# SDTM Episode 81: SDTM Favorite Pinball Machines

**Source:** Straight Down the Middle  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2018-12-04  
**Duration:** 53m 59s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJewNQ6IVow

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## Analysis

Straight Down the Middle hosts Greg Bone and Zach Minney present their individual top-10 favorite pinball machines in a special December 2018 episode, emphasizing personal preference over objective quality. The discussion covers machines from multiple manufacturers including Jersey Jack Pinball, Williams, Stern, Gottlieb, and others, with detailed commentary on gameplay mechanics, themes, code, and shooting characteristics. Notable entries include Houdini (American Pinball), Spider-Man, Dialed In (JJP), Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and various classic and modern titles, with some disagreement between hosts about machine rankings and design philosophy.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Houdini is challenging to shoot and has great code structure with multiple gameplay paths beyond just opening five modes and reaching wizard mode — _Greg explains his selection of Houdini at #10, citing challenging shooting, great code structure with more to do than typical mode-based games_
- [HIGH] Dialed In has Pat Lawlor design with third flipper ramp, holographic screen, drones, camera integration, LCD, and exceptionally well-designed code by Ted Estes and team — _Detailed technical description of Dialed In's features and code quality during #9 slot discussion_
- [HIGH] Star Wars Premium/LE version is Steve Ritchie's best shooting pinball machine with buttery smooth orbits and ramps, particularly the Death Star shot — _Zach argues Star Wars Premium/LE is superior shooting experience with smooth orbits and ramps, makes t-shirt claim about Death Star shot_
- [HIGH] Lord of the Rings has muted, faded colors on playfield and lengthy game time that affects enjoyment despite strong code and layout — _Greg discusses why Lord of the Rings ranks lower despite acknowledging its quality, citing visual presentation and game length concerns_
- [MEDIUM] Lethal Weapon 3 is a challenging, low-scoring pin with simple three-shot mechanics but high camp entertainment value — _Zach describes Lethal Weapon 3's basic shooting mechanics and fun factor despite simplicity_
- [HIGH] The Hobbit is a full-package machine with smooth orbits, ramps, drop targets, scoops, and dragon toy, recently improved by new code updates — _Greg details Hobbit's complete feature set and notes value improvement from recent code updates_
- [HIGH] Indiana Jones is one of the greatest pinball machines ever made with best sound packages, great toy shots, and excellent mode-based gameplay — _Greg ranks Indiana Jones at #5 as highest ranked pin, emphasizing sound, shot design, and mode-based gameplay quality_
- [MEDIUM] System 11 games like Whirlwind are underrated and don't rely on wizard modes or long ball times, focusing on locking balls and jackpots — _Zach discusses System 11 appeal as alternative to modern mode-based gameplay, specifically praising Whirlwind_

### Notable Quotes

> "it's a beautiful pin the toys on this are unlike most so where most pins are gonna give you an awesome toy nothing else awesome art and nothing else this gives you a little bit of everything a cornucopia if you will"
> — **Greg Bone**, ~5:00
> _Describes Houdini's balanced approach to combining multiple quality elements rather than excelling at one thing_

> "I think so the orbits of buttery smooth they're far there Steve Ritchie orbits they're hard to hit the ramps are smooth especially premium le the metal ramps are smooth the death star shot you've heard it and you'll hear it again I'm gonna make a t-shirt is one of the greatest shots in pinball"
> — **Zach Minney**, ~35:00
> _Strong advocacy for Star Wars Premium/LE shooting mechanics and the Death Star shot as elite pinball design_

> "dialed in is kind of a pin of our time if you will lower on my list because of the theme of a pin of our time but it's a pet lore classic"
> — **Greg Bone**, ~18:00
> _Acknowledges Dialed In as modern-era classic despite lower ranking due to theme disconnect_

> "I'm really surprised it's that low for you cuz I know how much you love that pin I do like it a lot but again it's so freaking up"
> — **Zach Minney**, ~25:00
> _Expresses frustration with Lord of the Rings ranking despite acknowledging its quality, citing gameplay length_

> "I cannot tell you at all I don't know it like dude I just I show is over I love Mel Gibson I love the Lethal Weapon franchise I don't love him as a person like necessarily but not lame I love have as an actor it's a fun shooting pin"
> — **Zach Minney**, ~30:00
> _Explains emotional/thematic connection to Lethal Weapon 3 despite mechanical simplicity_

> "System Elevens czar they don't get old because you're not relying on wizard mode you're not relying on long ball times you're not relying on any of the modes in jail you're trying to lock balls and you're trying to get a jack the high speed is ever allowed me a lot of great game"
> — **Greg Bone**, ~55:00
> _Articulates the appeal of System 11 era games as alternative to modern mode-focused design philosophy_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Greg Bone | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle, pinball enthusiast presenting personal top-10 favorite machines |
| Zach Minney | person | Co-host of Straight Down the Middle, pinball enthusiast with different ranking preferences than Greg |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer with multiple machines discussed including Spider-Man, Star Wars, Star Trek |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Premium pinball manufacturer with games featured including Dialed In, The Hobbit, Wizard of Oz |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer with Houdini featured in episode top-10 lists |
| Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer credited with Dialed In design and third flipper ramp mechanics |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Renowned pinball designer praised for smooth orbit design on Star Wars and other machines |
| George Gomez | person | Stern pinball designer with multiple games appearing on lists including Lord of the Rings |
| Ted Estes | person | Code designer for Dialed In, credited with exceptional rule set creation |
| John Papaduke | person | Pinball designer discussed in context of classic games from the era |
| Houdini | game | American Pinball machine ranked #10 by Greg; praised for challenging shooting and code structure |
| Spider-Man | game | Stern Pinball game (Tobey Maguire version) ranked #10 by Zach; noted for flow and fun factor |
| Dialed In | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game ranked #9 by Greg; praised for Pat Lawlor design and exceptional code |
| Lord of the Rings | game | Stern Pinball (George Gomez design) ranked #8 by Zach; criticized for color palette and game length |
| Lethal Weapon 3 | game | Data East pinball machine ranked #7 by Zach; simple mechanics with strong theme connection |
| Star Wars | game | Stern Pinball (Steve Ritchie design) ranked #7 by Greg; praised for smooth shooting mechanics |
| The Hobbit | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine ranked #6 by Greg; full-featured with improved code updates |
| Stargate | game | Gottlieb pinball machine ranked #6 by Zach; notable for toy sculpts and shooting gameplay |
| Indiana Jones | game | Steve Ritchie pinball machine ranked #5 by Greg; praised as one of greatest machines with excellent sound and modes |
| Star Trek | game | Stern Pinball machine (Steve Ritchie design) ranked #4 by Zach; discussed in Premium/LE variant preference |
| Whirlwind | game | Williams System 11 pinball machine ranked #4 by Greg; praised for non-wizard-mode focused gameplay |
| Flipping Out | company | Pinball machine retailer mentioned as sponsor/advertiser |
| PIN Stadium | product | LED lighting system for pinball machines mentioned in advertisement |
| Pin Graphics | company | Pinball enhancement products company advertised for custom artwork and modifications |
| Escalera | product | Stair climbing hand truck for pinball machines mentioned in advertisement |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Personal favorite pinball machine rankings, Pinball shooting mechanics and playfield design, Code quality and rule set design, Theme integration and aesthetic appeal
- **Secondary:** Jersey Jack Pinball vs Stern Pinball design philosophy, System 11 and classic era machines, Flipper mechanics and shot smoothness
- **Mentioned:** Machine value and secondary market pricing

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Generally enthusiastic and celebratory tone throughout top-10 countdown with friendly disagreement between hosts. Some mild criticism of specific design elements (color palettes, shot layouts) but overall affectionate discussion of machines. Humorous banter and personal stories add warmth to the episode.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Episode invites viewer participation with poll to vote on which host's top-10 list is best and to share their own favorite machines (confidence: high) — Greg suggests creating a poll for viewers to choose which top-10 is better and requests audience share their own favorites
- **[competitive_signal]** Steve Ritchie machines (Star Wars, Star Trek) positioned as superior shooting experiences with smooth orbits and ramps compared to other designers (confidence: medium) — Zach advocates Star Wars Premium/LE as Ritchie's best shooting machine with smooth, satisfying shot mechanics
- **[design_philosophy]** Lord of the Rings criticized for muted, faded playfield colors affecting visual appeal despite excellent code and layout (confidence: high) — Greg states 'muted faded looking colors on the place a looker' and notes this visual factor keeps it lower on his ranking despite mechanical quality
- **[design_philosophy]** Theme integration and visual presentation significantly influence personal favorite rankings independent of mechanical quality (confidence: high) — Multiple instances where hosts rank machines lower despite acknowledging superior mechanical design due to theme disconnect or visual presentation
- **[design_philosophy]** Host prefers hybrid flipper mechanics combining JJP smoothness with Williams snappiness; suggests Chicago Gaming Company as middle ground (confidence: high) — Zach discusses wanting flipper strength boost and hybrid between JJP smooth and Williams snap, mentions Chicago Gaming as compromise
- **[market_signal]** System 11 era games gaining renewed appreciation among modern players as alternative to wizard-mode focused modern design (confidence: medium) — Greg expresses that System 11 games 'don't get old' because they avoid relying on wizard modes and long ball times
- **[market_signal]** Stargate secondary market pricing discussed as potentially high; hosts debate value proposition at current prices (confidence: medium) — Discussion of Stargate pricing between $2000-3000+ range with debate about whether pricing is justified
- **[personnel_signal]** Multiple machines designed by Steve Ritchie appearing on rankings suggesting his design principles resonate with hosts (confidence: medium) — Star Wars, Star Trek, and Indiana Jones all feature Steve Ritchie design and rank highly on lists
- **[technology_signal]** Jersey Jack machines' advanced software allows visual flipper power adjustment on 27-inch LCD screen, enabling tuning of individual coils (confidence: high) — Greg confirms JJP machines allow changing and tuning power of each individual coil and flipper through LCD interface

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## Transcript

are you ready for your next pinball machine call flipping out now and choose from the newest and hottest pinball machines from jersey jack pinball stern pinball chicago gaming company and american pinball flipping out also offers the Escalera stair climbing hand truck visite now it flipped in at pinball calm the wait is over a revolution in an LED lighting for new pinball is finally here fully customizable full spectrum lighting from Penn Stadium life order yours now at King stadium calm checkout pin graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements power blades blade skins pin blades and even more visit pin graphics calm now to see what's available for your pinball machine let's kick this [ __ ] [Music] welcome to this week straight down the middle a special episode the matter we are doing something that we some really special have never done before kind of you guys might not give a [ __ ] they might be well this is awesome episode it's a special top ten yeah special topic we've done our top five favor from each manufacturer yes that was a fun episode yes you guys like that nope down vote yeah it's always the two guys there's two so somebody out there I think they go on just a down vote they do they're just like subscriber just so I get video pops up down but wouldn't you love to know at least who it is so we will send them t-shirts and stuff oh yeah with gifts yeah stickers but I so in this special top ten we are doing our individual with complete biasness never once four of our top ten favorite machines yeah the individual paper machine not the best machines of normally but our favorite BB the best shooter it doesn't have to be it's what we love mm-hmm I'm excited about this excited about this one yeah I didn't think we'd do this for a while but I thought you know what tis the season baby is the season look cuz this is gonna change this is going to be provisional things are gonna get bumped off things are gonna get moved up moved down yeah but as if right now December 2018 these are Gregan eyes favorite pinball machines to play there okay let's kick it off okay there any rules to this no rules no we don't know what each other's favorite I don't know what yours are so we're gonna be surprised you don't you have yours prepped I got no you tears no way you're gonna mess this all up you want to go first for me you go first alright at number 10 I'm bashing my number 10 favorite well people are gonna bash this one my number 10 favorite pinball machine is Houdini well you know what American pinball's Houdini not to spoil it but I'm the Houdini's not on mine okay and I it is one of my favorite pinball machines okay every time I just make that top ten yeah it didn't make the top ten it probably should have honestly because it's one of those things that I'd go back mm-hmm - I still I still got mine right now and I you know I didn't play it for maybe a week and a half yeah it might be two weeks because I got spider-man in I got Iron Maiden something playing really been getting a lot of pins in yeah yeah I've been going better than mine yeah Wow there's been some crazy stuff going so I hadn't touched Houdini for a while and I went back to Houdini and it's still I was as excited and it felt good not this take the thunder of your pin but I'm kind of but you know I mean I was I was thoroughly enjoying it again in blown away but no people are gonna have to at the end of this episode let us know who has the best top ten here it's not a pole star to pull out a pole on it and let us know what your favorite top ten are maybe no no we do a pole fer between which top ten they like no so that's fine just threw the pole into the reason I picked two Dini it's not like it's my favorite shooting pin it doesn't have the best toys in the business the artwork doesn't have the best music and call outs in the best animations not the best so why'd I pick this thing it's because equally it's a challenging shooter I love shooting this pin it's really hard I agree the modes the the structure of that code for me is great because there's more things to do than just open five modes and get to a wizard I agree I do love that it is a beautiful pin the toys on this are unlike most so where most pins are gonna give you an awesome toy nothing else awesome art and nothing else this gives you a little bit of everything a cornucopia if you will you know what I I do agree with you on that but I sort of you know there's there's some things about it that I like a lot more than other people say the art thou oktoberfest I agree there was to be desired but this pin I actually very much like the art I like every bit of it I love the side of the cabinet who was a Ben hacker somebody was it was on cañedo or something somewhere somebody was talking about how the steampunk thing didn't really go with anything and all that and I understand that but it's like that Industrial Age I think more than necessarily steampunk so he had to make all kinds of mechanisms for his tricks to work yeah yeah like I think yes so I guess I'm holding ears and the way the cabinet is and everything is fantastic and it fits beautifully neon the playfield a good student yeah in the anime class is awesome the animation city integrations awesome this is why that I think throws the ball 20 inches into yes oh there's so much but this is what I got to defend the animations to an extent not necessarily defending them but I'm rationalizing why that they do not affect me and they've never bothered me at all and the reason they don't bother me at all is because I just I always look at it and I have always looked at it it's just a different artistic view no different than like like like Tim Burton doing Coraline or no Tim Burton didn't do Coraline thing you did he did he did the corpse bride and all that but but that sucked uh of course bride was okay but but nice and weeny say something like Coraline or something like there's just a different style style of art there's a different you know of characters that can be out proportion you are fired up during this episode yeah I don't see what happens you're number 10 so that's gonna fall yeah but you know number 10 shoe Dini number 10 you're gonna remember this lads a little more underwhelming okay a spider-man yeah I love spider-man now again I don't give too much away on anything but yeah we're gonna review a soon spider-man vault okay but I'm talking about the regular spider-man black regular spider-man Tobey Maguire spider-man movie say hey that's so ding yeah interesting and a number 10 yeah man dude okay the game flows fantastically it's got a lot of Star Trek no it's no searcher but it's basically Star Trek and it's great toys I actually great toys there well okay I won't say great choice but their knees are [ __ ] on your never tell they're you know they're neat toys they're neat toys I can't help again this isn't one can't pull a Houdini on we're not no we're not trying to justify why it's so great but it's just fun I enjoy the callouts I enjoy the way of shoots I'm just a fan of spider-man in general I have a lot of special was it JK Simmons yes it does almost call us that's what sort of I've learned makes that pin a lot better but it's just fun light show kind of neat I love it when you hit Veneman stuff my favourite Ritchie lighting is good on ya like I said the code it's not me and even though it's an easy shooter the code makes it kind of a tough pin to run through and it's lower those posts you'd be playing forever yeah oh who is it's the wife about the cabinet facepalm hello yeah hi everybody the kid destroyed it did you literally just put your boobs in the camera for the camera yeah yeah you rearranged like off your face and you're right yeah hello straight down the middle scrunching up there she goes again yep turnout to look it up there Zack Lily yeah I can't I'm not against it right now cuz I don't get frustrated I had him in a good mood damn it okay yeah that's all good love you great to actually see somebody good looking today he's looked at the beer several times [Music] but back to this Spider Man and you know what really makes enjoyable for me you know there is a piece of [ __ ] turd spider-man on location on cases Alabama and every time I'm on vacation I play that pin and I still work makes me feel feel like one day just wonderful what's your number not spider-man oh yeah now he's referring to here's another you're gonna really love to okay oh my man I love that man I can't get away from it I still love it I know I love to call outs I love all the animations on the screen I hope it gets better for me I love the artwork I still like the way I don't like the way it shoots but I like the shots does that make sense no no I don't like the shot so I'm gonna go I'm gonna go in reverse okay cuz the shots are they're a little clunky they're a little blah but I like hitting those shots they're fun do you like the shots we love the way it shoots okay yeah or vice versa what you mean yeah you like theme integration maybe yeah the theme integrations fantastical how does enjoy it all I like to code love the call-outs like they're 1.09 I have fun with that pin area you know what that is one of my go-to freaking pins oh I got an honorable mention that's gonna piss people off but I love this pin later I know I'm just I got to put it on here first anything else you want to add to number nine give your favorite pins it's been self c64 so it surely does alright I'll tell you a better number nine that came out around the same time and that is Jersey Jack pin balls dialed in mm-hmm see now it's lower on my list because the theme does not speak to me at all but the shooting of that game is superb better than most pins ever made that's correct it is a Pat Lawler design so you have that third flipper ramp which feels great you also have the light show you have toys and mechs you have a holographic screen on there you have magnets you have drones that work you have a camera that's integrated you have LCD you have a true world under glass but better than all of that is the code that Ted st's and in the gang up there created you go through the modes when you complete a mode that does nothing that just makes a sim card eligible you have to collect that SIM card collect enough SIM cards and you get to the wizard mode bit during that journey you also get through mini wizard modes as well dialed in is kind of a pin of our time if you will lower on my list because of the theme of a pin of our time but it's a pet lore classic good name a better pet Lawlor I've got one of my lists higher but dialed-in is firmly set at number 9 what's your what's your argument I don't really have one I mean it's a good panel is obviously dialed in as much as what I will say when it came out I hated the theme then once I show up with that crazy listen to me though like then once once I got over the theme once I shot it then I was like I think not really matter because the theme kind of became important with it again like owning it it's a weird thing back and forth on that then I do like the weight shoots but I don't like the way it shoots because in a sense it it's obviously shoots like a jjp like it does smooth smooth butter and in a sense it's like ballet Williams - it shoots smooth like I got scores very points you're making yes but I also I miss a little bit of the snappiness of the flivver discern yes I want that hybrid like that's what I'm looking for in a pinball company is that that hybrid between a little bit more power like if I could just juice those flippers up just a little bit I love that smoothness and maybe maybe when you juice those flippers up I kill that smoothness one might say that a nice in-between would be Chicago gaming I turn kind of mix but it's all other parts are like it is it is it's very true too so and that's the only thing I'm looking for on dog days I'm not gonna be able to just boost that flipper strength I mean the smallest percent I'm ten percent on those flippers well the good thing is that with the just wonderful operating system on Jersey Jack machines you can visually go in on that 27 inch LCD screen and change and tune the power of each one of those individual coil and flippers you can on the valve in absolutely absolutely yep you can baby all about it the only thing I don't like about dialed in is design-wise the sim card I I just don't think the simcard hole is designed well no look ah if I shoot that seven times in a rail I should be able to hit yeah it's tight it's it's do so that's the only thing I really cuz it back Hannibal it's so important now you can't back in that SIM card no thing where's the SIM card it's like in front of the ramp the only thing you can do is kind of just bounce it off of stuff and hope like hell did it go Oh over to the behind there okay I'm in the photos that last thing on the phone the Big Bang you're supposed to collect everything but you don't click SIM cards so yeah you're lucky you made it in dialed in but you just squeezed so what's your number right number nine number eight for me Rob bomb bomb Isabelly Williams it's a John Popadiuk no it's not totin no it's not theater of magic no it's not world cup saucer yes it is Oh cuz I know you love that game I love it the reason I like it is because it's gorgeous I have the prettiest pinball machines ever made it's different its unique the layout layout so smooth yeah I've loved the layout on that there's toys there's tricks there's manipulations on that game I like the theming as well I like the main toy of the ringmaster it's a very classy elegant looking pinball machine and the code itself it's those Valley Williams I love the tasks it's not just your modes it's the tasks that you have to get you gotta get the multi balls you got to get the jackpots then you got to get the modes and you got to get the ringmaster defeat different tasks I need more time on it people hate circus filters it's too easy or it's too linear see that's what when you don't like theater magic am they it really surprises me I don't like theater man but I'm saying though it doesn't it doesn't hold your interest it doesn't keep you think that this is the reason I picked this as number eight is because it's beautiful it looks good in a collection it feels good it sounds good and I agree with you I liked the LCD down on the play field rather than up in the back class yeah that's cool I agree with you with the elegance like first bright and is kind of crazy as that pin is it doesn't have an elegance to it really does very much I like the right orbit that turns into a ramp I do too what's your number eight these your favorite pins of all time Lord of the Rings oh yes shooting up everybody I mean I don't really have to be running justify its that low I'm really surprised it's that low for you cuz I know how much you love that pin I do like it a lot but again it's so freaking up I'm gonna give you really a hard time anything above oh you're gonna hate 1/2 mile oh you're gonna hate it all yeah and there's a few that I really want to put there's one I really wanted to put in there but I'm afraid that if I owned it then I would despise it so my honorable mention okay but I wanted it high because it's one of my go-to games Lord of the Rings is the pinball machine I like it but again one of the great they say what we talked about like you have a long ass game on there mm-hm you're done with it for a minute it's so more like we asked ugly it again there's the muted faded looking colors on the place a looker so some of that effects like my just like again I can I can give you the numbers and we can go through the shots layout we can review it in and it's gonna score amazingly well but as of just what I feel that I love and I enjoy looking at I enjoy having it's not gonna go higher yeah yeah but is still such as what happen if they're both jumped up it would jump up tremendously tremendously if they bolted it right like we've talked about before but so Jorge Gomez makes it into your list twice Johnson makes it into your lady Gomez is in there you go nice and go miss I don't know why you don't like me no I have an embroidered pillow of you I'm gonna send you my personal last shirt that more likely just doesn't know who you are but no he knows who I am thinks he knows who I am the personalized email scene pictures Lord of the Rings the code the codes what makes that game for me layouts good but got the codes kind of weird so yeah and you know one thing and it didn't make it on here honestly enough was a I've struggled with this one cuz I want it back as a Johnny mnemonic too so I could have had three three Gomez's in there easily like and I wouldn't been mad now Beatles huh played it yes really good mouse game yeah I would argue that it is but that's another episode number seven you want to roll him to number seven did you do your what oh it was r8 yeah come on number seven took [ __ ] I'm getting lost now thinking about Gomez oh here we go the organization would you number seven the whip dude I love it dude i watch leave the weapon three the other night it was on oh yes I cannot tell you at all I don't know it like dude I just I show is over I love Mel Gibson I love the Lethal Weapon franchise I don't love him as a person like necessarily but not lame I love have as an actor it's a fun shooting pin and it's fun it's so or predict there's nothing to it again you shoot leave the weapon scoop one leave the weapons are saucer one two and three and you shoot the freaking orbits that's basic Rani's man targeting the ramp is fun just Lipper's whatever I'm just saying though like when you get mad about like object you just shoot this three times just three times especially like when you talk about Metallica it's like you're just repetitively [ __ ] listen to like two [ __ ] shots you're hitting after this but I still love it it's a challenging game it's low scoring and it's just so it's at Camp eNOS like that we talked about with like cactus Canyon oh crap but it's this the film like a film is Corning it is kind of for the time it wasn't but now the world America's cynical [ __ ] now yeah dude it's just fun I actually think that the art like the art is crazy but the way I've got mine lit well that sort of lit some of it but I had to redo some of his life you didn't yeah I did I really did spider-man Larry and I do I just love it I I cannot like it is one of my fear it won't leave it's bolted down no I'm okay with that so we're top 10 because I do know how much you love it but I can't I can't explain it now why it's above Lord of the Rings I don't know we should have a faceoff slap off I can't give it honestly I thought about putting it hotter this is my go-to game but I'm tired of everything else and I just like I could shoot that need to be hired to deal list number seven for me is one of the greatest turn pinball machines ever made a pinball machine that gets no reg it's no respect he gets no respect it's not the prettiest thing but damn it it's still Star Wars and that Star Wars premium le don't give me that pro [ __ ] I don't want none of that crap it's the premium and Le version Eiger Star Wars Ritchie it's my man Dwight Sullivan yeah with the code coding the moments by Dwight Sullivan that's what he's all about and I'm gonna see Ritchie on my team just it's it's Mack the rest of these riches no clue who we are either it's the shine no we ain't with him before Steve Grich is getting a little older and he forgets things I'm pretty sure that we beat his house for Christmas Eve man I think it may be Steve Ritchie's best shooting pinball machine right now everybody's gasping but no I think I think so the orbits of buttery smooth they're far there Steve Ritchie orbits they're hard to hit the ramps are smooth especially premium le the metal ramps are smooth the death star shot you've heard it and you'll hear it again I'm gonna make a t-shirt is one of the greatest shots in pinball pay off on that Hyperloop oh I swear to God Wow I swear to you it Wow you know what that's saying that's like saying that the lift ramp on the walking dead premium M le is just phenomenal no that's a great shooting rats just I will fight somebody that argues with me here because I'm fighting an army guess what they're just wrong they haven't owned this pin that I've shot that many times and it sucks I've seen Greg play that game a lot I haven't seen him hit that shot once it's up now the many orbits awesome - no dude it's just no [ __ ] that's all great but if you talked about that before cramp is tarah no it's awesome man I'm like wheat is so smooth it hits and then the magnet takes it - we talked about objectively being able to measure some type of quantitative measure on smoothness of yes we did whether it's the sound reverberation or something we're going to do that at some point and this is one of the most satisfying shots great when you have hyperspace multiball going and the challenge of getting two three four bowls I'll give it to you like HD and when it hits and it works if it's good it feels good it's such a satisfying but try as much as you hate things like the scoops that don't work I should meet by heat dance group six times you thought a garbage it works this scoop works it works every single time maybe people's aren't dialed in dunno if I shoot that 10 times I'll put $100 up in $1000 say it hits nine out of ten times thousand bucks it just hits maybe other people's aren't like that mine is a stud of a shooter now I don't like the three bank Richie does those three banks are right in front of your face that's fly back at you not a little orbit is quick and smooth the outer orbits quick and smooth the ramp is quick and smooth drop target bank to the left Oh Steve why are you doing it to me love that game love that game combs phenomenal it's just it's pretty it's pretty it's a nice machine one of the greatest it's number seven it's great I walked away honest give him a shot off I'll stop all right well what's your you did 736 I just yeah well what's wrong I just hate even talking me about my list like I don't feel like acting dog anything on your list on there's my list is perfection it's just the way there's ten nine eight seven number six to know their Jersey Jack pinball machine that's at the hobbit table and I love the hot I like it it is a full package every it's kind of like Houdini in that mm-hmm it's not the best shooter I'll give that yeah it's a great shooter but it's not a top three shooter for me not a great shooter no actually is a great shooter the orbits on that I will say continued to be the smoothest nicest orbits and pinball let's enjoy that ramp to drop targets if you like drop targets get scoops behind the job Mike Tori she got max you get a dragon that talks to you you guys have heard me yeah vomit my praise so the hobbits all spare you on that but the Hobbit is a value right now with the new code just transforms it you've got a wizard mode that you cannot get to I want one The Hobbit was a little bit more I probably gave me the Hobbit over a Wizard of Oz yeah the Hobbit way better it's gorgeous mama the most beautiful pins around something get it back up out of my basement you don't need to good for that much money I'm her number six for you Oh got number six you're gonna hate this one I hate all yours Stargate go ahead totally tell mine it was loaded like look at that it's look at this sculpt on those toys it's fantastic and it shoots fun other than shoot the pyramid it's fantastic it's a fun shooter well he gonna own one I'm surprised you own one yet I mean you know what like you've been summed up for good price there's a condition well no not good price but good conditions but I think the price is a little hair too high nobody can get one right under three uh no I would I know and maybe I'm old on prices but I would think you know 20 23 to 25 pull up pull up goodies lock you better start shopping that thing out I haven't got one yeah that's exactly what well yeah I really did you really spend that much on the Gottlieb yeah on a sarcastic eats a different golly it's just different it's not it's alright the flippers are still yeah they're awkward but it's a fun do to code my teenage boy in the morning so still yeah yeah like I don't know it's it doesn't shoot like other guy leaves like maybe you like one I'll give you that it is the best colleague easily either the code is pretty good the ramp sir and I'll give to you that crazy it's actually not a bad looking pin no I think it's a gorgeous entry freaks me out that's kind of one of the reasons kind like Rudy like the the that prints or whatever that and you like remastered egyptian-themed yeah I love the Egyptian thing I actually I go to movie quite a bit to me now enjoy that whoo tremendous Kurt Russell in there who doesn't like us over Lord of the Rings yep oh I enjoy it that's fun this isn't I can shoot although I like games is it like I don't like leave the weapon I don't know why it's just there's some pins that I just don't get tired of flipping okay and that's one of them all right there's a lot of people to agree with that one I think there's a lot of Stargate fans people are probably turning off right now in the account list no stargates stargates we'll get email sack you're such a buzz in stargates the best come on over what's your number five then Oh God look into that Oh see I get this I'm gonna go I'm gonna go then okay that goes into my Star Wars really yep yep stargate then Star Wars Wow yeah I'm a Star Wars pro not your food group the pros Horace for this fantastic you can backhand that Death Star shot who cares saw I do that's amazing that's so much fun is a little bit of a challenge splitter it it's like backhanding that that that orbit on Houdini it's fantastic I love it anyone feels good you said it flows well it's probably one of the best light shows if I must argue yeah everything that you said why you suppose posited as a pro the I just like prose and I like the price the prose the lesser pen no lesser to us no no it's an actual pinball player the nose good shots it's fantastic so that was your number six number yeah number six I'm going number five here ten nine eight seven six five five Isabella Williams five is my highest ranked pin ooh congratulations but it's not my favorite pin yeah what is it it's Indiana Jones of pinball adventure died see I was gonna throw never have enough time to really really know about window I don't want to keep all warm and fuzzies I'll mark Ritchie games for me yeah it's bulls and everything it's one of the greatest things ever made in pinball silly one of the greatest sound packages easily yeah it's some of the best shots toy shots that the idol do it is the mode players game yeah is the like the greatest mode based game if you like modes you're gonna love Indiana just and this also has a video modes that are fun they're fun actually fun video mode - so Indiana Jones is only gonna keep going up in price and right now sits at number 5 on my favorite pinball machine alright number four for me yes oh right maybe the Star Wars was your number five star worthless he's hiding them he don't want me to see it is if you thought I'd make funny number four for me is my favorite system xi and arguably the greatest system 11 game these system Elevens are really growing on me system level yeah I agree I about bought a donger the one here locally that one - man look terrible no dibble man was nice too easy I reached down low balled about a minute mines whirlwind world yeah you love world well that sounds nice and a lot of people like it but you loved it I loved it the lighting the effects the payoff on the jackpot during multiball the theming the art beautiful supple yumminess of a world when that that's again system 11 czar they don't get old because you're not relying on wizard mode you're not relying on long ball times you're not relying on any of the modes in jail you're trying to lock balls and you're trying to get a jack the high speed is ever allowed me a lot of great game I agree with you like the system Elevens of they've started to really good I just love the fan that topper fan I love the art on the side of that cabinet and restored it's just those man so that's that's my that's my number for my number for my never sworn before continuing with a beautiful theme here okay Star Trek oh there's your star Stargate Star Wars and Star Trek yeah when that when I when I was compiling the list that came on I was like traffic any arse any preference since money's not really an option le premium a premium but actually I like I the premium is everybody loves it but I don't like the red armor and I don't like the cabinet I don't like all that but I like the per actually the le is my favorite if I knew with money preference only yeah Pro pro I enjoy I owned a pro and I ever for ya Steve Ritchie yeah I think I'm coming that I would I would show the brand I'd take the pro because of the pricing any day over the other two but like I'd like that kick out into thought that that right is la warrior yeah because the other one the pro can some no you know how stern saucers can do something like so coops on any recent manufacturers just not consist they're not consistent on this the top yeah so but yeah go le and you know the pro that was my first game there's my second game i ever owned and who sold it to you you did and then you you just took advantage of me when i got rid of it so we needed to sell it we'll just leave it at that cuz i bought it back for him and cheaper than i saw the two weeks later two weeks later he bought it back for two hundred dollars less than when he sold it to me because you were scared that it was gonna start ghosting yes because here this this and we weren't the best of friends then but i still thought we wasn't really level yeah you just weren't you gotta work your way up to the different and from one of the inserts what's what's the top was not in euro what's the very top one the blue insert on their starship a camera or whatever but it literally had the tiniest it's like a hairline hint of ghosting and the reason we listen the reason that i freaked that was because ghosting nobody talked about ghosting on a new machine and it was literally at the exact time that ghostbusters came out and we small for yeah everybody went apeshit like oh my god i never buy that and stern needs to everybody was going apeshit about how oh my god it's just gonna be terrible so it freaked me out that I bought this pin I didn't now after you up until a oh yeah you better worry about that no you didn't know I don't know that had ghosting in the first place no no you didn't see and I looked at over your magnifying and I and I saw it jewelry finder like freaked me out because I thought I was gonna think up massive loss on it because of all the stuff going on with ghostbusters you haven't changed everything up and you have no I haven't and so two weeks later I got even more feet and I was just like you're gonna take this machine yeah even though he already worked a deal behind my back to trade it not only that was a dream I picked it up from your house to take straight to the next deep and it was the guy who I was already sort of making a deal with I talked to the guy too was gonna do the exact same train I've got to make people happy I made you happy with the sale of that pen and another guy wanted to be happy as well look I just sell happiness what do you want from me Oh on the back of my tears what do you want from me great so that's how that happened but even the jury wasn't interested at the price that I sold all of that devastation still remains one of my favorite pins oh my gosh cuz it's you do you know what's funny - it's pretty my customers were so happy that you and the guy sold it to still continue to come to me for pinball machines yeah I think it says a whole lot a little bit was sucker and all of us now yes I take care of my peoples so you that was number four yes number three top three now we're diving into the top three pinball machines your favorite your favorite pinball machines ever made good lord you got another Gottlieb in there oh is it my turn yeah it's your turn I'm just thinking about how okay bring it I don't care you didn't get it I know I got it it's just very insensitive it wasn't not what this brand is about no well then you can just bleep that out no no it's a good joke it was a good joke Joe sometimes listen people in life sometimes jokes are the expense of anyone at any time sometimes you just gotta laugh and have fun you can't you can't just races Touche Touche Touche oh [ __ ] ah blow red now Oh Oh Pirates of the Caribbean Jersey Jack well II yeah I think it's freaking phenomenal it's great I think it's fun it's gorgeous yeah Wow okay I think now is the time that I'm gonna release to the world the third member of Team Zach because after this list so uh you know I was talking to some of my pinball peoples and one of my buddies Eric menu you know he's the designer of Pirates of the Caribbean juice Jack and you know he's engineered the marvels of wisdom let me stop his [ __ ] all right right now you know what he did he was like be on my team you better be on my team come on look at what the look dear I love your name we are me on my team he I have not gone out and I have not petitioned I haven't I have you think it's like a political thing I don't need to be on Team Jack man should I design a pin like this or should I do the artwork like this what Zach you've got such a great great taste in everything so that's out campaigning like dead Philip is with the twits [Laughter] Eric menu is now team Zach boom Adam on that's the white Sullivan that's Christopher Franchi and that is the designer extraordinaire of a Eric Meunier I got myself a dream team pinball making machine here baby what do I need now any a sound guy you just wait till I start putting up I'll take another coder designer or artist I don't care you're still one-man Wolf Pack over here Bowie all the people's vote so ok Pirates of the Caribbean yes smooth fantastic loaded yes beautiful yeah yeah I can't argue no is it on your list that's why we're gonna put that out there right now so put that out there right now so secure him on my team before he jumps back oh [ __ ] yeah so that's no I'm surprised yeah I enjoy that a world under glass to you but it's a a top three pinball machine of all time favourite for you so you can eat I like it I like the shots in its not gonna argue I've got I've got a team $9,500 one order tip alright number three for me is the my favorite Bally Williams machine drooling my favourite so you're not gonna see a Bally Williams higher on this list but it does make the top three the shadow the shadow by Brian Eddy he did a fantastic job preserving good mechanisms in this game again you see a pattern here for me code the code is important and for this the final wizard mode is a blast to play it is hard to complete and it's not reliant upon just one thing it's many numerous tasks it's multiball jackpot its defeating the battlefield it's getting through all the modes that's one of them really hard shooting pin in the shadow I like difficult difficult pinball machines so the shadow made it as number three I think it's pretty too gorgeous especially pinched stadium lights ding thank you the Alric package on there like that is that is it it is got some brass going on that game you get the gun shooter honestly it's one of the most beautiful games too if you were gonna do that like you said like the gun powder show yeah it's in to to actually customize that that game is one of the few that I think is deserving and and needs it so kind of sinister but then you've got what's-his-name curry Dan simply rollouts yep I agree that's number three number two for me and these are the best does its kind of meat number two for me is arguably one of Stan's greatest pinball machines it's not the prettiest thing but it's the walking dead and that's my number - really - ok we're both see ya the walking doesn't matter it is it is phenomenon borges masterpiece in my opinion sly mashite masterpiece I think this code is it's not as clean as Batman no but it's funner than it anyway okay I agree I agree it is so challenging weird really it was like that perfect storm of designer encoder 2 come together oh how does be because the layout is you it's different didn't Orthodox for John Buddhist and the coding is just different first the coding was very poor it was it wasn't Lyman King what people argue that they don't like relying upon those drop targets over your mode but the challenge comes in yeah I like that a lot better than a lot of games that's where your bloodbath comes in yes I I think it's still are like you know this game makes me angry don't get me wrong I've owned it probably five times and I sell like some I'm just angry so look at Matt it's obviously like fun with it if Fisher's I guess mmm it's like a climax if you will yeah you you load up everything and fail to execute that it's a fail it makes me want to pick up that front of that pin and just boom drop it down take a little everybody I've just always been able to shoot that lamp and you know what I can't specify Pro or premium Ellie because the pro is twice the shooter yes but the premium Ellie does have better code in that Walker bomb yeah Bobby you don't use the Walker bombs a time yeah right it saves you on multi saves you a whole yeah multiball you needed on that game no it's nice and I do like the magnet for a well Walker for the premium Ellie but that ramp just offsets everything and I like just go be able to shoot the ramp for bicycle girl instead of hitting the bash toy I am because you got a stacked you can stack a tin CDC show yeah yeah i laser modes in under awesome walking dead I kept arguing myself on the way here of whether or not to make that into the number one pin my favorite pin ever but it just didn't I do it around because it is is probably my favorite it is the most regretted game that I've ever gotten rid of mmm and I had a good price you regret didn't restore it does you really like that yeah oh oh I love them both of those again 100% and know they'll probably stay like we should do redo the artwork on a walking dead walking dead doesn't mean because the dots are good redone but the sound with the cleaned that the glass is still just the thing me the most like I don't even mind the clean feels fun yeah the playfield sucks - that sucks but everybody always harps on this and says you guys are always into the our ninja no oh dispose it right yeah do you play in code let their everything up layout something you think that works well what we do appreciate art in tourism mechs and innovation you do with that being said what is your number two in the room no it's number one that was my number two no I don't think so yeah number two walking dead that's right okay yeah what's your number one what do you think it is Valley a sec I prefer this over the valley lost world oh hell yeah okay don't you yeah that's terrible mr. John Borg yeah it is I'm looking at your a 1/2 a jumbo I'm picking up a Guardians maybe India talk bourgie into being on your team I'd like to me aboard the pride kind of similar you guys actually in in a lot of ways I'm more like Dwight but yeah yeah but you know what in and I can't I can't put my finger on I'd like to say that it's true Moore's name way side note or they throwing shade on me on Facebook yeah you liked one of your post you know didn't you don't pisses me off weren't anything about all this did you reach out to him and he twice respond back to you twice twice I've tried a friend aren't a so is Orin dead dick I don't know I don't know but he doesn't like anybody out there is close to Orin day just say hey there's this guy his name's Greg he's got this show don't say my name he loves Sega he's friends with the guy who you you bashed on Facebook but to claim me out one day cuz I again like I would actually I love like I love the work he did on seconds and stuff like I mean I don't I'm an actual fan of his and he won't friend mean he's friends with I wait a minute I sound surprised that you're an actual actual I mean nobody can deny it yeah I love Sega's but you know back to lost world you know man it's my first game and I thought that plays a lot into it but it's still a pen that even those day I just don't hang on to because it's my first pen and I honestly don't just hang on to it solely because of the theme I go to it and it's just fun it's a relaxing pin it's it's that nice hybrid to me there's some speed to it there's some flow to it she's alright yeah it's all towards the shoot yeah it's cool toys like I just I when I go to end up targets yeah well [Music] yeah great come every time you go there plastic yeah it is like Godzilla but but I love it man it's just it feels good every time I get on it and I walk away with a smile on my face every single time and every time I step up to it I like that you pick that is your number one cuz that has been your first pin it rings true theme-wise you you are the biggest Jurassic Park fan in general that I know I think it's much it's very fitting yeah it's very fitting I think we should rename this episode instead of Zach and Greg's favorite machines we should name it is the orange a a dick I don't know he does know anything do with me it's so hurtful when I look at his friends list it's like mutual friends oh it's like all these people and then he just don't wanna be my friend Lauren day you know what I want for Christmas or and dad what you'd be my friend now on Facebook I don't horned a throne shaded no I like I we discussed that fiasco though we understood it the greatest pinball machine of all time could have been walking dead but it wasn't could have been shadow wasn't could have been whirlwind and Nana Jones wasn't big juicy melon sits well no 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 reach your pinball machine right by visiting Marco speck calm now Chrome it brass at black Nicolette King the chrome at powder-coated the possibilities are endless at pinball play Dave dot-com your pinball machine deserves the best at comet pinball you'll find the best variety of LED products with the best quality LEDs and most importantly at the best price your collection is begging for an upgrade order yours now at comet Inbal calm it's the Lord of the Rings it's a Jorge Gomez Oh Gomez or the rings or a number maybe I can get Jorge Gomez on my team that'd be a real [ __ ] on you I haven't actually heard no it's don't say hurt hurt yeah its Jorge Gomez is the Lord of the Rings it's Keith P. Johnson's the Lord of the Rings it's New Line Cinema's the Lord of the Rings it's a fantastic shooter - the right ramp it is it has the greatest code and pinball maybe yeah Greg it seems like theme really rings true on our top picks your big Jurassic Park fan that fell I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan now know some of them for me some of the greatest films ever made for me personally I like them better than Star Wars as a film series oh I'm just I'm really available with that Lord of the Rings fan just the acting in it the storyline and everything they're doing spectacular there's and everybody knows it I won it vaulted really bad for a reason it's the Lord of the Rings of Jorge Gomez game I can go with that very much so now what are some of the considerations you have any considerations that almost made it in I had that couple I do Amy Anna Jones okay we discussed that Godzilla I was working on that one - I like what it's worth I think it's probably my favorite Sega that made me feel so good when you owned that and you couldn't get rid of it for so long yeah because you you actually enjoyed a Sega that it made my day every time I like talked to him on the phone he says yeah yeah you know doing Godzilla asking I don't know what it is I just love it because it doesn't grabs you it's kind of a neat it's a neat pin trying to stack those multiple get them all and any other ones yeah this is like this is just horrible and I love it every time I play it everybody's gonna [ __ ] on that barbed wire I love bar blocks go to my consider I don't get you sometimes my considerations a lot of you are like wait a minute Zack why not Pirates of the Caribbean yeah there's a jack here's why I think it will be imprinted into my top ten for sure I think I'm gonna like it better than Hobbit it'll probably maybe even fall above Indian you know what all of your pins had in common but no air come in here no stop stop he worked on The Hobbit me and Dalton he worked on The Hobbit but no here's the deal here's the deal guys I've not owned it lord knows I have a no Nicks I'm still waiting on this stupid-ass thing grow more shape yeah I'm a little frustrated about not owning that pin yet because I've had a little ordered forever but Ivan owned it so I don't know the long-term effects of how it will go I get all these other pins I've owned I thought about that it just it's not there yet give me a game guys and I might be able to give it in top ten but until then I think likely to bump Houdini off the page and it'll go in at number five but until I own it I don't know other considerations do I am falling in love with radical radical is radical in writer I think is my second favorite system 11 game and I'm really turning myself towards the system Elevens with a lot of love is so rare I think it'd be on more people's stuff if they had a chance to play it that game chutes and flows like I will never even come close to touching one until yours a no-name designer it just it really flows well ta-ta almost beat out Houdini I could really almost beat it because it's so much and I play it so often and it's so good and it is my favorite co-op playing pinball machine I would rather play that with friends than any other pinball machine yeah and that's why it almost made in that top 10 so yeah it just didn't have that the depth that Houdini had for me TNA almost that was a close one number two and then whitewater water is another one of my favorite ballet Williams it's just a clean looking beautiful pan fun tasks or fun gets a little choppy that's why I didn't make it but I think it's meat but I don't know if I like the look of it in my collection I don't know if it's also down and I'm just hiding in our library they have a white water than a medieval madness attack for Morris or Monster Mash Wow without a doubt monster bash man's been sitting in there is really big so those are our favorite pinball machine are ever so tell these people what will they mean no Zach they need to know that my list is very much better than your list as well as my teams of people who have chosen to be on them I guess is that what you're looking for not really but you said it so check us out on Facebook fantastic stuff going on there as normal and some of you by now I really ain't seen [ __ ] but you know what it's coming winter's coming so my dearest Greg's and we streaming more is gonna be uploading more live stream also you must drink some but I am gonna bring you more content from like some tournament stuff I know what these are coming up that's what these are coming up and you need to eat we're special stuff though for us for the twenties big dining works fella across the board just like you do by t-shirt like always like always but for us on the Twiggy's yes that's I'm saying [ __ ] you lost me for a minute Beaufort it's [ __ ] comes our best podcast best everything yeah especially the best YouTube I mean there's nothing holding come on last year I thought Papa did but this year oh there's got more consistent content yes got more viewing regional content so bonk on topple we love you but you do take a backseat this year we're ready to repeat normally what yes we're tired of splitting that trouble to people need to do by shirt twitch help support us YouTube tell me bout YouTube YouTube us alright we're on YouTube and so here I am all by myself talking to myself damn straight down the middle that's right you quit when we're looking for number two we want this focus off okay we want this to uh we want another one yes it needs a needs a girlfriend yeah yeah you need one I need one love this thing flow for us sir that custody back and if it's open right now do it now if not set a reminder once we tell you when to vote for it Porcia until next week this is Gregory this is Zack we don't hate Orin Day we love him right I do well actually no I'm neutral I want to interview him yeah it's already been done yeah he won't try to get in here ago you want to accept your friendship [Music] hey ready welcome to another friend up now a little camera check your mom's

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 96e8e46d-3f20-4d3b-a538-63ce4118e6f5*