# Rock Fantasy - Middletown, NY (June 2021) **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2021-08-24 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/rock-fantasy-middletown-ny-june-2021 --- ## Analysis A location visit report to Rock Fantasy in Middletown, NY documenting the author's return to playing pinball at commercial venues post-pandemic. The author plays several recent Stern releases (Mandalorian, TMNT, Led Zeppelin, Heavy Metal) and discusses their gameplay impressions alongside a comprehensive venue machine roster. The visit reflects broader community sentiment about location pinball revival and tournament activity resuming. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Mandalorian Pro plays great with excellent shot variety, footage, and audio despite Baby Yoda integration limitations — _Author personal gameplay experience and direct comparison to Black Knight Premium flipper issues_ - [HIGH] Heavy Metal is fun but not worth the $8,000 retail price — _Author's personal assessment based on gameplay experience at location_ - [MEDIUM] TMNT Pro at this location played noticeably faster than expected, with co-op mode appearing valuable for group play — _Author observation with caveat that uncertainty exists about whether this is location-specific or universal_ - [HIGH] Led Zeppelin Pro unexpectedly exceeded expectations in enjoyment — _Author direct gameplay statement_ - [HIGH] Rock Fantasy's new location has better physical layout and more room for machines than the original location — _Author's comparative observation based on venue visit_ ### Notable Quotes > "Location Pinball is Back!" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Opening exclamation signaling return to commercial pinball play post-pandemic; emotional marker of industry recovery_ > "The Mandalorian is a disappointment, Fooey. That's a bunch of nonsense. The game plays great!" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Direct rebuttal of community criticism; defends game quality despite acknowledged Baby Yoda integration limitations_ > "Is the latter worth the eight grand that it sold for? No…but it was still fun." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Candid pricing criticism of Heavy Metal while acknowledging gameplay value; reflects broader market concern about high prices_ > "I was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun Led Zeppelin and Heavy Metal were." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Positive reception of recent Stern releases; counters potential criticism of these titles_ > "This trip to play location pinball again has completely energized me." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Emotional statement about industry recovery; indicates broader community relief at return to normal_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Rock Fantasy | organization | Music store, smoke shop, and pinball venue located in Middletown, NY; known as 'World Famous' with both iconic original and new location | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; produced Mandalorian, TMNT, Led Zeppelin, Heavy Metal, and other machines discussed at venue | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Remake manufacturer; produced Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness, and Monster Bash remakes present at venue | | Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; Rob Zombie's Spookshow International present at venue | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Content creator and location arcade reporter; author of this venue visit report with Instagram documentation | | Mandalorian Pro | game | Recent Stern release; praised for shot variety, show footage, and gameplay despite Baby Yoda integration critique | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro | game | Recent Stern release (2020); observed playing very fast at this location; co-op mode noted as valuable feature | | Led Zeppelin Pro | game | Recent Stern release (2020); exceeded author expectations despite prior skepticism | | Heavy Metal | game | Stern 2020 release; author assessment: fun but overpriced at $8,000 | | Black Knight: Sword of Rage | game | Stern Premium (2019); referenced for flipper ball hop issues that affected Mandalorian upper playfield; appears at venue | | X-Men | game | Stern Pro (2012); author and sons played extensively at venue despite limited prior experience | | Carl Weathers | person | Actor; provides voice callouts for Mandalorian pinball game | | Equilibrium Brewery | organization | New brewery/tasting room and food venue adjacent to Rock Fantasy; noted as convenient pairing for pinball location | | Pinball Map | organization | Community resource site used for documenting venue machine rosters | | IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Administrators; tournaments resuming post-pandemic per author | ### Topics - **Primary:** Location pinball recovery post-pandemic, Recent Stern pinball releases and gameplay impressions - **Secondary:** Pinball game pricing and value assessment, Commercial venue machine rosters and availability, Pinball hardware design issues and solutions (flipper ball hop) - **Mentioned:** Tournament and competitive pinball activity ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.82) — Enthusiastic and optimistic tone throughout venue report. Author expresses genuine joy at return to location play, defends recent Stern releases against community criticism, and expresses energized outlook on industry recovery. Mild criticism present (Heavy Metal pricing, Baby Yoda integration, tight center shot on Mandalorian) but framed constructively within overall positive assessments. ### Signals - **[design_philosophy]** Mandalorian Pro upper playfield has insufficient ball hop to reach flipper, replicating known issue from Black Knight Premium that required aftermarket kit solution (confidence: high) — Author notes 'the upper playfield seemed to suffer from the same lack of necessary ball hop to reach the flipper that Black Knight Premiums did before the kit was released' - **[design_philosophy]** Baby Yoda feature insufficiently interactive and integrated into Mandalorian game despite being marquee IP element (confidence: high) — Author states 'Would it be nice if Baby Yoda was more interactive and more integrated, obviously' - **[market_signal]** Location pinball infrastructure showing capacity expansion (Rock Fantasy new location larger with better layout) and adjacent venue development (Equilibrium Brewery opening adjacent to Rock Fantasy) (confidence: high) — Author states 'its new place is better. It seems like there's room for more games now' and 'Equilibrium Brewery just opened a new tasting room / brewery with food next door' - **[market_signal]** Heavy Metal ($8,000+ retail) questioned as overpriced for gameplay value delivered despite fun factor (confidence: high) — Author assessment: 'Is the latter worth the eight grand that it sold for? No…but it was still fun' - **[product_strategy]** Stern implementing alternate game modes (co-op, challenge modes) as standard feature in recent releases (TMNT co-op, Jurassic's Escape Nublar Challenge) to increase gameplay variety (confidence: medium) — Author notes 'I can see how co-op mode would be a blast to play on it with four people. Stern has done a great job at adding other game types to its new pins, like Jurassic's Escape Nubral Challenge' - **[sentiment_shift]** Location pinball operator and community energy visibly recovering post-pandemic with renewed enthusiasm for commercial venue play and tournament resumption (confidence: high) — Author states 'Location Pinball is Back!' and 'This trip to play location pinball again has completely energized me' plus 'IFPA tournaments are even starting back up soon' --- ## Transcript Sound the trumpets and ring the alarm because…Location Pinball is Back! My youngest son and I made the hour trip to Middletown, NY to visit the World Famous Rock Fantasy music store, smoke shop and most importantly pinball venue. Man how I missed playing pins on location. The silver lining of not having done so for so long is there’s lots of new (to us) games to play when you finally do. This afternoon we put our first ever games on Stern Pinball’s Mandalorian Pro, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro, Led Zeppelin Pro and Heavy Metal pinball machines. Not bad for one day! I’m probably not the right person to ask for an opinion on those games because I love almost all pinball (besides Rob Zombie). I was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun Led Zeppelin and Heavy Metal were. Is the latter worth the eight grand that it sold for? No…but it was still fun. And for those who are saying that The Mandalorian is a disappointment, Fooey. That’s a bunch of nonsense. The game plays great! Would it be nice if Baby Yoda was more interactive and more integrated, obviously. Also, the upper playfield seemed to suffer from the same lack of necessary ball hop to reach the flipper that Black Knight Premiums did before the kit was released. But overall Mando was the highlight of the new pins for us. It has tons of shots, tremendous footage from the show, great music and cool call outs from Carl Carl Weathers. The center shot to bring the ball up top is a little tight and steep, but some shots on a game should be. Great game. I’d definitely buy one if I didn’t already have something else on order. The TNMT that was at Rock Fantasy seemed to play SUPER fast to us. I’m not sure if they’re all like that or of it was just this one. Again I really liked it (no I’m not being paid by Stern, if anything it’s the opposite, so I can’t be called a shill). I can see how co-op mode would be a blast to play on it with four people. Stern has done a great job at adding other game types to its new pins, like Jurassic’s Escape Nublar Challenge. Beyond the new games, Rock Fantasy had its usual awesome lineup. My sons and I put several games on X-Men because we haven’t played it much in the past. We also played quite a bit of Black Knight because for some reason I can never get enough of it. Here’s the whole lineup (according to the fantastic Pinball Map site): AC/DC (Premium) (Stern, 2012) The Addams Family (Bally, 1992) Aerosmith (Pro) (Stern, 2017) Attack From Mars (Remake LE) (Chicago Gaming, 2017) Batman 66 (Premium) (Stern, 2016) Beatles (Stern, 2018) Black Knight: Sword of Rage (Premium) (Stern, 2019) Cheetah (Stern, 1980) Creature from the Black Lagoon (Bally, 1992) Cyclone (Williams, 1988) Devil's Dare (Gottlieb, 1982) Dolly Parton (Bally, 1978) Elvira and the Party Monsters (Bally, 1989) Elvira's House of Horrors (Premium) (Stern, 2019) Evel Knievel (Bally, 1977) Fireball Classic (Bally, 1984) Game of Thrones (Premium) (Stern, 2015) Genie (Gottlieb, 1979) Gorgar (Williams, 1979) Heavy Metal (Stern, 2020) Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Premium) (Stern, 2018) Jurassic Park (Premium) (Stern, 2019) Kiss (Stern, 2015) Kiss (Bally, 1978) Led Zeppelin (Pro) (Stern, 2020) The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot (Williams, 1991) Medieval Madness (Remake) (Chicago Gaming, 2016) Metallica (Master of Puppets - LE) (Stern, 2013) Monster Bash (Remake LE) (Chicago Gaming, 2018) The Munsters (Pro) (Stern, 2019) Rob Zombie's Spookshow International (Spooky Pinball, 2016) Rock (Gottlieb, 1985) The Rolling Stones (Stern, 2011) Rolling Stones (Bally, 1979) Star Trek (Premium) (Stern, 2013) Swords Of Fury (Williams, 1988) Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams, 1996) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Pro) (Stern, 2020) The Walking Dead (Premium) (Stern, 2015) World Cup Soccer (Bally, 1994) X-Men (Pro) (Stern, 2012) Man, what a list! I eliminated the game’s that weren’t there today or were off. As much as I liked Rock Fantasy’s iconic first location, I honestly think that it’s new place is better. It seems like there’s room for more games now. Equilibrium Brewery just opened a new tasting room / brewery with food next door. Playing some pins then grabbing a few beers next door would make for one heck of a great day. This trip to play location pinball again has completely energized me. I was getting tired of posting old retread pictures and news stories about locations struggling. I’m so happy that things are slowly getting back to normal. IFPA tournaments are even starting back up soon. Look for many more arcade reports here this summer. And now I have tons of cool pictures for the Knapp Arcade Instagram account (link below). If you haven’t checked it out already, stop by. That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! https://www.instagram.com/knapparcade/?hl=en _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c0aa3edf-1f9e-4c1d-8aed-784711f23bd5*