# Johnny Mnemonic "Lighting Throwing Spikes" **Source:** Straight Down the Middle **Type:** video **Published:** 2017-02-18 **Duration:** 6m 18s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ajD2dStKI --- ## Analysis Gameplay walkthrough of Johnny Mnemonic pinball focusing on lighting all six throwing spikes targets. The player demonstrates the mechanic, challenges, and rewards of completing this objective, noting it requires quick ball control and precise shot timing similar to the Power Down mode difficulty. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Lighting all six throwing spikes provides no special completion reward, but individual lights grant valuable rewards (gigabytes, spinner millions, quick multiball, hold bonus, extra ball) — _Speaker discussing rewards during gameplay demonstration_ - [HIGH] Throwing spikes cannot be lit during tough multiball or yakuza strike modes — _Speaker explicitly states this constraint during gameplay_ - [MEDIUM] Completing all six throwing spikes during regular gameplay generates approximately 2 billion+ points — _Speaker references score shown on screen at conclusion_ - [MEDIUM] The throwing spikes objective is approximately as difficult as the Power Down mode, though possibly slightly easier — _Speaker's subjective assessment during gameplay_ - [HIGH] George Gomez designed Johnny Mnemonic with 'clunky ramps' but games consistently amaze — _Speaker's commentary during gameplay_ ### Notable Quotes > "I don't think you get anything for actually completing all of them but they're all very valuable." > — **Straight Down the Middle host**, early > _Clarifies that completing all spikes has no special reward, only individual light benefits_ > "Man, I think George Gomez is a genius. Little bit clunky ramps, but still. His games, they always amaze me." > — **Straight Down the Middle host**, mid-gameplay > _Designer praise with noted mechanical quirk acknowledgment_ > "This game is so fast that ball control sometimes is a little tough." > — **Straight Down the Middle host**, early > _Describes difficulty factor of the machine_ > "Slings are murder. Slings are murder." > — **Straight Down the Middle host**, late > _Frustration with slingshot mechanics during play_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Johnny Mnemonic | game | Pinball machine being played and analyzed; subject of gameplay walkthrough | | George Gomez | person | Designer of Johnny Mnemonic pinball machine; praised for game design despite noted mechanical quirks | | Straight Down the Middle | organization | YouTube channel/content creator producing pinball gameplay walkthroughs | ### Topics - **Primary:** Game mechanics: throwing spikes objective, Ball control and difficulty assessment - **Secondary:** Designer commentary (George Gomez), Multiball interactions with objectives, Scoring systems and rewards ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Host expresses appreciation for game design and enthusiasm for the mechanic despite frustrations with execution difficulty (slingshots, ramp precision). Overall tone is constructive and engaging. ### Signals - **[design_philosophy]** George Gomez's Johnny Mnemonic demonstrates fast-paced, skill-demanding gameplay with interconnected objective mechanics requiring precise ball control (confidence: high) — Speaker repeatedly notes difficulty of ball control, slingshot unpredictability, and tight timing windows for shot sequences --- ## Transcript Here we are guys playing Johnny Mnemonic. What we're going to try to do is light all six points of the throwing spikes. The way that you do that is by running down this left in lane here where it has the throwing spikes right there. You can obviously hit the left ramp too and come down onto it. As soon as you do that, you will want to immediately hit this left ramp or the left orbit to lock it in. You've got a few seconds to do it. Sometimes you get two shots off if you don't get down here in the slings and it gets bouncing around but usually it's pretty fast that you have to hit those shots. I don't think you get anything for actually completing all of them but they're all pretty valuable. You get some extra gigabytes, extra points, light spinner millions which is great, quick multiball which is a two ball multiball, hold bonus and light extra ball which is always valuable. We're just going to try to run through them all and get all of them lit. I actually think it's a pretty difficult thing to do. It'd be as challenging as power down I think. This game is so fast that ball control sometimes is a little tough. We got a touch tone multiball. That is one of two things that you cannot light the throwing spikes on. can light it during any of the multi balls or yakuza strike which we will probably end up with a Yakuza Strike because that the way it goes Wish I would have let that ball drain. Ah, I said that, but... There we go. Okay, so now we've got Throwing Spikes lit again. We're going to hit this ramp. Hit the orbit. Now that will have lit Gigabyte. You can see there. Go for that ramp again. Oh, missed. It happens. Man, I think Gomez is a genius. Little bit clunky ramps, but still. His games, they always amaze me. There we just went down the end lane. So now we have three of those spikes lit. Ah, a little too late. A little too early What are you doing I making a long distance phone call Nice run there for a minute There we go. That was quick multiball, so now we got two ball multiball going. Which we cannot like the Throwing Spikes during, so... So as soon as our reboot goes off, we'll let a ball go down. Okay, now we've got throwing spike slit again. We're going to backhand that up the ramp. Go around. So there goes our hold bonus. One more to go for light extra ball. I may have lied. It may be a bit easier than Power Down, but Power Down's not too bad. Got a little video mode here. Not sure if you guys can see it. It's pretty difficult. Like a Pac-Man style thing, but those guys are smart. Okay so we got one more spike to light Let's get it done. Here we go. Oh, missed the ramp. Oh, missed the ramp. Slings are murder. Slings are murder. Back in, and oh, too early, no! Oh, I don't know if that one registered. Extra ball is in the hole. It did! It lit that extra ball. So there you have it guys, we lit all the spikes. They're all lit. And then it just goes off and holds. So there you have it, we lit all six points of the throwing spikes. And like I said man, if you can do that during regular game play, not too difficult but it's pretty tough, then you've got a lot, a lot of different stuff. There you can see we already put up a two billion plus score just from lighting those. So those can be pretty valuable, definitely worth it. _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 97d21588-d168-4fbd-a6f5-5734239b874b*