# I Played These at Texas Pinball Festival

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2023-03-29  
**Duration:** 11m 2s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKie9xYeGr8

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy shares first impressions from Texas Pinball Festival on five newly released games: Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Foo Fighters, Scooby-Doo, and Galactic Tank Force. He clarifies that these are experiential observations from limited plays in a loud festival environment, not formal reviews. Overall sentiment is positive for Pulp Fiction, Foo Fighters, and Scooby-Doo, with mixed feelings on Godfather due to audio issues and upper flipper mechanics he struggled with.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction and Foo Fighters were the two most popular games at Texas Pinball Festival — _Cary Hardy observed crowds and directly stated 'the top two games at the show were pulp fiction and foo fighters'_
- [HIGH] Pulp Fiction LE production is scheduled to begin in October with uncertain build timeline — _Cary Hardy stated 'they're going on the line in october and how long is it going to take them to build it that is yet to be determined'_
- [HIGH] Foo Fighters has excellent shot flow and no reported issues with how well it shoots — _Cary Hardy reported consistent feedback: 'the most common responses were that they don't really care for the band, but the game shot really well. As a matter of fact, there were no issues with individuals on how well that game shot'_
- [MEDIUM] Scooby-Doo's upper playfield felt quicker/faster at the festival than shown in streams or videos — _Cary Hardy observed 'The upper playfield wasn't as slow as I've been seeing it on streams or videos. So that was a little bit of an experience for me that was different. I'm not sure if something's been changed'_
- [MEDIUM] Godfather received more positive than negative feedback from festival attendees — _Cary Hardy stated 'My consensus for Godfather is that it's definitely getting more positive than negative on feedback' based on friends and others he questioned at the festival_

### Notable Quotes

> "This is my first impressions, thoughts on the games that were at Texas Pinball Festival... what I'm about to say is not a review. It is merely just my first impressions or experience with the time that I had on the game."
> — **Cary Hardy**, 0:00-0:30
> _Sets expectations and clarifies the video is not a formal review but experiential feedback from limited festival plays_

> "I think for those of you that got your le locked in you're gonna feel like you made a great decision this is gonna be definitely a game that a lot of people are going to want in their collections because it's giving you the old school feel"
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~5:00
> _Strong endorsement of Pulp Fiction for collectors, emphasizing its old-school appeal and quality build_

> "Foo Fighters was definitely a big hit at the show and now we got pros rolling out to people's homes and people are definitely giving it high praises and enjoying it"
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~8:30
> _Confirms Foo Fighters Pro tier is shipping and receiving positive community reception_

> "The game shot real well. The upper playfield wasn't as slow as I've been seeing it on streams or videos... it felt like the upper playfield was a little quicker, which is more of my type."
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~12:00
> _Reports potential design changes or variances in Scooby-Doo's upper playfield performance from what was previously documented_

> "I definitely enjoyed scooby-doo much more than i enjoyed halloween and ultraman this is my experience one of their better shooters"
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~13:30
> _Ranks Scooby-Doo as superior to Spooky's Halloween and Ultraman titles, indicating quality improvement trajectory_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | Content creator and pinball enthusiast providing first impressions of games at Texas Pinball Festival |
| Godfather | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game; Cary struggled with upper flipper mechanics and audio in festival setting but reports positive feedback from other players and attendees |
| Pulp Fiction | game | Chicago Gaming Company pinball machine; one of two most popular games at Texas Pinball Festival; LE production line scheduled October; strong endorsement from Cary |
| Foo Fighters | game | Pinball machine; tied with Pulp Fiction as most popular game at festival; Cary purchased Premium edition; Pro tier now shipping to homes with high praise from community |
| Scooby-Doo | game | Spooky Pinball game; six Collector Edition cabinets at festival with one butter cabinet; upper playfield appears faster than previously documented; ranked among Spooky's better shooters |
| Galactic Tank Force | game | Game that Cary played at Texas Pinball Festival; requires dedicated video discussion due to complexity |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball event where Cary Hardy played multiple new releases and gathered community feedback |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer of Pulp Fiction; Cary comments on build quality and October production line start |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Scooby-Doo, Halloween, and Ultraman; Cary ranks Scooby-Doo as one of their better shooters |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Godfather; had dedicated room at festival that Cary did not visit but regrets missing |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Texas Pinball Festival experience and environment, First impressions vs formal reviews distinction
- **Secondary:** Audio quality and gameplay clarity in festival settings, Pulp Fiction production timeline and availability, Foo Fighters popularity and shot flow design, Scooby-Doo upper playfield mechanics and difficulty settings
- **Mentioned:** Casual vs competitive player experience differences

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Generally enthusiastic about Pulp Fiction, Foo Fighters, and Scooby-Doo with strong endorsements. Mixed/neutral on Godfather due to personal gameplay struggles in festival environment. Frustration expressed about review confusion but overall tone is upbeat and encouraging about the new releases.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Festival attendees report Foo Fighters shoots exceptionally well with excellent flow, consensus feedback across multiple players with no reported shot quality issues (confidence: high) — 'the most common responses were that they don't really care for the band, but the game shot really well. As a matter of fact, there were no issues with individuals on how well that game shot'
- **[event_signal]** Texas Pinball Festival featured six Scooby-Doo Collector Edition machines and large Pulp Fiction/Foo Fighters crowds, indicating strong manufacturer presence and community interest in newest releases (confidence: high) — Cary Hardy observed 'Spooky they had about six of these machines lined up' for Scooby-Doo and noted 'lines weren't nearly as long as they were with Pulp Fiction' but both were top two games
- **[market_signal]** Foo Fighters Pro tier is shipping to home customers with positive reception; limited production with 20+ machines at festival suggests broader availability (confidence: high) — 'Foo Fighters was definitely a big hit at the show and now we got pros rolling out to people's homes and people are definitely giving it high praises and enjoying it' and 'my local arcade has actually got a pro food fighters now'
- **[announcement]** Pulp Fiction LE production scheduled to begin October 2024 with uncertain completion timeline (confidence: high) — 'they're going on the line in october and how long is it going to take them to build it that is yet to be determined we shall see'
- **[product_concern]** Godfather audio clarity is problematic in noisy festival environments, making upper flipper cues difficult to discern (confidence: high) — Cary could not hear audio in festival setting and struggled with 'remembering to use the upper flipper for particular shots' due to audio cues being inaudible
- **[sentiment_shift]** Scooby-Doo upper playfield performance appears improved or different from previously documented streams, potentially indicating design refinement or unit-to-unit variation (confidence: medium) — 'The upper playfield wasn't as slow as I've been seeing it on streams or videos. So that was a little bit of an experience for me that was different. I'm not sure if something's been changed'

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## Transcript

 Before I get started talking about these games, I need to preface it, evidently, by stating that what I'm about to say is not a review. It is merely just my first impressions or experience with the time that I had on the game. I have actual reviews on my channel, and the word review is in the title. So whenever I give you a first impressions or just giving you my experience with a game that just came out You posting it up online on pin side or whatever stating early review or carries review. It's not a review Well, he only got two or three games on it. That's not a fair review I'm like, it's never stated as being a review So and I even stayed in the video that I only got two or three plays on it I need more time and all people were complaining about is basically things that I already stated in the video that I only got so many plays and I needed more time on it. So I digress. This is my first impressions, thoughts on the games that were at Texas Pinball Festival. Let's get started. What's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball and we're going to get right into it by discussing the games that are fairly new and i got more time on them we'll start with godfather and now originally my first experience with the game is the volume was low so i couldn't really hear it very well i could not remember to use my upper flipper for particular shots um did not really know what was going on just kept shooting up the middle because that was what was lit and uh i didn't really know how i felt about it just yet kind of thing it wasn't like it was a bad game i just needed more time on it and i wish that i could tell you that my opinion has changed but sadly it hasn't i only played two more games on it and once again could not really hear the volume because you have hundreds of other machines around you as well as other people that are talking and yelling so hearing the audio still wasn't there for that i still have an issue with remembering to use the upper flipper as well i don't know what's wrong with me i just can't seem to remember so that's on me i'm not blaming the game or design or anything on it's just that i don't know why but i cannot recall using that flipper when i'm supposed to i'm watching my friends use it and they're just laughing at me because I can So that is just on me And since my opinion hasn really changed I going to give you the feedback from my friends that played it as well as other people that I questioned at Texas Pinball Festival And my consensus for Godfather is that it's definitely getting more positive than negative on feedback. I remember walking around trying to figure out where three of my buddies were at, and they were in front of a Godfather LE. And I was like, y'all were playing this? And they were telling me that they actually really enjoyed this game. They were having a lot of fun on it. They were playing it multiple times. So there's that, along with one of my friend's wife who really fell in love with it, and she's really trying to see if she can get him to buy a collector's edition. He's just got to find one now. So that's his issue. I really wish I would have gone to JJ's room to play these games that I'm about to go over, because I want to say he had a few of them that I definitely could have played in a better environment and been able to hear the game and i think that's definitely going to be able to help me on certain things i don't know if it'll help me remember to use the upper flipper but i don't know but that's what i have for godfather let's move on to pulp fiction now i managed to get two games on this pretty early in the show thankfully because i want to say the top two games at the show were pulp fiction and foo fighters i want to say foo fighters is probably been probably more popular but there was like 20 of the games there so the lines weren't nearly as long as they were with Pulp Fiction but I want to say that those are the top two games that people were talking about at the festival. I had an excellent experience with my two plays. I knew what to do, where to go, and the shots were entertaining. I had no issues with this. I actually enjoyed hitting the inline targets getting the book the briefcase boogie multiball going i was starting to work on the uh pawn shop multiball and i didn't manage to get that one but i did experience a lot with the game i had a great time i feel like those of you that are like on the fence or just don't know they should get pulp fiction i think for those of you that got your le locked in you're gonna feel like you made a great decision this is gonna be definitely a game that a lot of people are going to want in their collections because it's giving you the old school feel and the price is you know it's it's up there but you're still going to be getting a really great quality build of a game with it being cgc it's just a matter of when i mean you're going to be getting supposedly they're going on the line in october and how long is it going to take them to build it that is yet to be determined we shall see but if it's anything like how fast we getting the Cactus Canyon LEs it going to be a while But if you didn get your LE Pulp Fiction have no worries You not going to have the fancy little aesthetics that are going to be on the game including that really badass topper but you still going to get a great playing game with the briefcase that moves around and the sculpts and everything inside the machine. Those are still going to be there. The audio clips are still going to be there. I think it's definitely a game that is going to be sought after. Moving on to Foo Fighters. Now, I've already given you my feedback on Foo Fighters. I obviously have high praises for it, especially since I purchased a premium. But I wanted to give you just a few more notes on this, basically stating that everyone I talked to at the show, while they were playing it or if they've already played it, I asked individuals, what did you think of Foo Fighters? And the most common responses were that, you know, they don't really care for the band, but the game shot really well. As a matter of fact, there were no issues with individuals on how well that game shot. It has flow and it just goes on and on. It's a really great playing game and I still, for the life of me, cannot hit that right ramp very well. It's on a spot on that flipper that is just not getting to me to where I need to hit it. So getting my ball to the upper plate field on the premium or just getting it up the ramp is, I'm finding, very difficult. and when it comes to finding things difficult my wife's my wife's experience with Foo Fighters was quite poor she's actually a little upset that i purchased this Foo Fighters she doesn't like it at all but i think that's because she doesn't know where any of the shots are at yet she was hitting posts and this is the type of game where there's not targets where these posts are at so you don't really feel like you're progressing or accomplishing tasks so yes it's going to be a little irritating whenever you're making shots and you're not doing anything but hitting posts and nothing's going on so i think it may grow on her when i get the game here and she's able to get better at it but Foo Fighters was definitely a big hit at the show and now we got pros rolling out to people's homes and people are definitely giving it high praises and enjoying it if you have not played it yet i strongly recommend that you do and i'm pretty sure you're gonna find it shoots very well and if you can find a place to play it and hear the audio it really helps the experience as well my local arcade has actually got a pro Foo Fighters now so yes i get to go there and play that in the meantime while i'm waiting for my premium to arrive next month now let talk about scooby where are you from spooky they had about six of these machines lined up they were all collector edition and i think one of them was a butter cabinet now uh after playing a multitude of other games the wife and i decided to try this game out wait in line to get there this was also another game that a line was always there was for scooby doo my wife really enjoyed this game guys um she actually preferred me to get scooby doo over the Foo Fighters, but it is what it is. But we played this game, and I'm not going to lie, I mean, yes, it shot really well. I mean, it was one of those where I felt that definitely she was finding it more interesting because she was able to figure out what she needed to do and where the shots were at and stuff. She was just having a much better time, but this isn't about what she thinks about it. It's about what I think about it. The game shot real well. The upper playfield wasn't as slow as I've been seeing it on streams or videos. So that was a little bit of an experience for me that was different. I'm not sure if something's been changed, but it felt like the upper playfield was a little quicker, which is more of my type. The game looks beautiful. I unmasked at least one villain and I was almost there for my second on my very first game. and I feel like if the game feels too easy, then you have settings that you can go to to make the game more challenging for you so that the target between the flippers doesn't come up as often. I'm sure you can even adjust certain timers to be lower, stuff like that. But I honestly really enjoyed Scooby-Doo. So, I mean, there's all kinds of things going around when it comes to the quality and the builds and stuff like that. The games looked, from my perspective, just fine they looked clean they looked very pretty no issues on that but the gameplay wise i thought was actually really good i definitely enjoyed scooby-doo much more than i enjoyed halloween and ultraman this is my experience one of their better shooters let's see i've gone over Godfather, Foo Fighters, what else do I have? Pulp Fiction, Scooby-Doo, GTF, Galactic Tank Force. You know what, guys? I think I'm going to need a whole video for this topic. Stay tuned. Outro Music

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: cc2a9253-b89c-4602-b891-e0575a624f4d*