# Triple Drain Pinball Podcast Episode 58 - We’ve been honeydicked

**Source:** The Pinball Network  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-12-06  
**Duration:** 100m 26s  
**Beat:** Pinball

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

---

## Analysis

Triple Drain hosts discuss the delayed Pinball Cup competition, X-Men Pro code progression and mechanical issues, and praise the newly arrived Metallica LE as an exceptional remake. The conversation touches on game sales, code update expectations, and the complex rule design of both X-Men and Metallica.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The Pinball Cup was advertised as 'coming in December' but has not launched as of December 5th — _Tom checked Stern Pinball Facebook, website, Reddit, and Pinside on December 1st with no results; Joel confirms uncertainty about launch status_
- [HIGH] X-Men Pro received an auto plunge kit from Stern to address mechanical issues — _Joel states 'I'm good on Stern for addressing the auto plunge issues. They're apparently sending out kits.'_
- [HIGH] X-Men code roadmap shown at Pinball Expo contained only minor additions (Nimrod, Senator Kelly, Master Mold) with no major new modes announced — _Joel: 'they showed like an outline of the code...wasn't a ton in that outline that isn't already in the game'_
- [HIGH] George Gomez stated X-Men was rushed in production, which is why code development is behind schedule — _Joel: 'George kept saying that it...was rushed in production. So naturally everything else is going to be a little bit further behind.'_
- [HIGH] Metallica LE is an improved remake of the original Metallica that enhances gameplay in every aspect — _Joel: 'Stern managed to do is they genuinely improved it in every single way' citing snap flipper speed, art, remastered sound in stereo, and expression pedalbox_
- [HIGH] X-Men's Save the City wizard mode is poorly documented with ambiguous shot requirements and no in-game guidance — _Multiple hosts note unclear mansion shot definition, level-up mechanics not displayed on LCD, and city shot leveling requirements_
- [HIGH] Tom sold his Game of Thrones LE and Alvin Premium for room in his collection — _Tom: 'I sold Game of Thrones LE to Conrad...and I sold my Alvin Premium' citing room constraints_
- [MEDIUM] Tom sold his X-Men Pro because code development appears limited and he wants to revisit in 6 months to see how it evolves — _Tom: 'when it left the house, I was like I'm looking forward to playing this again in six months...there wasn't a ton in that outline'_

### Notable Quotes

> "WHERE IS THE PINBALL CUP?!"
> — **Tom (via text message)**, ~early in podcast
> _Captures genuine frustration with Stern's vague December 1st launch announcement for Pinball Cup_

> "I read the ——ing read-me...just be like, 'I read the ——ing read-me,' and then you just let it rip. Establish dominance."
> — **Travis**, ~mid-podcast
> _Humorous commentary on X-Men's reliance on external readme file for character ability documentation_

> "Stern managed to do is they genuinely improved it in every single way."
> — **Joel**, ~Metallica section
> _Strong endorsement of Metallica LE as superior to original Metallica_

> "Give me something to focus on. But yet I love the distractions."
> — **Joel**, ~Metallica discussion
> _Articulates design philosophy for broad vs deep gameplay appeal_

> "There's only a handful of games that truly have done it right."
> — **Joel**, ~code discussion
> _References elite game design that balances accessibility with depth_

> "Why was it not a button then? Why was it? Did Stern not eliminate the plunger and put a button just like Monster Bash or Looney Tunes or anything Rick and Morty?"
> — **Joel**, ~X-Men mechanical section
> _Questions X-Men design choice to retain manual plunger rather than auto-launch button_

> "We're three guys who like to talk about pinball, so we came up with a clever name. We're Joel and Travis and Tom, and we call ourselves Triple Drain."
> — **Joel**, ~opening
> _Self-introduction and podcast identity_

> "I was told that the pinball market is just crashing and everything's like going to hell in a hand basket...Well, you know, if you read online, apparently nothing's selling. Yeah, I guess I just sold two games this week."
> — **Tom/Joel exchange**, ~early segment
> _Contradicts online narrative that pinball market is dying with actual sales data_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Triple Drain | organization | Pinball podcast hosted by Joel, Travis, and Tom discussing games, code, and industry news |
| Joel | person | Co-host of Triple Drain; tournament player; owns/operates pinball company selling machines |
| Travis | person | Co-host of Triple Drain; X-Men Pro player; critical perspective on code depth |
| Tom | person | Co-host of Triple Drain; tournament player; selling Game of Thrones LE and Alvin Premium; receiving Metallica LE |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer discussed throughout; launching Pinball Cup; addressing X-Men auto plunge issues; maker of Metallica LE |
| X-Men Pro | game | Recently released Stern game; experiencing flipper hop issues and auto plunge problems; code criticized as incomplete with unclear wizard mode |
| Metallica LE | game | Remake of original Metallica; arriving at Tom's house; praised as improved in art, sound, flippers, and gameplay |
| Pinball Cup | event | Stern competition advertised for December; involved tiered challenges and leaderboards; delayed/unclear launch status as of Dec 5 |
| Game of Thrones LE | game | Stern game sold by Tom to Conrad; formerly part of Tom's collection |
| Alvin Premium | game | Stern game sold by Tom for room in collection |
| Conrad | person | Purchased Game of Thrones LE from Tom; podcast listener |
| George Gomez | person | Designer/developer associated with X-Men; stated game was rushed in production |
| Carlos | person | X-Men player; streamed 86-hour gameplay session; referenced as having discovered future-focused strategy |
| Raymond | person | Associated with Metallica remake; listeners reference Raymond's work on game redesign and mode additions |
| Ben | person | Stern Pinball staffer responsible for Insider Connected features; likely involved in Pinball Cup development |
| Deadpool | game | Stern game mentioned as reference for Pinball Cup challenge structure; example of recent code update adding side content (Mech Suit Multiball) |
| Jaws | game | Stern game referenced as fully fleshed-out at MSRP; cited as code comparison point for X-Men |
| Godzilla | game | Stern game cited as broad appeal example with beginner-to-mid-level gameplay curve |
| Looney Tunes | game | Stern game mentioned by Tom as owned; referenced for auto-launch button design vs manual plunger |
| Rick and Morty | game | Stern game referenced for auto-launch button design vs manual plunger choice |
| Monster Bash | game | Classic game referenced for auto-launch button design comparison to X-Men plunger |
| James Bond | game | Stern game cited as initially shallow code but with many inserts telegraphing future content |
| Pinball Expo | event | Industry event where X-Men code roadmap outline was presented to community |
| Monica | person | Brought brownies to podcast recording |
| The Pinball Network | organization | Content network hosting Triple Drain Pinball Podcast |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball Cup Launch Delays, X-Men Pro Code Development and Wizard Mode, Metallica LE Improvements Over Original, X-Men Mechanical Issues (Auto Plunge, Flipper Hop)
- **Secondary:** Game Design Philosophy: Breadth vs Depth, Pinball Market Health, Code Update Expectations and Timeline
- **Mentioned:** Tournament Player Perspectives

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.55) — Hosts express frustration with Pinball Cup delays and X-Men code incompleteness, but enthusiasm for Metallica LE arrival tempers overall negativity. Casual, joking tone masks underlying concerns about game quality and manufacturer communication.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo featured X-Men code roadmap presentation showing upcoming features, but outline appeared limited to already-in-game content (confidence: high) — Joel: 'Pinball Expo, and they showed like an outline of the code...there wasn't a ton in that outline that isn't already in the game...only like two inserts that don't have something'
- **[sentiment_shift]** X-Men experiencing typical post-release hype cycle: initial excitement → mechanical complaints → code stagnation concerns → collection exits (confidence: high) — Joel: 'this roller coaster of hype about a game...people get it, they like the way it shoots...there's some flipper hop...then they're twiddling thumbs about code...No, I'm sick of waiting. Gone.'
- **[competitive_signal]** X-Men competitive strategy evolved after Nimrod character added; best practice now to access Nimrod via challenging modes then stay in Future indefinitely (confidence: medium) — Travis: 'ever since they put Nimrod in it...now the way that I approach it...there's no other videos...no way I approach it was just to do a couple of challenging modes...then never leave the Future'
- **[design_philosophy]** X-Men Save the City wizard mode criticized as poorly documented with ambiguous shot definitions and no in-game guidance; requires external readme file (confidence: high) — Hosts debate mansion shot definition, confirm level-up mechanics not displayed on LCD, note unclear city shot leveling requirements; Joel: 'complete ambiguity. Like, you have no idea what's going on.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Joel explicitly prefers broad game design with side quests/distractions over deep linear progression (references Deadpool Mech Suit Multiball addition as model) (confidence: high) — Joel: 'Give me something to focus on. But yet I love the distractions' and 'Deadpool made a huge change when Mech Suit Multiball was added...I want the other things to do if you get bored'
- **[market_signal]** Contradiction of online narrative that pinball market is dying; hosts report active sales contradicting forum sentiment (confidence: high) — Tom: 'I was told the pinball market is just crashing...Well, you know, if you read online, apparently nothing's selling. Yeah, I guess I just sold two games this week.'
- **[personnel_signal]** George Gomez acknowledged X-Men was rushed in production, explaining delayed code development timeline (confidence: high) — Joel: 'George kept saying that it...was rushed in production. So naturally everything else is going to be a little bit further behind.'
- **[product_strategy]** Pinball Cup competition advertised for December 1st but unclear launch status as of December 5th; hosts actively checking multiple channels for announcement (confidence: high) — Tom checked Stern Facebook, website, Reddit, Pinside on Dec 1st with no results; Joel confirms game shows 'coming soon' with no concrete date
- **[product_strategy]** Stern addressing X-Men auto plunge issues with mechanical correction kits sent to owners (confidence: high) — Joel confirms Stern is 'sending out kits' to fix auto plunge problems discovered in field
- **[product_concern]** X-Men appears to have incomplete code at MSRP pricing equivalent to fully fleshed-out games like Jaws and Godzilla (confidence: high) — Joel: 'they put it out like this. They're taking money—MSRP money—that's the same amount as like Jaws and Godzilla and just games that are completely fleshed out'
- **[product_concern]** X-Men experiencing multiple mechanical issues including auto plunge failure and lower left flipper hop; Stern sending out correction kits (confidence: high) — Joel: 'I'm good on Stern for addressing the auto plunge issues. They're apparently sending out kits.'; hosts discuss flipper bounce mods in development
- **[sentiment_shift]** Tom's enthusiasm for X-Men declining over time; selling Pro after seeing limited code roadmap; wants to revisit in 6 months (confidence: high) — Tom: 'I miss it. I really loved the way it shot...when it left the house, I was like I'm looking forward to playing this again in six months'

---

## Transcript

[Music] the pinball network is online launching triple drain pinball podcast all right what are you uh you're scratching your chin there Travis what are you looking for I just like how I'm the only one celebrating the festivities and the holiday season yeah like I was told this is a Christmas episode and show nobody said those words nobody said it was anything we somebody did maybe it Me Maybe I said it was last time we recorded I think was it was like the first or second week of November and I'm I should I go change no never Tom unless you're taking stuff off but um no it's uh I think I made the comment of like well we'll probably get an episode out before Thanksgiving you know that way people have something and uh obviously yeah wrong um so it's uh yeah sorry about that uh what I've learned is you know we we three guys very different work schedules very different you know family schedules uh we could not get anything coordinated we tried and it just it didn't happen look my only fans is taking off I I I have to be there for them you have to you got to you got it's been busy and I have a bunch of foosball tables to sell too Joel it's like yeah Bubble Hockey everything ski ball he's kind of Foosball Tables yeah I love ping pong I I was told that the pinball Market is just crashing and everything's like going to hell in a hand basket so you know you look for a new job yet isn't it more popular than ever though I I well you know if you read online apparently nothing's selling so yeah I I guess I just sold two games this week we need to talk about that we need to talk more about that but uh yeah let's do I don't want to Joel I don't want you know what I want to talk about I just want to be three friends drinking winter Jack and talking about how it's the holiday season and we can talk about pinball during that too oh okay we need to talk about the Whopper Chopper we got we got let let's go through this list of things we need to talk about we need to talk about um uh Metallica thoughts so we're going to have the production meeting now Evil Dead Evil Dead thoughts I was going to mention Looney Tunes and uh Tom Dr like Travis and I no I'm I'm he having a Ginger L having Ginger we're good I think that's it is that good I think we're to Yingling we ready to go didn't you have a rush beer I did butor want to say go ahead and just roll the uh it's okay gonna talk forever don't [Laughter] wor we're three guys who like to talk in ball so we came up with a CL our name we're Joel and TR and we call ourselves triple dra triple dra triple TR trip triple TR we did it we did it okay great job everybody Tom you said you sold two games what games do you sell why are you selling them was it easy to sell them um mainly for room but uh I sold Game of Thrones Le to Conrad who who does listen to the podcast hi con and uh I sold my alvir premium okay okay so two Stern games why I remember I remember that was you wanted that game for a long time why did why why is it leaving the collection why isn't it sticking around why is it staying that's the question o Uno reverse card Joel yeah I don't I can't answer that you should have kept it for the pinball cup you probably could have used that game oh wow I'll go find it somewhere the pinball cup the pinball cup what you guys heard about that heard the thing that they've been honey [ __ ] us about thanks for getting that every week it's like coming in December now it's like coming soon like where is it I was so up all your games cuz the pinball cup is coming do not hesitate Jo update all your game what is the pinball cup Joel that's a great question I don't know I I the problem is I know the guy responsible for it I'm not I'm not try trying to call him out in a negative way but Ben Ben Ben at Stern who I know listens to this such an awesome dude I know he's he's very much responsible for a lot of Insider connected stuff um so I'm assuming he had a big part in this but they advertised it as some sort of competition here in December I'm assuming it's based on either score achievements points something I don't know and I were really excited like December 1st came it was Monday we're like okay where's we're ready we're ready to like rock and then you jumped out of bed ran down into the basement in your SK turned on all your games I actually okay Joel I will ad dick I will admit as soon as I logged in did I look at my work email first thing in the morning no I did not you know what I did I looked at the Stern Pinball Facebook to see if they announced it I looked on the website to see what's going on I looked on Reddit I looked everywhere I even went to pinside Joel went to pinside holy [ __ ] yeah so yeah I was and then and then when I realized it wasn't going on next thing I did got on the text message with you guys just in all caps where is the pinball cup yep like I was legit ready like I was because it's exciting like the ideas that they have with it and it said coming in December so I was just assuming December 1st but you know maybe that's Tom and Tom and mine's fault maybe maybe it's not like coming December fault or second December I guarantee granted there's 31 days in December yeah that's what I mean as soon as we get this podcast out it's probably even be tomorrow so we're recording this will drop tomorrow we're recording this 10 p.m. eastern time on December 5th so if this we already do that wor yeah I'm not worried so what what is the pinball cup it's like a tiered event right to where they kind of explained it they have T-shirts challeng there's challenges for each game is my understanding yeah like you have to complete certain tasks I think it's kind of like what they did with the John Wick contracts which disappear right so yeah well it's I think the way that they put it on the website too it's like the first like they give an example using Deadpool so it's like um like hard challenge easy challenge whatever Challenge and it's worth so many points and I guess you have like so many challenges per game and then depending on what you finish you tier up or down levels and you go against other people in leaderboards I think that's there's no need to play cuz I'm [ __ ] winning at all that's all I that's all I know noted you don't even have to try every I get yeah do you have I know tomorrow tom you already you mentioned tomorrow you're getting your Metallica Le it's coming uh it's going to be dropped out tomorrow so that'll be a great thing to take into the weekend yeah um do you still have your X-Men Pro it's right here oh well it's okay I see it now is it for sale still or still for sale still for sale all right every hear I'm not dropping the price okay why are you selling it yeah I think completed future I've already I've already beaten the game he's already seen it he's been there did you see that pinball company tutorial you know just keep ripping how I did it dude really Drop It Like It's Hot man y you guys told you got to watch's video ASAP and then I was just like what if I do the opposite of what Joel told me that's exactly what I thought I like how long can I stay in the future and then I was like [ __ ] here's what I don't understand with the new code okay that so like you actually have to have the read me file to understand what all the characters do in the future correct yes as of right now as of the current code yes I don't think it shows up it doesn't show up on LCD screen yeah I I don't think so you just whip it out you know it's like nobody knows what Gambit does or bishop or anything except for you if you read the read me so yeah when you're ready to drop the hammer you just trap up you just stare into their soul like just turn around look at them just be like I read the [ __ ] read me and then you just let it rip that's what you do yeah establish dominance uh yeah drop the hammer that's what peeing on the game Joel just just this is mine now this is mine now cuz I read the file I committed to the Ula her whatever it is and I got that youever done that Joel on game no got to try it sometime well invite me over sometime and I'll make it happen yeah I can only imagine that's what Tom does with his L's when he sets them up he like you're mine now all my buyers now are like oh why is your coin box smell of piss dude now I know why he's selling yeah that Game of Thrones is coming back on your doorstep really quick now oh man I've never sorry Conrad yeah do you have a flood in your basement no um no it's just Tom well okay so Metallica no let's finish let's finish X-Men X-Men um I will we already did finish X-Men both you've finished the code and I understand the code right no I have not finished it how close have you gotten to beating the future I don't have anymore my goal I don't even know if it's like when I is that X-Men behind you what is that what do you got Looney Tunes that Looney Tunes I don't glass kind of like let me look they have okay yeah I see it now the flippers yeah there's balls um no X-Men what I will okay I've had a lot of people reach out because it's weird it's the this roller coaster of of hype about a game you know the game's revealed people are like like this game's incredible oh my gosh it's going to be so good and then people get it and they're like oh I love the way this shoots and then all of a sudden they're like man there's some flipper hop with the lower left flipper and oh man my plunge isn't 100% and then some people get super upset about that about mechanical issues and then they get they're just kind of start twiddling their thumbs about code you know they're like okay the code's fine but where is it is there more and it's and then all of a sudden people are like no I'm sick of waiting gone and it's just this this roller coaster over over the course of like three four weeks and it's crazy this what this Hobby's crazy that's pinball like that's pinball that's that's I mean that's what it's right I like the game if I mean if nobody's going to buy I I've had some people reach out you know there you go sell the [ __ ] out of this game basically go you know Tire kickers yeah but give me that piss so X-Men I ready for it are they like trying to like say something like um I'll give you 5500 always why are you selling it yeah and the you ask them why do you want to buy it I should yeah that's what I do all the time if somebody ask me why I'm selling a pen like why do you want to buy it I'm GNA start doing I'm going to start leading with that now I mean I'm not talking about with my actual company I work for I'm talking about personal that's going to work real well with you I mean if somebody literally calls us up with my actual company I work for why are you selling the pin I'm like I don't know to make a Liv like like what do you want me to say is this the pinball company I want one of the pinballs why you buying one oh my gosh yeah um I don't I will say so X-Men personally I miss it I really loved the way it shot like I had a lot of fun with the game I had a lot of fun with the game um but I also when it left the house I was like I'm looking forward to playing this again in six months you know like I want to see where this code develops to um unfortunately since it's left the house um um you know I there was a presentation with pinball Expo and they showed like an outline of the code of what they're planning on doing with the code and there wasn't a ton in that outline that isn't already in the game so I'm very curious what like big you know it's like big pieces big structur couple inserts that uh are above that like I don't know Tic Tac Bingo thing yeah I'm trying to remember it's not neyar it's like the I'll look at her right now oh yeah please yeah uh Senator nrod Nimrod there it is nimrod's in the game now oh it wasn't when I had it but I it's very clear it's like okay I bet there's going to be some sort of wizard mode when you complete all the mission Senator Kelly and then there's a master hold with like a sentinel master mold that would be the master mold excuse me I can't read and even the meta kind of changed a little bit now Joel like it's so ever since they put Nimrod in it yeah now the way that I approach it like there's no I don't think there's any other videos out about it except for like maybe Carlos when he had like a 86 hour stream on the on the game or whatever still going right now still going to this day but um yeah so the way that I approached it was just to do a couple of like challenging modes or missions to get to the Future and then never leave the future stay there for as long as possible access Nimrod keep playing the shots keep going don't leave don't leave yep that's how I approach it this is the problem and I and I and I realize the three of us are very different you two are more similar than than me that's for sure what I mean is while you're listening I want I wanted to be on the record this is Joel saying this is the problem not me no I'm not saying it's a problem it's just it's very clear how different we approach pinball machines and like what what gets you excited because I want I want a game that's that's broad not deep I like Broad and the reason it's just cuz my I can't keep the ball above the flippers long enough to experience deep and and that's something where um you know not like Godzilla is a perfect example not in a bad way but it's like that I know some of those final modes I'm never going to see like I'm I'm happy when I get to a tier 2 battle I'm I've gotten to Planet X one time you know it's like I think this game is very like beginner to mid level uhhuh I right yes yeah but that's the thing even my skill level I've seen everything in the game and so that's why I'm looking for give me more things that are close to the start button and what I mean by that is like like Deadpool made a huge there was a huge change when mech suit multiball was added because now of a sudden there's something that you can kind of divert your focus to or or like you can kind of chip away at that at any moment and that was what bothered me when I saw the um the layout of the of the diagram of the code they didn't say anything like that there was no like side modes side things side objectives that they were going to start sprinkling in to the core structure of the code of you know play the missions go to the Future play the missions go to the Future like I that's what I want I want the other things to do if you get bored of doing the main storyline what you want is to know how to start save the city well yes I've done it I've done it and I know I know it involves hitting every shot but it doesn't choreograph it very well and you don't yes yes I yeah there's a lot of people that get tripped up hard to understand like a lot of us are like how do you do we actually tell people how to do it Tom or just let it stay a secret I still don't know this you still don't know oh no are you saying I'm like the only one here that knows be the only one you hit all the city shots I don't know if Carl knows you hit all the city shots but the challenge is the fact that the the uh xjet shot and the Mansion shot don't count as one shot those is two separate shots two separate shots that you also need to level up yeah which is near impossible to do how do you hit the Mansion shot without hitting what the hell is the mansion shot so you hit the ex goes up and on side ramp is also so the ramp that's coming towards you into the danger room that's called The Mansion shot how do you hit that without hitting the xjet shot how do you do that you have to fall in there wait wait wait you're saying that the ramp that comes around isn't that the Mansion shop the Mansion I thought they was just go I thought they were just going ahead and just counting it as the danger room ramp and we were just getting our verbage either way they I mean the way that it's described is is you have to hit the all the city shots but and then you're supposed to level them up equally and that's the other challenge honestly I've I've been to save the city a handful of times every single time I did it it just happened to be lit after I got out of the future either the first or second time right so I feel like there has to be some other limitation of like it even option you yeah till you do well just think of it this way it acts like a Total Nuclear Annihilation it's just it's very hard to pick up but if you envision it like that that's the way it is so give me the inserts of three of everything yeah there you go hope but it has to be equal though because I think if you go above it right if you you can I think you can go all the way up to like five or six shots and if you happen to go above it then the other one has to catch up I think 100% positive but yeah either way it's nothing it's just it's just complet ambiguity like you have no idea what's going on and it and all of a sudden boom that Center ramp or that center Shot is blinking yellow and the sa the city insert is blinking yellow um so until they add either something in the uh instant info information or they put something on the LCD to you know signal how many times or what you've hit you're out of luck yeah they have like the level up uh indication in the lower right hand side or towards the right hand side of the LCD but it happens it happens so fast that there's no way for you to catch it while you're I thought the level up was the Beast lab I thought it was has nothing to do with save City a separate thing that's a separate thing you can also level up your uh your shots too which is part of save the city well maybe this is uh you would know this if you read the read me I don't think it's on there though to be honest with you so it's it's kind of convoluted if you if you don't realize it's there I just to me it's like I think I I'm good on Stern for addressing the auto plunge issues they're apparently sending out kits hopefully that fixes most of it my main takeaway from the auto plunge thing was I cannot think of a reason why you would want to manually plunge X-Men there's only a few places the ball would come out like I don't even as a tournament player I don't see it being advantageous to short plunge like no just get the ball to your right flipper start going if 100% of the time you want that ball to full fully complete the path in my opinion it's like why was it not a button then why was it did Stern not eliminate the plunger and put a button just like Monster Bash or Looney Tunes or anything Rick and Morty just like an auto launch Boop hit the button and go and I understand I I have faith that they could design one that would still fit within their their current standard cabinet but that like to me when I had the game I never manually plunged I was always using the action button to Auto plunge um and so I feel like that would make a designer's job easier too because you're only having to account for hopefully a very controlled launch but um just a thought so I'm glad they're fixing that uh the lower left flipper flipper bounce some people are talking about moving that wire for there's already people working on mods to try to get rid of that flipper hop um but I just I'm I really hope they don't give up on the code I hope the code continues to progress and I don't know if that's something if there's any way they could just sprinkle a little more in there just just fill it out a little more um I mean it's still super early though I mean Gomez said over and over again code well not only that but George kept saying that it you know it was rushed in production so naturally yeah naturally everything else is going to be a little bit further behind so it's almost like for this game I mean I know man the next game probably going to be like 1.3 code yeah it it's just one of those things like I know I got to watch my words carefully here so somebody's not like well you're you're just Win Schilling it now but I'm just you know the reality is is like we talked about earlier we're going to have to wait until summer time really to even revisit this P Fair yeah when we're looking at it from a code perspective but I get it because they put it out like this they're taking money MSRP money that's the same amount as like jaws and Godzilla and just games that are completely fleshed out so I get it like fully more then what scares me though you hear this yes you're doing something crazy why is my what is going on here I don't know it's called technology is your phone my phone his phone started what's it playing are you you're r x DVD or something you I guess it thought I it said Hey Siri like play the oh [ __ ] hang on you just set that off on every single listener so that that's listening to this that's on edit that out myone didn't react okay um about Metallica how about Metallica that's what we need to talk about what my last statement what I was going to say is all right we're GNA stay on Xmen I'm pouring myself another drink all I'm saying is like James Bond James Bond came out and it was super shallow coat there was nothing in it but there was a gazillion inserts on the Playfield that made it very clear how much more they were going to put in that game like there was so but that's the only thing that I that scares me a little bit about X-Men as far as I know there's only like two inserts that don't have something right now and it's what Tom pointed out master mold and Senator Kelly and then for them at Expo to show the outline of the code and not to have like oh we have a whole another page but we're gonna keep that a secret or something it's like everything I'm seeing on that outline is already is already blocked into the game so I'm just I'm very curious I I'm I'm honestly just from a personal standpoint it's a it's a theme that I love I really enjoyed the way it shot I really love the way it looked but the code is is the biggest hesitation I would have for that to ever enter my collection and um you know I got time I'm happy to wait I'm happy to wait um you don't have one Joel what you don't have an X-Men I do not but I'm saying I'm happy to wait to to even consider buying one I mean if you want an X-Men I know you know has one for sale yeah I know a guy I know a guy smell like piss um so no it's a pro so has not been pissed on only dominance on the L got it he's looking at himself in the back glass while he does it yeah just takes his pants down rubs his ass on the at what he does all right um lost all our listeners I was just thinking a lot about code if they still listen to us Tom after Joel talked about his nuts like two episodes ago we're fine we're home free I've already apologized for that you know I don't know if we went down and listens but thanks for kind of incision do they make Joel what do you what they star what do you think we never asked you do they like spread The Twig and berries or how did they do this I don't I don't I was numb Travis I wasn't staring at it I was fig stups no there's no ST was your legs just like dangling off the end of the table no I was laying on a table yes there okay did you hear another patient screaming in the room next door before they proceedure none of that luckily did your wife drive you to the procedure my wife drove me to and from the procedure yes that was nice of her did you get a milkshake considering she was the one who wanted it I didn't have tooth surgery no I have no I did no mil milkshake you get a milkshake I always get a milkshake after any surgery like why not you go to the doctor and get like a lollipop the red wire the BL they snipped both wires Tom they snipped them both um okay so uh I don't I've just I've just I've been I've been thinking a lot about code I know we talk a lot about code and I've we've talked a lot about what makes games challenging to be appealing to so many different players and there's in my opinion there's only a handful of games that truly have done it right um and Metallica Metallica that game was here Metallica Le um what an amazingly beautiful game um and it's just one of those things where if you have an original Metallica you know the game's great you know the game's awesome there's a reason it's been in your collection for a gazillion years um but what Stern managed to do is they genuinely improved it in every single way um thank you how so uh what did you what what did you get oh I was just asking mon brought me brownies no go ahead that's really kind hi Monica hey did you bring a David Hankin oh wow oh wow I mean at least he started with a thank you get frosting everywhere eat like a Savage I guess okay go ahead uh every single way the um it I felt like the snap your flippers is incred symbolized it it it's incredible but it also speeds up the game um the art is amazing the sound package uh they've remastered obviously all that it's in stereo so the sound is fantastic the addition of the expression Li Michelle make me some damn brownies and the David Hankin don't forget the David Hankin that did come out kind of harsh didn't the expression incredible um yeah your wife come on she needs to mine where's mine right yeah what the heck good line hey this is what happens when you're a trophy husband guys I tell you this all the time you earn those brownies yeah let me tell you I'm like the house husband got to make dinner um listening Raymond's listening to this right now and he's like shut up guys just keep telling me why Metallica is great okay wa okay so Joel what were you talking about yeah what what what Ray did to Metallica I mean we gave him crap that he just copy pasted but honestly I mean he had to kind of rebuild the whole game but then even the modes that he added um it's just that game is so much fun and um once coming back to that like give me give me something to focus on but yet I love the distractions as in um if in my head I'm thinking okay I want to get this multiball going and then all of a sudden I look down and I'm like oh I'm one hardwired shot away from starting hardwired might well might as well hit that shot and then you just locked up my brain there you said give me something to focus on but I love the distractions what I'm saying is poetic it's every game right has some core goal some core like usually it's modes you're just work your way through okay so you're meaning like you have your core thing but then you have like your side quest so the core thing in Metallica would be Crank It Up right that's the uh you are you are trying to get to crank it up hopefully the multiballs help you don't think about points I don't think about points don't think about points like in my goal don't think about points okay don't think about points I know that's hard for you but I'm saying like when I step up to Metallica I'm thinking okay Crank It Up is the goal but if I can start a multiball it's going to help me get to crank it up faster but the fact that they added in that um almost like that ladder system in the way where it's like okay the the blue arrow is on the left ramp oh I've already hit snake I've already hit Sparky let me just grab a grave marker that way it'll complete get that update Tom yep that way it'll complete is the pinball Cup going now yeah right now just laun is updated I'm worried my jaws is broken now my jaws is now for sale everybody right yeah I'm sure yeah I'm sorry Joel you're going to get through your your your talk here we're good I'm saying if if I'm focus on interrupted while you're talking I have no no idea what that is no idea what um Metallica everybody's gonna be mad at me arrows arrows to the right ramp what I'm where are we on right now can I I would love to I would love to get into it I would love I'm myself right now just shove that brownie in your face and and uh oh they're already gone both are gone um there no okay with Metallica The Game to get to crank it up you have to get 12 of all four uh you have to get 12 grave markers coffins Sparky and uh and snakes and then crank it up as lit and you could hit each one of those shots individually uh but that's a lot of shots but there's a Nuance to the game where you can go one step further where you can essentially Place shots on the other Main shots so that you're kind of getting double or triple your value per shot and there's a whole another layer to that where if you put a snake uh a um a a grave marker and a Sparky all on one shot then you can hit the shot again it'll start a hurry up you hit the coffin and then you've locked in that shot so that shot for the rest of the game or until you get to seek and destroy that shot is giving you the best bang free Buck you can ask for and it's just what I'm saying though is at least for me in the way that I play I love how I have I have an an objective but then all of a sudden I'm just seeing other things where it's like let me do this real quick let me do that real quick and it just adds this Nuance this constant decision making in my head of what what do I want to do right now in this moment um oh I'm only a few shots away from that multiball let me save it let me work on this and it just it in my opinion it made it feel like every time I stepped up to the game it gave me a different or more a very unique playing experience compared to some games which it's just like do this mode do this mode do this mode mini wizard mode do another mode do another mode mini wizard mode like oh and I've realized these modes I can do better than others so even though there's 10 modes in the game I'm G to play these three almost every time like there's something about that um that I really I really loved and um and I just I don't know I had a ton of fun with Metallica even though there's no modes in the game like it's not a mode based game but yet it still drew me in and everything I explained it took me a few times to explain it um because it's it's kind of complicated but yet my dad steps up to the game my dad likes Metallica music and all he needed was Sparky that's all he needed in that game was Sparky he he streamed with my brother and I the other night and for two hours every single time he hit start it's very clear his only goal was to get Sparky multiball going and survive and he was having a blast he was having a blast so so the fact that that game was designed at a level where you can have one Mech that's that engaging for an average player that they keep wanting to play but yet also has this crazy Nuance for you know uh intermediate to Advanced players to want to you know attack it in many different ways but then to go one step further for you tournament nuts you know I had Preston over he streamed it with me super skilled tournament player to see him set up a four-way jackpot and then to get to crank it out you know build it up and then hit the 2x to cash out like to have the nuances there for you guys to keep you coming back from war just brilliant like it's such a well done game um and I don't know I don't know like how I'm not saying it's perfect but it's like that secret sauce why is that secret sauce so impossible um why is it not like I think it feels impossible like how why every game can't somehow be that nuanced that varied that engaging um for so many different audiences you got to remember who was the original software encoder on it Lyman yeah yep there's a there's a reason why he's considered one of the best if not the best one to do it I mean just he was he was always about stuff like that just building up the perfect risk reward and just kind of knowing how to get you to explore the entire Playfield yeah that's the biggest thing and that's the way Metallica really is and that's what's so exciting about the new release of Metallica right yeah because Raymond's been able to add on to that and also polish up a lot of stuff that people don't realize is even polished up you know such as how the end-of-the-line jackpots work you know and there's other things that could have been exploitable or might have been some scoring those little wonky that's been drawn back a little bit so yeah it's I mean plus two it's got what a Topper multiball with it now as well so there's there's a lot of bells and whistles to it it's I can only imagine it's probably a very fun experience I've only played like two games on it so far or three games but yeah I think I have not heard of anybody getting the game and being disappointed by the package that that it is because I mean you get the Le it has what the expression lights on it new artwor yeah I mean beautiful yeah yeah it's it's the one Le that I was very tempted to get recently cuz I was just like you know this is this is the whole package and not only that you realize you're getting a game that's fully fleshed out too oh that's the most exciting part too it's fully fleshed out pretty much from the get-go and I'm sure Raymond's going to keep polishing it up a little bit as he sees fit but for all intents and purposes it's like it's ready to go and it's a fun experience for everybody that plays it 100% it's um it's not I mean yes I think it's black and multiball which is that multiball is going to have once you've played the four main multiballs once you do that that should be blackened I don't know if it's a wizard mode or a multiball but that is not in I think the one I was talking about is uh what is it Injustice for all yeah with the top multiple yeah yeah and I haven't got a chance to see that yet I just know it's there and then I know what that's they got the 72 Seasons something to do with the standups yeah on switches and I could teach you what that is if you want to I mean to eventually if you eventually not right now Joel I can't can't do a tutorial right now cuz eventually we got to get on and talk about Looney Tunes at some point right yes sure do um but so that's what I don't know I just that that challenge for a software designer of making code um that's the thing and not trying to I'm not trying to dog on X-Men but it's just like you know when I look at where X-Men code is right now it's just it's just so clear it's like what are you doing you're playing missions go to the Future and then you there's a multiball here or there if you need it like I just that's I just need I I need all the other stuff and so I compare it to jaws and maybe this is you know Tom you've you've had um so if we look at this year alone you have X-Men in your house you had you had John Wick in your house you obviously have Jaws you bought that one um what other new I mean you had Godfather but that was that was last year what what new newer what other new games have you owned CU what I'm trying to get at is jaw's the only new what are you trying to get at what I'm getting at is question is what game have you not owned recently but but he's he's owned a lot of these newer games exctly that's that's a better question what game have you not owned Tom but what I'm saying is the games that he has owned are either for sale or gone so yeah so you still have Jaws so that's what something there was something about Jaws that has kept it there and I know that to me is a game that I feel like I want or almost need to own because of everything I just said it's there's so many different directions you can take that game and they're all done so well it doesn't feel like anything else I mean that's the cool like like you like Metallica okay yeah the shots are similar to games that that John Borg has done but the rule set is completely different than anything else and there nothing like it okay that's how Jaws is and those are those are the games I like where there's just differences in code um I like different Playfield layouts but when when games feel um I don't know when I can turn my brain off and play a game like I just lose interest I guess oh so you you want to stay huh like that mentally staying mentally engaged or or stimulated in that sense is is key because to me it's funny my early solid state games where I can turn my brain off sometimes okay because there are some times that I like maybe this is the transition or bringing Looney Tunes but like I feel like Looney Tunes is a game I didn't have to I don't have to overthink it I don't have to overthink it just just buckle up and have a good time like just play the game and and sometimes when I come down here I only have time for one game or I only have time for 10 minutes like I just want to step up to a game almost find it relaxing but yet also engaging and but yet not I don't want to stress while I'm playing I Just Want to Have Fun for 10 minutes yeah like like right now Cactus Canyon I don't have to overthink anything just play the game and have a good time I mean it it just depends on what you get like how do you define fun and pinball a lot of people Define it different ways right right it could be an old school solid state such as like Harlem glob CHS people just love Ripp right exactly it could be like any old em like Argy we hear that a lot like people like that game or you know whatever it could be right and then you got others that are rules nuts like I know I'm like this I enjoy getting a game and breaking it down and figuring out okay how can I totally break this code all right how can I piece this together if I do this what is the three to five things that could happen what else could I add on to that's what I get the F like I get my fun out of pinball not just the layout but the idea of what the game is and what the coder and what the software people want me to do based on what the lights are guiding me to based off what the scoring is based off what the shots are returning back to me like how the designer was like that's how my brain works so you know not everybody thinks on that level in terms of wanting to worry about rules like sometimes the level people are on is the bright lights the mech that does something crazy and that's fine like nothing's better than the other it's just I mean that's realistic so it's kind of like you look back at X-Men right yeah when X-Men got released nobody was saying oh look at the awesome hand Mech of the Sentinel right like there wasn't really that many people talking about that it was more or less like oh look at the unique layout that has the danger room at the side and the offset ippers like that was something different that people hadn't seen you know if you're newer to pinball you haven't seen it at all but if you've been around pinball for years you might have seen it with gold wings or some or whatever that game was called a long time ago so yeah people just get they get their fun in different ways and that's you know that's that's perfectly fine and I think that's what makes Jaws so unique that when you look at it like I I know the three of us have talked to Elizabeth gesi a lot and she her mind is sharp like knows what she's doing I've talked about rules with her and Theory Game Theory dealing with it and she is sharp and so there's a reason why when you get that type of brain on it combined with eln and you're bouncing off ideas of course you're gonna you're G to like bake something that's awesome like that you know and that's that's really what it boils down to so yeah a lot of it just depends on what is the vision of the designer what's the vision of the software is that cohesive does it make sense who wins out does does it go the direction that that suits the design right because sometimes we've seen it before certain rules and certain decisions it doesn't seem like it matches up with the actual design of the pen like I could think of one off the top of my head G&R you know I've always thought that with the amount of multiballs that would pour out and just the layout didn't feel like that's what should have been happening because there's just total chaos in the bottom third yeah the whole entire time so it just it you know it's just really dependent like how does that work it's very hard to make that cohesive in pinball I I totally get it and it just I can I feel like the My overall experience in pinball I'm just continually challenged by um what I find fun what I find engaging you know I I'm I very much so care about uh seeing what I my friends and family find fun what they find engaging and U what do you what do you find fun and engaging though since you're the one playing what do you find that's fun to you like what are you drawn to right now okay so first off the game um if the layout is frustrating to me like if I feel like there's some shots that are clunky or bricky or just not smooth like so every layout you ever play wow wow um no it's there are there are definitely games so an example would be um alien I I actually there was a lot about alien pinball I liked but I did not enjoy the way it shot like I just there was some layout where it's just like okay that hyper the cryovac chamber or whatever uh in the upper left like to get that you have to hit it with an upper flipper but the shot to set up the upper flipper is challenging not to mention the shot from the upper flipper is challenging it was just like that that was like it it left a bad tase in my mouth I didn't enjoy that aspect of it so to me it's like nope can't own the game because I if I'm not gonna have if I can't physically enjoy the shots um the heck with that and but yet there's other games where the phys phical like I really enjoy the shots of X-Men that was something that Drew me back in it's just shooting the game felt fun um but what am I finding fun it's yeah I like um I like story modes I like modes that that um it's not just do the it's not a super simple thing I like maybe it's stages if that like Rush story based yeah there was some mod and Rush that I enjoyed unfortunately the rush that I had it was a while ago and it kicked my butt and and I felt like Ry actually designed some really amazing things that I never got to see in that game because I was just getting destroyed so this was John Borg's fault that's what that's what that's not what I'm saying that's what you're saying yeah um but um so I get what you're saying though Looney Tunes right now every single mode in that game is is an episode you're playing an episode of the cartoon and it's not just like hit seven shots it's like you know it's it's it's more like you got to do this and then the scene is changing and it's oh now the Bull's following you and you got to do this and once you do this and it's like changing and it I just feel like it's bringing me along you're saying you feel like you're doing something meaningful is what you're saying yeah yeah or um you know Godzilla when you're attacking these things maybe it's just the combination of the uh the the music and the the lighting effects and you actually feel like you're fighting these creatures it's the P these pinball moments kind of thing while some other mod some he said it Tom he said the thing he said the thing uh you got to pay Canada five bucks underglass some other games though the modes just are just kind of lifeless you know and it's just you're just feel like you're just kind of chopping wood or just kind of grinding through it there's some shitty mod out there we can call a spade a spade sure sure oh yeah you well you experienced that recently didn't you Tom at free play Florida oh but I'm going to hit this shot 16 times I'm not I'm not try America pops I'm not trying to poo poo on things but like John Wick like John Wick to me I understand it was early code but like to me when I had that game I cannot tell you any difference between any of the modes they were all a has a mind of its own they're all just it you know it was just it's just a different color with a different song but I didn't like there was no it didn't rope me in it didn't pull me in um I actually played Mando the other night and that Tom I actually enjoy that game I actually have fun with that game I like man Mando's fine Mando but I like the music to it the music is fantastic and when you get so what we did was I was over at my buddy's house um and the three of us we decided to play a co-op game we're like we should be able to beat this game let's get to this is the way like let's do that and so we actually got very close we did not but we were able to see all three wizard modes before the final wizard mode so we saw every mode we saw every multiball the encounters are kind of a grind but getting up there falling down getting up there and falling it used to be even worse it used to be even worse yeah it used to be very grindy but it's like actually being able to see what's all in that game it's like you know what these modes are fun they do feel unique the like the video clips they got and the sound package in this and the energy and best it's like this really is fun like there's some really good hon The Foundry does that was something that I real it's you know Ryan's like hey dude get in there Cash Out buy an extra ball it's like oh yeah you still have yours Tom no I have the Le but I think if I could find a pro pretty cheap I'd probably pick one up yeah there was I know so flipping out had one for sale used it was a used premium and I think it was like six grand dude somebody put up somebody put been having some some killer sales there was an Le at 7700 that to me two days ago I don't know if it's still out there but yeah the I've ever seen but that's what I don't understand it's like Mando is way better than that like that's I I don't know encourage pull the trigger on it it's just maybe it's because the layout it is a fan layout and all the shots are so forward that it can feel somewhat brutal but um you can once you find the shots like the actual code in that game I had a lot of fun with it and um so I don't know it's just I I am constantly battling in my head what's the next game I want to play or what are the games that when I borrow him from Zach what are the games that I actually find myself coming back down here and playing frequently jaws and um Jaws is a game I miss um and X-Men that was the jaw that was the Jaws theme right there what about Elton John you miss that was I was gonna say that Metallica I miss that's a fun game yeah Elton John I miss and Labyrinth I miss those are all games Labyrinth Labyrinth Labyrinth what I will say I don't talk a lot about Labyrinth I you know I I don't have a lot of experience on it but it it's not from what I've played it's it's pretty good game it's kind of weird it's been out for over a year now yeah yeah like that's a I I I remember because I lost a Joel on that somehow that's right I don't know how I scored I scored more points than you Travis that was what you had the actual rules person in your ear saying hit this shot it was it it was just natural ability I just got the double barreled middle finger when I came up no double barrel you save that for the transition I think Bowen actually uh yeah that was pretty sweet wasn't it I think Bowen helped me through it a little bit if I could remember right he didn't help enough but um so but what Labyrinth did well and Carl our good friend Carl he loves his Labyrinth like what Labyrinth does really well is the the modes that are in that game all feel they're story based modes their stages or whatever they all feel so very unique they're so very different and um but yet there's stuff sprinkled throughout the code along the way you know little mode here a little mode there there's this whole friend multiball you can build this like they give you all the these other things that you can you can mess with on top of these really fun modes but I gu go ahead legit question okay you just it just clued up so I apologize for interrupting here but Tom could probably answer this since he has an X-Men also X-Men if you look at the missions they are kind of story based and it is about rescuing the X-Men and you know making sure you're changing the future and bringing them out like why why is that not appealing to you okay so right now on that level because they are kind of like that right they need like Juggernaut juggernaut's what like three shots like there's no story there oh my God Tom have we reached the point to where Joel's like yeah it's too easy man Joel's too man Joel done it that if you want to tell me a story like it's over like that story is boom boom boom you're out of the mode what you're saying is Jugger nut is a big [ __ ] Jugger [ __ ] that's what song's trying to say but I I maybe that's the fleshing out of you know they put the mode in but maybe they can add that or we had talked about what if they they what if they make stag about the yeah what about the tier two challenges then or what about the challenging ones then you just start all the tier two yeah because I mean you can raid the Sentinel facility I mean they have them on a conveyor belt so that's kind of thematic right but what's changing while you're playing that mode what's changing nothing is changing all it's doing is a shots scrolling from back and forth that's it but the whole time for everybody he did he ruined it you're saying oh if you start it right you can just keep hit in the middle and it'll fall on those launch parties aren't about following a narrative they're about winning the damn game Joel that's why they're there score the points let me tell you everybody I came in second and third in all my launch parties for accient so it didn't work well I I say all this because I like I like these story based modes or these stage where it's like you're focused on one shot and then now you have to focus in another and then you have to do this and you feel like you're actually working your way through something I really like that so if I really like that do you feel like Jaws a story based why am I playing with my hat like this good God I don't know I don't know napin wipe that brownie goo on something but is Jaws story based though like I mean they have the encounters but does it actually feel like you're in that scene uh scars a little bit scars a little bit I see it I see I was honestly it doesn't feel like you're actually in the scene but the shots and the the sequences yeah are what's fun about it you know so it's kind of like it's kind of so you're saying it needs some pinball moments uh I say no it's got enough cuz you got the little Fin and all that no it's fine I'm just pointing out like aame could be great without that you know a lot of the Jaws modes you're working and then all of a sudden like towards the end the fin is popping up so now all of a sudden you're doing something different or unique and I'm talking about the the modes that I really like but I realize like Godzilla there's nothing fancy about Gyan gigen is literally it's eight ramps like that's not a fancy mode are you calling Keith lazy is that what you're saying right now I I'm not saying anything but for some odd reason I'm okay with that mode because it's it's a it's totally different than uh how ebra feels which is it's accessible yeah yeah so and then but you get to the tier two battles it in okay message the the tier 2 battles actually have a lot more variety in depth so there's some balance there like that's what with X-Men I really don't like that they actually unlock the challenging modes right from the get-go I preferred I could agree to that I prefer give me the easy four modes get me to the Future then unlock the challenging modes I will say the caveat is though if those modes were gated or those missions were gated then everybody would be playing the same exact two or three even right now kind of everybody still is for the the challenging ones maybe there just has to be some way that they can try to differentiate it Godzilla those tier 2 battles are gated you're you're playing the same four battles every time but you have all the side quests with Godzilla such as jet fighter such as saucer such as Rampage such as heat ray such as Loops such as mea Godzilla such as Godzilla multiball that that's my TED talk I'm I'm done I get it I get it um another thing I miss a game I miss is uh pul fiction pul fiction was I think the modes in that game feel very unique I'm about to put mine up for sale if you want one no no I only like games that I've been pissed on that's my that's the only games I want to buy are um I want to what do we so I can destroy their SK their score uh okay I will tell you like the pulse is is that what it's called the when you get is it the pulse the it's something with a heart it's um it's when you get through the five uh when you get through the five um main modes in the game it unlocks this it's when you're injecting the the you're nearly there the steroids under their heart yep I know I know what you're talking about I can't think of the mode off top of my head but I know what you're talking about that Mode's insane that Mode's so great and what a that's an actual mode what a moment I'm yes yeah you got to play through all the uh scenes yeah pimb it's great it's a it's an awesome mode but each scene is is I mean it it's making you focus on something different maybe that's it I just I really hate modes where the mode is just all the shots are lit like I don't want to focus on the whole game I want to I want to I want to focus on like kind of I don't know F make me focus on something I don't don't just tell me hit everything it's called the shot that's what it's called the shot okay there we go there we go okay thank you tilt forums whoever did that yeah so to me it's like uh oh I well once getting back to Metallica what I love now is the challenge modes all the Crank It Up modes you can do is challenge modes and so I played that with my brother and dad and I and so of the Four challenge modes in there all four feel very different and that's great that's great like I I like that make I don't know just uh is this how you think about pinball too Tom yes there you go Joel you're on the right the right TR getting there up I'm growing up um so I just that to me is what I I the layout has to be good for me to want to buy or own a game but the code really it's the code is the thing that keeps me coming back and then that one weird caveat is but I also need something in the game that Joe Schmo can step up to the game and have fun with and that's the Medieval Madness castle that's the building in Godzilla that's Sparky multiball like you got to you can't I think that's the ultimate goal for any pinball machine like you you have to it has to you know the the beginner level everybody from beginner to Elite has to enjoy it and then there's got to be enough juice to squeeze out for the elite players oh yeah and that's I will say when when Jaws was here both my wife and my mother-in-law at separate times they played it by themselves and then came came over to me and they're like what that that fin popping up like that somehow they had fumbled their way through getting to that point to that first multiball where the ball was held the screen screaming at you yeah shoot it shoot it now they see this thing pop up and they know it's not shoot it now it's kill it kill it now now um but that both of them were able to experience that moment and that was enough of a moment that they wanted to play it again because they didn't hit the fin and then wanted to immediately come tell me how cool that moment was like that obviously as a designer that's the goal right that is the goal to put in the other quarter or to talk about it did you see the fin did you get to this the goal the goal is to keep hitting the start button yeah get something that resonates with the player I me and that's the thing too is it it obviously resonated with them emot too oh yeah I mean CU that's really what it is and it's very hard like if you make one shot like that and it was just a white wood right there's only a select few people that would get super excited about it right it but you have to like truly bring everything together which goes with the shot the sound the light show right and just any assets that you can bring in with it and that is a unique pinball moment in in in the game obviously so you know yeah um I don't that's my that's this is just me rambling about my my thoughts with but we've I know I've heard no I've heard I have heard um for the record everybody listening we get these uh text messages from Joel all the time like 10 minute long voice messages just rambling well he's in his golf cart no less yeah yeah uh yes well you actually write it all out your Rambles are like paragraphs I just go and I if I realize if I'm gonna write more than one sentence I'm just gonna do a voice record record true record my voice I need to start doing that I need to buy myself a golf cart get in there get my iPhone to my face and just go yeah um okay so I I will actually keep this real short what I want to say about Looney Tunes is um uh it's almost like I feel like I need to apologize what I mean is honestly this is me just being honest and truthful if I ever looked on pinside if I ever saw um I I one of the one of the threads I watch is like show me your game room if I ever saw somebody had a Looney Tunes in their game room I would I would think less of them or I would think like yes that's what what I mean by that and this is me apologizing you just pissed off us my God what I mean by that do you feel the same about Texas Chainsaw people or no wait which one sold more Looney Tunes or Texas Chainsaw I I don't know actually I don't know I I thought when I made that comment I was just making a joke that I thought Texas Chainsaw but now I'm thinking it's probably the image of Joel as the Grim Reaper killing no kick you in the nuts next time he sees you my God let me explain let me explain my experience with Looney Tunes was only at shows and the game never shot that well um almost I think every time I played it there was something mechanically wrong with it I think when we played it initially at tpf it like reset on us there was like it just wasn't you couldn't hear the game so the game just kind of felt a little lifeless so to me it's like I felt like Looney Tunes was one of those things of oh if somebody owns this game it's because they pulled the trigger day one before they saw it before they had a chance to buy it and probably just haven't sold it because they they feel like they're just going to lose too much money like in my mind I was thinking like nobody nobody really loves this game right because this is just me being negative but I just I hadn't really heard anybody gush over this game I know my personal experience playing this game wasn't great I know from you you're not necessarily you guys directly but like it's not like tournament Players are raving about this game nobody's streaming it like it's just the demand for it isn't huge so I just didn't have positive thoughts about Looney Tunes so when Zach was like Hey I'm going to have you stream Looney Tunes I was like all right whatever like I'll stream whatever he wants uh whatever he wants to drop off Z yeah all right let me slog through this but in my head I was like I just want I don't want to I don't want a gtf stream I don't want there to be mechanical issues I don't want there to be software issues I don't want to be battling this pin for two hours small side note the game did crash one time but it was luckily it was one time I like that transition besides that one one time besides that one time besides that one time besides that one time you know we would have won but [ __ ] defense stopped us we so many more I watched the stream it looked like you and Jared were having a good time great time we were having a like genuinely having a great time the game shot so much better than it's than it's shot at a show like the game the flippers actually felt Snappy the ramps because of that didn't feel near they didn't feel clunky like they actually the game float there was a few times where I mean every ramp feeds a flipper like I comboed like three or four ramps in a row and it's just when you get in that that Zen state where it's just like you're just flying like connecting shots it's like this is actually this design is actually pretty good and then you build in the actual like the fact that the modes feel very unique they're funny because it's freaking Looney Tunes and the sound even though it's like classical music and whatnot but they've got good call outs it's just it it was a it was such a pleasant surprise with genuinely how much fun we had playing that game I was prepared to ask the question to Jared if if if the goal was to put a kid-friendly pinball machine at my parents house would would would I rather my parents own Looney Tunes or Toy Story that was the question that I was going to propose to Jared and luckily somebody in chat proposed it like halfway through and Jared's like Looney Tunes by a mile and that that really surprised me like Toy Story is Pat Lawler right like the game shoots great but I mean Travis is Sal his Toy Story he I know his feelings on Toy Story I'll just be honest I've played both his daughter's still crying about it yeah she she's still salty both I I played both and I had more fun on Looney Tunes yeah just flat out honest yeah but that's like Toy Story 27 inch screen Travis hot rails it's got all the bells like it's a beautiful Toy Story is such a beautiful game fory in the game Joel I had F the Duke Kaboom ramp is fantastic but H okay it is a cool shot give there there are there are some re like there are some really good things about Toy Story but this game just totally Sur store yet I never bought one did you get a Elton John Tom I did not I do miss John back so let me get this straight you got a G&R you got a Godfather but you did not get nelton John correct I got so many questions but Joel go ahead we'll we'll come back to that question wait that's a good this is that's if you want I'm just trying figure out I'm just trying to figure out why Tom didn't get Elton John uh I played the [ __ ] out of that game at tpf year game good I just it's it's greatest on shot so like yeah the theme didn't grab me and then like I don't know I didn't want to lose like bought it to use Tom's earlier words it is it is a uh the layout is not unique like it is a Steve Ritchie's Greatest Hits and then the code I feel like the code in Elton John is not a one-off experience like the code is good I enjoy the game I enjoy the game but if you want yeah I don't I don't play it and I'm like oh this is amazing it's just like yeah it's fun I mean I I like shooting it but like I just like I'm happy just going over to Lumberjack Johnny that's like five minutes down the road and go play it there that's fair but yeah so I that's all I want to say about Looney Tunes if you're a Looney Tune owner I apologize to you I'm sorry for any negative thoughts have had against for you because I actually honestly I I was just being honest I mean Tom if I was a Looney Tunes owner right now I'd want to the balls probably just like crying somewhere being like that mother effer no I'm telling you I get it now I understand I understand now why that's pinball I mean everybody has different tastes you know nobody nobody has the well okay maybe some people like me and Travis have the same taste in games but like like there's Joel and and he's got different taste Joel Honestly i' I've shot Looney Tunes and I I think it shoots really good yeah I mean the code's fine I I do think the code for a to for a player at your both of your caliber I I feel like you you could probably blow through the game or I I don't know I don't know from a scoring standpoint I don't know if you know what Travis said earlier where he likes to build up things and can I do this and this and this and boom I don't know if that type of thought game remember we tried to do that you were there Joel for that on Texas Chainsaw Massacre yeah at tpf yeah yeah I remember that yep but this is different layout same layout but different totally different uh code in game design but I just it's a fun game I'm having a good time with it um and I'll I was I thought you know once again it was when he dropped it off I was like ah we can probably give it one week but if it's boring or it's just not you know one stream's good but like we finished the stream and Jared's like that was awesome he's like I'm looking I would I am looking forward to doing that again and so it's like all right let's let's run it back let's do it again next week um because it's I it just to me it's one of those what if Zach takes the game back though maybe he will then I'm then we'll just then I'll miss it but it's uh but to me it's I think it's just it's easy to look at pictures on on on or video and make very strong opinions on whether or not a game is good or not or even maybe you can play it once or twice at a show and have a very strong opinion on whether or not A Game's good or not I had that I had that opinion and now now that it's actually here and I can play it and listen to it and focus on it I just did a complete 180 on it and now I need to apologize for for my very strong negative opinions on the game the game is great so so when is z bringing uh Evil Dead great question um luckily last night will your wife allow it in the house I am pretty confident that if evil and when are you going to [ __ ] on this game uh I'm pretty sure I don't know I I hope we have a chance to stream Evil Dead um we normally don't stream spooky games because they're all sold out they're all sold out so obviously um if Zach buys one for his own personal collection then that's when I have a chance to stream one early otherwise like the extras that he orders are at the end of The Run um so this I streamed Looney Tunes obviously we're at the endend of the Run of Looney Tunes now but this is Zach's personal game uh I did you play uh Texas Chainsaw Massacre a few months ago not on stream I played it at Expo I could have I thought you had that in your house I could have swore you did nope uming Evil Dead Evil Dead I hope I get a chance to stream it I hope I get a chance to play it um and I hope the code I hope they I mean spooky I had a lot of fun with Rick and Morty so Rick and Morty had very similar like story based stage based modes I thought the modes in Rick and Morty felt fun and very unique who's on who's on the code for Evil Dead isn't it who's doing the rules rules is uh Hilton right Hilton Jones I don't know that's all I'm asking from Madison Wisconsin uh Hilton I think is on rules but the actual code the person doing the code is I think the same guy that did it's like Luke Peters is that right I think that's the guy who did the that's right the code for um for Looney Tunes so it's I think I mean I think there's a chance that it could be it could be a lot of fun um the layout of Evil Dead there's a chance yes well first and foremost I think we can all agree there's a chance Joel won't hate your ass for owning this pen I feel you and I Travis are shills and Joel is the real like hey Joel gets away with it he's so lovable with that beard he could like [ __ ] on any pen nobody will even care Halloween is still not recovered there is still okay every P's fault is Joel's fault I think almost every pinball machine is fun but there are but if I'm struggling to have fun in a game you haven't played Thunderbirds before brother I haven't show you a pen that's objectively not fun so evil dead I think I think we can all agree it visually looks incredible the art package Chris franie crushed it I think we can all agree on that that's not a surprise right right um it's okay he did okay no I think of course he did good it's like 11 out of 10 it's Gorge absolutely gorgeous um course it's awesome yeah I I also you know a lot of the rumors or a lot of what we heard before the game was revealed is uh was basically what I kept hearing is I have no idea how they pack so much into the game what what I'm so pleasantly surprised by is um it's not packed in the way where it just feels like there's ramp upon ramp and wireform upon like the the game feels cluttered I don't think that at all I think this is a very it's it's essentially it looks like a big kind of fan layout but yet they have so many different sculpts and very unique different PL you know the shotgun shells loading those the double Barry shotgun on the right the lower play field the the heads popping up out of the Playfield like there's so many cool little yeah there's like literally like three heads isn't there there's like the two on the side the main one yeah the moving hand on the left one of my favorite things about uh Monster Bash was dra I'm like why don't we have more of this and obviously we have the shark fin in Jaws but like why do we why do we not have more of this thing coming out that moves so moving hand Mech that's pretty sick um I think the game looks I think the game looks great um I'm surprised they didn't do either any of Army of Darkness or like base the game on Army of Darkness because is that I'm this is a franchise I'm not I know the names but I'm not I've never seen it I'm not familiar with it is aren't watched the first movie before I have not seen any of them I will watch them I'm not going to lie cuz I've seen it a few times M unfortunately like I'm just not a fan of the first movie at all okay yeah but Army of Army of Darkness is pretty sweet third third movie yeah yeah the first movie I'm just like uh yeah it it gets better I think okay so in your world arm darkness is more it's horror but it's like more comedy horror it's funny there's more like special effects going on the first one's like I need like like who dropped acid and made this film that's the way the first one feels like I don't I don't get it at all like I've tried watching it several times I I don't even think I've seen the first one to be honest I think I've gotone through it once and then I've fallen asleep three times in a row trying to like actually watch are just generally losing interest but Army of Darkness though I've seen that a couple times and that's a cool movie the third one yeah yeah yeah hav't you seen like Fast and Furious like 80 times or something like what what's what's the movie that just keeps you the movie that I watch yeah just it's Age of Ultron isn't it no no that one's all right I watched War that's right no I've seen okay I've seen Christmas Vacation okay there we go I'm not even lying I have seen Christmas vacation I actually know how many times oh boy can you guess how many times I've seen this movie 30 times uh let's go with 44 clo you're super close 47 times why do you know that because it it's Christmas Vacation Joel so you watch it every year I don't know I watch it every year at least like apparently 1.04 times I don't know Margo um right no it's it's so quot it's a great movie um well I don't know so evil dead I I just right now I feel like I'm not I don't have a super strong opinion on it because the game I just really haven't seen any real gameplay yet um I am very I am cautious about the lower right sling because it isn't a sling it's a flipper um yeah that's kind of strange too isn't it because it's almost like a dead area and the left side's like super active and yeah but there's a flipper there right there's a flipper there but the fact that it's not you're so used to the slings being slings um the fact that that's just going to be dead you know the ball's GNA hit active passive active passive yeah that's going to be weird I think that's but I'm very curious I I that's just a thought but I maybe the first time you play it it's really not a big deal or it's not it's actually super fun to use Dono I don't know but um I just think visually they crushed it you know they got call outs from Bruce Campbell they've they've got all the the video footage I mean it looks like on paper they got everything everything in line that to knock this game out of the park but um we'll just have to wait and see how fun it is how fun the code is and um yeah hopefully I'll get a chance to shoot it if you're if you're Inon one if you're buying one I'm I'm excited for you I I think this game could be really really neat um he likes you guys already more than if he bought Looney Tunes I'm not oh so that was the other thing is I I as much as bug and Luke made it seem like that Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were were designed in an equal proportion right I didn't ever believe that like you're telling like I feel like you know the rocket ship on Looney Tunes is the meat grinder on on uh on Texas like the worm screw that's used to lock the balls it's like there is no reason that should be on a rocket ship like it's very clearly that Mech was designed for Texas and then they had to retrofit it to get it into Looney Tunes yeah happens but and I get that's fine but it's like you know the door is the CR I just feel like it really I I feel like they mostly focused on it it seemed like it was more heavier towards uh Texas Chainsaw Massacre and then Looney Tunes was kind of a well we seeing the Tasmanian devil like move like this turn around didn't give you like an indication yeah he's waking up but um those are the but with all that said though like that's that was my negative thoughts of just like n yeah but now that I played it last night I was like this game's fun this game's fun I'm having a lot of fun with this and um yeah it's great it's it's it's a lot of fun I'm trying to think there was another game that I remember being surprised by I got to remember what that was but I borrowed one preparing to not like oh gtf was that yeah gtf showed up in the first I was like this game's actually incredible looking like it really stands out and then I and then I play and then you started playing it and then I remember that stream that was epic it was it was something it was a fun one yeah um those were our two topics those were now I want to know so that that leads me to my next question of Tom like just going back to the Elton John thing too um so Tom have you ever gotten a game that you were just like [ __ ] why did I get this and you were just you're just like Joel you were like you played it a couple times and you're like I can't do it anymore and you needed a pallet cleanser you don't have to name the game but has that happened to you he's thinking I don't think so I'm trying to think no I don't think i' that never happened to you before okay I take that back yes it has is has it been recent no as in like within the four years how's that sound possibly does the does the lead designer's name or not lead but does the software coder's name rhyme with uh schaman schmon no oh Rush yeah no not rush no well I was gonna my followup was Rush was like Euphoria for me what is your pallet cleanser if you if you have a do you have a go-to game in your collection of like you just got rocked on something you're like I just want to I just want to feel good so you probably Iron Maiden I was literally going to say iron or Guardians one of those two Guardians Iron Maiden 100% that should feel good oh yeah well that's the pallet cleanser I it feels good because I might get my ass kicked on that too but it's still a pallet cleanser what's yours Joel is it is it Cactus Canyon you're going to say cactus Canyon aren't you I mean I will be honest it's uh because of the situation I'm in with borrowing games I would easily 90 plus per of all pinwall I play is just whatever game I'm borrowing because I just in my head it's like I only have it for two weeks so I would was my time playing anything else but I will say yes it's typically yeah I would say palet cleanser just step up and have a good time it's it's usually I go Cactus Canyon so then so here's a good question then Tom why is it Guardians I wasn't expecting that like Guardians is a fun game I've owned it a couple times I I like Guardians it's just I don't know it's Metallica next do you have the music on it like the custom code B boo so you have like the stern like the original Stern code on really so it's just the theme and shoot well anything else freezing through the modes trying to get the Cherry Bomb and I do like how the modes work on that yeah how you can how you can play through one and then the the tier two or the level two whatever it's called starts automatically and only last for that ball I think that's a cool Nuance to to build on and it kind of I think Lonnie did the same thing though with Aeros Smith also right kind pretty sure yeah simar yeah the upgrades I think it's it might be better done on Errol Smith to be honest but Errol Smith's like lowkey fun with some of the rules yeah I think I've played it like one timeos Smith it's a good game yeah it's not tell Zach to bring you a Aerosmith I don't think he has one but well maybe you should get one yeah come on should tell him just kidding Tom you had a uh what was it it was Whopper something you wanted Whopper Chopper Chopper was Thumpers or something oh my God ster uh yeah what was it what is this and why what do you need to talk what do you need to say about it okay so the Whopper Chopper is a tournament that is going to be held at Lumberjack Johnny's at the end of February so February 27th to March 2nd and it is based off of the new hybrid format which uh the ifpa is coming out now Joel I'll explain this to you okay please do yes I'm ready so in that tournament we're gonna have a main tournament and there's 12 machines and the way the Hybrid Works is for every machine that's in the tournament you get four entries total on each machine but let me explain so you get actually 12 Time 4 is 48 entries a lot of people think that you play you have to play four entries on each machine that's not how it works so you have to play at least one entry on the 12 machines okay and then the rest of them are like basically up for grabs so it it's basically a best game format um where you have to play all the machines but you have a limited number of Entry set by the number of machines in the tournament okay if that makes sense so minimum minimum 12 entries cuz you have to play one minimum 48 entries so there a total of 48 entries but you have to play a minimum of of one on each of the games and there's 12 games correct so if if Ellen shows up or eer they could they could play 12 games and be like I'm good probably yeah but but instead of it being a pump and dump which is unlimited as long as you're paying for it the max that you're going to be able to play is technically 48 correct but here's the caveat so well here's the caveat so the entry fee is $150 okay okay um by playing in the tournament you have a chance to win a new and box Stern Pinball Machine dang okay yeah yeah okay who's sponsoring that or is that doesn't uh it's part basically part of the tournament fund so the the the tournament's funding it but we getting many are you games how many uh people are you expecting to be in like what's the goal at this point we're limiting it to 100 players 100 players nice okay so the goal is to get 100 players if we get a total of 60 players we will definitely have a new inbox pinball machine to be raffled off but here's the thing you can also buy entries if you're in the tournament I think it's a $100 I think it's $100 for one entry and then you get six for $500 so you can actually buy more entries to get try to get more chances at the game and that goes into the prize pool 100% of that um and then you can also get entries by getting the high score on one of the games uh making playoffs yada y y oh cool so there's a lot of chances to basically try to get a new and box pinball machine um we just decided we didn't want necessarily the winner to get it um but they also have chances of of doing that based on you know if they win the tournament they're going to have some more entries yeah you know and vice versa so the winner gets the Whoppers but somebody in the tournament is getting a game correct nice I like that and well and and prize money too so if we have um you know if we have a 100 people uh the winner is going to get over 2500 bucks okay like payday yeah no not at all and you're streaming this right I'm streaming it of course sweet Tom graph streams and you're streaming next week too as well right I I never stop streaming no just kidding I haven't stre while got to leave the camera on only fans yes I'll be at Atomic pinball for the winter bash which is is going to be a which is a Stern pro circuit event uh there's a lot of big names that are signed up there's Travis muy Tom graph Tom graph yeah Neil Joel engleberth no just kidding Joel's not coming I don't think Neil's gonna play is he what's that Neil's not playing is he no he has finals he's too busy watching our past flipping out streams I know he loves them I love that comment but I think uh isn't Keith has signed up Keith Owen and yeah as far as I know Jason Zer I thought yeah I think Zer signed up Andy Bagwell Greg Kennedy Luke n hornak I think Jared August is showing up so I think uh I think you're gonna want to watch that Joel and learn how to play some pinball ah yeah yeah those flipper skills it's kind of like the old school District 82 tournaments is what it feels like you know like there's just there's a lot of solid players showing up for this so yeah that'll be interesting for sure it was just it was because people heard I was streaming it what it is it had nothing to do with anything else th% th% um it is so we said at the beginning it's December 5th so um we're hoping to record another episode before the end of the year I think we can so that we think we could pull so that we can like do a year end review yes but obviously we did not do that for Thanksgiving so uh we hope it can happen we could we hope it can happen that we've the end of the year episode's always a fun one to do um who would you give the turkey leg to Jill you know if you're were like John Madden who would you give the turkey leg to Monica with those brownies you know you know all right yeah but yet she keeps it you know she sets realistic by not bringing the David Hankin you know I know yeah that's like the biggest Fu right there just like a bunch of chocolate it's all gooey no napkins like figure it out you're going to be on camera yeah deal with this um right I still do not have my brownies what did she not hear you did she not know I guarantee you she's been in bed for the last since probably before we started recording so yeah mine's either asleep or charting so she's not she's not making brownie right now um no hopefully we can do a year in review but um if we don't this has been I mean this has been another fun year uh obviously thank you so much for the people that listen or click on the YouTube video um thank you for all of our patreon supporters um you know we've been to a lot of shows and people that have come up to us saying they love the podcast it's surprising every single time people that have bought merch you actually listen to us thanks yeah it's crazy I mean there are people around the world that have bought merch for this and uh it's crazy a lot of people when I was at the UK open came up to me and like I love your podcast it's awesome yeah it's and I'm like what about my stream oh no oh okay yeah well it's yeah it's it's humbling because we're we talk about this all the time and legitimately it's like we we screw around a lot on this podcast but we also realize we're three idiots with a microphone they're just like hanging out and having fun and it's it's definitely not trying to hurt anybody's feelings like Joel I exactly we're we all have our own goals okay for this you know so oh yeah I I remember I was told that I'm only start I'm only trying to shill stern because I asked you too many questions about Avatar yeah and then the stern people it was you don't remember we will show anybody but Jersey Jack pinball because they did invite Travis and I Avatar when I say Stern people I mean like Stern fans I heard from them that I talked about Avatar too much and I'm like everybody pick a lane pick a lane we're gonna we are all going to start talking about haggus or home or something yeah I know I everybody's mad I ask it be spooky you talked about spooky too much I know I know everybody would be like Travis why did he just [ __ ] on Mooney Tunes like what did I do what did I do now it's tra when in doubt when in doubt so the email when the email is tripl drain gmail.com what I will guarantee you is Travis will not read your email he doesn't he has access he doesn't know how to do it Tom and I read all the emails we try to respond all the emails that's true um but I appreciate it I I appreciate it I just I it goes through a filter yeah you know and Joel reads it and Tom reads it and then they save my feelings for myself they're like oh yeah everything was great nobody [ __ ] on you at all tell them what our email address is tripled drain gmail.com the problem is once I realize some of the words are longer than about five or six letters I realize you're not you're going to struggle Travis so I just that is true that is very fair yeah that's not even a low blow that's like fact so yeah I agree oh man I'll just read them out loud to you that's what I'll start sending you voice memos of Travis is the email let me read it to you dear Travis I'll be able to listen too yeah why' you I I app no we appreciate everybody even the people that that take the time to listen we appreciate it and the people that end up sending us messages even if it's like critical even if it's disagreeing with us like that's totally cool yeah you know I'm perfectly fine with people disagreeing that's because I mean hell I live with it like Monica disagrees with everything I do and it's perfectly fine but I love her to death because yeah oh yeah Joel you should yeah you should see it I'm treated so bad Joel so bad so bad so bad I don't know anybody could do this but I surviv uh Glimpse behind the curtain Travis sent us a picture over the weekend of him hanging three TVs he goes this what I'm doing today and what's funny is everybody in that text thread realizes there is zero chance Travis is hanging these TVs that was his job that was his task but it wasn't it was like two three hours later what do we get we get a picture of Monica hanging the TVs he gave up he realized nope somebody had to hold be I didn't even start I I just I just sat there with a beer on the couch Monica Knows by now we've been married nearly 20 years we all know Travis she has seen me [ __ ] up enough stuff she's like it's fine I got it it's not a secret it's not even strategic incompetence I just simply can't do it and it's fine I know my L I just see the conversation Travis on the couch with a beer Monica the power tools are over there um if you could just hang that TV a little to the right you know what's more like she's like hey Saturday Tom what she's like Travis what are what are your plans today cuz she's probably cuz I got to do this and this and this and this and he's like I'm going to hang those TVs and she hears that going well looks like I'm hanging TVs I will tell you a story Tom real quick I've never told anybody this so hopefully nobody else is listening to this but oh let me let me shut it off real quick so this this happened a few years ago and I say a few it's like 15 years ago right and at this point like I was still trying dude I was still trying to like do you know like do the maintenance stuff and all that and it wasn't even like I I I would always f it up but I would try yeah right I given an effort and so I was just chilling out and Monica started working on something and so I started being like are you sure it's not like this and she literally I kid you not just stops what she's doing I'm behind her she stops what she's doing she turns around and she just looks at me she's she's like I love you to death I need you ju just to shut the [ __ ] up right now and get a beer and just watch me do this and I said okay can I get writing can I get that writing so I can laminate it and keep it in my wallet I'm doing my job this I was married to the right woman I'm over here I've got my beer I'm letting you do you she knew it she was like go get you a beer she talked My love language immediately so I knew it was fine what's the opposite so one of the Love Languages is acts of service so what's the opposite like you're you're giving the love language of no acts of service like I'm showing you my love by by not interrupting your act support support support I I don't think that's one of the Love Languages I forget what it was I was supposed to participation you're present yeah just being there yes right cuz I could be drinking a beer somewhere else now the real question is if somebody walks in your house and sees those TVs does she say and they're like oh those look great does Monica then say I hung those up or she goes yeah Travis did that or does she say did that no there's no we no anybody that's in my personal Circle they know immediately I'm just Inc confident yeah it's it's fine like yeah I'm not even going to front it's that's the way it is you know I mean it's not even like who do you think levels these pins behind me Joel you think it's me it's not me I'll tell you that right now not me like the same way everybody thinks for the company I do the tech work it's not me it's Carrie Wing she knows what she's doing they made a good hire 2024 hire of the year right there I know right there hopefully she gets a tppy for a rookie of the year next year or something oh well did you pick out that hat Travis that Hat's I mean what hat did you pick out the one you're wearing this yeah yes okay good okay I did did I buy it no but I did pick it out to wear tonight yes that looks great that looks great thank you all right it's a Christmas episode let's uh very sexy thank you let's let's plug it up let's plug it up Tom you go first uh I forgot what I do fo Fox Cities Pinball I'm on Twitch YouTube only fans Whopper Chopper wer Chopper sign up now before they're all gone win a new inbox pinball machine play Pinball have fun nailed it plugged it well I think I thought it what you got Travis I got nothing that's typical yeah I'm yeah I'm on Triple drain and all that but yeah it's it's it's it's whatever yeah I've just I'm having fun I appreciate you too even Joel even Joel even Joel all the listen on Looney Tunes I you I started it I'm talking about how I changed even I want to see how this goes it was a train wck wait it was a train wreck I can't wait for the pinside threads just like absolutely [ __ ] on you Joel I cannot wait y it's so exciting it's coming um yeah and I'm Joel I'm the guy that uh to [ __ ] on and uh um no I do the fliping out pinball uh stream so check us out on YouTube we just passed 5,000 subscribers I was really proud of that um that was that was a goal of mine to see if we could get there and uh we did so I was really happy with that and um yeah really appreciate all the support there obviously enjoyed doing that stream with my brother um and you know super apprecia a fine job even if Neil graph doesn't think so I think you do an excellent job that's fine it's fine I mean only his opinion matters to me but that's fine that's fine no we will never we will never watch this wasn't that his words who watches this I was say we'll never reveal what he said but now I want now we who watches this yeah that's valid I he's not the first he won't be the last person that's a sub 20 Elite player saying that so yeah they're in another world yeah so far the sub20 comments I've heard is who's watching this and eer saying if you're looking to Joel for rules then you're host those are that's the current feedback I've gotten from those sub20 players so so far I'm doing real good the kids are all right I know my audience the kids are all right yeah they're just like my actual kids they they have no filter they're just freaking brutal if you're not ready for it they'll just make you [ __ ] cry but yeah they're like Dad why'd you sell Toy Story dad why didn't you do something is that is that no it's like they just like the young 20s somethings just look at me like why are you so old yeah what happens man part of it all right I think we're good uh Tom like always you get the last words [ __ ] I wasn't ready

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d0bf6b7d-c972-452a-b549-639d989ec181*