# Episode 1037: "Kaneda's 'The Worst in Pinball in 2024' Awards"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2024-12-23  
**Duration:** 29m 9s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1037-in-118540831

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## Analysis

Kaneda delivers a scathing critique of pinball in 2024, awarding "worst of" honors across multiple categories to 13 games released that year. He argues the industry has prioritized expensive releases over quality, citing poor theme selection, mediocre mechanics, and disappointing rule sets. Jersey Jack's Avatar receives multiple worst-category nominations for its $12k-$15k price point paired with zero toys, confusing rules, and unmarketable IP. Uncanny X-Men, John Wick, ABBA, and others are also heavily criticized. Kaneda frames 2024 as an embarrassing year requiring industry-wide course correction before 2025's promised releases.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 13 pinball machines were released in 2024, the most expensive year ever for pinball — _Kaneda, opening statement listing all 2024 releases_
- [HIGH] Avatar CE at $15,000 is the worst new-in-box game to buy in 2024 and will lose significant value (Godfather CEs lost $5,000+ value) — _Kaneda's final worst game of the year award and secondary market analysis_
- [HIGH] Avatar has zero toys that interact with the ball, making it a poor value for a $12k-$15k machine — _Kaneda's worst toys/mechs award: 'How do you make an avatar pinball machine that costs $12,000 to $15,000 and there's not a single toy in the game?'_
- [HIGH] John Wick was released without guns in the artwork despite the theme being centered on guns — _Kaneda's worst theme integration award: 'John Wick without guns is hands down easily maybe the worst pinball theme integration of all time'_
- [HIGH] Haggus collapsed in 2024 and is the only pinball company where people lost money on pre-orders — _Kaneda's lamest company award: 'Haggis Pinball is the only one that people lost money on. No other pinball company did you lose money on.'_
- [HIGH] Uncanny X-Men's iconic theme song was not included at game launch — _Kaneda's worst sound award: 'when they revealed this game, they've got that iconic theme song and it was not included on the launch of the game'_
- [MEDIUM] Jaws LE is holding value well because it has good theme, design, and code, while Avatar will depreciate — _Kaneda's closing analysis of value retention: 'Jaws LE, you can't find one because it's a good theme and it's designed well and the code's amazing'_
- [HIGH] Jersey Jack's rule sets are too complex and require studying like a 'humongous diner menu' to understand — _Kaneda's worst rules award discussion: 'I'm just tired of Jersey Jack rule sets that require you to study this humongous diner menu to understand how to play the game'_
- [MEDIUM] Avatar as an IP is not culturally relevant; most people couldn't name three characters from the Avatar movies — _Kaneda's worst theme award: 'it is not a film that you and I think about. We don't talk to each other about it. You couldn't even name four characters from the movie, not even three characters'_
- [HIGH] Stern's Metallica topper costs $1,000 but has no moving parts and looks like 'Stonehenge from Spinal Tap' — _Kaneda's worst topper award: 'It is so cheaply done. It looks way too small. It looks like Stonehenge from Spinal Tap sitting on top of that game... it's a thousand freaking dollars'_

### Notable Quotes

> "When you go down the list of games that came out, what this hobby has put into the marketplace, I have to be completely candid. It is embarrassing."
> — **Kaneda**, Opening
> _Sets the tone for the entire episode's critical stance on 2024's game releases_

> "How do you make an avatar pinball machine that costs $12,000 to $15,000 and there's not a single toy in the game?"
> — **Kaneda**, Worst toys/mechs section
> _Central criticism of Jersey Jack's Avatar as poor value proposition_

> "Jersey Jack, you should be ashamed. Mark Seiden, I mean it, you're a really good guy, but man, you gotta go back to the drawing board."
> — **Kaneda**, Avatar toys/mechs section
> _Addresses Mark Seiden of Jersey Jack directly with harsh criticism despite personal respect_

> "John Wick without guns is hands down easily maybe the worst pinball theme integration of all time."
> — **Kaneda**, Worst theme integration section
> _Highlights a fundamental design failure based on licensing constraints_

> "Haggis Pinball is the only one that people lost money on. No other pinball company did you lose money on."
> — **Kaneda**, Lamest company section
> _Distinguishes Haggus as uniquely damaging to customers vs. other disappointing releases_

> "We will accept you back if you and Damien figure out a way to make everybody whole. Until that day happens, we don't want to see anything from you."
> — **Kaneda**, Haggus discussion
> _Sets conditional terms for Haggus founder Marty Robbins' potential return to the industry_

> "I'm just tired of Jersey Jack rule sets that require you to study this humongous diner menu to understand how to play the game. That's not pinball."
> — **Kaneda**, Worst rules section
> _Critiques design philosophy of complex rule depth as opposed to accessible gameplay_

> "If Jersey Jack released Back to the Future, you'd be paying $18,000 for a CE now, even if they made a thousand CEs."
> — **Kaneda**, Closing analysis
> _Demonstrates that IP quality, not rarity, drives secondary market value_

> "It is not going to blow you away with design and layout. And I think every other game on this list is going to shoot more like a standard pinball machine."
> — **Kaneda**, Worst layout section (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
> _Explains why Alice, despite selling out, has fundamental design limitations_

> "For this much money, you should be looking down at games loaded, loaded like Twilight Zone and loaded like Lord of the Rings and the games need to be masterpieces."
> — **Kaneda**, Closing remarks
> _Sets expectation benchmark for premium-priced games by invoking classic titles_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; industry critic and analyst delivering worst-of-2024 awards |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer receiving multiple worst-of awards: Avatar (worst theme, worst toys/mechs, worst rules coin toss, worst game to buy at $15k CE price) |
| Stern Pinball | company | Released 4 games in 2024 (Jaws, John Wick, Uncanny X-Men, Metallica Remastered); criticized for John Wick launch and Metallica topper design |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Released Looney Tunes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Evil Dead in December 2024; games included in worst-of evaluations |
| Pedretti Gaming | company | Released Funhouse remake in May 2024; received worst callouts award for Rudy's new voice |
| Pinball Brothers | company | Released ABBA in April 2024; received worst artwork and weakest overall response awards |
| Dutch Pinball X | company | Revealed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in October 2024; criticized for poor launch/stream and gameplay layout |
| Multimorphic | company | Revealed The Princess Bride in February 2024; included in worst-of evaluation list |
| Turner Pinball | company | Released Ninja Eclipse in March 2024; mentioned for minimal toys/mechs but not worst-category winner |
| Haggus Pinball | company | Defunct pinball manufacturer that collapsed in 2024; awarded 'lamest company' for causing customer financial losses on unfulfilled pre-orders |
| Mark Seiden | person | Likely owner/operator of Jersey Jack Pinball; directly addressed by Kaneda regarding Avatar design failures |
| Jack Danger | person | Designer associated with Uncanny X-Men; Kaneda acknowledges he's not at fault for poor rule set and code issues |
| Marty Robbins | person | Founder of Haggus Pinball; Kaneda predicts failed comeback attempt in 2025 unless he makes customers 'whole' |
| Damien | person | Associate of Marty Robbins at Haggus Pinball; mentioned in Kaneda's conditional terms for industry reacceptance |
| Melvin | person | Developer/producer of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland physical game; credited with turning J-Pop's digital-first design into working pinball machine |
| J-Pop | person | Original designer of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as digital/phone game; Kaneda alleges the design was part of a 'Ponzi scheme' |
| Barry | person | Streamer who revealed Dutch Pinball X's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in dark room; criticized for poor presentation |
| Carrie | person | Co-host/collaborator with Kaneda on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland promotional efforts |
| Avatar | game | Jersey Jack Pinball release; received worst theme, worst toys/mechs, worst rules (coin toss), worst game to buy in 2024; priced $12k-$15k |
| Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern Pinball release September 2024; worst sound award (missing iconic theme song at launch); worst rules coin toss; negative launch reception |
| John Wick | game | Stern Pinball release May 2024; worst theme integration (guns removed); poor launch/media blitz; secondary market depreciation predicted |
| ABBA | game | Pinball Brothers release April 2024; worst animations, worst artwork, weakest overall response; music theme with minimal novelty |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | game | Dutch Pinball X reveal October 2024; worst launch presentation, worst gameplay layout; sold out despite poor playability; collectible-driven sales |
| Godfather | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game; referenced for hype/enthusiasm comparison; secondary market depreciation ($5k+ loss on CE) |
| Jaws | game | Stern Pinball release January 2024; praised for theme quality, design, code; holding secondary market value; contrasted against depreciating games |

### Topics

- **Primary:** 2024 game quality and value assessment, Pricing vs. game quality across $7k-$15k machines, Theme selection and IP licensing decisions, Secondary market depreciation and collector value retention, Jersey Jack Pinball design philosophy and rule complexity
- **Secondary:** Haggus Pinball collapse and customer financial losses, Game code/software quality and impact on gameplay, Game launch strategy and media presentation

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.82) — Overwhelmingly critical throughout, with Kaneda delivering harsh judgments across all categories. Tone is frustrated and disappointed rather than merely analytical. Brief moments of respect (e.g., 'Mark Seiden, you're a really good guy') do not offset the pervasive negativity. Closing plea for 2025 improvement tempers conclusion slightly but maintains critical stance.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Kaneda signals broad disillusionment with 2024 pinball releases across all major manufacturers, marking a notable shift from prior years of enthusiasm. Emphasizes this is not FOMO fatigue but genuine quality concerns. (confidence: high) — Opening: 'It is embarrassing. How bad this hobby has missed the mark again.' Closing: 'These games are so expensive... These games are hugely depreciating because they're not amazing.'
- **[market_signal]** Premium-priced limited edition games (Avatar CE $15k, John Wick LE, X-Men) are experiencing significant secondary market value loss. Godfather CE dropped $5k+. Kaneda attributes this to poor theme/design, not rarity. (confidence: high) — 'If you buy this game, new in box for 15,000 people, we're looking at Godfathers right now... now worth less than like 9,800 new in box. People have lost over $5,000 on it.'
- **[product_concern]** Jersey Jack's Avatar has no interactive toys despite $12k-$15k price point, fundamentally failing value proposition for premium tier machine. (confidence: high) — 'How do you make an avatar pinball machine that costs $12,000 to $15,000 and there's not a single toy in the game? There's not a single toy in the game!'
- **[product_concern]** John Wick released without guns in artwork/translight despite guns being central to the IP, indicating licensing restrictions forced poor design compromises. (confidence: high) — 'John Wick without guns is hands down easily maybe the worst pinball theme integration of all time. I don't care if the studio demanded they make it that way. They never should have made it if the studio wouldn't let them put guns in the artwork.'
- **[business_signal]** Haggus Pinball collapsed in 2024 after causing customer financial losses on pre-orders. This is unique among pinball manufacturers in 2024 and represents direct financial harm to the community. (confidence: high) — 'Haggis Pinball is the only one that people lost money on. No other pinball company did you lose money on. These guys collapsed in 2024.'
- **[product_concern]** Uncanny X-Men's rule set is fundamentally broken and requires major overhaul. Software/coding department failed to support the ambitious hardware design. (confidence: high) — 'This game's rule set is really the number one reason why people are just so upset with this game... it needs a major overhaul... The software and coding department is really what let this game down.'
- **[product_concern]** Uncanny X-Men launched without its iconic theme song, a major oversight for a game built on that IP. Music has not recovered player interest post-launch. (confidence: high) — 'when they revealed this game, they've got that iconic theme song and it was not included on the launch of the game. I still don't think the music in that game is really getting people going.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda criticizes Jersey Jack's design philosophy of overly complex rule sets requiring 'study' to understand, viewing this as antithetical to accessible pinball design. Contrasts with simpler games like Metallica and Batman. (confidence: high) — 'I'm just tired of Jersey Jack rule sets that require you to study this humongous diner menu to understand how to play the game. That's not pinball... When you own a Metallica, you know how to play the game.'
- **[collector_signal]** FOMO-driven collector behavior is waning. Avatar and John Wick CEs are depreciating despite premium pricing, suggesting collector community is becoming more selective about IP quality. (confidence: medium) — 'The days of these mediocre themes, the days of these high prices, the days of these pinball companies think anything that goes into a box is going to get bought... those days are over.'
- **[licensing_signal]** Theme selection in 2024 reveals poor IP strategy. Avatar (weak cultural relevance, unclear narrative), John Wick (licensing restrictions), ABBA (narrow appeal) contrast sharply with upcoming Harry Potter/Matrix/Super Mario/King Kong. (confidence: medium) — 'it is not a film that you and I think about. We don't talk to each other about it. You couldn't even name four characters from the movie... This is a horrendous list of titles.'
- **[product_launch]** Stern's attempt to salvage John Wick's poor initial launch through media blitz and facility tours failed to recover community sentiment. Game never recovered from poor reveal. (confidence: high) — 'Stern had to turn on their issues in crisis and invite all these media into Stern to try to salvage the game. It didn't work... I don't think I've seen more negativity around a new Stern game than I saw around John Wick.'
- **[community_signal]** Haggus collapse has damaged community trust. Kaneda sets condition that Haggus founder must make customers financially whole before industry will accept his return. (confidence: high) — 'We will accept you back if you and Damien figure out a way to make everybody whole. Until that day happens, we don't want to see anything from you.'

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## Transcript

 Welcome everybody to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. Happy holidays. How is everybody doing? We are right on the eve of Christmas. It is the end of another pinball year and you know what we love to do at Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. We like to look back at what happened in the pinball world. Is it a great year in pinball? What if I told you that like 13 pinball machines came out in 2024 in the year in which pinball has been the most expensive it's ever been? And I'm here to tell you right now when you go down the list of games that came out, what this hobby has put into the marketplace, I have to be completely candid. It is embarrassing. How bad this hobby has missed the mark again. It's like the last two years when pinball prices went through the roof, all the market research went out the window. So I think each and every one of us, we don't think pinball is dead. We don't think FOMO is completely over. But the days of these mediocre themes, the days of these high prices, the days of these pinball companies think anything that goes into a box is going to get bought regardless the code regardless of the mechanical issues regardless if it's like the 18th Marvel title those days are over and we're looking for new magic and pinball but it needs to be based on themes we really want and I think that's the overarching theme I think as we look to 2025 we start to get really excited about stuff like Harry Potter the Stern F Super Mario Brothers The Matrix King Kong Goonies Barrels of Fun Labyrinth 2023 What's around the corner from them? Nostalgic Property 80's But we're not talking about next year right now. We're talking about this year and here's what Kenaid is gonna do. We're gonna do two shows. I'm gonna do the best of 2024. We're gonna call it the Kenaid Kudos Awards and I'm gonna go down a list of what I think was the best in pinball this year. And I'll give you the categories, best sound, best toys and mechanisms, best animations and display, best rules, best topper, best theme, best theme integration, best call outs, best launch and reveal, the coolest company in pinball. I think we should give an award to who's the coolest company in pinball that's the best member of the community, the best artwork in pinball, the best gameplay and layout, and the game of the year. So that's gonna happen most likely later this week as we head towards New Year's. Now what's gonna happen on this episode is we're gonna do the opposite. I'm gonna tell you what I think is the worst in each of these categories. Who hasn't done it right? Who really failed horribly when it comes to executing these things? And I think my responses might surprise you on some of what I select. I'm just going to take companies like Home Pin off the table. There was no new game from American Pinball. So the companies that get represented will be the companies that have either revealed or released games in 2024. Now let's go down the list of who is eligible for the worst of We've got Stern Pinball, they released Jaws in January, John Wick in May, Uncanny X-Men in September, and Metallica Remastered in October. We've got Spooky Pinball, Looney Tunes, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre I'm going to include in this list. They came out in December. I'm also going to include Evil Dead. Spooky Pinball because their games come out in December. It's like no man's land for the awards. I think they're all going to get mixed in together. Jersey Jack Pinball has Avatar that came out in September. Multimorphic had The Princess Bride revealed in February. Pedretti Gaming had Funhouse remake in May. Pinball Brothers had ABBA in April. Dutch Pinball X revealed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in October. The Turner Pinball had Ninja Eclipse in March. So when you add all those up, and that's not including labyrinth, which came out in 2023. It's also not including any pulp fictions, nothing in here from Pinball Adventures. That's 13 games, 13 games, ladies and gentlemen, 13 freaking games. And that is just bonkers to me that when you go down this list, how many of these games do you really want to own? How many of these games are worth the money? How many of these games have improved upon what we've had before in the world of pinball? And you tell me that all these pinball companies don't need Kaneda as their chief marketing officer. There is no way that pinball should be here in 2024. It's embarrassing. Let's be honest. That is an embarrassing list of themes. When you look at the target demographic, the people that these companies need to be selling This is a horrendous list of titles, I think, overall in the world of pinball. All right, so let's go down and start to hand out the awards for the worst in 2024. So let's start out with the worst sound in a game. So sound package is always interesting, right? Because sometimes, you know, the best sound package goes to like ACDC or Foo Fighters. Now what game out there would you say when you play it doesn't have the best sound? Oh you know going down this list this one's a little bit tricky for me. This one's a little bit tricky for me because the way I'm gonna do this, here's my criteria is like did something miss really badly in this category when it should have nailed it because to me that's how I'm gonna come to some of my conclusions on this award show. So, in all these games, I think the worst sound, and because when this game launched, really the music turned a lot of people off, the award for worst sound package in a pinball machine goes to the Uncanny X-Men. And, you know, it's still a head scratcher how when they revealed this game, they've got that iconic theme song and it was not included on the launch of the game. I still don think the music in that game is really getting people going and it should have like based on the theme the uncanny x should have much better sound than it does all Alright so what are the worst toys and mechanisms in a game Like which game when we look at all these titles has the least inspiring stuff happening on the playfield? Okay, I'm looking at this, right? Worst toys and mechs in a game. Now if I go down this list, there's not much in Turner Pinballs, Ninja Eclipse, but I don't think that's the worst. Again, I'm going after what should have been loaded with toys and mechs and what is coming up way short. The award, this was between two titles, the award for the worst toys and mechanisms in a pinball machine goes to... It was neck and neck between John Wick, but the winner is gonna be Avatar. How do you make an avatar pinball machine that costs $12,000 to $15,000 and there's not a single toy in the game? There's not a single toy in the game! I know it has mechs and diverters, but for all the source material, the fact that these guys didn't put a single toy in the game that really interacts with the ball, they should be ashamed. Even John Wick has a captive ball connected to the Mustang. John Wick's toys are pretty damn bad too, but there are still at least toys that interact with the ball. Jersey Jack, you should be ashamed. Mark Mark Seiden, I mean it, you're a really good guy, but man, you gotta go back to the drawing board. A toy and mech needs to interact with the ball much better than what you put into Avatar. So what were the worst animations and display in a pinball machine? Even as I do this, I'm like, Kaneda, this doesn't really feel like the holiday spirit. We're going down the worst that's happening in pinball. So what was the worst? What machine, when you looked at the animations, did you just say, oh, what is happening here? Now, I know a lot of you want me to vote for X-Men on this. It's not the worst. Come on, gang, you're too tough on the X-Men animations. I think what makes the X-Men animations like come across much worse than they actually are is the lack of music or good call outs in the game. I think that's what's making you think those animations are terrible. But man, they're not the worst. I'm just going to say that. So as I look down here, you know, the animations are always good in Avatar. You know, Princess Bride is good. But I think the worst animations, I would have to give the worst animations in a pinball machine, I think is ABBA. Go watch an ABBA stream. There's nothing to write home about with those animations in that game. Again I just think it's 2024 and animations and display should just have a lot more fun stuff going on. You might argue for Funhaus remake, but again I don't know, you know, if you've got an LCD The animation should be better. All right, so what are the worst rules in a game? This gets a little tricky. The worst rules in a pinball machine. It's hard, right? Because, you know, I would say that like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the rules said it's not really that flushed out. Is it the worst? Maybe not, because you don't really have expectations of what you want that rule set to be. The worst rule set in all of pinball. And I think the worst rule set, and I'm just going to say this, I think this is a coin toss for me between Avatar and X-Men. And I want to explain why I think these two rule sets are really at the top of my worst of list. First and foremost, Avatar is just way too confusing. All the stuff that Keith puts into that game. When they hand out, here's the rule sets, here's 22 different like song notes. You need to collect and here's all these different things. It's just not fun. I'm just tired of Jersey Jack rule sets that require you to study this humongous diner menu to understand how to play the game. That's not pinball. I've owned Guns N' Roses now. I've played it like hundreds of times. I still don't like how complex it is. Why are there so many patches? I'm still not 100% sure how to play the game and I don't like that. It shouldn't be that confusing. When I owned Batman, I knew how to play the game. When you own a Metallica, you know how to play the game. And I think, I think Avatar, it's just way too complex, but that's not the worst, you know, but I have to give the worst rule set to X-Men. This game's rule set is really the number one reason why people are just so upset with this game. The game is beautiful. The game's got a really creative layout. It just doesn't come together with the rule set. If there ever was a game that needed the rule set and needed the code to sort of live up and tie together this really ambitious game, it was this game. And it needs a major overhaul. And so that is why X-Men wins for worst pinball rule set of 2024. And I think a lot of people would agree with that. I don't know if Jack Danger is going to send me some holiday wishes, but it's not his fault. It really is not his fault. The software and coding department is really what let this game down. What's the worst topper in pinball? I'm trying to think which one of these games even like has a topper that comes included that is not very good. All right, so this one's easy. The worst topper in pinball, because it sits on top of one of the most beautiful games that has ever come out, is Stern pinball's Metallica topper. OMG, did they just fall asleep at the wheel designing this thing? It's like they just ran out of ideas. They've got the most beautiful art package on this game. They use nothing from that artist in the topper itself. It's a thousand dollars and all they could do was like put Metallica up there in title alone with like some sling plastic flasher caps. It is so cheaply done. It looks way too small. It looks like Stonehenge from Spinal Tap sitting on top of that game. They should be so embarrassed that on this beautiful game, that's the best they could do and it's a thousand freaking dollars people. No moving parts, nothing interesting in it, no beautiful sculpts. Get the F out of town that that thing cost twice as much as an Xbox. Alright so next is the worst theme in pinball. What's the worst theme in pinball? This one is where it gets fun. Which one is it? You know, oh man, I'm looking at the list. I'm looking at everything that's come out this year. It's almost like you don't want to be called out on this show at all. If you don't hear your name, it's actually going to be the one Kanaeda's Pinball Podcast where you're happy he did not mention you. The worst theme of pinball in 2024 hands down easily without a doubt is Jersey Jack Avatar What were they thinking Zero market research Second would absolutely be John Wick but when it comes to worst, it's Jersey Jack, because Stern can have a John Wick and surround it with these other games that will sell, but Jersey Jack only makes one game. They need to get it right. They can't whiff on the theme, And Avatar as a movie franchise, I get the movie might make two billion at the box office, but it is not a film that you and I think about. We don't talk to each other about it. We don't quote that movie. You couldn't even name four characters from the movie, not even three characters. And so for Jersey Jack to think that we want it in Avatar Pinball Machine in 2024, when there's like three more movies coming out and the The narrative is not done and this battle for Na'vi, like none of it, right? This battle for Pandora, none of it should have been made. And so that is why Jersey Jack wins for worst theme. Now what's next? Worst theme integration. Should Avatar also win worst theme integration? You know, looking down this list, the answer is no. John Wick without guns is hands down easily maybe the worst pinball theme integration of all time. The fact that they released John Wick with no guns, one of the worst theme integrated decisions of all time. I don't care if the studio demanded they make it that way. They never should have made it if the studio wouldn't let them put guns in the artwork, on the trans light, in the game itself. So easily John Wick wins for the worst theme integrated pinball machine of 2024. All right, what's next? The worst callouts in all of pinball, the worst callouts, I know what you're thinking, I'm gonna give it to X-Men, I'm not. The worst callouts in pinball in 2024 goes to Funhaus Remake. If you listen to Funhaus Remake callouts, that new voice for Rudy, it is just nails on a chalkboard. I mean it, it's not good. It is worse than anything happening in X-Men. It would make me not want to own it. So I give the worst call outs to Rudy's Nightmare from Pedretti Gaming. We got to mix it up a little bit people, right? Alright, the best launch. What was the worst launch in all of pinball? This one's interesting. You know, which game came out and had the worst launch? Now, I would argue that this is a tricky one, right? This is very subjective. Which game came out and poorly revealed itself to the world? A lot of these games come out, like they just come out, right? There's no real missteps. They just reveal the game. They show you the photos. There's not a lot of drama. There's not a lot of backlash. But when it comes to the worst launch in pinball this year, I think there's two for me that rise to the top. I think one of them is Dutch Pinball X's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I mean the way this game was revealed, Barry streaming the game in a dark room, me and Carrie did our best to try to get people hyped around this game, but the fact that there was never any real effort put into a good stream of the game or a good video of the game and then they had their own employees like draining left and right, it was really rough. I'm John Popadiuk, and I'll see you next time on Pinball Business. Sturn had to turn on their issues in crisis and invite all these media into Stern to try to salvage the game. It didn't work. They invited all these pinball media, they gave them the song and the dance, and they tried to hoodwink them with shiny decals and mirror trans lights. But in the end, this game never recovered from its really poor launch. And I don't think I've seen more negativity around a new Stern game than I saw around John Wick. Alright, so that's the worst reveal. The coolest company in pinball! You know, we're gonna get to that one later this week. So who's the lamest company right now? Who's just not doing it right? Who's not transparent? Who's this? Who's that? I mean, it's hard, right? It's hard. In 2024, who wins for the lamest company in pinball? I mean, I have to give this award to Haggis. There's a few other people that could definitely be contenders on this. In all of pinball, Haggis Pinball is the only one that people lost money on. No other pinball company did you lose money on. Nobody really lied to you. These guys collapsed in 2024. I hate to say I told you so, but man, it's over. It's over. And look, mark my words, people. Marty Robbins is going to try to recover and come back into this hobby next year. And it's not going to work. It's not going to work. I can't wait for Jeff Teolis and Marty to try to do some sort of like convalescence tour in 2025. And the reason why, Marty, I'll tell you this right now. We will accept you back if you and Damien figure out a way to make everybody whole. Until that day happens, we don't want to see anything from you. Okay. Well, what was the worst artwork in pinball? If you look at these machines and you just say, man, what were they thinking there? This one is easy. I came to this conclusion right away. The worst art package in all of pinball in 2024 is ABBA. I mean, when you look at that ABBA cabinet, I mean the, the standard ABBA cabinet, it looks like Killian made it. Like they didn't even try. And it doesn't make any sense. How are you going to, with a straight face, release something like that and ask people to pay thousands of dollars for it? They should be embarrassed that they greenlit that. And the band ABBA should be absolutely chastised for approving such a terrible looking game Alright so that the worst artwork Trust me gang the best of is going to be more fun than this because it going to be positive and good vibes and good energy All right, so we got the worst gameplay layout and then the worst game of the year. All right, we're going to close this out. So which game has the worst layout and gameplay out of all of these games? Oh man, it's hard, right? Okay, so I'm going to be objective here. I'm going to be objective. I'm looking at all of these games and I've pretty much shot all of these games. And when it comes to just worst layout, I, and don't kill me because this game is sold out. But again, when it comes to worst layout and gameplay as of today, and I played it and I played everything here. And it's mainly because they took a design and a layout that was never really a real game. It was simply meant to be a phone core thing that J-pop could put Zombietti's artwork on to keep his Ponzi scheme going. And yet Melvin did pull off the impossible and turn it into a working game, but that doesn't mean the gameplay is great. And so I hate to say it, I hate to say this to all you guys who ordered one, and I have one on order too, but when it comes to a bad layout, You know, there's just not much happening in this game from a layout standpoint. It is not going to blow you away with design and layout. And I think every other game on this list is going to shoot more like a standard pinball machine. And so that is why Kaneda has to give Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the worst layout. And again, it's not on Melvin. He just made what Jay Pop designed into a real game. Melvin, you know I love you brother, you know I love you brother, but man, it just doesn't have the flow of what these other games have. I have to give it to Alice, but it doesn't matter, right? Because this thing never was about gameplay, it never was about layout. It was about a rare collectible work of art, and the story that goes with it, and that's why they sold out. Remember, they sold out of this game even after people played it. It had long lines at the show, but I was there, like people weren't coming off this game. Aleto Team могли зем쟁enwonka I am your host the inено Hey there, Steve here! T voulez, salut ! I don't even want to give a worst game of the year. I'll make it more this. What is the worst possible game you could buy new in box out of all the games in 2024? I think that's a more fair way to do it. And the worst game you could buy new in box in 2024, drum roll please, is a $15,000 Avatar CE. If you buy this game, new in box for 15,000 people, we're looking at Godfathers right now, which had more hype and enthusiasm for it than even Avatar does. They're now worth less than like 9,800 new in box. People have lost over $5,000 on it. And if Harry Potter is around the corner, I do think Avatar CE for $15,000 is just the The worst new in box game you can buy in 2024. The second worst would be John Wick LE. That's going to lose the most amount of value for sure. And then Uncanny X-Men. You know, this is the problem now, everybody. These games are so expensive. Now look, is Avatar the worst game here? Absolutely not. I know this. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's a better game than, than Alice and Ninja Eclipse. It's a better game than ABBA. So if I were just to say like, well, what's the worst game? Maybe I'll do that. Like that's the worst buy is Avatar. The worst game out of all of these, you know, just looking all things considered would be ABBA. I do. I mean, there's just nothing about it. Like a music pin doesn't have much in it. It's a day late and a dollar short. It's not a theme that most people want and music pins are so good. And so I just look at ABBA as like out of all these games, I think the response to ABBA has been the weakest. I think people just really don't care. I would be shocked if they even sold out of this game and they're not even making many of them. And again, I hope that pinball brothers is going to respond with something like predator. I heard they might have an Arnold movie next, and I would love to see these guys do something that we really want the theme. Hey everybody, it's going to be more fun on the next episode. Thank you for tuning in for Kaneda's the worst in pinball in 2024. And I just want to say overall, all of these companies got a lot of work to do. Their marketing departments need to pick better themes. Their designers need to put more toys into these games and we need pinball to really get much better in 2025. The themes are going to be there, but will they execute them on the right level? They need to be amazing everybody. For this much money, you should be looking down at games loaded, loaded like Twilight Zone and loaded like Lord of the Rings and the games need to be masterpieces. Who the heck wants to keep throwing $10,000 to $13,000 to $15,000 at hugely depreciating games? And let's not make a mistake people. These games are hugely depreciating because they're not amazing. If Jersey Jack released Back to the Future, you'd be paying $18,000 for a CE now, even if they made a thousand CEs. So don't fool yourself. It's because the themes are bad and the games are uninspired. And that's why these games are sinking. Jaws LE, you can't find one because it's a good theme and it's designed well and the code's amazing. And so that game will hold its value or go up in value over time as more crap comes out into the market. Happy Holidays! Monday Kaneda out!

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f8d178a7-ea64-4fdd-af96-31cafee02775*