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Cactus Canyon Remake Pinball Review

Cary Hardy·video·17m 38s·analyzed·Sep 11, 2023
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

Cactus Canyon Remake is fun but shallow code limits longevity for experienced players.

Summary

Cary Hardy reviews the Chicago Gaming Company Cactus Canyon remake, rating it 8.6/10. While praising its audio design, playfield art, and mechanical variety, Hardy critiques the code depth as limiting long-term engagement for skilled players. He is selling the machine due to exhausting its current code, though he may repurchase it if Chicago Gaming releases the promised code update.

Key Claims

  • Chicago Gaming Company is working on updated code for Cactus Canyon but timeline is unknown

    high confidence · Hardy states 'This is why they are working on new code' and questions 'who knows how long that updated code is going to take to complete'

  • Cactus Canyon Remake ships with fully working, functional code from day one

    high confidence · Hardy explicitly states 'at least they are shipping the game with fully working code'

  • The playfield art is the strongest visual element; cabinet and backglass art are inconsistent and dated

    high confidence · Hardy rates art 7/10, praising playfield as 'very enjoyable to look at' but criticizing cabinet and backglass as 'nothing impressive by today's standards'

  • Skilled players can exhaust the star progression quickly, making the game feel shallow without extra ball settings disabled

    high confidence · Hardy notes 'If you are a skilled player, you will find this game pretty boring when it comes to progression' and 'I'm not a great player, but even I have made my way through the star'

  • Audio/sound design is Cactus Canyon's strongest feature, rated 10/10

    high confidence · Hardy states 'Cactus Canyon has one of the best 90s pinball sound packages' and gives it a perfect 10/10 score

Notable Quotes

  • “A part of this game's biggest strength is also its weakness. It almost has it all, and in the future it could be even better.”

    Cary Hardy @ opening — Sets up the core thesis: Cactus Canyon is solid but incomplete, with the promise of future code updates suggesting current limitations

  • “This playfield is very enjoyable to look at. It just screams 90s pinball, and I love it.”

    Cary Hardy @ art section — Highlights the playfield art as a standout element that salvages the visual presentation

  • “There is a lot of good in this game, just not enough of it.”

    Cary Hardy @ code section — Core criticism: breadth without depth in code design; variety of modes lack substantive challenge

  • “If you are a skilled player, you will find this game pretty boring when it comes to progression.”

    Cary Hardy @ code deep dive — Direct assessment of code shallow progression for competitive/experienced players

  • “Cactus Canyon Remake, simply put, is fun pinball. That's in the simplest form that I could tell you about this game. It's fun.”

    Cary Hardy @ conclusion — Final verdict emphasizes accessibility and baseline entertainment value over depth

  • “When the updated code comes out, who knows? I may have to snag it again.”

    Cary Hardy @ closing — Conditional interest contingent on code update delivery, suggesting Hardy sees potential if CGC follows through

Entities

Cary HardypersonChicago Gaming CompanycompanyCactus Canyon RemakegameBrian AllenpersonBart Bash toyproduct

Signals

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Experienced collector sentiment: Cactus Canyon Remake is enjoyable entry-level/casual pinball but insufficient as primary or long-term game due to code shallowness

    high · Hardy concludes: 'It's a must-have for those of you out there with a large collection, but I cannot guarantee you that this is a great game to have as your only game' unless you're a casual player

  • ?

    product_concern: Visual art package inconsistency across cabinet, backglass, and playfield suggests lack of cohesive design direction or multiple artists with differing styles

    high · Hardy states 'It almost seems like there were three different people that did the art package for this. One person that took the logo to make the cabinet, one person that did the back glass, and the other person did the playfield, because they're all different'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Cactus Canyon Remake prioritizes breadth (variety of shots, modes, mechs) over depth (substantive progression and challenge), resulting in accessible but limited long-term engagement

    high · Hardy states the game 'has a little bit of everything' but lacks depth in code execution; notes 'I have made my way through the star and was about to finish it again before my last ball drained'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Chicago Gaming Company's promised code update for Cactus Canyon has no confirmed delivery timeline; Hardy expresses uncertainty about when it will arrive

    high · Hardy states 'But who knows how long that updated code is going to take to complete' and later references code update as a conditional factor for repurchasing

  • ?

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.053

0:00
I was playing my Cactus Canyon the other night, and I even got a new high score. Which got me thinking, even though I have currently experienced all this game has to offer, I still have fun playing it. And this is what we all want in a pinball machine. A part of this game's biggest strength is also its weakness. It almost has it all, and in the future it could be even better. But who knows how long that updated code is going to take to complete.
0:36
And it's for that very reason that Cactus Canyon will be leaving my collection. This is a bittersweet trade for me because I'm losing a good game. You're goddamn right. The sweet part is, the game that's replacing it, in my opinion, is more enjoyable, especially long term. But before it's gone, I figured it's well past due for a review anyways. So, let's get straight to it. Let's start with art. I mean, the cabinet is pretty plain and basic, with the sides just being the Cactus Canyon logo. But this wasn't uncommon back then. It wasn't until the last decade where people started to really care about the cabinet art. Sure, CGC could have redone it, but that would have taken too much away from it being a remake. I mean, their previous releases have kept all the same art, but with other changes like power coding, display, and or other aesthetics under the glass. And this game is no different. They updated the moving train, the Bart Bash toy, and the apron for starters, and these changes are very much appreciated too. The original Translight does well for showing the characters of the game, but it is, once again, nothing impressive by today's standards, at least. And if the original art was so great, then you wouldn't be having alternates like what Brian Allen has done here.
2:11
Now, the playfield art, on the other hand, is where this game does much better. This playfield is very enjoyable to look at. It just screams 90s pinball, and I love it. I just wish the art on the rest of the machine matched the playfield. But seeing how I'm looking at the playfield the most anyways, I'm glad the playfield is the best part. I mean, it almost seems like there were three different people that did the art package for this. One person that took the logo to make the cabinet, one person that did the back glass, and the other person did the playfield, because they're all different. With that being said, I'm going to give the art package a 7 out of 10.

product_strategy: CGC made mechanical and display improvements on Cactus Canyon Remake (updated toy, improved animations on color display, new shot mechanics) but code remains at baseline/simple state

high · Hardy notes CGC 'updated the moving train, the Bart Bash toy, and the apron' and improved animations on the new color display, but criticizes code depth as limiting

  • ?

    product_concern: Cactus Canyon Remake's code is overly simple and shallow, allowing skilled players to exhaust the star progression quickly despite mechanical variety

    high · Hardy rates code 7.5/10, noting 'There is a lot of good in this game, just not enough of it' and 'If you are a skilled player, you will find this game pretty boring when it comes to progression'

    • 3:02
    And let's go straight into design and layout. Now this game is a fan layout, and for those of you that know me, already know that it's not my favorite style. The game has some stop and go, and even some moments of flow. With the variations of play in this game, it makes the fan layout more acceptable to me. I feel this design has a little bit of everything. A bash toy, drop targets, stand up targets, ramps, scoops, pops, up posts, and moving mechs. I can only imagine what this game would be like with magnets. There is obviously a kinetic satisfaction to a couple shots, but the shots that don't have that are assisted with audio cues, so without the audio this game wouldn't be as fun to shoot. The drop targets that pop up during gameplay are a great way to test your skills too.
    4:08
    Oh my god! Now! Son of a- There is plenty to work with here when it comes to the layout and design, but the code isn really utilizing all of it So I going to be giving the layout and design a 9 out of 10
    4:35
    And on to the audio. This is where this game really shines guys because Cactus Canyon has one of the best 90s pinball sound packages. The callouts are top-notch. The music is cohesive to the theme, I still find myself grinning at some of these callouts. The sound effects are also what makes this game even more enjoyable to shoot. Adding emphasis on every shot you make really makes it feel like you're doing something all the time. And with that being said, I'm going to be giving the sound package for Cactus Canyon a 10 out of 10. go over display and animation. These animations are some of the best DMD style storytelling that are available, especially when comparing to the original game. The remake incorporates new improved animation compared to the original, and it's even more appreciated on the bigger, better display, with color. I will say that some animations look better than others, so there is a little inconsistency. All good, but not equally good. So display animation gets a 9.5 out of 10.
    6:26
    Let's talk about code. This is where the game needs improvement, and CGC knows it. This is why they are working on new code but they at least are shipping the game with fully working code it's pretty simple though in case you didn't catch that i'm leaving the footage in here this is post edit right here i hit the same post four times in a row consistency i'll give myself that okay so let's say we want to start knocking out our points of our star i figured the first one to start out with it doesn't matter but for showing you like this it's going to be easier for me to do stampede first so in a nutshell you really just need to hit every lane three times okay so you have this one that's got a lot of three you have one right here one here one here so if you hit that three times and basically you've knocked out this section now this last one's flashing if i hit this one it's going to start a move basically you can go up there but the way to accomplish this particular mode is just to Fired up there. Alright, so now let's move on to the next one. You just got to hit this ramp three times. Now the third one's flashing. So now we're gonna have the new mode start up.
    7:44
    Alright, so you have a couple of options either you can finish the mode just by hitting this ramp Or go in this direction over here. So let's just say we want to knock out the mode, okay? Hurry, hurry. Bam.
    7:58
    Thank you. Alright, so we've knocked out these two modes. Let's move on to the center ramp, which is going to be saving Polly from the train.
    8:10
    Save her again. Alright, so now, in order to save her from the train, we need to hit this flashing one, then this flashing one, and then right up the center. so all right so we knocked out that one we've knocked out that one now in order to save her from this train is moving around here we need to hit the center ramp all right so we've knocked out this row this row this row now we can move on to this one This mode we gonna have a roving shot it gonna move to this one and then this one and then back again and you just want to hit the shot that and then boom that knocks out that link so we've gotten this one this one this one and this one knocked out last but not least to get stampede going is to do this one Alright, so now Stampede is going because I've got all of the modes knocked out. So this is a multiple session right here. And you'll see that Stampede is now lit. Let's do...which one do we want to do next? Let's do Combo. Alright, so to get the Combo, you basically just need to be hitting these shots and then you need to hit another shot that's lit up for combo, and that will add to your combo.
    9:46
    Basically, you have to get a certain amount of combos to light this, and it progressively goes up and up. So even if you get three combos on one ball, that carries over to your next ball. So eventually, if you just keep hitting the combos, you're going to light up your combo shot.
    10:05
    All right, so combo's still lit. So you can see right here it says combo completed. So now I've knocked out Stampede and Combo. Now let's do Motherlode. This is the one that I honestly had the most trouble with because in order to get this you have to knock out all the jackpots during Goldmine Multiball. Alright, now that I've got Goldmine Multiball going, I'll start knocking out these jackpots.
    10:37
    Alright, see how the mine is lit up? I tell you, Motherload is lit. So in order to get Motherload, you need to hit that scoop. Now I've got Motherload. So next up on the star is Showdown. So in order to do Showdown, you're going to need to knock out all the bad guys across the playfield. And these happen whenever you light up Quickdraw. Quickdraw is lit! So now that quickdraw is lit
    11:11
    Got both sides lit up so now if I go down the end lane right here Bad guy pops up All right, so now I've got two guys knocked out because you can see they're lit up I still got two more So yeah, let's do quick draw again
    11:32
    That one's done Alright, so the last one is this guy right here. Once again, quick draw. And when I hit him...
    11:45
    Showdown is now completed. So in order to get the Bar Brothers, you need to be hitting this guy a lot. And then eventually, once you... Let's see where we're at. You're messing with Bandolero Bargamel. Alright, so I have activated Bandolero. He is the current Bart Brother that is up for attack. In order for me to attack him, I need to hit him.
    12:13
    There's two more hits to collect him. So, all right, so I'll give him one more to collect. So, all right, Bart collected. Now, in order for me to progress to the next Bart Brother, I have to do the gunfight. As you can see, it's lit right now. Gunfight is lit. Once I activate this,
    12:37
    this is when it's going to pop up these drop targets one at a time. To get the most points, I need to knock them out.
    12:48
    Bad guy shot. And now I've been ranked up because I actually shot him. So now my bonuses are going to be a lot higher. I'm going to be getting four points.
    12:59
    And then we'll rinse and repeat. Throw the rest to the Bart brothers. All right. I having my secret weapon Now the final Bart is Bionic Bart I love this movie So in order to get him though it going to require more effort The first time you hit him, it'll go. But in order to get the next time, I have to start collecting these jackpots. Alright, so in order to hit him again, I have to hit two jackpots. So I have to hit two jackpots. So let me hit that one. Hit that one.
    13:38
    Alright, now we're ready to hit bark again. Hit bark for 2.4. Alright, now we need to hit three jackpots to light bark. Alright, so now hit bark for 2.1.
    14:01
    Oh, I just bought that thing! Alright, so now that I destroyed Bionic Bart, that means I've knocked out all the Bart brothers. All five points of the star are lit.
    14:18
    High Noon is ready to go. In order to activate High Noon, all I gotta do is hit that scoop. If you are a skilled player, you will find this game pretty boring when it comes to progression. I'm not a great player, but even I have made my way through the star and was about to finish it again before my last ball drained. If you want the game to be harder, then you will need to disable the extra balls in the settings. My favorite mode for this game is Bionic Bart. This is where the game gets really interesting. You have the great callouts. They make him sound like the Terminator. And you have the music that has a good beat. you have to make certain shots in order to accomplish the goal of destroying Bionic Bart, whereas the previous Barts are a single target to hit. If there was more of this type of action in the game, then it would easily bump this score up. There is a lot of good in this game, just not enough of it. That's why I'm going to be giving the code a 7.5 out of 10.
    15:27
    That makes the final score for Cactus Canyon Remake an 8.6 out of 10. Cactus Canyon Remake, simply put, is fun pinball. That's in the simplest form that I could tell you about this game. It's fun. It's got a little bit of everything to keep you entertained, but I just can't say for how long with the current code. This is a must-have for those of you out there with a large collection, but I cannot guarantee you that this is a great game to have as your only game. I mean, unless you're a real casual player, then there's plenty here for you to chew on for a long time. If I had the room for Cactus Canyon Remake and the new game coming, I would gladly hold on to this game. When the updated code comes out, who knows? I may have to snag it again. But until that time comes, I'll be enjoying the new game. So there you have it, guys. My review for Cactus Canyon Remake. What did you think about it? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Let me know in the comments section down below. There's a small part of me that may regret getting rid of Cactus Canyon. Honestly, I really do. I keep looking at it and I've been playing it thoroughly through this review process. and it's like man i i don't want to let it go but i think it's time i mean i'm i'm the only one playing it and when i do play it i go all the way through the code and it's like all right well what else does this game have to offer me at this point and right now there's nothing else so i'm gonna have to let it go but i'm pretty excited about the new game joining the lineup If you would like to know what that game is by all means stay tuned to this channel or become a Patreon supporter because they already know what it is and what I'm doing before anybody else.