# So Venom Pinball is a Little Fast...

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2023-07-20  
**Duration:** 10m 27s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX2YL9KwMiA

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy provides detailed first impressions of Venom Pinball after watching a two-hour gameplay stream. The primary observation is that Venom plays significantly faster than expected due to its fast lock mechanism design, which immediately shoots balls back to flippers rather than slowly feeding them. Hardy appreciates the speed and video game-like RPG progression system but notes the game is not for casual players or those seeking slower gameplay.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Venom's fast lock mechanisms shoot balls to flippers immediately rather than slowly feeding them, creating near non-stop gameplay flow — _Cary Hardy observed this directly from the two-hour stream with multiple players; extensively detailed the mechanical difference between expected and actual behavior_
- [HIGH] The Pro model of Venom is faster than the Premium model according to Brian Eddy — _Cary Hardy attributes this directly to Brian Eddy's statement during the stream_
- [MEDIUM] Venom features boss battles where bosses can manipulate flipper behavior, including disabling or reversing flippers — _Hardy observed Jack fighting Grindle with apparent flipper switching; states this as an educated guess about boss mechanics_
- [MEDIUM] Stern's teaser videos were shot at normal speed rather than slow-motion because the game is too fast to capture clearly at normal filming speeds — _Hardy's inference based on observing the game's actual speed during stream_
- [MEDIUM] Pop bumpers are underutilized in Venom's standard play patterns, possibly dependent on host selection — _Hardy observed limited pop bumper usage during the two-hour stream but acknowledges uncertainty about design intent_

### Notable Quotes

> "this game is stupid fast so don't hear my tone of voice right now and think that i'm angry or upset it's merely that i am just flabbergasted"
> — **Cary Hardy**, early
> _Establishes the core theme of the video; clarifies enthusiasm rather than criticism despite excited tone_

> "what you don't get in the teaser trailers and stuff like that is those fast lock mechanisms what they actually do these things don't just hold a ball and release the ball whenever it's ready to feed to your flipper they shoot to your flipper"
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid
> _Technical explanation of why the game plays faster than expected based on teaser footage; key mechanical insight_

> "it's like non-stop you would shoot it up a particular ramp and the ball's just immediately right back to your flipper it's ridiculous how fast it was"
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid
> _Vivid description of the gameplay flow that differentiates Venom from other Stern releases_

> "i'm looking forward to playing this game myself i i have yet to purchase a game that i haven't played yet so no i have not put in an order for venom or anything like that"
> — **Cary Hardy**, late
> _Personal collecting philosophy; Hardy reserves judgment until hands-on experience_

> "what you're going to get with venom is fast speed pretty much non-stop i was in and out through the whole two hours doing another couple of things around the house"
> — **Cary Hardy**, mid
> _Summary statement about gameplay pace; implies minimal downtime during play_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | Content creator and pinball enthusiast providing first impressions of Venom; owns multiple machines and maintains a collecting philosophy of only purchasing games after hands-on play |
| Venom | game | Recently revealed Stern Pinball Marvel machine; gameplay stream showed two hours of play; features fast lock mechanisms, boss battles, RPG-style progression, and video mode sequences |
| Brian Eddy | person | Pinball industry figure who stated that Venom's Pro model plays faster than the Premium model during the gameplay stream |
| Dwight | person | Appears to be a Stern developer or designer; Hardy addresses him directly regarding code implementation and boss mechanics |
| Jack | person | Stream participant who played Venom, specifically shown fighting the boss Grindle; likely Jack Danger based on pinball industry context |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Venom; provided teaser videos shot at normal speed rather than slow-motion |
| Foo Fighters Pinball | game | Referenced as a comparison point for flow-heavy gameplay; Hardy previously purchased this game after watching stream and enjoying both theme and gameplay |
| Deadpool | game | Referenced as gameplay comparison for Venom's video mode battle sequences |
| Teenage Mutant Turtles Pinball | game | Referenced as an example of Stern's RPG-style video game mechanics implementation in pinball |
| Mandalorian Pinball | game | Referenced as an example of Stern's video game-like mechanic integration |
| Cactus Canyon | game | Game in Cary Hardy's collection that he is considering selling; rarely played, awaiting new code |
| Last Action Hero Pinball | game | Game in Cary Hardy's collection described as a staple |
| Getaway Pinball | game | Award-winning game in Cary Hardy's collection; Hardy emphasizes owning an award-winning version |
| World Cup Soccer Pinball | game | Game in Cary Hardy's collection that he refuses to sell despite his wife not playing it |
| Grindle | game | Boss character/enemy in Venom Pinball; Jack was shown fighting this boss during the stream |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Venom gameplay speed and mechanical design, Fast lock mechanism implementation and ball flow
- **Secondary:** Video game-style RPG progression in modern Stern games, Pro vs Premium model differentiation, First impressions methodology and hands-on play philosophy, Venom stream observations and gameplay footage quality
- **Mentioned:** Cary Hardy's personal collection and acquisition criteria

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Hardy is impressed by Venom's mechanical design and speed but maintains measured enthusiasm due to not playing it hands-on yet. Positive about the potential, cautiously interested rather than enthusiastically committed. Appreciates design philosophy but theme is not personally compelling.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern conducted extended public gameplay stream with multiple players showcasing Venom; Pro model stream planned for following day (confidence: high) — Two-hour stream with multiple players; Hardy references upcoming Pro stream 'probably tomorrow which will be July the 20th'
- **[design_philosophy]** Venom features fast lock mechanisms that immediately return balls to flippers rather than slowly feeding them, creating non-stop high-speed gameplay distinct from traditional pinball flow (confidence: high) — Hardy extensively detailed the mechanical behavior observed during stream: 'these things don't just hold a ball and release the ball whenever it's ready to feed to your flipper they shoot to your flipper'
- **[market_signal]** Venom production timeline shows Premium model availability starting in next month (mid-late August based on July 20 reference), indicating staggered rollout between Pro/Premium tiers (confidence: high) — Hardy states: 'they don't start getting them out I want to say until next month'
- **[market_signal]** Stern's teaser videos shot at normal speed rather than slow-motion, possibly to obscure the game's actual speed characteristics or due to filming limitations (confidence: medium) — Hardy's inference that slow-mo filming was needed but not used: 'the people that are filming these teasers and trailers for this pinball machine venom are not the slow-mo guys'
- **[announcement]** Stern Venom features boss battle mechanics with dynamic flipper manipulation, RPG-style progression systems, and video mode sequences similar to recent Stern releases (confidence: medium) — Hardy observed boss fights with flipper switching: 'I know at one point the flippers got switched basically i think it was when Jack was fighting Grindle'
- **[announcement]** Stern revealed Venom Pinball with teaser videos; two-hour gameplay stream aired showing Premium model with multiple players (confidence: high) — Hardy references 'Stern reveals venom yesterday' and extended two-hour stream observation with multiple players
- **[product_strategy]** Venom available in Pro and Premium models with Pro playing faster than Premium, suggesting different mechanical configurations or playfield layouts between tiers (confidence: medium) — Brian Eddy stated Pro model is faster than Premium; Hardy notes Pro might interest speed-focused players despite missing some mechs

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## Transcript

 so stern reveals venom yesterday and i did a first impressions video and a stream and my main complaint was that just the way the game was presented to us in the videos that they provided were very quickly shot and it just wasn't enough to show us how the game played so all my thoughts and opinions were basically based upon on just the way it looks at on pictures i didn't know how it place and i was wondering why the videos were shot the way they were and now i understand why because the people that are filming these teasers and trailers for this pinball machine venom are not the slow-mo guys that is the people that they would have needed in order to film it so we could actually see because this game is stupid fast so don't hear my tone of voice right now and think that i'm angry or upset it's merely that i am just flabbergasted at watching the stream that went on for two hours they played for two hours multiple people to played and it did not take me very long to notice that this game is freaking fast and the thing is you would think by looking at the game that it's going to play like a little bit of stop and go due to the ball lock mechanisms that are on the left and the right as well as when the ball has to go to the buck and shoot back up and refeed it and stuff like that you'll kind of assume that the game's going to be a little slow or at least normal speed the thing is what you don't get in the teaser trailers and stuff like that is those fast lock mechanisms what they actually do these things don't just hold a ball and release the ball whenever it's ready to feed to your flipper they shoot to your flipper so they first have to be loaded so the game may be a little slower but once those fast locks have a ball ready to go then it's going to be almost non-stop unless you're starting a mode or something like that but whenever you make it up a particular ramp or go into a gobble hole or whatever the moment that that machine detects that hey eventually that ball is going to get to where the fast lock is at it shoots the ball that currently in the fast lock system down to your flipper so it almost like a faux flow machine and it i don want to call it a machine with a lot of flow but it kind of essentially in a way is because it's like non-stop you would shoot it up a particular ramp and the ball's just immediately right back to your flipper it's ridiculous how fast it was and since i love fast games this game obviously interests me but the theme is not entirely something that i'm after but i do and can confirm that the game looks pretty damn cool at least on the premium and from what i'm told that the pro is possibly even faster than the premium so there's that and dwight it looks like what you've got going for us on code is definitely going to make the game interesting when it comes to leveling up and being able to take on the bosses the higher level you are than the easier the boss is going to be and stuff like that there's also a video mode in there that i saw a couple of times um the battle sequences and fighting them and everything obviously kind of reminds me of a couple of other games like you know deadpool and uh from what i saw i like it i think the game is going to do very well especially for those of you out there that love venom as the theme uh are willing to drop the cash obviously and if you like a machine that is fast if you like your machine slow or just a casual player or whatever this is not a game for you i'm sorry but this game this is going to be the words that you're going to hear all the time through all the people that saw the stream and have played the game is that it's fast you heard from Foo Fighters that it was very flowing a lot of flow so much flow what you're going to get with venom is fast speed pretty much non-stop i was in and out through the whole two hours doing another couple of things around the house so there may have been a couple of things that i missed but i know at one point the flippers got switched basically i think it was when Jack was fighting Grindle at one point. I'm guessing one of the things the bosses does is manipulates the flippers, and that includes, I'm guessing, disabling a certain flipper or causing your flippers to reverse, stuff like that. So like I stated, Dwight, I know you're watching this. I know you watch my stuff. From what I'm seeing so far, the game looks like you're doing good. I like how you making pinball also very video game for those of us that play RPGs and stuff like that that we saw it in teenage mutant turtles we saw it a little bit in mandalorian and now we seeing it what i think is even more in venom something else i feel like i need to note and that was that the pop bumpers are not used very often and i that's something i don't know and i know that dwight you could easily answer this and it's probably been answered somewhere on the stream and i might have missed this but it's probably dependent on which host you choose whether or not your ball when you launch it feeds to those pop bumpers or if during gameplay it feeds to them depending on what host you choose but it's just that uh at least the host that i saw people playing as i didn't see the pop bumpers get used very often i mean you could obviously short plunge it to where the ball goes to the top and then drops there's two lanes up there that drop into those double pop bumpers and then when it exits, it exits to the left orbit. But I think what people are going to have to get used to on here in differences between other games is that, and this includes obviously the fan layout, is that whenever they go for a scoop, how the game immediately sends a ball to your flipper. Just like right when it goes in there, you've got a ball ready to be hit again because this game and the fast lock system is just so rapid. And so that was interesting is that, you know, you're expecting to have to wait for the ball to come back whenever you make the shot that's at the very back of the play field to make that 180 loop. You're expecting the time span for it to ride on that wire form, to ride on the next wire form, to drop into a fast lock system, then ride on the wire form again to your flipper. no i mean you're getting that ball immediately if there's already a ball in the fast lock system i'm looking forward to playing this game myself i i have yet to purchase a game that i haven't played yet so no i have not put in an order for venom or anything like that i'm not going to buy this game unless when i play it i am just blown away at the experience that i'm having but i will say that from what I can see so far on the stream, it looks like it might interest me because I do enjoy games that are very fast-paced. So that is reaching towards me right there when it comes to speed. We should be getting a stream for the Pro model probably tomorrow which will be July the 20th Jack didn really specify for sure He used the word probably But maybe tomorrow we get a stream for the Pro And from what Brian Eddy states, that game, in his opinion, is faster than the Premium. So, holy crap. So if you want to go for a Pro, if you enjoy fast-paced games and you don't care if it's missing all the mechs that are involved with the Premium, then venom may be up your alley so going by just the stream gameplay for what i've seen i'm interested but it's not like oh yeah i've got to have it kind of feeling because i need to play it and i have to have a theme that i enjoy in order to just be really champing at the bit to get a game like this and foo fighters spoke to me because i enjoyed the band enjoyed the music so I already knew I was sold on the theme and I was already sold on the gameplay by watching the stream I just needed to play it and luckily I was able to play it when I did and then I picked it up so it may be a little bit before I could play a premium or a pro for the venom because they don't start getting them out I want to say until next month so it's going to be a little while did you watch the stream and if so let me know what you think about the game in the comment section down below i have to wonder what game i would sell and i get this question all the time like you know carrie you know what game would you sell or get rid of or whatever to get you know so-and-so game or whatever and i had to look back here at my collection and as of right now more and more i'm leaning towards cactus canyon i'm currently really the only one that plays it it's going to be a long time until I see the new code come out so as of right now that's the oddball I don't see me getting rid of my other games I mean the Last Action Hero is pretty much a staple here my award winning getaway I love being able to say that my award winning getaway but yes my award winning getaway is here the kids would definitely be pissed off at me and I'm not getting rid of my World Cup Soccer not going to happen even though my wife doesn't play the Totan I gotta be quiet because she can probably hear me but even though she doesn't play the damn thing I can't get rid of it so it looks like if something were to happen it's probably going to be Cactus Canyon

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e4a0feb5-1ea4-4fa4-b322-0a5c56078ca2*