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What's really going on with John Wick

Don's Pinball Podcast (patreon feed)·podcast_episode·36m 54s·analyzed·May 28, 2024
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.037

TL;DR

Don justifies John Wick (Premium/LE) purchase amid community backlash and explains his nuanced stance on the game's value.

Summary

Don (host of Don's A A Pinball Podcast) clarifies his recent John Wick (Premium/LE) purchase after attending the Stern factory tour and fielding community criticism. He explains the game's quality relative to pricing, compares it to James Bond in terms of premium/pro differentiation, and contextualizes his personal purchase decision through detailed financial reasoning and sponsorship considerations. He defends against accusations of being a Stern shill while acknowledging the machine's visual appeal and moderate gameplay depth.

Key Claims

  • John Wick (Premium/LE) (Premium/LE) has five mechanical differences from Pro: weapons case, car, blood oath token, single drop target, and ball guide ramp diverter.

    high confidence · Don detailed his hands-on experience at Stern tour and personal gameplay sessions.

  • Stern is charging $225 for the John Wick (Premium/LE) shooter rod (compared to $60 estimate), referencing Foo Fighters accessories precedent at $225-$2000.

    high confidence · Don cited Foo Fighters topper pricing and stated shooter rod pricing will likely be $174-$225.

  • John Wick (Premium/LE) pricing is only ~$1,500 away from Pro + aftermarket upgrades (expression lights ~$700-$800, shaker motor $125, art blades $90-$120).

    high confidence · Don performed detailed cost-benefit analysis during the episode.

  • Expression lights for John Wick (Premium/LE) (Premium/LE) aftermarket will cost approximately $500-$550 for cabinet lights, with backbox lights potentially reaching $700-$800.

    medium confidence · Don extrapolated based on Foo Fighters pricing trends.

  • Don is selling his JAWS (Premium/LE) for approximately $10,000 (MSRP) with full powder coat and upgrades, which funds 85% of his John Wick (Premium/LE) purchase.

    high confidence · Don stated this directly as part of his financial reasoning for the purchase.

  • The Godfather LE decreased significantly in price (several thousand dollars) to $9,000 new-in-box but Don still doesn't want it due to gameplay disinterest.

    high confidence · Don used this as an example of price drops not guaranteeing value alignment.

  • Don's next Stern game rotation experiment (buying new, selling when next releases) requires one more game to complete four-game cycle, which John Wick provides.

    high confidence · Don stated this was an additional factor motivating his purchase decision.

  • John Wick (Premium/LE) should be available at significant discounts within 4-6 months of launch, following market trends for recent premium releases.

Notable Quotes

  • “A lot of things are true all at the same time and I want to kind of get this out there and explain it to y'all and my thoughts on it because I somehow got up in all this.”

    Don @ early segment — Core thesis: multiple perspectives on John Wick can coexist without contradiction.

  • “The game plays well. I played all three versions, spent a lot of time with them. Nobody was over my shoulder. I was playing by myself. The game plays well. John Wick (Premium/LE) looks amazing in person.”

    Don @ mid-section — Don establishes his hands-on expertise from the Stern tour as basis for credibility.

  • “It's not Godzilla, can we just say that?”

    Don @ recurring theme — Key comparative benchmark—John Wick lacks Godzilla's revolutionary mechanical impact.

  • “For the general recommendation, I would say skip this game. Maybe not altogether. Unless you really like it and you really want it, then go ahead and get yourself one, man.”

    Don @ recommendation segment — Official guidance to listeners: John Wick is a skip at launch for most consumers.

  • “If the game sucks, don't buy it now. Buy it later. It's like, no, if the game sucks, don't buy it at all.”

    Don @ mid-section — Critiques illogical community logic around waiting for price drops on games they dislike.

  • “The best part that they gave me, though, was being able to hang out with everybody, all these designers and everything. Gary Stern gave me a hug. It was nuts.”

    Don @ disclosure section — Reveals true motivation for Stern tour attendance beyond machine access—access to designer community.

  • “I think in the future I'm looking at taking a step back from new in-box games so I can fund more travel now... I'm rediscovering my love of flight and so I might be purchasing an aircraft again.”

    Don @ closing — Personal pivot away from collecting new games toward broader lifestyle investments.

Entities

DonpersonGary SternpersonJack DangerpersonTim SextonpersonJason KnapppersonJeffpersonChristopher Franchiperson

Signals

  • ?

    product_concern: John Wick LE shooter rod absent from package but will cost $174-$225 aftermarket, forcing Pro+aftermarket buyers to spend ~$1,500 total on upgrades, narrowing gap to LE (which includes lights and premium art). Stern's accessory pricing strategy (Foo Fighters: $225 rod, $2,000 topper) creating buyer frustration.

    high · Don detailed shooter rod pricing comparison and itemized Pro-to-premium-equivalent cost analysis reaching $1,500 in add-ons.

  • $

    market_signal: John Wick LE expected to experience 4-6 month price drop cycle similar to Bond and Venom. Godfather LE fell 'several thousand dollars' from MSRP to $9,000 within months. Precedent suggests early buyers lose significant equity.

    medium · Don predicted availability at 'thousands cheaper' within 4-6 months; cited Godfather and Bond secondary market patterns.

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: John Wick Premium's five mechanical upgrades (weapons case, car, blood oath token, drop target, ball guide) are cosmetic or minimally impactful to gameplay. Compared unfavorably to Bond Premium's extra wire forms and similar gimmicky nature. Weapons case is most compelling of the five.

    high · Don spent significant time analyzing each premium feature's gameplay contribution; concluded most lack compelling value beyond aesthetics.

  • ?

    collector_signal: Community experiencing FOMO-driven purchasing despite market saturation signals and anticipated price drops. Don's purchase triggered criticism and public scrutiny; he explicitly defended against shill accusations and financially justified decision to manage backlash.

    high · Don disclosed pre-emptively to counter troll accusations; explained purchase rationale extensively; acknowledged FOMO as a factor in community behavior.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.111

0:00
It's not what you did, son. It angers me, son. It's who you did it to. Who? The fucking nobody? That fucking nobody is John Wick.
0:22
Oh, greetings, everybody. People are still losing their freaking minds. And I want to clear up a couple of things, and I don't want to put this out there for the mashes just yet, but it's been a time, it's been a weird time in the hobby now, returning from the Stern Tour, which of course was going to be a lightning rod for those swords out there. They're prone to being overly excited, let's say. He was the one you said to kill the fucking Boogeyman.
1:17
And they get a game that shoots well, has a great theme that's very much culturally active right now, actively making films. You know, it's not a dad rock machine and people are just losing their minds. Now, a lot of things are true all at the same time and I want to kind of get this out there and explain it to y'all and my thoughts on it because I somehow got up in all this. So the John McLean license, you know, as far as licenses go, is, you know, mid to upper tier. You know, it's not triple A, maybe not double A, but it's definitely a step up from B+, right? You know, it's culturally relevant. It's Keanu Reeves, man. Come on. You know, he's had Johnny Mnemonic as a game. Speed would have made a great game. But the dude's a cool dude. The movies are very much cool. They're very much on theme. And, like, I think they're a step up from, like, the Fast and Furiouses, you know, A little bit more refined, but I wouldn't call it high culture, right?
2:13
But anyway, the game also shoots well. It's got a cool aesthetic and everything. But it's not Godzilla, can we just say that? So I want to come out with some more thoughts and everything. So the game plays well. I played all three versions, spent a lot of time with them. Nobody was over my shoulder. I was playing by myself.

medium confidence · Don predicted based on observed secondary market patterns for Bond and Venom.

  • Stern is planning several major releases including 70th anniversary B&W Godzilla, Metallica, Spike 3, and possibly X-Men '97 designed by Jack Danger.

    medium confidence · Don cited a leak from Jason Knapp plus hearsay about Jack Danger involvement, though he noted Jack didn't explicitly confirm X-Men '97.

  • John Wick (Premium/LE) backglass features mirrored glass with stained-glass styling and raised faux leading, comparable to The Mandalorian (Premium/LE) work.

    high confidence · Don praised the physical craftsmanship and tactile quality of the translite during his Stern tour visit.

    • “I'm not Win Schilling because I don't care if you buy the game or not.”

    Don @ mid-section — Defends against accusations of being a shill with explicit disinterest in others' purchases.

  • “The back glass on the John Wick (Premium/LE) is the best back glass I have seen. Now, people were saying, well, what about, you know, anything that Franchi has done? ... are they mirrored back glasses done in the style of stained glass with raised faux leading that you can run your finger over?”

    Don @ late segment — Praises John Wick LE's unique translite craftsmanship as industry-leading based on tactile/visual innovation.

  • “I had the idea back before Foo Fighters came out that I was going to try something... what if I, just for the next four games that Stern releases, four major games, I go ahead and buy it when it comes out, sell it when the next one comes out?”

    Don @ decision rationale section — Reveals the 'Stern rotation' experiment concept as a long-standing personal goal motivating the John Wick purchase.

    • Rodriguez
    person
    John Tomberlinperson
    Danielperson
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Multimorphiccompany
    John Wick (Premium/LE)game
    John Wick (Pro)game
    John Wick Premiumgame
    JAWS (Premium/LE)game
    James Bondgame
    Godzillagame
    Godfather LEgame
    Foo Fightersgame
    Stranger Thingsgame
    Deadpoolgame
    Venom (Premium/LE)game
    Weird Algame
    ?

    community_signal: Community backlash against John Wick pricing and theme despite positive gameplay reception. 'People are still losing their freaking minds.' Trolls attacking Don for purchase. Gun controversy generated discourse. Skepticism about IP tier relative to pricing.

    high · Don opened episode addressing community outrage; acknowledged need to 'clear up a couple of things'; described incoming troll accusations pre-emptively.

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern's John Wick pricing leaves Pro as the sensible choice for most buyers, with Premium's $3,000 gap indefensible given weak mechanical differentiation. This mirrors James Bond strategy but leaves no clear value-add tier, forcing buyers to either accept Pro limitations or jump to LE.

    high · Don explicitly recommended Pro tier to general audience; stated Premium features don't justify $3,000 premium over Pro; concluded LE becomes more attractive by comparison.

  • ?

    machine_intel: Stern planning rapid succession releases: 70th Anniversary B&W Godzilla (rumored), Metallica, Spike 3, and possible X-Men '97 by Jack Danger. Timeline unclear but expected within 6-12 months. Intended to pressure John Wick buyers into secondary market.

    medium · Don cited Jason Knapp leak for Godzilla/Metallica/Spike; noted Jack Danger's cryptic excitement about next project; speculated X-Men '97 timing.

  • ?

    design_innovation: John Wick LE features industry-leading mirrored backglass with stained-glass styling and raised faux leading (tactile detail). Don claims it's the best translite since Elvira 40th Edition. Attributed to Rodriguez (artist) and represents visual/tactile innovation beyond typical artwork.

    high · Don praised tactile quality of raised leading ('run your finger over'); compared to Mandalorian and other recent premium art; emphasized physical craftsmanship as differentiator.

  • ?

    operational_signal: Don predicts John Wick Pro will be 'pretty big earner' at venues because casual players are not buying every game anymore. Post-COVID market shift away from impulse purchases toward travel/other discretionary spending. Pro tier availability should be widespread.

    medium · Don stated 'a lot of people aren't jumping and buying every game anymore' and cited market/COVID recovery as factors; predicted Pro will be 'everywhere.'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Jack Danger indicated his next project will be 'something special' but provided no specifics to Don despite factory tour interaction. Don actively seeking early reveal access to upcoming games for content strategy. Multimorphic's Weird Al reveal model (reaction filming) is preferred approach.

    high · Don recounted Jack Danger saying next game 'will be something special'; Don disclosed pitch to Spooky for early access; referenced Multimorphic's reaction-film reveal strategy.

  • ?

    content_signal: Don forced to publicly disclose John Wick LE purchase after Jeff (Mad Pinball) mentioned it on Fresh Pinball Podcast. Don was attempting to keep purchase secret to avoid perception of shilling. This reveals pressure to manage community image and backlash risk.

    high · Don stated: 'he was outed by Jeff from Mad Pinball'; acknowledged 'I can't give this a secret for much longer and not look like a total dork'; planned surprise unboxing before being forced to disclose.

  • ?

    business_signal: John Wick first allocation sold out but Stern easily secured additional stock. Game is 'selling, just not selling like we saw two years ago during COVID.' Market normalized post-pandemic; consumer behavior shifted toward value and away from immediate new releases.

    medium · Don noted Jeff 'sold out his first allotment and was able to easily get more'; distinguished from COVID-era scarcity; implied slower adoption curve than expected.

    • 2:31
    The game plays well. The LE looks amazing in person. And I don't hate the premium art now that I've seen it. Also, they gave me a Translight for the premium, and I'm kind of digging it now that I have it and I can look at it. I don't think I'm clouded by the gifts that were showered on me from Stern about this. The games are also very expensive now. They're the most expensive that they've ever been, and we've taken a slight step back from Jaws because the LE doesn't come with a shooter rod. Now, the shooter rod, okay, I was going to dismiss it and call it a $60 part, but honestly, it's probably going to be $174 to $225 when it comes out. Looking at Foo Fighters, that leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouths, I think. We finally got the Foo Fighters accessories out, and the shooter rods are $225, the armor is expensive, the topper is $2,000, and nobody sees where that money is coming from looking at the thing. Even though they get a good job explaining their corporate speak about it, that's damn expensive. I'm kind of glad I don't own a Foo Fighters now, so I'm not even tempted to spend $2,000 for that topper. Jeez, man, come on. Anyway, let's talk about all of that. The main thing I wanted to get across is that the John Wick Ellie looks amazing. The game plays pretty fun. The game's not Godzilla, but then it's not Venom either. It's more like a Bond. And the game's expensive. And all those things can be true all at the same time. I'm not getting any kickbacks from Stern for units that I push. I'm not a distributor. I got invited to Stern just like everybody else did and they said all expenses paid. Book your plane ticket. We'll pay for it. And I live local to Stern. I could have gotten a plane into town and not done the three-hour drive, but I'm like, you know what? That's fine. I was in Chicago the day before anyway. I drove home. When I lived in California commuting 60 miles to the Golden Gate Bridge from Sonoma County, it would take three hours sometimes. So that's not a big deal. I'll drive in. It's cool, guys. They got me a $100 room at the Holiday Inn across the street, and I got to participate in the Portillo's hot dogs and Illuminati's pizza. They gave me a Translite and a t-shirt, and it's kind of a cool jacket. It's kind of like one of those old starter jackets from back in the day. Thinner material, but a little thicker than a windbreaker. It was kind of cool. The best part, the best gift that they gave me, though, was being able to hang out with everybody, all these designers and everything. Gary Stern gave me a hug. It was nuts. That was what it was worth it. I went to Logan and Jack Danger handed me a beer. So those were all the gifts that I got in full disclosure.
    5:00
    What I didn't get and what I really wanted to do was tell everybody that I won a door prize and got a free John Wick LE just to cheese everybody off. So what I was planning on doing, I was going to do this as kind of like a surprise thing, but I did order myself a John Wick LE and I want to explain my rationale behind that in a forum where I'm not just going to get attacked. Of course you did. You buy everything. You're such a shill. All right, so here's what happens. Okay, so with John Wick, first off, I think this game is coming in like a Bond, like a James Bond. I think as far as the scope, the scale, the design, what's in this game, there's a lot of parallels with James Bond. This is not Godzilla. There's no building that gets destroyed and falls down. There's nothing revolutionary like the projector on Stranger Things and that deep, cool theme on Stranger Things. I was just playing it again today, and my god, that game's fantastic, especially with the projector. Love it. You know, there's a major mechanism with the folding down ramp, and then you get the Demogorgon back there. Like, there's a lot going on. John Wick doesn't have that moment. But, you know, James Bond doesn't have that moment. Let's stick with that for a second.
    6:08
    When we look at the major mechanism between the pro and the premium, you know, games like Bond, I think the pro is just fine. I don't think there's anything revolutionary you're getting in the premium, though they're nice to have. They don't really justify a $3,000 cost. And when I was thinking about this today on the toilet where I do my thinking, there was a lot of parallels between Bond premium and John Wick premium. Let's look at the action figure fight under the water, right, under the glass on James Bond. It doesn't add a thing to the gameplay. It's barely perceptible while you're playing. And in fact when the balls are going around you're not really looking for it.
    6:48
    And so that's essentially analogous to the Blood Oak, the token that opens up and has the shiny red lights. I was kind of bummed when I played the game because when it does open it exposes those blinking lights. It's only temporary, it shuts again. And I think it's because it's sitting on a coil that opens that up as a coil actuator. So it's not like a switch or like a rotational thing. I think Spooky would have put a servo in there. Instead it's a coil. So if it fires, you know, there's going to be a hold charge on it. So I think it would be prone to overheating if it was just sitting there holding it open the whole time. I talked to Tim Sexton. They're working on extending that a bit. But I think it's still kind of open and shut. That kind of sucks. I wish it stayed open. So it does nothing for gameplay other than be kind of cool to have. So I see a parallel right there. When you look at the spiral of physical ball lock that Bond has, you know, around that rocket, There's about 16 inches of wire form in a little swirly slide circle around there that goes around the rocket that physically locks the balls. I love wire forms, you know, and in many occasions the premium that has the extra wire forms is kind of like the reason that I want to get it. Like with Jaws, I love that extra wire form that's in there. You know, I love the extra play field that comes on Foo Fighters. Like I dig that kind of stuff. But for Bond, an extra 16 inches just going around a rocket is not that compelling. Similarly, John Wick has about 12 to 18 inches of metal ball guide ramp that leads into a physical ball lock that holds balls and drops them into the nightclub scene that's not on the pro. So while kind of cool, it's nice that there's a diverter and extra little ball path, it is cool, just like the wire form on Bond is cool, but again, it's not terribly compelling. You know, this isn't like a full length of the play field extra wire form that gives you something special, like with Rush, you know, Rush has that. On the premium. So, you know, they see that as being analogous. And then let's look at the bond on a wand, a mechanism that is gimmicky and goofy, doesn't really seem to add any kind of compelling gameplay. John Tomberlin will argue with me on this because there's some nuance to learning the gameplay, hitting the right shots and controlling the bond wand so it drops on the tank. And I get that that's fun. But for me, it's just not terribly compelling. It seems less interesting than the crane on Dark Knight and Batman 66. Jack Danger Gae It kind of comes out and does some stuff It cool but I mean if it wasn there I don know that I would miss it You know if I was to find out that Bond came out and that was an early concept that didn make it into the final game I don think I be losing very much if something else was put in there instead An extra VUK or an extra wire form or a ball diverter or a bash toy or something. So in that way I think the two games are pretty similar. Now John Wick does go a step farther. It's got actually two more things to it that are both kind of cool. It's got the weapons case that opens up, which is much more compelling in person to play. I think it does add some to the gameplay. It makes that area of the game make more sense.
    9:45
    It's so weird that that's the thing, that if I had a pro instead of a premium, that's probably the mechanism I would miss. The car does do some extra cool things. I guess that's the gimmicky thing analogous to the bond on the wand. But the weapons case, it's actually kind of cool when you play it. It's spring-loaded on the front. It's subtle, but you can see that it's there, so it's fun to kind of bash from the front. And then when it pops open, it gives you a nice visual reference that, okay, it's time for modes. Let's go put a ball up in there. And then one other thing, which, again, is kind of a silly little thing, but like some of its parts, right, the single drop target that drains the nightclub area in John Wick is actually kind of cool. So it does pop up, and it works as a barrier, so there's that gameplay element. A ball can go up there. It can pop up and lock a ball behind it, which is kind of cool. Another thing that I didn't show this in videos or anything, but when there is a ball behind there, there's certain instances where the drop target will drop on its own, let the ball roll forward, and then pop back up and knock the ball backwards into like bouncing around between the sling and the pop bumper. And they haven't shown that off at all. So I think that's something that adds a cool little gameplay gimmick. Like, you know, so there's actually five things in this game that are different on the premium than on the pro.
    10:59
    And, you know, in the case of the single drop target, it's a simple little thing, but it was kind of fun. So that's kind of fun. The weapons crates is kind of fun. The car does some extra stuff. That's kind of fun. The diverter in the back is kind of fun. And the Blood Oath token when it opens is awesome, but it doesn't stay up very long. So, eh. But all of that considered, you know, the real upgrade between the pro and the premium, is that really worth it? I don't know, and I think that's why a lot of people that are going in on this game are getting a pro. And so, for me, honestly, when I look at it, and Bond was the same way, if the pro is really the game to get, then there's nothing terribly compelling enough in the full featured game. Maybe I'm okay just skipping that one, which is what I did with Bond, and I've been totally fine with that. Same thing with Deadpool. I don't have a Deadpool. I would want the premium, but I don't think the premium accoutrement really justify the extra cost, so I'm kind of set stepping back from that one too. I was all ready and prepared to go in on a John Wick premium when the game was released. And then as I saw all the features and everything, the gun controversy didn't really phase me one way or another. In my mind, I was thinking there was going to be a gun that you could load and then bullets would be firing off from multiple locations around the game. I mean, when you think about it, like, you know, this is what I picture kind of like in a similar vein to what the Matrix game would be, where there'd be a point where, you know, you were John Wick, you were stuck on a magnet in the center of the field, and then you were dodging shots from all around the play field, like balls that were locked would all of a sudden come out. I thought we were going to see something like that, perhaps with a fast lock system, but, you know, it didn't come to pass. Anyway, so when I saw the premium and I saw everything that came with it and then I saw the big thing that did not come with it, I kind of took a step back and I said, you know what, I'm just not going to get the premium. I'm not going to get the premium and it was the expression lights that did it. I mentioned this before back when that had come out, but my rationale was if I was going to go into the premium, yes, I would get these five cool new interactive little toy elements. I don't know how interactive the blood token is, but it does look cool. It's very bright.
    13:06
    But I wouldn't have the expression lights. And so for the premium, I would have to get the $125 shaker motor. I'd have to get myself some art blades.
    13:15
    You know, Invisiglass, I don't tend to pop four unless I get a deal at a conference, so I don't factor that in. But I would need to get the expression lights as well. I'd have to get the whole thing powder coated. And so with the expression lights, they're about $500 to $550 now for cabinet lights. So now that you'd have to add in the back box lights, it's got to be at least $700. If it was $749, I would not be surprised. They may even charge $8 for them if you're going to get the whole thing. And so when you add up $800, $125 for a shaker motor, $90 to $120 for art blades, depending on if you want just plain graphics or foil graphics or acrylics, You know, you're talking about like $1,500 or so. And so you're only $1,500 away from an LE at that point. And the art on the LE is a huge step up. The back glass on the LE has that leaded glass in it. It comes with all of those art blades and comes with the lights. And the lights may not even be available for 12 to 18 months. So there's a temporal benefit to getting the LE as well. And so this is a game that I easily ended up talking myself into purchasing an LE for. Now, at the same time I was trying to make that decision, I'm finalizing the deal to sell Jaws Premium. I'm going to get MSRP for Jaws Premium. Now, it is loaded with the powder coat and all the upgrades and things that I do to it, so not a bad price for the buyer. And for me, I'm essentially looking at a right around $10,000. So when I was putting together everything in my head, I was thinking, okay, this is the newest game. I could get it now. I'd be getting the best version now. The back glass looks stunning. I would get the lights and everything else. That's what factored into my personal decision for it. Also, I had a game sold going out that was going to pay for 85% of the cost of the game. And so, okay, all right. So that's what led to my decision. And then the cherry on top was the trash everybody was talking. How funny would it be if I ended up with one anyway? And then it would just bring me the hate and the rage, everybody. I don't know. So was that the right decision to make? I don't know. That's a personal value decision. For me, apparently it was because I got it. I can't wait. I'm getting it next week. I've not had that for sure, but it's probably going to happen is what I was told. They're making them at the factory. I was there. I saw them all. So they have all the cabinets all lined up, ready to go. They were putting the exports in boxes, so they didn't quite have mine ready, so I didn't get to take it from the factory. But how funny would that have been if I would have came out and said, hey guys, I won the door prize at Stern. I was invited to the thing, they gave me hot dogs, and I also won a free LE, so F you.
    15:55
    It would have just been just stoking the fire of sour grapes. Just like sticking the stick inside the dog's fence and just poking the bear, man, is what that would have been fun for. So I don't know. Part of it, honestly, and this is stupid, but I had the idea back before Foo Fighters came out that I was going to try something, and I said, what if I, just for the next four games that Stern releases, four major games, I go ahead and buy it when it comes out, sell it when the next one comes out, and just have a rotating spot where, let me see if for about a year, I could just always have the newest Stern game in my basement to review, to livestream, to make mods for, to play with, And do this kind of media thing like is that is that feasible? How much money would I end up losing doing that? And so if I sat out on John Wick, I'd be just one game shy of my goal. So I guess that was the other thing that was urging me up over the top. So that's my story. It's very personal as far as my decisions. The decisions that I made don't apply to everybody else. You know, how do you extrapolate this to know what you should do? Well, just look internally and whatever you think you should do is the right thing. Now globally, when I'm talking about recommendations for a population, I think this is absolutely the game that you should skip, at least at launch. Pro should be fine. Pro is going to be everywhere. If you've got a location, get a pro out there and start earning some money. This will probably be a pretty big earner because I think a lot of people aren't jumping and buying every game anymore. And I think the market has a lot to do with that and the fact that we're coming out of the COVID lockdowns. People are looking at other things to spend their money on like travel. I think in the future I'm looking at taking a step back from new in-box games so I can fund more travel now. There's more other things I want to get back into.
    17:41
    I'm rediscovering my love of flight and so I might be purchasing an aircraft again and going more into that phase and just kind of spreading myself around my hobbies a little more than focusing all on one thing. And I think that's healthy. I think it's good to go touch grass every now and then, punch holes in the sky. So that may be what I'm doing. So for the general recommendation, I would say skip this game.
    18:05
    Maybe not altogether. Unless you really like it and you really want it, then go ahead and get yourself one, man. But again, this is a game that's probably most likely going to follow the trend and be available in four to six months, cheaper than they are now and with only a couple plays on them Somebody selling a James Bond either an LE or a premium with 14 games on it for pretty cheap right now No I think it a Pro for like or something with 14 games and some mods the guys put on Somebody just bought, yeah, my friend Daniel in Ohio just purchased an LE Venom with very low plays for under $9,000. And it's the LE of Venom, and it looks stunning. And I don't think anybody can fault him for that. So picking up an L.E. John Wick for that in six months would be phenomenal.
    18:53
    So, you know, yeah, I would go ahead and do that. The other part of this, though, is there's a lot of other releases coming from Stern pretty quickly. We just saw that drop from Jason Knapp that the next rumored titles, and this sounds plausible to me, are going to be a 70th anniversary black and white Godzilla. So if you don't have a Godzilla yet and you really want one, this is the one to get. Metallica, Spike 3, or if it's still Spike 2, will probably be coming out. And then I don't know if that will be the last release of the year or if we might see an X-Men 97 because that's been a consistent rumor I've been hearing. And the rumor is that it's Jack Danger behind it. And Jack Danger himself told me that his next game he's very excited about. He didn't tell me what it is. He didn't allude to it. He didn't break any secrecy. He didn't tell me trade secrets. He didn't give me a wink and a nod and say Jubilee or anything like that. But just that what he's working on will be something special. So I'm excited for that. So if that does come out near the first of the year or so, you'll be able to turn around and pick up a John Wick, maybe even a John Wick LE from me at a great price. So perhaps that's something that has to do with it. One other in full transparency to my Patreon folks, I do have a sponsor for the show, so that does help out as well. So when I factor in those proceeds towards the purchase of an LE, that's what made it all make sense. If you knew all the full details and everything that went into it, you'd probably make the similar decision that I would. So I'm not shilling because I don't care if you buy the game or not. Actually, if you're not 100% in, excited about getting it, and you're aware of the potential downfalls for resale, then you should buy this game. For sure you shouldn't. And if you really want one, one will be available later. Plus you'll have the clairvoyance of knowing what came out in the next six months. So that would be the smart consumer thing to do. Now, we're not smart consumers. We're obvious, man. We want to get in and want to play the new-new. And I can tell you emphatically that the Ellie John Wick looks incredible. I tried to post videos showing the glimmer off of that foil, but man, this is the best package that I have seen since an Elvira 40th edition. The candlesticks, it just looks like such a scene, man. Such a place in time. And I posted that I think that the back glass on the John Wick LE is the best back glass I have seen. Now, people were saying, well, what about, you know, anything that Franchi has done? And I'm not saying that the art is what I think looks amazing, although I think it's fine. You know, there may be better, you know, artistic endeavors out there, maybe some by our friend Christopher Franchi even. But are they mirrored back glasses done in the style of stained glass with raised faux leading that you can run your finger over and feel between each panel? That's what's amazing was like touching this glass. Nobody was not impressed by this thing. And I think that is what makes it the best I've seen. Some people like the Mandalorian art. I love the Mandalorian art as well. In fact, wasn't it the same person that did this, did that? It was the Rodriguez, right? His name escapes me, but I believe he was the same person on John Wick, if I'm not mistaken.
    22:08
    But the LE specifically, it just looks incredible when you see it. You've got to see one of these. They'll be at Expo, hopefully. They'll be everywhere. There should be a ton of these available, people hawking them six ways to Sunday, and then they'll probably be available at the discounts later. So, yeah, yeah, hopefully. Hopefully you'll be able to see one of these. Now, people have been saying, and I tried to make this post today too, but like, I think people come and they've already preconceived that I'm just trying to show them something and they just want to talk trash about it. And like I said before, a couple things can be true at the same time. A game can look incredible, can be fun to play, and can be prohibitively expensive, right? Look at Bond 60th. Forget it, $20,000 for that. No way. Is it fun to play? Heck yes, it's fun to play. But was it worth that as a value? No. Both of those things are true at the same time. So just because I like one aspect of it doesn't mean I think the package as a total is a recommendation. But what I was saying is people will say things like, well, like I just said, they say, you know, wait, wait on this game. You know, this game doesn't have any of that magic world under glass and you'll be able to get one later for thousands cheaper. And it's like, well, hang on a minute. You know, if you're bad-mouthing the game that it's not the world under glass that you want, you know, the build of materials doesn't support it. They're not putting the toys in that you want to see. Then what the heck do you care if the price drops several thousand dollars later and you can pick one up? Why pick one up at all if the game sucks? That argument doesn't make any sense to me. You know, this game sucks. Don't buy it now. Buy it later. It's like, no, if the game sucks, don't buy it at all. If you want to buy it later, it's because maybe the game doesn't suck. You just don't want to pay that much, which is fine. That's totally okay. Let's be transparent. Just in my brain, that argument didn't make any sense. This game sucks. They've lost their passion and direction. It's the worst theme of all time. And buy it later for $3,000 cheaper. Wait a second. Godfather came out. Definitely didn't wow me. It looks good for pinball, right? I think they took a theme that I just have no kind of connection to and I even went out and saw the movie to try to hype myself up. Couldn't get around it. I don't enjoy the world that they created. But the world that they created looks amazing as far as like on the Excel spreadsheet of like did they get everything right? You know, they put in a lot of shots. They put in some toys. The lighting is incredible. The music is cool. The art and the scenes that the computer generated look amazing. The gameplay is just not something I enjoy terribly to the point that if I play the game on it and I matched, I may not even – I might just walk away from the extra credit. I might play it once every now and then, but I don't need to jump back in and play the Brissini clan and then try to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing.
    24:53
    And so A Godfather showed up for $9,000, new in box, L.E., and I have the lions for it, the best part of the game. But no, I'm still not interested. So yes, the game did decrease in price by several thousand dollars, and it's brand new, but I still don't want it because I still don't like the game. So it's okay to say, hey, this game looks fantastic, it's super fun to play, but my enthusiasm for it is at a price that is much less than what it's being offered, so for that reason, I'm out. That's okay to do. That doesn't make you, I hate everything, I hate every company, it's just that I don't see the value that's in it, and until there's a price in it that I see, I'm okay waiting. So that's essentially what I wanted to get out there. Now, I was going to keep this a secret and I was going to be, hey, we've got a surprise unboxing, you know, join in and see what I got new in box. And then it was like John Wickelly and people have been like, why? You know, well, if you understand my specific situation, the sum of its parts, I think you would agree that, yeah, that's probably the good decision Don made. You know, but I don't disclose a lot of my financials and everything, so it's hard for people to kind of like see through to that. So yeah, but I was outed by Jeff from Mad Pinball on the Fresh Pinball Podcast. So he does a pinball podcast with the Anjeli Stark brothers who are operators and I guess owners of Mad Pinball.
    26:17
    And yeah, he was mentioning that even Don got his on order. And God bless him, he's probably trying to use that to bolster his own sales and try to sell some more. This may be a game that's not selling incredibly well, although he sold out his first allotment and was able to easily get more. So I think the game is selling, just not selling like we saw two years ago during COVID where everything just went faster than you could get your hands on it.
    26:43
    But now people are really coming back like, hey, I listened to the Fresh Pinball podcast. When are you getting your L.E.? And I'm like, I can't give this a secret for much longer and not look like a total dork. So I wanted to come on here and explain that. I'm also getting tons of people. Just the trolls are coming by. Don's a stern shill now. And it's like I'm not getting any kickbacks from Stern other than for some reason they invited me to their factory. Honestly, it's probably because I'm not a total jerk on my web show, on my podcast, and I live locally. And I have made that note. I've tagged Stern on my posts. Hey, guys. Shoot, you had all these YouTube people over. Man, I was literally in Chicago that Saturday of the release. I would love to stop by and play, hint, hint. I made no secret that I want to be the guy that when a game is ready to be released I want to get in there and be part of it. When Multimorphic revealed Weird Al they invited some people I don know if it was like the Soft Plunge folks It was some streaming folks And they filmed their reaction walking into the room to see their game and that was the teaser for the reveal They didn't reveal in that teaser what the theme was, but they filmed these people walking into the room, and their faces were just like, oh my god, no way, dream theme, are you kidding me? And it got me hyped for, wow, what did they make? And it turned out to be Weird Al. And I probably would have had the same reaction because Weird House is awesome. And I was like, man, I want to do that. And I've approached Spooky and I'm like, hey, guys, when you're ready to reveal a game, like, let me know. Let me come in there. Let me see it a week early. Film my reaction. Use that for the teaser. And they're like, well, you know, it's usually a busy time for us and doesn't always work out and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then, you know, I kept talking to them. And then when it came time for, you know, Looney Tunes and TCM, they didn't bring me in early, but they brought me in as soon as it was announced, you know, But to come play them and do a little interview and I went ahead and bought both of them. Shoot.
    28:35
    And then since then we've gotten even closer. So I think with the next one they may be able to do that and I'm just excited. I get to see a game a week early, get to play it and then I get to come home and talk all about it and have it in the can like ready to release as part of their marketing push. Like I love that. I want to be that guy. So that's why I was like feeding the same thing to Stern like, hey guys, I'm out here. I'm local. Just call me. I'll show up. Just give me access to the game, a t-shirt and a Translight or something, and I will generate some exuberance and I'll put it out there for people. If that's shilling, okay, fine, whatever.
    29:11
    I'll tell you what else is shilling, what I see as shilling, and that is claiming that this game is as good as Godzilla, like it's the next Godzilla. This came out from some other media folks that also have a financial interest in this game. They are distributors and they've done some of this kind of shilly kind of marketing speak before. I heard it during Bond 60th where they were like, you know what, $20,000 is really, you know, you're getting your money's worth with this. And I think that was blatantly wrong.
    29:42
    And, you know, John Wick, I mean, I really, I like the game. I like playing it. I can't wait to see where the code develops. I like the kind of atmosphere they've created. It's kind of like in a similar vein to Godfather but done in a way that I'm interested in it. I like the neon dark city that's exactly what John Wick should have been. So I want to play in this world for a while. Maybe for two years. Maybe for six months. But I want to play in it. But that being said, it's not the next Godzilla. This game is not Godzilla. Godzilla was something special. Godzilla had Mechagodzilla with the magnet on his belly. It had that jump ramp that goes in there. It had multiple pathways. It had a building that collapsed. I mean, can we be serious here? A three-story building that collapsed the releasing multiballs. It acted as a diverter and changed the path of the two main wire forms in the game. Like, that was fantastic. You know, it also had hetera in it. It's had, what other mechanisms are in that game? I'm trying to think, trying to think, trying to think. A big ramp. I put the pylons in there. A lot of stuff I added. But Mechagodzilla and, oh, yeah, the bridge. The bridge collapses. The bridge has a magnet on it. The British has a Newton ball. The British has a Newton magnet that grabs the ball and swings it around. It does so much cool stuff. There's an upper flipper. John Wick doesn't have any of that. John Wick is a static play field. It's got a pop bumper. It's got a car. It's got a briefcase that acts as a diverter.
    31:08
    But it's essentially Bond, but with a better integrated theme and a little faster gameplay that I can wrap my head around and much better assets. and code that I think is really going to serve and be fun, especially with contracts and the interactions and things. So it's like it took a leap off of Bond's shoulders and is going for a slam dunk, okay? But it's not like Godzilla, which is standing there goaltending. I don't know, getting lost in the basketball reference, but you see what I mean. This is a game that I would put just above Bond. If we're talking about looking between Godzilla is a 10 and Venom is a 0 and James Bond is like a 5, I think this is like a 6.5. I think Foo Fighters is probably a 7 or 8, fill in Deadpool wherever you want. So that's kind of what I think about this game. So this game's got a lot of stuff going for it. The LE is a great looking package. It's got the lights and everything that aren't going to be available for a year and a half. I haven't had an LE for a while. The last LE I had that looked amazing was Rush. I do have a Viber Blood Red Kiss, so I guess that counts too.
    32:16
    It's brand new. It's got some hype with it. I want to grow with the code. It's coming at a time that I'm about to sell my Jaws for $9,700, and I can put that money directly towards Wick, finish the four Sterns that I was planning on doing, and I'm going out on an LE. So if I sell this game, will I sell it for $9,500 and lose some money? Maybe. That's a risk I'm taking. Is it a risk you should take? Probably not unless you can reasonably afford it. I'm going to probably depreciate it as a tax benefit. So I'm telling you, it's probably going to work out for me. And if you knew all the nuances, you'd probably make the same decision. But that's where we're at. So that's my story. That's why I got an LE. Is that what you should do? I don't know. You're going to have to ask yourself that. Do you want to come over and play it? Sure, come by anytime. Am I going to bring it to Expo? Maybe. We'll see. But yeah, somebody else was dropping some interesting knowledge. The Haunt World YouTube channel that this guy apparently owns, operates, or is late night custodian at Scape St. Louis or Scape Room St. Louis, which appears to have about 25 Stern machines, all top level trims, all dressed in their toppers. And he's going around the room talking about how nobody should buy any of these because these are all terrible themes and he wants better themes like the Three Stooges. So a lot of knowledge he's dropping in this video. It's 23 minutes long. It's on the Hunt World-CreepyAttractions YouTube channel. People are posting it around YouTube. I think I'll post the link when I post this here. Let me just copy that link so I have it. Share and we'll copy the link. Okay, I'll post it. So check it out in the posting below on this Patreon exclusive.
    34:02
    But yeah, it was an interesting watch. Now he gets into it where he talks about it. He believes that Stern has an agenda to not show guns at all, and that's the real reason for it. I don't believe that to be the case. I think the entire Stern marketing force was pretty convincing in their stories. Like, no, we don't mind doing guns. That's fine. It was just this was a licensor thing, and when we took them out, we didn't really notice much, so we just went with it. So, you know, I don't know if that's 100% true, but I don't think it's, you know, the Lionsgate wanted guns all over the playfield and they're like, no, no, we don't want to depict that, put nunchucks in his hands instead. No, they wouldn't do that. They're in the business of selling machines, not in the business of being some sort of, you know, half-hearted social crusaders.
    34:44
    You know, being what it is. So that's kind of where I'm coming down on everything. I hope this wasn't rambling too much and I hope you do enjoy it. I hope you don't judge me too harshly for my LE purchase. The thing just looks amazing. I'm going to come down the stairs and just like touch it every time I walk by. I can't wait. It's going to take Jaws' position prominently in the game room. I'll be streaming it. I've already made mods for it. I'll be keeping making cool stuff for it. I'll figure out a way to put a chicken bucket in it if I have to. But, yeah, this is season of the week. You know, get with it. We should have a new game from all the other manufacturers around first quarter 2025. So, you know, we'll see. I don't think that more pinball is a bad thing. Call me crazy. But yeah, the game's fun to play. It's just when it came down to it, I saw a premium as kind of a sucker bet because I was going to pay this money, have to buy even more upgrades, and still not have the lights or anything and still have an inferior version. At least this way, much like Rush, I'm going in, I've got the best version of the game, and if that's just temporary, then so be it. But at least I'll have something that's fully featured, you know, for once. I skipped that on Jaws, but I wasn't about to do that with John Wick. And it was a much more financially a much better place I'm at right now than when Jaws came out. So we'll see. We'll see how it goes. All right. Thanks, everybody. Leave me your comments. Be sure to join the Discord and hello to our new members, especially our two new producer level members that we got this year or this week. Jeez. So if you don't have the Discord link, I'll post that as well. Join the Discord. We're having robust conversations. And sometimes I'm not even there. I come back and it's like people have been having full conversations in there. And so I get to jump in and out. That's fun. And then the producer level chat has even more higher level stuff that we talk about there. Super fun to do. Thanks so much for being a member. And there'll be more of this to come. All right. Later, everybody.
    36:35
    It's not what you did, son. It angers me, son. It's who you did it to. Who? Who was it? The fucking nobody. That fucking nobody is John Wick.