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Episode 7 - Die on this Hill: Gilligan's Island

Wedgehead Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·25m 37s·analyzed·Dec 4, 2023
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

New podcast segment debuts defending Gilligan's Island as underrated strategic gem.

Summary

The Wedgehead Pinball Podcast launches a new segment called "I'm Gonna Die on This Hill" featuring guest Zoe Vrabel defending Gilligan's Island (Bally Williams, 1991), a critically maligned DMD-era pinball game. Vrabel argues the game's ruleset brilliantly forces complete playfield engagement by requiring ingredient collection to unlock the high-scoring Kona jackpot, creating strategic depth and multiple viable playstyles. Host Alan acknowledges his previous negative review and concedes the game's design merit after playing it himself.

Key Claims

  • Gilligan's Island sold 4,001 units, a large production run for its 1991 release timing

    high confidence · Alan (host), stated as production run fact

  • Gilligan's Island was the first Bally Williams game to feature a dot matrix display (DMD)

    high confidence · Alan (host), presented as historical fact

  • Terminator 2 was supposed to be the first DMD game but was delayed due to design complexity with Steve Ritchie and Dwight Sullivan's collaboration

    high confidence · Alan (host), stated as industry history

  • The game's wizard mode (50 million point Kona jackpot) can be achieved multiple times in a single playthrough if completed quickly enough

    high confidence · Zoe Vrabel, gameplay observation with personal example (three times in one potion)

  • Alan wrote the negative Pinside review of Gilligan's Island under the username GuyMontag451 twelve years ago

    high confidence · Alan (host), personal admission during episode

  • Gilligan's Island features an extra ball that appears at the end of the game rather than immediately after earning it

    medium confidence · Alan and Zoe, discussed as design feature observation

  • The Lagoon shot in Gilligan's Island is difficult to hit intentionally

    medium confidence · Zoe Vrabel, gameplay strategy discussion

Notable Quotes

  • “I unironically think that Gilligan's Island is a gem, a diamond in the rough as it were.”

    Zoe Vrabel @ ~12:30 — Core thesis statement for the episode; establishes Vrabel's genuine appreciation despite community consensus

  • “It forces you to play the entire game. You have to shoot every shot. You have to shoot most of the shots more than one time.”

    Zoe Vrabel @ ~25:45 — Main defense of game design; explains ruleset philosophy

  • “I was a Gilligan's Island hater, and but I trust Zoe's opinion. And so I wanted to be like, let's go play this game because I wanted to see what she liked about it.”

    Alan (host) @ ~32:15 — Host's candid admission of initial skepticism and willingness to reconsider

  • “It is not a guarantee that you're going to get jungle run millions at that upper, at that backhanded ramp shot. You have to do the work.”

    Zoe Vrabel @ ~40:30 — Addresses mechanic skill requirements and difficulty balance argument

  • “I do think that having a deep enough understanding of what everything does and how it all works together is how you start thinking about pinball strategically and not just about keeping the ball alive.”

    Zoe Vrabel @ ~52:10 — Articulates design philosophy connecting game mechanics to player education and strategic thinking

  • “It will update it because it is not the worst game I've ever played. It is a weird layout, but I think it's weird in a fun way.”

    Alan (host) @ ~47:50 — Host's public reversal of his previous negative stance

  • “Justice for Gilligan.”

    Alan (host) @ ~54:00 — Closing rallying cry summarizing the episode's rehabilitative intent

Entities

Zoe VrabelpersonAlanpersonGilligan's IslandgameBally WilliamscompanyWard PembertonpersonDan LangloispersonSteve Ritchieperson

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Wedgehead Pinball Podcast introduces new recurring segment 'I'm Gonna Die on This Hill' designed to surface underappreciated games and encourage community reconsideration of conventionally disliked titles

    high · Alan introduces segment as 'new segment that we're going to be doing in the future' and explains format: inviting guests to defend games 'generally considered bad by the overall pinball population'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Significant sentiment reversal on Gilligan's Island; host Alan publicly retracts 12-year-old negative review after live gameplay experience

    high · Alan states 'I will update it because it is not the worst game I've ever played' and commits to changing his Pinside review; attributes change to Zoe's influence and direct play experience

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Gilligan's Island uses forced playfield engagement (ingredient collection requirement) to create strategic depth and multiple viable playstyles rather than ramp-only dominance

    high · Zoe: 'It forces you to play the entire game. You have to shoot every shot. You have to shoot most of the shots more than one time. It incentivizes you.' Alan agrees design parallels Iron Man and Bram Stoker's Dracula

  • ?

    historical_signal: Gilligan's Island was the first Bally Williams DMD (dot matrix display) game to ship, beating Terminator 2 due to the latter's complex design process

    high · Alan: 'it was the first Bally Williams game to come with the new dot matrix display... It was supposed to be Terminator 2, but Steve Ritchie and Dwight Sullivan were engaged in their eternal struggle as soulmates... Gilligan's Island was pushed up ahead of schedule'

  • ?

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.077

0:00
Hello everyone, this is Alan from the Wedgehead Pinball Podcast. We're doing a very special episode this week. It's a new segment that we're going to be doing in the future. It's called I'm Gonna Die on This Hill, and it's basically a segment where we invite a guest on and they describe a game that is generally considered pretty bad by the overall pinball population, but a game that they unironically love. So we find it's going to be a very interesting way to talk to people and see some of those hidden gems or take a look at some of those underappreciated games and see why some people do in fact like them. It was a lot of fun to record this episode. I hope that comes across in the recording itself. We were joined by our good friend Zoe Vrabel, who you heard on the Howdy Partner Pinball podcast, but she's a good friend of ours and now she's living on the East Coast and she was gracious enough to join us for this and defend one of her favorite bad quote-unquote games of all time, Gilligan's Island. So listen to the episode, enjoy it, tell your friends. We appreciate y'all for listening. Thank you very much. You signed your real name? Of course I did. If you believe in something, you sign your name to it. Alright, I'm gonna tell you right now. I ain't crazy.
1:06
This is the ground you'll die on. Are you sure? Oh my god, are you serious? Son, people can see you. I don't tell you what to do with your money. Don't fucking tell me what to do with mine, okay? I'm not as dumb as you think I am. I will defend myself.
1:25
He means it, sweetheart. Well, that's because you're an idiot. I will fight and win because I am the most intelligent. You sure about that? I got something I want to say. Well, all you motherfuckers think you know who Teddy Powers is. Well, I'm here today to tell you all you don't know shit. Oh, I give up. You're going to get yourself killed, and this time I won't be able to save you. I make you laugh. I'm a clown. I amuse you. I'm here to fucking amuse you. come on don't bullshit me go ahead and go but i'm not gonna stop yelling because then that'll mean i lost the fight so please leave a key under the mat i love y'all very much peace out serenity now serenity now what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things i have ever heard at no point in your rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul. Okay, a simple wrong would have done just fine, but... This makes no sense.
Dwight Sullivan
person
Wedgehead Pinball Podcastorganization
Howdy Partner Pinballorganization
Pinsideorganization
Terminator 2game
T2 (Terminator 2 Judgment Day)game
Addams Familygame
Creaturegame
Iron Mangame
Bram Stoker's Draculagame
Apollo 13game
Indiana Jones (New)game
The Last Arcadeorganization

product_launch: Gilligan's Island achieved 4,001 unit production run in May 1991, substantial for the era and presaging the sales boom of mid-1990s (T2, Addams Family)

high · Alan: 'It sold well at the time. It had a production run of 4,001 units, which is a big production run. It's not as big as you get to about a year later... But it's right before that big uptick in sales'

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Gilligan's Island allows multiple wizard mode completions (50 million Kona jackpots) within a single playthrough if executed with sufficient speed and precision

    high · Zoe: 'If you get the potion to Kona fast enough... you can get that 50 million multiple times. I think the most I've got it for one potion was three, but that's 150 million points'

  • ?

    content_signal: Wedgehead Pinball Podcast deliberately structures episodes to incorporate guest expertise and personal passion as content drivers; hosts conduct field research (actually playing games) to validate/understand guest perspectives

    high · Alan: 'I was so intrigued... I wanted to see what she liked about it... And so we went out and played it. And I was so surprised because I was a Gilligan's Island hater, and but I trust Zoe's opinion'

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinside reviews and forum discourse feature strong negative consensus on Gilligan's Island with hyperbolic language and dismissive reviews; community engagement via direct quotation of negative reviews during podcast

    high · Multiple Pinside users quoted: 'how high would the flames reach if I set it on fire'; 'worst game I have ever played'; 'Gilligan's Pile'; community expectation of flame wars on platform

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Gilligan's Island requires mechanical skill and precise timing for upper playfield/jungle shots; success is not guaranteed and player execution directly impacts score viability

    high · Zoe: 'you have to time your plunge into the saucer up at the top of the playfield. If you mistime that plunge... it is hard to get it back up there. You have to be able to aim your shots... It is not a guarantee'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Game design philosophy emphasizes systemic interconnection where all playfield elements contribute to larger strategic goals; players must understand how small mechanics feed into overall win conditions

    high · Zoe: 'nothing in Gilligan's will do anything unless you are considering the larger context of the game... how the little small bits contribute to the whole... how you start thinking about pinball strategically'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Gilligan's Island marks the only known collaboration between designers Ward Pemberton and Dan Langlois despite both having significant individual game libraries from Bally era

    high · Alan: 'And that was the best selling game for either designer in their whole careers... And the only time they ever collaborated together'

  • ?

    business_signal: Podcast hosts conduct intentional game sourcing and field playtesting to validate guest claims and generate authentic content; involves locating and accessing machines for evaluation

    medium · Alan mentions 'we went out specifically and played a Gilligan's Island' suggesting deliberate machine sourcing for episode preparation and verification purposes

    • 2:39
    All right, and we're back. We're going to do something for the first time ever, a new segment that I've had stewing. This was actually the original concept for the Wedgehead Pinball podcast that I shared with Alex. And it all started with one very special person, our guest this evening, Zoe Vrabel. Say hi, Zoe.
    3:00
    Yes. So what happened is Zoe is a big fan and anyone that knows her knows this. She is a big, un-erotic fan of one Gilligan's Island. Is that true, Zoe? I cannot deny that I may have on multiple occasions said that I loved Gilligan's Island. I remember that I had to, I use it as an example of how, you know, not every Bally Williams game is very good. People remember that 90s era as this golden era, but they make games like Gilligan's Island. You're like, I love Gilligan's Island. I was like, Zoe, stop messing with me. Like I thought for sure you're... You thought I was joking and that's not my sense of humor. I don't do, I don't do a deadpan sarcasm. I unironically think that Gilligan's Island is gem, a diamond in the rough as it were. Yes. So I'm going to introduce this segment. We're calling it, I'm going to die on this hill. And it's a segment where we're going to have different guests defend what is generally considered a bad game. Quote unquote, bad game. Because I believe we all like, quote unquote, some bad game and we find the fun in it. And I'm trying to get different guests to showcase the game that they unironically love. So for Zoe, she loves Gilligan's Island. And for those that don't know, it's based on a pretty popular TV show from a long time ago. And Zoe's never seen one episode. Yeah, so you can't even use liking the show as an excuse for liking this game. I don't know any of their names. I don't know who they are. One of them's Gilligan. I know that. Goofiest looking one is Gilligan. Yeah, he doesn't seem to do very much right. No, he's laughable buffoon. How'd he get the island named after him then? That's a good question. Eventually, yeah. Eventually, you're going to have to watch the show. You've played the pin enough. You've played the pinball. Now watch the show. The hit show, Gilligan's Island. I mean, it's due for a reboot, right? Yeah, I'm kind of shocked there hasn't been one now that you say that. Was there? Well, let's start a letter writing campaign. I mean, if they're going to reboot, like they rebooted like Beverly Hillbillies in the 90s, you know, like why not Gilligan's Island? Yeah, it could happen. So my notes are Gilligan's Island was made by Bally Williams and was released in May of 1991. It sold pretty well at the time. It had a production run of 4,001 units, which is a pretty big production run. It's not as big as you get to about a year later, games like T2 and Adam's Family and sort of the Renaissance. But it's right before that big uptick in sales and popularity of pinball. It was a CODA sign. And there's two people credited with the design of Gillian's Island, Ward Pemberton and Dan Langelis. And they were both kind of old Bally guys that they worked at Bally before Williams bought Bally. And so they were part of the Bally team. And Ward had designed other games you might know, like Fathom, Dungeons and Dragons, Hardbody, Mousing Around. And Dan designed games like Bally Game Show, Strange Science, Radical, and Heavy Metal Meltdown. But this was the best selling game for either designer in their whole careers. What in the hell is going on here? It was incredible. Because people in the 90s had taste. Ooh. Ooh, and we've lost it over time. But yeah and it the only time they ever collaborated together And I think the most notable thing other than the big mech which I let you talk about in detail is that it the first Bally Williams game to come with the new dot matrix display or DMD for short And that's basically if you're looking at a pinball machine and it's got like dots, like usually they were the originals were orange, but sometimes you see them in red and now they make color versions. You know, if they have dots and the animations are dots or pixelated animations, that's on a dot matrix display. or if you hear us talking about it in this episode or in a future episode, DMD. That's what DMD stands for. And it was the first game to have that. It was supposed to be Terminator 2, but Steve Ritchie and Dwight Sullivan were engaged in their eternal struggle as soulmates. But it was a very tumultuous design process, the two of them always working together. And so that game took a little bit longer and Gilligan's Island was pushed up ahead of schedule and released first. Defined an era. A defining pinball machine. So now I'm going to give you the floor and I want you to just talk about what makes this so good. Tell us why we all need to play it. Why everyone's wrong about Gogan's Island. You've got the mech in the middle that's kind of, it's an island. It is the titular island or maybe the jungle within the island. You've got to shoot around all the different shots on the play field to gather ingredients that make a magic potion for Kona, the island god. And then you've got to bring the potion to Kona by shooting up the jungle, this moving circle in the middle. And once you've shot up there enough times, you get 50 million points for bringing the potion to Kona. And I think that that's great because it forces you to play the entire game. You have to shoot every shot. You have to shoot most of the shots more than one. It incentivizes you. If you want that juicy 50 million points, you must play the game. There's an alternative strategy where you just run through the jungle over and over again for a million or like 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million points at a time. But if someone else gets to the 50 million, who cares if you got 11 million? Going through the game and playing the entire game is the point. But there's also tournament bailout strategies. So I think that it is a very viable game. I think that it forces you to really consider the entire machine and not just one part of the game. You know, I'm having a hard time arguing against that because you're right. You do. You do get to shoot everything on the playfield to like qualify the one thing to do, which is kind of like... You can hit all the shots and you can repeat one shot over and over again. Now, what about like if you're playing like a game with a few people? Well, it probably doesn't happen with players of like your skill levels, Zoe. But with like normal mortals, don't you end up with a whole bunch of games where like everybody almost got to the 50 million, but nobody did? Well, then who did other stuff better? Like you can multitask while you're playing it. If I don't make it all the way to the potion, I better have done a couple of jungle runs along the way to make sure that I'm doing better than you who also didn't quite make it to the potion. So you've got to be simultaneously, what are my safe, achievable, easy point in the foreground while also in the background saying, okay, but I should also get a turtle egg. I should also get the rope while I'm at it, just so that if I make it to the jungle, I can bring the potion to Kona. Kona is the volcano. Kona's the volcano. Kona's the only thing about this IP that I know. you didn't know who Groot was in Guardians of the Galaxy but we're very well aware who Kona is thanks to the Gilligan's Island pinball machine Kona's the man she wasn't even sure which one was Gilligan right but she knows Kona's the volcano you gotta bring the potion to Kona um but you so also if you get the potion to Kona fast enough it's not just a juicy 50 million if you still have time left over if you've hit the shot fast enough you can get that 50 million multiple times I think the most I've got it for one potion was three but that's 150 million points you're incentivized do the wizard mode and do it well but there's also how do I make sure I win in a tournament how do I make sure I beat my friends for dollar games because that's how I got into Gilligan's Island was playing dollar games with my friends that's really what that's really like how all good tournaments I mean they should be like a dollar game first and then you're like okay this is actually a good tournament game once it makes a good dollar game yeah yeah I guess they share the Same things. There's something, I don't know, Alan, are we allowed to reveal that, you know, we went out specifically and played a Gilligan's Island? Yes. So this is I want to say that I was so intrigued, which is which is sort of like why I wanted to do this segment, which is also why I wanted to be part of our podcast. I want to get a couple recordings of our belt before we start bringing guests on and doing this segment. But I was so surprised because I was a Gilligan's Island hater and but I trust Zoe's opinion. and so I wanted to be like let's go play this game because I wanted to see what she liked about it and she described just like she's just described for you like why it's a good game and I will say that it reminds me a little bit of Creature from the Black Lagoon but it's it's not as deep as Creature although Creature is not a particularly deep game but I mean in the sense of like to get the multi-ball you have to spell film so it makes you hit all the shots on the play field and I think that, you know, even though there's really one thing that scores way more than anything else, which is the Kona jackpot, it makes you shoot all the shots to get there. So I don't have a problem with the rule set anymore. My God, are you still talking? Right? Because it's not just one shot over and over again, even though like Zoe said, in a bailout strategy, you can just kind of shoot the ramp mech over and over again, do jungle runs, and you could just kind of cheese it that way. But that's no fun. That's no, I mean, that exists on most games as a way to play it where it's not fun. So Alex and I went out to a spot and we played it on location. And yeah, some pizza place in Southwest Portland where you find games such as Gilligan's Island still. Oh, that's where I used to play it. It was at a now defunct pizza place in Southwest Portland like 10 years ago. I would go there like on my way home from work just to play. I would wonder this probably is the same Gilligan's Island. It probably hasn't been cleaned since then. Yeah, that's probably true. But it was great. We had a blast playing that thing, honestly. From level it would rock back and forth. Yeah. It made you feel like you're on a boat. Very thematic. Uh, yeah. It's a virtual experience. It was a good time. I love that you used to travel to play this game. That's hilarious. I used to live in Southwest Portland to be clear. It was literally on my way home from work and Danny Backglass Bella Rose bartended So I got some strong drinks and played the Gilligan all night You on record though I do want to bring up some bad reviews We got Zoe glowing reviews I want to read some of these bad reviews I found on the internet And I just want to see what Zoe thinks about them. Oh, no. From Pinside, there's a person that's name is Caucasian Two Step said, quote, Gilligan's Island is one of the crummiest designs to come out of the late Bally Williams era. And then he lists pros and cons. He says, pros, some people will dig the theme. I said some people. The rotating paths at the top left of the playfield are an interesting idea. The cons. The rules are an afterthought. One of Yowsey, the artist John Yowsey, worst art package efforts. Backhand a Kona all day. A true snooze fest of a pinball machine. The takeaway. A Bally William DMD first. A Bally Williams DMD worst.
    13:36
    Okay, well that guy had two strikes already with Pinside and his username. and then he said that he's backhand Kona all day. You don't backhand Kona until you've done all the other shit.
    13:49
    Also, doesn't Kona deliver it to the right flipper? So you couldn't, it doesn't like, it's not like you could repeat that. The coolest part of the mech is that- Which is cool too. That is cool. I don't think we described this very well as the main mech, the jungle mech, is it's this rotating thing that comes out of the playfield and it changes the ball path based on the position. So the returns and the way it goes through there changes depending on the position of the jungle. And so it's a really cool mech and it feeds different ways. It's similar in a way that like kind of shadow, you can move the divergence on the ramps. Shadow, Brian Eddy, that guy's a hack. Just when I think you've said the stupidest thing ever, you keep talking. Compared to Gilligan and Island, you know. He wishes he designed Gilligan's Island.
    14:33
    Yeah, but you can't control where, which side Jungle Run is going to spit it out to. You can maybe memorize the pattern. I don't know if the pattern is the same every time, but yeah, it's not going to deliver it to the same flipper Caucasian two step. All right. Well, here's another person that you may or may not have met. His name is Pinball Kiefer. And that is Pete Johnson, who works in the industry. And I think he would know quite a thing or two about pinball since he did the rule set and code and software for games like Lord of the Rings, Simpsons Pinball Party, many other Jersey Jack games as well. But this is what he said. Some of my favorite pinball machines. Oh, no. This is what he said, quote, from the ever darkening play field to the random award multiball to the unbalanced Kona jackpot. The software really destroys this game. The ramp path turntable thing actually had a lot of promise, but the execution is just not there. End quote. OK, so I actually I didn't talk about the multiball, but I did write about it in my notes. And my notes say no one cur multiball. When has multiball been less consequential? I think it's amazing. The only way you can get multiball on Gilligan's Island is through a mystery award. To light the mystery award, you have to spell Lagoon, which are these. Oh, yeah. That's what I was going to bring up is the mystery award. Yeah. I wouldn't even want multiball as my mystery award because some of the other awards you can get are like three million points at a time. You want those more than you want multiball. You're telling me the multiball is not a guarantee of three million points. It is the least consequential multiball. And I love it. How can you be error-defining first DMD of all time and not even have a multiball that matters? It's breaking barriers left and right. Now hold on a minute here. Breaking barriers. They put a, yeah, it has the multiball fan service. Doesn't do anything past exist. Like, yeah, yeah, we know you know what a multiball is. We'll give it to you if you really want, but that's not the point of the game. Yeah, it's like pacifying a child. Here's your multiball, kid, if you need it. Yeah. Well, stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Kiefer. Yep. No one care multiball. I love it. Okay. Well, I have a couple more. You may be surprised, but there are a couple more bad reviews. Boring it, haters.
    16:44
    All right. So JitneyStand1 said, quote, Ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, ramp, and then ramp some more. The rotating ramp is one of the coolest toys ever designed. One of the greatest sound bites, nice coconuts, and a great theme. But seriously, what a turd. There is nothing to shoot of any value whatsoever other than the ramp. Really fun to play a few times, but don't make the mistake of bringing this one home if you actually plan to play the thing. It will be popular with the guests, but will bore you to tears. Worst DMD pin ever. End quote. I bet that guy owns a Wonelli. Oh, yeah. And lots of alternate back classes that he bought on inside for sure. Yeah. So, OK, again, it's not just backhanding the rip. In order to make that even worth your time, you have to time your plunge into the saucer up at the top of the playfield. If you mistime that plunge or if the ball doesn't land in the saucer, it is pretty hard to get it back up there. You have to be able to aim your shots. Like, it is not a guarantee that you're going to get jungle run millions at that upper, at that backhandable rip shot. You have to do the work. that's not what itney scan once said that's your opinion do i have to make a pin side account just to like just to go fight yeah to fight old men yes no we're doing it for you that could be our new segment is zoe getting in fights with people on pin side oh yeah zoe's flame wars yeah that'd be fun all right any more any more haters there's a few more kinetic cross said gilligan's island aka gilligan's pile pros nice sound design fun to tilt the game until you realize jungle run is broken i don't know what he means fun to tilt the game i think he means just fun to play the game until you realize jungle run is broken and then you just wasted 50 sets oh sometimes all get stuck in that mechanism it is i'm sure an operator nightmare oh and he says another pro playing extra balls at the end of the game is also a cool idea that should have stayed. I will agree. That's the one thing that Alex and I noticed is that on Gilligan's Island, if you as a player gets the extra ball, it doesn't go right after you drain the ball in play. It's at the end of the game. That's awesome. Yeah, before you get too excited to do that on JJP's, your nemesis games, Alan. What are you implying? Don even start with this They riding on the coattails of legends Yeah Of the legendary Gilligan Island copied directly keifer probably stole that from when he was playing gilligan yes wow yeah and then he put the post and he sandbagging it yeah he's driving it down he doesn't want people to go play this gym because they'll realize where all of his ideas are coming from son have you lost your mind that's the only solution or the only reasonable conspiracy yeah so the other cons that kineticross says are multi-balls a random award what the f lagoon shot is pure luck jungle run breaks often shoot the shrunken head stand up to end the game faster rules shoot ramp all day and ignore everything else ems have more depth and enjoyability than this game do these guys want to only hit easy shots like what is the point of playing pinball yeah i don't think any of these guys realize that if you like shoot the other things the game does other things like i don't think they've made it that far zoe they don't see that like if it doesn't immediately give them points i guess they're not following what's happening they don't know there's progress to be made of course the lagoon targets are difficult to hit that you don't want to be able to light mystery again easily oh yeah all right so i got two more and you're right these people are idiots i don't know but bartron said quote watch out for multiball what is with everyone's obsession with multiball people love multiball soby haven't you seen it grow over the years the people want multiball they want you to plunge and be in a multiball that's what people want now just play apollo 13 dude i agree new indiana jones like if you want all the balls just hurtling at you completely missing the plot here he says watch out for multiball you'll be totally underwhelmed terrible gameplay never before has one table caused such a reaction from me quote how high would the flames reach if i set it on fire you take that back just sell it to me dude jesus that one's my favorite one just because of that like the hyperbolic nature of it I love it. In the last review, some idiot named GuyMontag451 said, quote, worst game I have ever played. Too weird of a layout. No shots really score points. They just set you up for the one mode Kona. I will never waste time on this one ever again. That review was from 12 years ago, and I wrote that review. Did you really? I did too.
    21:45
    Unbelievable. I was waiting for you to tell me that like Chris Rhodes or Greg Dunlap or you had written a review of this just to make me insult you. But like, when did you? So you wrote that review 12 years ago? 12 years ago, yeah. Do you think you've played Gilligan's Island since then before we went out and hunted this one down? No, did you read my review? I will never waste time on this one ever again. I was wondering if you had stuck to that. That's incredible. And then Zoe made me a liar. We went out and played it. I did not change my review yet on Pinside because I wanted to read this one out. And I will update it because it is not the worst game I've ever played. It is a weird layout, but I think it's weird in a fun way. And I do think that the other things on the game don't score points until you get there. But I just think it's sort of an all or nothing game. And I don't mind that because one of my favorite games is Iron Man. And Iron Man's also kind of a, it scores no points till you get into the multiballs and you stack the multiballs or you get into Jericho. and there's a big payoff to get the big 50 million countdown in Iron Man. So I see a lot of parallels with that, as well as like Bram Stoker's Dracula, which we talk about on every episode of this show. But that's the same way. It's like that game doesn't really score points in a real way until you stack the multiballs and you do what it really wants you to do. And I don't think that that makes a bad game. I think that as long as it's forcing you to hit different shots on the playfield, Having big scoring moments where you're under pressure, it can be what makes a game really fun. And I do think that Gilligan's Island is fun. I'm so proud of you, Alan. That's called growth. You've changed me. For the better. I was a lost soul. Good God, that's going too far. And Zoe showed me the light. And I hope she's shown you all the light. I hope that every one of you listening will give Gilligan's Island another chance. Justice for Gilligan. And Skipper. Is that a person? Skipper is a person. You nailed it. Yeah. Oh, she's killing it. She's killing it. Any last words on Gilligan? Do you want to say anything else before we sign off? This isn't going to be like putting a bow on it or anything, but I just feel like nothing in Gilligan will do anything unless you are considering the larger context of the game. Like you've got to light things, you've got to understand how the little small bits contribute to the whole. And that's what I like about pinball rules. I'm not looking to go have to watch an hour and a half long YouTube video just to understand how to play it. But I do think that having a deep enough understanding of what everything does and how it all works together is how you start thinking about pinball strategically and not just about keeping the ball alive. And so I think Gilligan's Island is a really great way to force you to try everything and learn a lot and then make your own decisions, even if their decision is to set it on fire.
    24:39
    Yeah, I fully agree with that. I don't think I could say that better. Yeah. Justice for Gilligan. You had it right. Justice for Gilligan. Gilligan's a good game. Go out and give it another shot. Zoe's right. You're wrong. End of story. That's my podcast name.
    24:52
    All right. Thank you once again, Zoe, for coming on the podcast. We enjoyed having you. Thank you so much for having me. I'll be back. And thanks for staying up late on the East Coast to do this with us. We very, very much appreciate it. Anytime. Thank you, Wedgehead, for being Wedgehead. All right. Till next time, everyone. Good luck. Don't suck.
    25:23
    Thanks for watching!