — _Greg and Zach explicitly announce this new category; they discuss evaluating fonts, placement, and formatting as part of display scores._
- [HIGH] Metallica's enjoyability rating dropped from A- to B due to repetitive 'chopping wood' gameplay where players must repeat the same actions after failing. — _Zach explains the chopping wood mechanic caused the drop; Greg agrees and notes it's still good for location play._
- [HIGH] Star Wars Premium Edition shoots better than Pro edition due to the Hyper Spin/Hyperdrive feature, though neither rate highly for toys and innovation. — _Hosts discuss Premium vs Pro differences; Zach upgraded toys/innovation from C to C+ based on Premium play; both note Pro edition feels 'empty.'_
- [HIGH] Batman 66 display and animations received A+ and A ratings despite hosts not being Batman fans, driven by quality of video integration and film clip use. — _Zach rates A+, Greg rates A; both praise the display work despite admitting no strong Batman fandom._
- [HIGH] Aerosmith animations are described as 'BASIC' and 'Papa Duke static,' with hosts wishing for music video recreation instead of dancing bus scenes. — _Hosts rate display/animations B+ and B respectively; they explicitly critique the animation approach as lacking dynamism._
- [HIGH] Ghostbusters' code lacks a significant Wizard mode one year into release, causing rules/code downgrade from A to B+. — _Zach states 'we still don't have a big The Wizard mode' and dropped from A to B+; he notes other games have 'so distinguished and so fantastic' code by comparison._

### Notable Quotes

> "This is probably the machine for us as we went through and changed our ratings on some machines. This one has undergone the most change with us."
> — **Greg Bone**, Early segment
> _Establishes Batman 66 as the focus machine with most significant rating evolution._

> "The game that I've spent the most time on is a Super James Cameron's Avatar (Limited Edition)... I feel that the shots feel a little smoother than the early production one."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, Batman 66 discussion
> _Explains production variance and how extended play time changed assessment._

> "They really filled it out. We've got many villains now. We've got multiple... It's still really good. It could, no, it could. There is the potential there... It could turn out to be a Walking Dead, not as deep."
> — **Greg Bone / Zach Sharpe**, Batman 66 code discussion
> _Indicates code trajectory comparable to highly-regarded titles; signals optimism for ongoing updates._

> "I love that art package, but slowly, again, there's been some really good art come out, but I have appreciated Ghostbusters even more."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, Ghostbusters review
> _Shows evolving perception as market releases more games; relative assessment framework._

> "Don't advertise you are a god if it's not coded. Very much. You can't have an A for that."
> — **Greg Bone**, Ghostbusters code discussion
> _Expresses frustration with incomplete Wizard mode on otherwise highly-touted game._

> "It was continuous, and you would work so long to get to anything, and then just have to repeat... Not only repeat, but repeat exactly everything I've been doing."
> — **Greg Bone**, Metallica discussion
> _Describes the 'chopping wood' mechanic; explains enjoyability downgrade from A- to B._

> "I wouldn't have minded... Throw me up a part of a music video or something. Just something that screams Aerosmith."
> — **Greg Bone**, Aerosmith animation discussion
> _Articulates gap between static BASIC animations and expected dynamic music video content._

> "No more fun to play than Dialed In all day."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, Dialed In enjoyability
> _Strong endorsement of Dialed In's playability; justifies A+ enjoyability rating._

> "I think every location should have a Metallica. I think so too."
> — **Greg Bone / Zach Sharpe**, Metallica location discussion
> _Indicates strong location/operator suitability despite low personal ownership interest._

> "So I want a full screen of the video... I don't want them coming in there on post-it notes."
> — **Zach Sharpe**, Star Wars display discussion
> _Criticizes cramped video window implementation; indicates desire for full-screen video integration._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Greg Bone | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle pinball show; reviewer conducting year-end rating updates. |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle pinball show; reviewer and show producer conducting year-end rating updates. |
| Batman 66 | game | Stern Pinball machine; first game reviewed by SDTM; underwent most significant rating changes in year-end review, improving from mixed C-/C to B/B+ composite. |
| Dialed In | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; highest-rated game in SDTM portfolio at A-/A composite; multiple Twipy Award winner. |
| Straight Down the Middle | organization | Pinball-focused YouTube show and podcast created by Greg Bone and Zach Sharpe; conducting annual rating review of previously covered machines. |
| Ghostbusters | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; praised for art (A+/A) but criticized for incomplete Wizard mode one year after release (rules/code downgraded A to B+). |
| Aerosmith | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; animations criticized as 'BASIC' and 'Papa Duke static'; rated B+/B on display and animations. |
| Metallica | game | Stern Pinball machine; enjoyability downgraded from A- to B due to repetitive 'chopping wood' gameplay; recommended for location operators. |
| Star Wars | game | Stern Pinball machine; reviewed with Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; Premium Edition preferred over Pro due to Hyper Spin feature; video display criticized for post-it note sizing. |
| The Shadow | game | Pinball machine described as a 'masterpiece' by hosts; ratings unchanged in year-end review. |
| Indiana Jones | game | Pinball machine rated highly ('fantastic'); ratings unchanged; host expresses desire for another copy. |
| Rob Zombie's Spookshow International | game | Spooky Pinball machine; rated B/C+; praised primarily for fan mods and backglass aesthetics rather than base game design. |
| Penn Stadium Lights | company | LED lighting aftermarket manufacturer for pinball; sponsor of SDTM; produces full-spectrum customizable lighting. |
| Matt Scott | person | Owner/founder of Penn Stadium Lights; prototype LED lighting was used on first SDTM Batman 66 review machine. |
| Flippin' Out Pinball | company | Pinball distributor and retailer owned by Zach Sharpe/Zach Minney; sponsor of SDTM show; distributes Jersey Jack, Stern, Chicago Gaming, and American Pinball machines. |
| Penn Graphics | company | Pinball aftermarket parts manufacturer; sponsor of SDTM; produces power blades, blade skins, and pin blades. |
| Fred Marco Specialties | company | Pinball parts distributor with 50,000+ SKUs in stock; sponsor of SDTM; offers same-day shipping and customer service. |
| Matt Scott | person | Founder/owner of Penn Stadium Lights; early prototype partner with SDTM; concurrent product development timeline with show launch. |
| Chelsea | person | Mentioned as SDTM associate who attended Louisville Pinball Expo; expressed fatigue with Avatar Limited Edition gameplay. |
| Kaneda's Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast/content creator; collaborated with SDTM on Star Wars review; footage quality issues noted by hosts. |
| Super James Cameron's Avatar Limited Edition | game | Pinball machine; noted by Zach as most-played in personal collection; later production runs reportedly play smoother than early versions. |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Code updates and their impact on game ratings, Display and Animations as new standard review category, Batman 66 code evolution and rating changes
- **Secondary:** Jersey Jack Pinball quality and animation standards, Wizard mode implementation and completeness, Location vs. home collector game preferences
- **Mentioned:** Production variance (early vs. later production runs), Twipy Awards and competitive pinball recognition

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Hosts are enthusiastic about most machines, with measured critique of animation quality and code completeness. Tone is collaborative and respectful of design efforts. Some frustration with incomplete features (Ghostbusters Wizard mode, Aerosmith static animations, Metallica repetitive gameplay) balanced against appreciation for improvements over time. Overall sentiment reflects maturing perspective on games after extended play rather than harsh judgment.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Straight Down the Middle conducting transparent year-end review process, updating historical ratings as games age and code evolves. Model demonstrates commitment to accuracy and community education. (confidence: high) — Show format: 'we're going to go back to every single one of our reviews and make corrections... Updates, if you will... This is the code update 1.0.'
- **[competitive_signal]** Dialed In (Jersey Jack) maintaining highest position in SDTM ratings at A-/A composite with multiple Twipy Awards, positioning Jersey Jack as animation/display quality leader. (confidence: high) — Multiple Twipy Award mentions; Zach: 'No more fun to play than Dialed In all day.' Ratings held steady.
- **[design_philosophy]** Metallica's repetitive 'chopping wood' progression mechanic (requiring restart of same actions after failure) driving down enjoyability rating from A- to B despite maintaining high quality shooting feel. (confidence: high) — Greg: 'It was continuous, and you would work so long to get to anything, and then just have to repeat... exactly everything I've been doing.' Zach agrees and downgrades.
- **[design_philosophy]** Star Wars Premium/Pro implementation creates uncomfortable two-tier experience where Pro edition feels 'so empty' without Hyper Spin feature, forcing Premium purchase for acceptable play. (confidence: high) — Zach: 'Because you get the wire forms. Yes. That makes more sense to space and the mechanics of the Millennium Falcon.' Notes Premium essential for satisfying experience.
- **[design_philosophy]** Aerosmith animations criticized as overly simplistic ('BASIC', 'Papa Duke static') with desire for dynamic music video recreation instead of static bus dancing scenes. (confidence: high) — Greg: 'Throw me up a part of a music video or something. Just something that screams Aerosmith.' Hosts rate display B+/B.
- **[design_philosophy]** Stern implementing Display and Animations as distinct rating category, reflecting shift toward LCD screens as industry standard and recognition that screen implementation quality significantly impacts overall game experience. (confidence: high) — Hosts announce new category: 'Because it is the standard in the pinball industry now.' They discuss evaluating integration, animation, placement, formatting, and font as components.
- **[market_signal]** Production variance affecting game experience; later production runs of Avatar Limited Edition reported to play 'smoother' than early versions, indicating manufacturing improvements or tuning adjustments. (confidence: medium) — Zach: 'obviously a later production run... I feel that the shots feel a little smoother than the early production one.' Notes this influenced rating change.
- **[community_signal]** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast collaborated with SDTM on Star Wars review; technical quality issues noted on initial recording (Mac-based production problems mentioned). (confidence: medium) — Zach: 'we reviewed this with Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, and we messed up the video because we were still rookies. That was your Mac.'
- **[product_strategy]** Batman 66 code has been significantly updated since original review, adding multiple villain modes, improved season structure, and tougher mini-villain modes. Rules/code upgraded from D/D to B+/B+. (confidence: high) — Greg: 'They really filled it out. We've got many villains now. We've got multiple.' Zach: 'They've got different seasons. They're filling it out finally. Yes.'
- **[product_concern]** Ghostbusters lacks significant Wizard mode one year post-release despite strong foundation code, creating disconnect between expected endgame and delivered content. (confidence: high) — Zach: 'we still don't have a big The Wizard mode. Here we are a year now. We're not where I want to be on the code.' Dropped from A to B+.
- **[sentiment_shift]** Batman 66 experiencing significant positive sentiment reversal; initial skepticism on music/callouts (C-/C) replaced by appreciation (A/A-) as code matured and hosts accumulated play time. (confidence: high) — Multiple rating jumps; Greg initially 'didn't care about the call-outs' but now rates A-. Zach notes 'become some of the best orchestrated film clips... I've ever seen.'

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## Transcript

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Marco Specialties same day shipping accessible website exceptional customer service and with over 50,000 different pinball parts in stock Marco Specialties is a must for every pinball enthusiast and operator treat your pinball machine right by visiting marcospec.com now alright, let's kick this shit How's it going, Greg? It's going good. Is it? It's fantastic. On a level one through ten on how great it's going. One being? Four. Super. A four? A four. That's what you got? Why? Explain to the people why you're at a four and not at a ten. You got your best buddy here. I think they could all understand and probably agree with me that we've been here for roughly 45 minutes now. And we're just now getting started. We had a full setup. Everything was ready to go. We had to have a production meeting. He had a production meeting with himself. Greg had a production meeting by himself this morning. So I get testy, I'm ready to film, ready to go, and he can never understand why I get this way. You're a method pinball actor, aren't you? It easily goes from a nine to a four in the first five minutes that Zach gets here. Oh, the smile on his face. What are we going to do today, buddy? We are going to do our year-end review. What does that even mean? We go back. Because it's like mid-2018 at this point. Well, we're not too far behind. I think our anniversary was, what, February 8th or something? Yes, so we've been doing this a year. We did reviews throughout the entire year. Yeah. Right? Pirates got in the way a little bit, but we had to take advantage of that situation. That's right. And get that out. That's right. So we did a review for you guys on many, many machines. Yes. And our interpretations, our perceptions, our opinions have changed throughout time as code has changed, as our time on the machine has changed. So what we're going to do for you guys, we're going to go back to every single one of our reviews and make corrections. Very much so. Changes. Updates, if you will. So this is the code update 1.0, right? We're at 1.0 code update for straight down the middle. We are there. This is the final reviews. It's the final reviews. Alright, so let's start with our very first machine. Can you go to the Wayback Machine and think about our first video? That Batman 66 review. And don't go back and watch it. Please don't. So like this is the beginning of the show where we show our logo and we insert upbeat music that's really cool, but we can't afford editing. Hey everybody, this is Straight Down the Middle, a pinball show. My name's Zach Minney. I'm Greg. We're going to start filming a pinball show. We're two newer guys. We've been in it a little bit over a year, and we have a lot to say about pinball. What we're going to do with our show is we're going to do different things, like machine reviews. We're going to do a top ten list that we're really excited about. We're going to talk about the drama of pin side. We're also going to, hopefully, over the weeks, we're going to do some interviews with different people in the community. No, man, that's about it. You know, we're going to have a weekly breakdown. We're going to try to release a show every week. We're going to try to stick to a schedule so that you know what to expect the first week of the month, second week of the month, and so on. what's happening everybody i'm zach this is greg this is straight down the middle a pinball show today we're gonna go with uh hold up it wouldn't hurt i think that was horrible wasn't it was pretty bad ah if you went back and watched but you know i'll tell you what like again what kind of the awesomest thing is you know uh and we've mentioned this before but it's kind of cool because that was the very first machine that we reviewed. We were just starting out and that was Scott's at Penn Stadium. That was Scott's prototype PinStadiums that you bought on that machine. That's right. And they were rough, just like our video was rough. We were all starting at the same time. We were all starting at the same time and stadiums got polished up. Oh my gosh. It got polished up. Yeah, we did, didn't we? We wore tuxes in one of our videos. And now we're both, well Scott's very successful with that yeah we're somewhat successful are we you know we still have many money no but we won an award so we did win a damn Twitter that accounts for something and it wasn't because we were the hosts all right Batman 66 yeah I watch that video now and I'm like oh my gosh yeah so a lot has changed this is probably the machine for us as we went through and changed our ratings on some machines. This one has underwent the most change with us. I agree. I agree. So we're starting with art. We both stick to art. Stay in A. If it's in A, it stays in A. That's right. So we have some changes in our shots and layout. Now, I thought to myself, Zach, how in the hell do shots and layout change? Because on no other machine, really, did I change shots and layout. The reason I changed shots and layout, for me personally, is I got more time on the machine. I'm still not wild about it, but it didn't deserve the C- that I gave it. And I'll tell you honestly, and I don't know if there's any truth to this, but it's the feeling. The game that I've got the most time on is a Super LE. Okay. And obviously a later production run. Yeah. And I feel that it's not as clunky. You might disagree, but I feel that the shots feel a little smoother than the early production one. So that changed, that's kind of what changed mine. Yours changed significantly. You went from a C- to a B. Yeah. You like shooting this thing now. Yeah. That coupled with, like you said, getting a little more time on it, I love it. It seriously has become one of my favorite shooting machines. It's not a difficult shooter, but it's just difficult enough. I like, and we'll get into code, I like the code. It has seriously become one of my favorite pens. If I had the money, it would be my number one pen that I would buy. One of your favorites. That's one of my favorites. I don't know why. I can't explain it. It just felt good. Chelsea actually knocked me at Expo about it. She was at Louisville Expo. She was like, are you not tired of that pen yet? I think she's over it. She liked it too at first, but I think she's kind of over it. She's pretty tired of the jazz music. I'm still loving it. Okay. I went from a C minus, wait for it, to a C. So I gave it a little bump. I was like, you know what? It's fine. All right. Rules and code. This is where it transformed. We were both at Ds. Now we are both at B pluses. Let's talk a little bit about that code. They really filled it out. We've got many villains now. We've got multiple. We've actually got, it feels like a full code. Yeah. But it's not there yet. No. But it's good. It's still really good. Oh, yeah, it is. I mean, it could be one of Lyman's big, it could be, it could turn out to be a Walking Dead, not as deep. It could, no, it could. I think it could. There is the potential there. And I really like the simplicity of starting modes. I like that you start modes differently. Hit them a couple times, you get to go. Yeah, it's not one shot starts the mode. The mini villain modes are actually kind of tougher than the other modes. So you've got different seasons. They're filling it out finally. Yes. And it is, I would say that it is a really good code. So that's why we're both a B pluses. Toys and Innovations didn't change for us. We jumped, music and call outs has transformed over the last year. Yes. Yeah. You were at a C, now you're at an A. Yeah. And I know that that's a huge jump too. That's a huge jump. But they have, they have progressed. And I just, I think because I kind of, the machine sucked so bad on code and everything at first. I was just turned off by the pin. So I just didn't care about the call-outs or the animations or anything. Or there just wasn't much in there. No, no. And they have become some of the best orchestrated film clips, show clips that I've seen. It fits the most. Well, it's more animation, but we're talking music kind of stuff. Yeah, I still like the music. You can call it jazzy, whatever you want. I think it fits that pin. I know. I hate it, but I respect it. That's why I went from C- to an A-. That's a big jump as well. That is a big jump for you. That's an equal jump for you. Now, here's what we're doing that's a little special. We are adding another category for the special year in review. So going forward, for all, we've decided, for all machines that utilize an LCD screen, we are going to now rate display in animation. Because basically Batman was the first one and then you didn't see something to what Aerosmith. Yeah, and well, we always had our Jersey Jacks But we never we just put it into innovation no longer is it Yes so now it gets its own category Yeah because it is the slay it a standard in the pinball industry now so when we grade this display in animations it's going to be a cornucopia of of different things it might be a little integration it might be a little bit of animation it may be a little bit of placement and formatting on the screen um it may hell it may be even font if a font drives us nuts or we really like a font um so it's all going to go into, I'm a font snob. Okay. Um, it's all going to go into that category. So if you rate something based on font, I'm quitting the show. No, it's true. Go back and look at some of the font on, I'm not going to even name the names of these guys. Um, I was really, I was really strapped for cash and I just, I, I had like a $6,000 budget, but the font on this $10,000 pen just drove me over the top. Do it! I took out an extra loan. Can't do it. Now, off camera, I'm going to show you some fonts, and you're going to be like... You can show me fonts. I'll say the font's good, but I'm not going to give two shits about the font when I buy a pinball machine. You know what? Font you, dude. Font you. All right. So, Display and Animations, you're an A+. Yeah. Batman Display and Animations. I love it. I love it. It drives me crazy. And I'm not a fan of the old show. But I'm not a big Batman fan. I was a Michael Keaton fan. That was my generation and my age. Well, your soul was born in 66, but your body was born in the 80s. Maybe that's why. And his brain is still developing. I was an A. We all can't be as enlightened as Dr. Minnie. No, I'm self-actualizing now. I'm one with myself. I'm not. I'm a sad sack of shit. Let me put on my boots. I'm a sad sack of shit most times. I'm in an A. See, look, I'm giving Batman some love now. Yes. How do you feel about that, Greg? I don't know. I'm going to make that 4 out of 10 into a 6 out of 10 by the end of this video, buddy. I think you're full of shit no matter what you say. That's true. Theme, you actually bumped from a B to a B plus on your theme. Yeah. It's growing on you. Yeah, it's growing on me. Okay. Growing on me, too. Yeah. So I was at a C and then I bumped up to a B because I thought you know what Zack it's still Nanananana and it's still classic Batman. Yeah, it does. It feels good. And you know what helps is that artwork every time I see that Back glass lit up. It's one of my favorites Enjoyability now this took a turn for the positive as well Well, it's got to if you're gonna if you're gonna bump up shots if you're gonna bump up music It's obviously gonna feel and more enjoyable. Yeah, so you were from a B plus straight up to the A. It's a straight A enjoyability. That's one of the most enjoyable pins I've played. Because it has a simplicity to it. It's not rough like... I don't enjoy it the same way that I enjoy Ghostbusters or that I enjoy Walking Dead. It doesn't have that roughness. It doesn't have that weird that I... I can see that. I feel I'm struggling. That's a good point. It's just a fun pin. It's just a solid pin. You make shots on it. You can do it. There's nothing satisfying, though, to me. But it is a solid... You can play and play and have fun. And then it's brutal at times, but it's still achievable. You know what? I won't say I can agree with you but disagree with you on that because I will say that there is not a particular satisfying shot. Oh, it's not the most satisfying Catwoman shot. It's not your Riddler on the Orbits. It's not satisfying. I'll play Lord of the Rings. What's satisfying is just the completion of the modes and just progressing. Opening up different things. Yes. That's true. Because it's a decently easy shooter. So it's just fun progressing, if that makes sense. And the code can back it up now. Yeah. That's the problem. Before, the code couldn't back it up, so you felt like, what the hell am I doing? I'm wasting my time on these easy shots. So you went from a B plus to an A. I went a big jump, too, from a D. I hated this damn thing, to a B minus. Hey, that's really good. We're flirting above the C plus point. We're at a B minus. I like playing it now. I don't want to play it all day long. I'm never drawn into this game, ever. That's why enjoyability is a B-. I just don't care when I'm playing it. It's fun, but there's nothing that, like, even Guardians, as underdeveloped as that code is, I'm still pumped. That music's still going. I still got the video clips of Groot. He's screaming, I am Groot. I got Rocket Shoot. This one's like a Seinfeld episode, and then you've got, are you ready, Batman? Let's do it. Like, I just, there's no nostalgia there for me because that's not my wheelhouse. I think it feels, I actually think that it feels a little better than what Guardians is. I think that it honestly, I think the integration feels a little better. I'm fine with that. I feel more Batman playing Batman. I'm fine with that. He's getting ready to jump my ass. When you say feel, the shots? No, no. Guardians shoots like a freaking dream. Okay, so when we composite these. This is our longest one. Bear with us, guys. When we composite these, your C plus has now turned into a B plus. I'm way ecstatic about that. Yeah, it's a 3.58. My C has now turned into a B. So they took lateral bumps there. That is nice. A straight B, 3.25. I think it's super fair for that. Yeah, go out there and play that game. And if the code keeps progressing, next year at this time when we review all these again, this may be an A pin. Yeah. It very well could be. Yeah. Let's move on to our second review game. This was dialed in. think about us this is Louisville was that last year buddy yeah oh my gosh we met Jersey Jack for the first time he rolled into our video with open arms which we were very appreciative of remember our t-shirts yes remember going to that t-shirt shop and having that shitty jpg Zach Zach surprised me with this ironed on transfer type shirt man we were we were running behind Larry three we're whipping out two weeks in yeah three weeks chasing him down a hallway with an escalera memories where's that t-shirt at i still got mine i do i wear it every now and then to reminisce when i change the oil in my car it's my work but look at it now speaking of t-shirts why don't we plug that real quick that's the brand new this is yeah this is nice order yours now where do Where do they need to go to order? So soft. Tell the people. So soft. PayPal. PayPal. Okay. Send $30 to where? Hollywoodbone83 at yahoo.com. That's really his name. Here soon we should. That's old high school email. We're looking on getting a link on our Facebook. So as soon as we get the link set up on our Facebook, you can just go to our Facebook and hit the PayPal link. Yeah. And it should be taken care of. Yeah. But hey, guys, $30, it helps us out. Yeah. So, please. It's more of a show donation with a free t-shirt. That's really what it is. Plus, we didn't get no scraggly ass t-shirts. No, these are super soft. That thing's like a velvety smooth. They are suaded. We're trying to make the nicest feeling t-shirt and pinball. Agreed. I think we might be there, actually. I agree. And it's designed by a freaking, one of the best pinball designers, or the art designers ever. Can you see that on the camera? Can you see that on the camera? Let's move on to Dialed In. And so we went back to memory lane. But now when you play dialed in, they've changed. Yours hasn't changed much. So overall, yours, none of them changed. But if we're talking display and animation or animations and display, you ranked it an A-. Yeah. You feel pretty good about the cityscape. Yeah, I thought it fitted. I thought that it had that fun, that quirkiness. It wasn't this disaster pin like Ronald, what is it, Robert or Ronald Emmerich or whatever, who did Independence Day and all that. You know what I'm talking about? No good call because I don't. Yeah, okay, but like day after tomorrow. It's nothing like that. It's not serious. Yeah, that's true. It's a good, fun pin, and I think that the display and animations, it really, it all, it encompassed that. Oh, yeah, for sure. Very well. For sure. And I'll get to my display and animations, but first, I did change the art a little bit. Really? Yeah, and I don't even know if it's fair, but I'm doing it anyway. So I was in an A for art because I like that Yowsey stuff. Ooh, you bumped it down. Bumped it down to an A-. You know why? No, I could understand that. Because more stuff's coming out that I'm like, ooh, that's pretty. And then when I go back, I'm bumping it down for one reason, and it's those mom jeans. It goes from an A to an A- to those mom jeans. I'm being a little facetious, but it's not the best-looking figure right in the middle of the play field. I don't know why people don't relate to me, says Zach. I don't know why they don't like me, but I critique a pen about thought, and I critique a pen about mom jeans. Here's the deal, Greg. If I go to a pinball show and somebody's wearing some damn jeans that look like that, I might say something. But you're going to smell like vanilla. No, I'm not going to smell. I smell good, baby. I'm always smelling good. You know I smell good right now, too, damn it. All right. Don't smell me at the shows, please. Smell him. He likes when people are really close to him. He smells like my wife coming out of Victoria's Secret. Maybe I was in Victoria's Secret. Getting your mom some lingerie. All right. so if I'm talking displaying animations I'm in a minus as well and I'll tell you why because at first I don't like this type of animation I like movie clips I like scenes I like stuff that resonates with me I like crisp HD stuff this is a city yeah but JP my boy JP and the graphics on this thing he knocks every single Jersey Jack out of the park I'm becoming a fan of him oh I'm a Huge fan of that guy. Huge fan of that guy. So JP, shout out, man. Unbelievable work. I agree. So he does the best animations in the business and will for a long, long time. But what I like is the play field is on the back glass. So if you're hitting the pop bumpers, you've got animation in those pop bumpers on the screen. If you're hitting it up the ramp, you've got animation on the rail track on the LCD screen. So the world under glass is actually active on the screen. So I like that, I'm at an A minus. And then I did change enjoyability. I was at an A minus before, but now that we've got thick code and this thing is just I at an A plus This thing is there no more fun to play than die all day Composites yours stayed the same With that A kept it at 3 an A Mine stayed an A- as well. It bumped from a 3.76 to a 3.75. Yeah, it still balances itself out. It's a Twippy Award winning pin. Multiple Twippy Award winning pins. Game of the year. Yeah, for a reason. You can't argue it. What's going to be this year? That's going to be a toss-up. They saw our Houdini review. Johnny DeMai? or Pirates of the Caribbean review. I'm just going to keep this rolling. Johnny Mnemonic, we didn't change. Yeah, didn't change anything. All that was good. Ghostbusters. I changed a little bit on Ghostbusters. You changed art from an A to an A+. You woke up. Yeah. I mean, I love that art package, but slowly, again, there's been some really good art come out, but I have appreciated Ghostbusters even more. I think it's a good call. I just love it. It's still one of the most beautiful pins that I've ever seen. Yes, it's so beautiful. It really is good. So you bump from an A to A+, which doesn't change your rating. You're still at a 3.53, which is a B+. Now, I changed my rules and code. I was in A before. I love the format of these rules. I love the layout. But I went down to a B+, because we still don't have a big wizard mode. Here we are a year now. We're not where I want to be on the code. I love playing it but it's just not where it needs to be So I went from an A to a B plus That means my composite is an A-387 to an A-3.77 That's very fair Doesn't change anything Very fair But yeah rules and codes We need a freaking wizard mode Like a big wizard mode that feels good Because all the other codes are so distinguished And are so fantastic Don't advertise you are a god if it's not coded Very much You can't have an A for that No But man I love the rule format Aerosmith We went to Aerosmith. I unboxed that one. Yeah, Aerosmith changes a little bit. Yours didn't change too much overall, but with yours, you changed display and animations, or you just added it, which was a B+. It's not an A. No. People love those animations. Yeah. I was at a B as well. I was even lower. And I'm probably being pretty generous with the B+. It's just, I don't know, something about it's just not, I mean, it's not terrible, but it's not. Yeah. I don't think it's terrible, but they're pretty static. Yeah. Like they're just dancing on the bus. It's a very basic. Exactly. It's so basic. Yeah. I don't get into it. I wouldn't have minded. I know the art all is centered around that. Throw me up a part of a music video or something. Just something that screams Aerosmith. I'm okay with that. I'm fine with keeping it as an animation, but reenact some of the music videos or something in animation? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That would have been cool. A little more time into it. My other change was rules and code. For me, it was an A-. It got a little stagnant for me. went down to a B. Yeah, that's fair. The more I played it, I thought... I never cared a ton for it. Yeah, you were at a B-, so I'm still a little higher than you, but they got a little stale for me. Yeah. So that changed your overall composite from a B+, 3.43, to still a B+, 3.41. That's fair. My B+, at a 3.66, went to a B+, at a 3.49. It went down a little bit. So not much change. Yeah. Okay. Ooh. Okay. Metallica! Nothing changed for your Metallica. Nothing. Mine, everything stayed the same except for enjoyability. And I will have to say. That I was right? You were very right. I will have to give you credit on that. It did become the whole chopping wood scenario. I hate to beat that term to death, but, I mean, there's nothing better that describes it. You're chopping wood with your descriptions, aren't you? Yeah, it is. But it was continuous, and you would work so long to get to anything. and then just have to repeat. And it was just... Not only repeat, but repeat... Exactly everything I've been doing. Yeah, double it. Well, I'm talking about like if I was to fail and I was to start up a new game, then I'm just doing exactly what I just did for the last 25 minutes. Yeah. And so that drove me stupid about it. Now, and that's why that it knocked my enjoyability down. It knocked it from an A- to a straight up B. Yes. But I will say... I'm still at a C on enjoyability, so you got rid of me. And with all honesty, I will say that if I could afford to have five, six pins, and maybe I have to go over five, so let's just say six, then I would have a Metallica because I noticed that it was fun to always go back to. I didn't play it for three weeks, and then I'd go put a game or two on there, and I loved it. I loved shooting it. I loved everything about it, but it was one or two games, and then I was done for another two or three weeks, but it's one of my most enjoyable pins to go back to. Okay. But I don't want to play the damn thing even once a week, really. It's just, it's so, you know what I'm saying? That's why it would be good on location. Oh, very good location. I think every location should have a Metallica. I think so too. I think it's a good call, actually. Very much. I think it should be a number one pin. Great. Coming out with some good comments here. Nice job, buddy. Are you at a five yet, or are you still at a four out of ten? I went up to a five. Nice. We're warming up, everybody. We should keep this shit rolling, or we're going to go to a two. So his A minus a 3.81 went to a 3.71. Mine's a 3.39. In a 10-pin lineup, I still wouldn't own it. Harsh. Rob Zombie didn't change because that pin didn't change. But I do like that pin. I liked it kind of from the beginning a little bit. I think a B was fair. I think a C plus was fair. Even with the new code, the new code was nice. But it still didn't push me over the top. You know, the only thing I'm liking about Rob Zombie is some of the mods these people are making. Oh yeah, mods are nice. It's so cool looking. It's still one of the most beautiful back glasses. I love the way that lights up. Just me. Yeah, definitely just you. Alright. That didn't change. The shadow didn't change because it is a masterpiece. Solid pen. Indiana Jones didn't change because... Because it's fantastic. I want another one. Yeah, now this one's interesting too. Star Wars. I've got something to say about this. Our next reviewed pen was Star Wars. So we reviewed this with Kaneda, and we messed up the video because we were still rookies. That was your Mac. It was, actually. It was my laptop Mac-y. So you were harsher on it than I was. You were at a B-2.76 overall. I was at a B-3.09. Let's see what changed. So the first thing, toys and innovation. I changed from C to C+, because I played the premium. Hyper Spin grew on you. I like that. I do like that. I agree. And I think it could probably even be greater than C+, but because it's Star Wars, I said, no, you don't have enough toys in Star Wars. The Hyper Spin was neat for me, but it makes a hell of a difference. I don't think I could own a Pro. I think you've got to go premium. I'm a big Pro model guy, but I agree. These people know that we're Pro guys. Yeah, that is a premium pen. And that's what's weird. It's like, okay, you've got to own the premium because it makes that big of a difference with the hyperdrive. But it wasn't enough to bump my rating up high enough because it just wasn't. To the price and stuff? Well, it just wasn't that cool of a toy. We've seen it before. Even aesthetically. It just is so. It does look kind of cool. It does look so much better than that Pro. That Pro is so empty. Because you get the wire forms. Yes. That makes more sense to space and the mechanics of the Millennium Falcon. I agree. So as we're going to display and animations, this is going to help bump the score because we were both at A-minuses on display and animation. I love seeing Luke Skywalker, Han Solo jump in there. Now, the reason I'm at A-minus instead of an A or A-plus is because I don't want them coming in on post-it notes. I don't need that. I agree. I don't need that. Give me a full screen. The Stern screen's not big enough as it is to me. So I want a full screen of the video. I agree. Yeah, then we go down to enjoyability. I actually changed mine from a C plus to a B minus Yeah, I don't mind playing this pin. I actually I Think I like the feel and the shooting of this pin more than I do Batman 66. Yeah But the rules and stuff are better on Batman 66 than in this story Yeah, I do like to shoot this pin, but only like it's weird Is this is almost the reverse again is you know, like on Ghostbusters something? I really think that the Pro shoots quite a bit better. Okay. Same thing with Game of Thrones. I kind of think that that shoots a little better. Pro on Walking Dead, I think it shoots a little better. This, I think the Premium actually shoots a little better besides the... Yeah, I was going to say. The... The lift ramp. Yeah, for the... The fork. Whatever the fuck the mode is. Death Star. Death Star mode. Yeah, other than that, but for some reason, it feels a little more solid. Okay. That's weird. No, it's not weird. I always think the slings and stuff on a premium feel different than a pro. Like, when I had a Walking Dead premium, the slings felt different than on a pro. I don't know why. They just did. Yeah. Okay. Maybe it's that extra coat of clear. Could be. Okay. So, when we composite this bad boy. So, yours didn't change. Only you added display and animations, which bumped your B-276 to a B-288. Yeah. Mine went from a B at a 3.09 to a B at a 3.25. So no big drastic changes here. But a 3.25 and a 2.88. And honestly, if I owned one at home, I think that my enjoyability would go up a bit more. I think so. Because this is what I was able to do, not to drag on about this pen. This pen, I have separated myself more and more from Star Wars. because it still doesn't feel like Star Wars. I'm not going to lie about it. It does not feel like Star Wars, but it's a fun shooting pin. So when I separate myself from the theme and I just play the pin, it feels... And it still has the music. It's a lot more enjoyable. I still like the music. Yeah, it's not bad. It's not bad. Fantastic. It's one of the greatest film scores of all time. Maybe the greatest. All right, moving on to The Hobbit. Now, I love The Hobbit. You were kind of harsh on The Hobbit before. Yours is going up. Mine is going down. So if we look at this the first change that we see is displayed animations We added something Is this not the most beautifully displayed game It goes along with the modes It is just the best Full screen from the film You've got scenes. The more shots you make, the further along in the film you get. This is, I think, hands down, the nicest display in animation. It's just awesome. All right. We're both A pluses. Okay. I like it. Next time. I don't want to correct you, but it's so funny. What is it? You said Schmog. Schmog? Schmog? What's his name? What's his fucking name? It's like if Schmog was Jewish. Schmog? I'm Schmog. Schmog? I'm Schmog. Okay. Maybe he's Jewish. He could be. Benedict Cumberbatch. He's got a lot of gold. He's Jewish, is he? Maybe he is. I would think he's Catholic if I were to guess. Let me just look it up. Benedict Cumberbatch. He's probably atheist. All right. But he's not. He's just the voice. He's not the dragon. Where's the dragon? where's that take place middle earth all right so we're both at a plus that's the most beautiful thing ever enjoy you're done with that one no we're still on this finish reading it chill out enjoyability you actually enjoy this game a lot more you're at a c now you're at a b i played it old food beers. It's nice. He got me excited about it. He explained it to me a little bit and I enjoyed it. Mine went down. It went from an A to a B+. You've owned it like 15 times. Well, not only that, man, I just... It's a lot of multi-balls. It's a lot of multi-balls. And with Pirates of the Caribbean coming out, it has some similar feel to it. I just thought you liked a lot of balls. That's why you liked it. But I figured it'd stay high on your list. The composites for this one. Greg went from a B plus 3.37 to a B plus 3.58 I went from an A minus at 3.8 down to an A minus 3.75 why are you getting rid of that one The Walking Dead stayed the same actually keep these in order because I'm going to have to do the video editing oh look at that Jeff from This Week in Pinball alright Alright, let's plug the name there. He said, get the show rolling. Drop the name. Alright, Tron Legacy stayed the same. Yeah. Alien. We had to add display and animations. We're both A's. Yeah. That's solid. It looks like a computer flickering and different things like that. I agree. I like it. I still love that pin. Still doesn't have Sigourney on it, but that's okay. Still fantastic pin. That's good. That's the only thing we changed. Yours just changed. It's still B+. Mine's still B+. Just changed a little bit of the number. Yeah, the number. Guardians of the Galaxy. See, this has changed a little bit. Yeah. So for me, the rules and code, I kept it at B minus. People will say, well, we got a code update. Zach, is it not better? It is better, but guess what? It's still getting stale for me. That machine's going to leave out of my game room if we don't get something soon. I agree. Display and animations, I'm going to solid A. I love the film. I love seeing the film up there. I think it's nice. You're at an A minus. Yeah. It's clear. It's HD. It's beautiful. It could have been a little better. Enjoyability took a hit for me. I went from an A- to a B+. I'm right there with you at a B+. It's getting a little stale, but it still shoots good. Yeah, it does shoot good. Composite, yours actually went from a B to a B+. I think that's fair. 3.34. Because it is a good shooter. It is. I like the theme. The artwork is beautiful. It's just, get the code rolling a little better. Mine stated a B+. It went up .01. Yeah. Houdini. Yeah. How can we change this? Well, we added animation and displays. You're in an A. Yeah. You really like these animation and displays. I do. What did you go in at? I went in A-. Which is surprising. I think it was solid. It is not as full. I can't give it an A or an A+, because it's not even close to what we get from JJ. No, I mean, you couldn't give it that, but it's a different style of animation. I think it fits it. It's going for a different age. It is. And it has that weird... Again, if you're kind of rolling with that weird steampunk feel, like the offset little choppy heads and mouths and everything, and the head being kind of a different proportion than the body, it's not lack of good animation. It's the style that it went for, and I appreciate that. I think it's cool. I like the quirkiness of it. The way that Dialed In went for that goofy, lighthearted SimCity kind of smiley face emojis and stuff, like this pin went for a different quirkiness like how in the hell can you like i love don so don't get me wrong but how in the hell can you love emojis in snapchat pictures popping up at you but then get shitty about houdini's quirky kind of awkward it's all campy kind of yes animations just a different level of different types of candy and again it's not that they messed up like look at the damn thing the call outs are the same thing the call outs were meant to be extravagant you know and it's like i recently saw where somebody got a hold of the the the voice actor who did uh the houdini stuff and you know he was talking about how that there was very few films and that's how that existed that's the way the way that he presented yeah exactly and you gotta take that that era that they were in exactly you know i think that it's and that's kind of they were kind of campy and over the top. Oh, yeah. Like back then, they're showmen. Exactly. So I think that all of that adds to it. Man, you're adding to it. I'm kind of passionate about that part of that pin. Okay. All right. But I will say that it took probably substantially less time than a JJP display does. Let's be fair. Oh, yeah. It's not. The complexity is not there. Them pulling out a melted Marshmallow Man face. Yeah. It's cool stuff. Who are you going to call? I like that one. Not that guy. Yeah. All right, so that makes our composites. For yours, a B plus at a 3.53 went to a B plus at a 3.59. Very fair. I'm still at an A minus. Mine went down .01, so we're at the same score. That got me back up to like a 6. You're at a 6 now? Fired up? That got me fired up. I kind of liked your argument there. It was good. Black Rose stays the same. Yeah, Black Rose. And for the most part, that's it. We are our most newest reviews of Pirates of the Caribbean and stuff like that. Yeah. So let us know what you guys think about our change. I think most of you will agree with the change. So we're going to throw the list up there now. Now we've got some shifting up and down. The thing that still has hurt me, we've got to figure out how to do this. The Walking Dead is, I know you don't want to hear this, man, but that is a top five, maybe top three game, and it's not showing because of the stupid-ass sound and the stupid-ass artwork. And I know that it's hard to balance in this sort of grading scale. It's very hard. Like shots and layout. Do we make rules and code 1.5 times? No, because this is the problem. Do we weight it? This is the problem if you do that. You would think, oh my God, okay, if you weighted that and you did shots and you did that sort of stuff. Man, art packages really mean a lot. So you've got to almost give that same weight. Even McCall, that's a lot of people. Maybe enjoyability takes it two times because that's what you're doing. You're playing pinball. You're enjoying it. What do you guys think? Enjoyability, does that need to go two times? No. The weight here? No. I think it all needs to stay the same because I think it balances it. Because literally I've heard people shun The Walking Dead because that damn call out, hillbilly voice, gets on their nerves and they can't stand it. And what upsets me is Cleveland's got that mix that fixes it. It does fix it. That would make that an even better, higher rating. It would. But we can't do that. We can't do that because it's technically a mod. It is. But it does fix the pin and would push it over the top. But literally, you cannot pay attention. Again, this is why we stress it. Should we put an asterisk on it? No, you cannot pay attention to the final grade. Look at what's important to you. I love that. Because if sounds and callouts aren't that important to you, and you just want a good shooter, Walking Dead is an A+, a need to buy the day for you. But if it's things like that, then you take the final number into account. Because Walking Dead, the code and the enjoyability were A pluses for us. That's why we just don't, it's why we list every category. So you can make decisions based on seeing our ratings. Instead of just a composite grade. Instead of just a composite grade. Yeah. Exactly. You have to pay attention to what we. We're trying to be objective here, guys. Very much so. Yeah. But. I'm at a seven now. Woo! I'm hot! But if you think enjoyability should be two times, hit us up. All right, that's going to be it from us. Where do these people need to go to find more SDTM? Facebook. Yeah, that would help. Where else? Twitch. Twitch. Twitching. Doing some Twitch. Trying to add some people to our stream team, don't we? Yes, we're hoping. Check out Chuck Wirt. Check out my boy Greg over here. Streaming. He's always fun. I don't know. I've been playing really shitty on stream lately. I have really good games off stream and stuff has been rough and I have just been angry. So this was our year. We're a year in, a little bit over a year in. And we want to thank everybody for hanging in with us over the year. If you're new to the SDTM team here, thanks for hanging out and supporting our show. Say hi to us at some of the different shows. We've got some cool stuff coming up, don't we? We do. We were just asked last night. No, we don't even. I'm not going to say it, but we were asked last night to do something pretty cool. Yeah, prestigious. Yeah, well. I think it's prestigious. That's a little stretch, but we were honored to say yes. So that's looking good. Yeah, check us out on all the formats. Like our page. Subscribe to us as well on Twitch. Maybe throw us some bits if you like what we're doing over there. Subscribe on Twitch as well. And nothing helps more than reviewing our podcast, reviewing our page, and sharing our video. So if you like this video, go ahead and share it today. Until next week, this is Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle, a pinball show. We loves you. Yeah. You hit it off with a bumper now you're straight down the middle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You had a fling with a fling shot. You're rolling out the alley again. And try to cream. That was good, wasn't it? Was that blue? Yeah. And it's like a super soft, it's like a velvet. Yeah. Feel it. Fucking stroke that shit. Like a, uh. Fucking nice, man. No, well, it's like the thickness of like a regular shirt. Oh, fucking.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 5395d15d-2627-43e1-a236-a3d53766d8a5*