All right, folks. Uh, welcome to the stream. I'm going to talk through a 2025 here on the stream. I was thinking about just kind of doing like a tier maker that I did last year on the games that came out. Uh, the thing is I kind of had a lot more to kind of say then because uh at the end of the day, I had played like nearly every game that came out in what was that in 2024, right? uh in uh 2025 uh not so much. I didn't travel a lot uh and uh I missed uh uh one of the highlights obviously that I missed is Winchester uh which I regret not going to expo and because that's where all the cool kids are and uh that's kind of uh where where you also could play like Merlin's Arcade from from Turner and and such, right? So, uh, but that said, I'm actually going to expo next year, right? So, hopefully, uh, I will have a more complete, um, tier list, right? So, let's just put the, uh, the the Merlin Merlin I haven't played Merlin's Arcade. Uh, and at the end of the day, like I I've not like done a full kind of game breakdown on it because it's sort of like um I'm not like that interested in the theme and and and sort of like that game is probably never going to make it out here to the to the Bay Area because it's such a low production game, right? Hopefully, we'll be able to see it at at a show uh like next year. um uh hopefully somebody bring brings it with them because it's such a low run. But uh and that's kind of like the threshold to kind of play here in in this kind of tier maker that I've set up. You can also scan the QR code uh below there to kind of do your own tier maker and kind of see how how it pans out, right? Um but yeah, I digress. Yeah. So the Merlin it had has a really novel idea. I just want to mention that and it's just like it has a uh a tap pass button Merlin's arcade right and that that is a really cool innovation right doing tap passes is something that's really hard in pinball and uh what what they do is they have separate button for that right so and that's just basically just actuates the coil just enough for the ball to kind of like bounce from one flipper to the other uh which which is quite neat right because doing tap passes is that's typical kind of like pro moves. Uh some older games is sort of easier, you know, if if if the switch gap is correct and and all that. And and older games, I mean like 80s games, right? And and then we have the people that can do tap passes on modern stern and um and uh and like '90s games like it's like nobody's business, right? So so so yeah. So that that's Merlin for you. And at the end of the day, I have not played uh Winchester uh mystery house. Uh the thing is uh uh they said initially that the Winchester Mystery House was going to show up at the actual mystery uh house in uh in time for Halloween, right? And that was exciting. Uh but that didn't happen. and and I was sort of like on I was on the fence to actually go down to LA and and play this at one of the locations down there, right? But I just like didn't really had the um uh uh the bandwidth to kind of do that. But at the end of the day, like you can you can go back and watch on my channel uh my kind of game announcement breakdown on this game, right? And it looks absolutely phenomenal. Uh, it sounds phenomenal and it it looks like it plays phenomenal. It has so many cool innovations on it. Uh, with that that that spinning kind of shot mech that is that's kind of like the main kind of attraction of the game. It's just like so cool and has like 50 different ways it the ball can go and um like all all a lot of cool innovations went into that game, right? And I have not played it yet, but like everybody around here is getting one. Like Flipperoom is getting one. Lind have ordered one. Uh I'm sure there's a bunch of other Bay Area locations. I also have a uh I have a lead on a on an early buyer. I might actually go to his house to kind of cover the game. Right. So, uh Winchester Mystery House is definitely something that we're going to see on the channel next year one way or another. Uh so, yeah. Yeah, for the comment in chat there, I just want to kind of uh give a like a bit of a a caveat for the for the um um uh for the spooky games, right? So, Evil Dead technically technically that uh uh it was kind of announced in 2024, right? Like late year, and then we kind of saw production games of that in 2025, right? And in Beetlejuice is the same is the same deal, right? You you cannot play Beetleju Beetlejuice on location, right? Uh so Beetlejuice will be covered in the 2026 tier maker for that reason. And it's also the reason why Evil Dead is is on this year's tier maker even though it was actually uh announced in 2024. But the way Spooky Cannot do things is that they they announce really late in the year. And usually like the general public get to play it in the first couple of pinball shows like uh you know Free Play Florida and uh and those kind of early uh big shows, right? So that those were the games that were sort of like uh haven't really played, right? And I I do also want to another game I want to put in this car category is Harry Potter because at the end of the day I have only played one game and I don't think it's enough for me to kind of like you know put it on any kind of sort of ranking how it stack against the the other games. The thing is it it it shot fast as hell and the ball was just all over the place climbing up and down in different kind of diverters and such, right? And and and I understand a lot of other people have kind of ranked Harry Potter as their game of the year sort of thing, right? And for that I that I understand, right? Uh but at the end of the day like I have not I don't have enough experience on Harry Potter to say like yeah it's a fantastic game this that and the other and I can't really say anything else about it right uh so uh let's let's just uh that was just the unplayed games right so but we still got nine games to kind of go through here um uh yeah the comment in chat there is that the Winchester better better than Harry Potter and and like that like I I I would love to do that comparison like that that that would be a really good kind of because those are sort of like both those games are top tier games, right? And uh for the home buyer you kind of you kind of want to uh you cannot usually you can't get both, right? You can't just buy everything, right? So you kind of have to pick and choose and and and which one would actually take your dollars. But like a game like Winchest you can't even get now like even if you wanted one, right? So you wouldn't have to go on the used market for that. Uh so yeah and and at the end of the day like I I kind of arranged the games here in in sort of in an order I think they came out and how they uh uh how the how they um they got announced and such. I'm like a little bit uh dubious about uh the Order of Dune and Portal and such, but I I I played Dune and Portal in King Kong right on this at the same show like in uh around May. And then I played Jaws 50th uh at uh at Cal Extreme, you know, right? And and after that, we had Star Wars um Fall of the Empire and Predator. And we also recently had The Walking Dead, right? And at the end of the day, like I mean I haven't played Walking Dead either, right? I mean, at the end of the day, that's also a very new game. Uh I did a game announcement breakdown on it. I believe I did. Yeah. I I I just have I I just have concerns about the artwork and obviously everything looks better in person and all that. Uh, and I I think that there's a lot to be said about that because like nearly every Stern that you c that gets announced and you don't get to see the game in person. You just see the their flaky gameplay videos and you you see their kind of like very like correct pictures, you know, of the game they put on their uh website and and and it's sort of like that's not how the game looks in a natural sort of environment, right? And uh and and uh I I I think a lot uh has to be said about that because games that you see in person which [clears throat] basically just like blow your mind when when you kind of like see the whole package in in in the right kind of type of environment, right? And uh at the end of the day uh I think Walking Dead is a typical one of them because the palette is sort of like all over the place like and taking pictures of that colorful palette when you can't see it kind of in a dim arcade or uh on a trade show floor or whatever when you see it in person. It's just it's just it's just a different kind of vibe all together. But it's uh yeah it's the Rainbow Dead, right? Or whatever. you can make you can make up any kind of pun on uh the color scheme on that game because it is pretty uh it's pretty all over the place uh at the end of the day, right? I I just want to point that out. So, okay. So, the remaining games I've actually played. So, let's let's let let's let's just go through the year here, right? And like Evil Dead like is an absolute S tier game, right? This game just kind of it just completely blew my mind, right? I kind of when I first initially kind of looked looked it over and saw, yeah, it had some cool things here and there and and you know, I was so reserved, you know, uh when I kind of looked at it, oh, it's going to be a wide body and and and all I thought was just like, oh, you know, Scooby-Doo, like that that didn't pan out very good, did it? Uh but at the end of the day, like Evil Dead is such a phenomenal game. There's so many good innovations on it that I just blew my mind. Like the the whole flipper on the slingshot and the the lower play field is like very well executed, just really fast, just complete havoc. Uh re all all the all the shots on the game just feels great, right? And and and I like that little weird thing they have going on the left side with the hand and this drop targets and all that business there. Uh, and also the Yeah. What what do you call those mechs that are like the medieval madness trolls, right? And there some really good modes, right? And and the artwork is just like it's just absolutely fantastic. It's just that is like one of the the major kind of features of the game. It's just like the audiovisisual experience that you get playing Evil Dead is just it's just like it's just something else, right? Uh, and and another thing that I just want to kind of hose up, I can't hose up hose it up enough, right, is just like how cohesive the game art package uh looks with the um uh the the the artwork on the display, like the graphics in the game, right? And how how how well that goes together with like the light shows and what's going on on the screen. It's just it just so well thought of everything, right? And and at the end of the day, like and and it's it's a very Zac Stark contrast, right? Because like Evil Dead is sort of like a it's like this old VHS movie kind of thing, right? And and and and and the game and the graphics itself is just like so sparkling in color and the palette is just fantastic. It just melts in your mouth and when you look at it and it goes so well together and I don't understand how they managed to pull that off, right? because the whole kind of art package, the whole game is just so nice to look at, right? Because at the end of end of the day as a home buyer, like I jokingly just say that sometimes that I I I buy pinball machines to look at, but an in Evil Dead would be one of those games, right? And uh but this also does not only look good, it plays really fun, right? I mean, that is just it's just crazy how good it is with the all the different multiballs. cuz it's easy to get a mode going and a multiball, you know, it's just like those really fun lowing hanging fruit kind of moments in in Evil Dead, right? And they absolutely knocked it out of the park, right? Uh all right. So, the next game that kind of uh came out came out early early in the year January. I think this was Stern's sort of like you know uh that whatever is it CES the trade show in Vegas that they do every every year in January, right? Uh, and I'm surprised we haven't seen anything like that is going there in January, right? So, I wonder if are they just bringing Walking Dead there and and calling it a day, right? I mean, where where's the cornerstone, right? Uh, I haven't heard I haven't seen any rumors. Uh, I haven't actually been on the internet today because today would be a good day to kind of announce a new game. I know they really keen on kind of getting people kind of excited around Christmas. I know. I know for a fact that my Stranger Things were was like announced well my ex Stranger Things was announced like the day before Christmas or something like that and I was just like hustling. It's just like damn I need [laughter] I need to buy myself a a Christmas gift here. Right. So, but Dungeons and Dragons that that is our first kind of uh D game, right? So, and and I want to talk about this a little bit, right? And and and the thing is like there are kind of two kind of ways you can kind of see this, right? So Dungeons and Dragons, if you're into Dungeons and Dragons, you're a Dungeons and Dragons die hard fan, Danny would be a little bit higher, right? And at the end of the day, like I was like I was I had so many issues with the software initially on this game. I wrote wrote like long list of things that could potentially fix. And as I play the game, I kind of figured out like this is not a fun game to shoot, right? It plays absolutely horrible, right? And and the game from a pinball perspective if you're just completely objective on on the on the actual shots and the game and the layout, uh the like the the kind of general flow of the game, like it's so boring. It's so boring. It just just blows my mind how boring it is, right? Uh, and you always end up like shooting that spinner in the center and the ball pops out and and then I mean and it's so like every shot is just feels like a chore that you kind of need to set up and do and and you know and and at the end of the day when you run through all the quest a couple of times it it get really repetitive uh listening to those lines there and here and there but at the end of the day from the the RPG element of Dungeons and Dragons is very well executed, right, in in so many ways. And I'm glad they kind of brought that concept to pinball. But as a pinball machine, like it doesn't matter if you get the pro and Ellie or premium, whatever. It's just the same. Like, yeah, it doesn't matter. I mean, it's the most bland game uh I've ever played uh for a very long time. It's just such a such a bottom feeder when you get down to the actual pinball play gameplay of the game. So, enough said about that. And then we have Dune, right? And Dune is sort of like, you know, I I'm I'm going I'm going to place Dune in the A tier, right? Because initially when I when I play this game, when I kind of got my hands on it, I covered at a show. It was like the first game kind of roll out of the factory. Software was like 000.1, whatever. Uh, and it wasn't really like that fun to play because the the the rules felt really flat, the assets felt flat, the music was flat, like everything was just flat, right? Uh, but then as I kind of started playing it and kind of, okay, so let's just discover the shots and and actually play the different modes that they've added in in the game. And it kind it kind of felt like it felt really innovative in a way, right? there there's like uh the the only thing that's kind of like sort of standard is like okay they got an Italian bottom but then it's not really Italian because they do have uh that kind of one-handed kind of uh thing uh where you when you where you need to kind of save the ball or you have the opportunity to save the ball when you kind of put the hand in that little box there right uh but other than that I I I think they have a lot of good innovations on Dune Right. And the game looks absolutely fantastic. Caveat given the the uh the LED strips that they have on the sides of the game kind of looks pretty horrible. And then I've heard now that they're going to address that. And well, I mean in future games, right? Uh because it just leaves very it just leaves dotted lines across wire forms. Any any reflective surface, it becomes a dotted line basically, right? And uh but at the end of the day like the the theme is just like the bravery of of this theme that that this is like a Hollywood absolute blockbuster franchise, right? And this little boutique game from boutique game manufacturer from Texas. They're just like, "Yeah, we're going to go do Dune, right? And have all these all these A-listers on the back." And it just that in itself kind of just like that is just wow. How did you manage to pull that off, right? just amazing. But I mean, at the end of the day, they managed to release Labyrinth with David Bowie on the backlass, right? Can you I I I I cannot even imagine the the hoops to have to kind of jump through to to license all those um assets from from from David Bowie who who's who's not with us anymore, right? And and given go into his kind of, you know, whoever owns the estate and and and get all this done, right? It's just uh phenomenal work and and and then and then okay so Labyrin's kind of old old '8s IP and then you go to Dune which is like very current right uh I think there's going to be a third movie right and uh and in in um and there's also like this TV uh TV spin-off which is very good as well it's kind of set in the same uh well it's not in the same timeline at all actually like 10,000 years before Paul trades or something like that. But it's really cool, right? And and and I got really into Dune, right? And and uh because of the pinball machine because I kind of watched the movies kind of a second time and kind of like, "All right, so this is it's pretty neat, right?" And uh the thing is I haven't played Dune uh like after my initial I played one game. I was down at the revenge off in LA and I kind of had my wife with me, you know, and you can can't can't really like stand there for hours to kind of like discover uh what what they've added to it. But uh at the end of the day, uh they've done it a lot more immersive, new audio, new music, like everything is kind of like just more polished, right? and uh and and at the game at the end of the day very innovative shots, very very very good comment there in in chat there. It's a solid second game from uh Barrels of Fun and it's just it just puts them on the map on a way in a way that and especially with Winchester as well that that this is not a one-trick pony, right? There's going to be very exciting games coming from Barrows of Fun in the future. I just hope that like they they sell out like I mean they just u announced that they're they're going to close uh close manufacturer on Dune by the end of the year and then they're going to do Winchester and they're obviously that they're going to make more games, right? And um uh that's exciting and uh and uh and hopefully um we get to see more Battles of Fun, more kind of great kind of intellectual properties that got turned into pinball, right? Because right now you kind of have them all over the map, right? Because now you know you don't know where you have them, right? So Winchester House is just the most random theme that you can ever think about and it's absolutely fing into a fantastic game like in any way how you slice it, right? And Dune is being this modern blockbuster and Labyrinth being a classic IP like Wizard of Oz, right? And it's just like what is what is game number four going to be, right? And and [laughter] I'm really interested in that. [snorts] Really really interested in that. And then we have Portal, right? And at the end of the day, like I'm sort of like I'm I'm I would call that like a B kind of B tier kind of game. And it's sort of like I I I would argue that sure the Portal is Multimorphic's like most ambitious project I'd say like where they try they're trying to bring more real Pinball into Multimorphic, right? And and and I appreciate them for trying, right? So in Portal you kind of have these kind of uh mechs that kind of like extend over the screen to kind of like create ramps and and stuff like that. and uh and it doesn't make it as as flat, right? Uh but somehow um I'm more appreciative of how they when they when they just like use their use their kind of uh limits to their advantage, right? And and and when in Final Resistance, they kind of they kind of knocked that out of the park, right? And it just made this like fast shooting like absolute crazy bombastic soundtrack and and and like graphics all over the place kind of utilizing that screen and and that simple kind of flat street layout very like little shallow ramps and that kind of shooting mech and what that uh launches the balls towards the trough, right? It's just that was a fantastic execution on that platform, right? And and Portal is sort of like it's it's just like a it's like a Pandora's box of holes and pathways and and and little lanes here and there and little flippers here and there and and and and Portal is like Yeah, sure. It it's this is my one of my favorite PC games of all time, right? And I I recent recently actually played through it when they released the RTX version with the rate tracing and all that. And it's incredible how well that game has uh has uh tested and and stood the test of time, right? Because it's a great game and it's just so fun to just play through. You play through it in a couple of hours, right? And and and it's done, right? And but it's just so fun and simple and it's just it's just great, right? Uh, but at the end of the day from a translating that into a pinball machine, especially with Multimmorphic, I I don't it doesn't really do it for me. And and at the end of the day, like the artwork on the game is fantastic. They done a really good job with the audio package on it, I think. And u at the end of the day, like uh if it would have been a real pinball machine, like I I I would have like bought one on the spot, right? it would wouldn't matter what it was, right? Because this is my one of my favorite PC games of all time. The IP is just phenomenal. I I love it, right? But there we are. [clears throat] Yeah, Dune is a definitely a game that you you kind of need to come back to, right? I was very early on my opinions there when I when I played it when it was really early codewise, but then I kind of like, you know, the shots are pretty innovative. The multiballs are pretty cool when you kind of how you set them up and stuff. So, and and it has some depth to it that that I think we all should appreciate. Yeah. And it Yeah. it be great to attract new players as well, you know, that that are kind of familiar uh with the aliist actors in this in this franchise that because I I I don't want to say that this is the new Star Wars with the kids growing up today, but at the end of the day, it is a big blockbuster franchise with with a lot of the uh new talent in town, right? And uh and and it's going to be like an epic kind of trilogy from uh from what I understand, right? So, uh, and like like I said, like the TV show that they released on Amazon Prime, I believe, uh, that was set, uh, in a different timeline before the the the movies. It it's really great production. It was like really I I just like I I I I just binged what it watched it basically over like well, not binged, but like two, three days per perhaps, right? It's really good. [snorts] Uh, all right. So, next we have King Kong, right? and and that is like Stern's contribution this year for the for the for the S tier, right? And I cannot say enough good things about King Kong. Uh it's just uh I I I owned a Pro for um for a couple of months, right? And and I played the hell out of it and it was just so fun to shoot. It was just like the layout on that game. Uh it's it's just it's my favorite Elvin layout ever. uh the theme and and such is not is not a big deal for me. Like yeah, I yeah, King Kong is cool and all that. Uh Big Monkey and and and all that and but but I I kind I kind of still I kind of I kind of like it, but it's it's not my theme. But I still really like the artwork. I like the um uh all the throwbacks, you know, and and Keith Elwin is sort of he's big on that kind of having throwbacks in his games, right? And uh like King Kong was just full of it, right? And and I absolutely loved it, right? It it has all these references to the original kind of, you know, Data East games with the with the artwork. Uh there's a big shout out, you know, to Congo uh with that um uh the rapid fire mode on Congo where you kind of just plunge balls into the to the left alane. Um uh they have that in in in Kong, right? And and I also one thing that I can't talk enough about on Kong is the the ability how they manage how Keith managed to design in an upper play field in in in a flat play field, right? The the way you can shoot the ball back and forth with the two upper flippers, it's just like it just blows my mind every time. And and and when I had a game, I started that mode. I always started that mode. uh you know when you when you need to pass the u uh the the explorers over over the log there. Ever every time I I started a scene when I was in Singapore, I picked that every time, right? Because I just thought it was so fun to shoot, right? That that was the only purpose, right? There didn't wasn't any strategy to it. It's just like this is my favorite mode to play on this game, right? And and the code really matured like during that time I had it. It major revisions came out. They added like new modes and um the whole they added like the three different wizard modes on the on the the stage right the window shopping and they didn't think that you had any kickback target there right and just phenomenal game like end to end and and you can't go wrong with either pro premium or le like uh I prefer the the pro because you have better visibility over certain things the the physical lock is cool but don't need it kind of thing and uh and the pro is just so much value. There's just so much value in in get so much game for that that pro, right? And that that is just um amazing, right? So, big shout out to Stern for King Kong. That was just Yeah, that for me like at the end of the day, that is like the game of the year for me, right? Because that's the one I play the most. Like Evil Dead is sort of um it's old cool and all that, right? But uh at the end of the day, I got more hours on King Kong and can confidently say that that this that that game is going to be able to stand the test of time, right? Uh like everybody I've talked to loves it and and like pro players can just blow us to smitherines and and and uh you can still kind of you have to kind of do a lot of work on it to kind of make it harder, but still when it's harder, you have to change your strategy and and and that is fun as well, right? because there's so much stuff to do on it and which is fantastic. Yeah, love. Yeah, I love all the Congo references. All right. And uh then we played Jaws Jaws 50th, you know. I mean, obviously that was a 2024 game, but uh at the end of the day uh I I got some I played some of the Jaws 50th. I mean, there's not much else to tell about Jaws other than it's Jaws premium. Uh, with an absolute fantastic finish, and I I listed this as an A game on 2020, uh, the 2024 lineup, so it's still an A game, right? But the the Jaws 50th edition, I I just want to kind of just give it out there that like the the 50th 50th edition is the absolute definitive edition to get, right? because it looks so good in person. It melts in your mouth, right? It just like that kind of classic. I want to steal George Gomez words here. Iconic and epic uh like Jaws kind of film poster and that blood red trim. It looks so good in person. It just absolutely amazing, right? and and the way that they did the gold plating on all the wire forms and the glitter that they put in the in the um in the in the ocean kind of, you know, um artwork on the lower play field on the lower parts of the playfield. It just looks so good. It's just so fantastic, right? And uh I got to play a few few games on it at California Extreme. Uh they they they let me in before the show started and I played a few games on it and they've kind of set it up to play like show hard and and it was like really tight tilt and it was played really fast because it was brand new just came out of the box and but yeah it it just looks so good and it's such a fun game to play. Uh I do prefer uh pro Jaws over premium and le though because I kind of like that street level feel that you get on um uh on Jaws Pro. Uh, all right. So, we got two more games here. [cough] The thing is, I haven't actually decided on Star Wars here. I'm kind of just doing this as I go along. I knew I knew that Evil Dead and King Kong was definitely going to be the the S tier games, right? Uh, but Star Wars Field of the Empire, Fall of the Empire, I already forgot what it what the name is called, right? What game is called? Uh, it's probably the game I've owned the shortest in my entire pinball career. Um, I think I had it for a month. Um, I was and I just was so frustrated uh with it uh the rules, the shots, the everything, right? And and now they obviously released one of the coolest toppers they ever ever made and and and the fix for the Death Star is coming and I should have probably just like had had it around for a little bit longer I think and kind of see where where where it would go. But the thing is I was just like, yeah, I mean, it wasn't a keeper for me. And I was just like, yeah, this kind of fan layout business is just I have an Attack for Mars kind of thing, you know? Uh because at the end of the day, like the the the layout of the game, like I I'm just going to be really angry [laughter] and and and personal and and and hurt feelings here, right? And and at the end of the day, like John Borg per perfected the layout that he has employed on on on Star Wars with the Guardians of the Galaxy, right? That is like Borg's best fan layout ever made, right? And he should not try to make anything less than that, right? That that is kind of what I'm trying to get at, right? And because Star Wars Fall of the Empire is not better than Guardians of the Galaxy from a fan layout perspective, right? All the Borg shots are there. All the signature Borg [ __ ] that you can uh that you get is on Guardians, right? And that is just such a phenomenal fan layout game. And if you don't like if you don't like Guardians, you don't like Pinball, right? and and and and and Borg really put the u uh put the bar really high there on himself, I think, and all the all the other kind of fan layout u uh designers. It's just like every shot is exactly where it's supposed to be and the game is absolutely perfect, right? And it's hard as nails, but it's just like if if you if you know Guardians and you can play Guardians, it's just so satisfying to shoot and progress and and and and get get a good game going, right? And the soundtrack is just phenomenal. The the sound bites from the movie is just phenomenal. It's just such a great game, right? It's such a fantastic game. And I I owned one from a couple of years. It was actually my first Spike 2 game. And uh uh I I it's just one of those games if I had a larger collection it would come back, right? It's just it's just such a great game, right? And and at the end of the day, like and and that's kind of where where I hold Borg too, right? Borg has designed my one of my favorite games of all time, which is Tron, right? And and uh and Borg kind of have these two modes, right? Either you you get a fan layout, right? And then the bar is at the guardians, right? Or you get an asymmetric layout, right? And where I hold Borg to the standard there is with Tron and Walking Dead, right? And then we look at Rush, which is an asymmetric layout from Borg, and which is absolutely horrendous. And that was just r rushed out, you know, where the where the scoop kind of just flew off and there was like the one thing after another, right? But I can I can learn to appreciate rush, right? I mean, it's it's it's not it's not my theme. It's not my music. It's not it's not my it's not my thing, right? But at the end of the day, it's just uh yeah, I I just hold John Borg to a higher standard. I think that I I think that's that's where the disappoint the disappointment in this absolute B tier game, right? Um so so there there we have it. It's just uh it's it's a it's I'd say it's a B game, right? And at the end of the day, it's just uh we all love Star Wars, right? And uh like if it if it wouldn't have been the original trilogy based on something new and and and and and being as the first Spike 3 game, I think they should have kind of worked with a licenser that allowed them to do cool things with the things on the screen, right? And and that is sort of like one of my biggest disappointments uh with the game itself, right? It's just like we all heard them kind of say that, oh, the licenser didn't allow us to put uh to put graphics on top of the movie clips, right? Like, let me just stop you right there. Don't work with that licenser. Go somewhere else. Work with I mean, there's no point, right? when when you're competing with games like Harry Potter and Avatar where the movie uh license like assets are such a core part of the of the whole kind of experience, right? Like like on my avatar I have like one one of the coolest like like that that UI on that game is like it's just one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life. Right. and and and how how how I like how how it's how dynamic it is is that when you have ball locks, right, you have your Hallelujah Mountains ball lock and then you have your kind of crab multiball. I can't remember what that was called. Um it's some some some Pandora language word, right? Uh you you cannot see like animated icons up in like in either corner, right? and and it kind of correlates to where you are on the playfield, right? So you have like a helicopter kind of hovering up in a corner, right? And that signifies a lock, right? And you have one of those crab mechs in the in the lower area of the screen that signifies some of the locks you have there. And and it's just just blows my mind how how well executed that is, right? And and then you have uh folks like like Spooky that I mean they they're running circles around Stern when it comes to animation on the LC on on the LCD screen and and how do you integrate the assets into the into the game like because Evil Dead is just like that is just like it's in a category on its own how well it's been executed and how cohesive it is with the great game graphics and the game integration and everything and how you how you have that interactive thing when you when you start the um what is it like the shotgun multiball right you kind of like you interact with the video with the game in a in a new way that uh with that reaction timer there which is phenomenal right and and like a thing like that would like I mean you wouldn't be able to do that on on on Star Wars because like Disney says that you can't put text on your uh on on your on your video assets right and like and I I also call a little bit [ __ ] [ __ ] on that, you know, because on on on Richie Star Wars, you have the character select screen, right, in in when you start the game, right? There's plenty of graphics overlay there, right? And and like there are plenty of modes and stuff like that where clips are integrated into into uh into the game play, right? So, I just they just need to negotiate a better deal, right? That's kind of where uh that's kind of where I'm at, right? Yeah. S S tier theme. Yeah, that's exactly what it is, right? And and it's just such a mediocre game, right? It's not Dungeons and Dragons mediocre. I wouldn't call it that, but I mean, it's definitely uh it's definitely down there, right? And then we have the the last game of the year here that I actually got to stream here from the flipper room is is Predator. And I kind of uh you know I I criticize a lot of games a lot of times all the time. Uh that's kind of my core business. Um and uh I kind of called out the layout very early uh that it's sort of like a ripoff of whirlwind, you know? It's sort of like if you overlay whirlwind like all the shots are there. Uh but obviously it's not it's not whirlwind, right? It's just a very similar kind of main shot pattern kind of layout, right? Uh but at the end of the day like Predator shoots like really I mean so so yeah. So let's just talk about some of the attributes here that that I really like about it, right? And uh the artwork on the game is just absolutely fantastic. I love it. Like it it fits so well on a pinball machine. Like it's incredible. Like I love it. Right. Uh the second thing I absolutely absolutely love about the game is is how the game feels in your hands. It's it's very difficult to explain this, but uh this being a widebody game from a boutique kind of manufacturer and when you kind of when you when you when you play it again, when you hold the game and you flip, the flippers feel great. Uh the tactile feedback feels great. The the the the texture of like the uh the the powder coating and and like all that. And I just like this just feels very premium. It just feels very good in your hands, right? and and and and it's a very Zac Stark contrast versus Alien, which like the buttons are all flimsy, like the flippers are sort sort of flimsy, you know, springs kind of pop and they're just kind of and when they get hot, they go they go get all, you know, uh all mushy and stuff like that. And we didn't have any of that on on Predator while we were playing it, right? So, uh and and a lot can be said that they have changed uh hardware platform. So they are now on fast pinball, right? And and I think that was a very smart move, right? Because all of a sudden it feels very good from from that perspective, right? And like and then a lot can be said about like the shots on that game, right? And and one one thing that that kind of struck me before I even played the game is like all the videos that you see them post, they keep posting videos on um on their socials. It could be either like they're showing off a new mode or just showing general gameplay and and and and the thing is you just see the ball kind of like just dwindling around, you know, back and forth on a play field, right? There's no really like there's really no combo. There's really no like the you don't we don't you don't really nail any shots or anything like that, right? And and and and that is sort of like the whole kind of that is the whole game, right? It's just like you end up like shooting a shot and that shot kind of ends up in some dribble somewhere, right? Like when you shoot shoot the right orbit or one of the or you shoot any of the inner orbits, there's there's like the ball paths are just like so mediocre in in at the at the end of the day. Sure, it has three main ramps or something like that and and they feed kind of back to your flippers and and whatnot. uh and and and the flippers that have uh where they've sort of I don't know why they they've sort of um put the ball uh ball feeds too either too close or too uh too far away in the in lane. So uh when the ball kind of comes on a direct feed from from your ramp returns uh you get a ball hop, right? And that is one of the most flowkilling things that you can have on a pinball machine, right? Uh, and I I don't know if you can kind of fix that with pitch and and thin thin and rubber on the flippers, kind of adjust the the the inane ball guides and stuff like that. So, so a lot of that can kind of be fixed, right? But the the the shot layout is just very questionable because there are so many shots that just end up being nothing, right? Uh and um it's also very confusing like when the game is grabbing balls, this that and the other. But uh at the end of the day, those those are minor things. But uh at the end of the day, like it has a lot of uh different multiballs, lot of different modes. U it got some kind of mini wizard modes as you kind of progress through the camp and all that. And at the end of the day, like I I think Predator is sort of objectively it's probably their best game, Pinball Brothers best game, I'd say. Um uh I kind of prefer I still prefer Alien over Predator to be honest. Uh and and and to me, it's just like I can't buy both Alien and Predator. I don't have the room for that, right? So, uh, I would have to replace something and I would have to replace probably Alien because I I I don't have room for two boutique games from the same manufacturer, me in my collection. So, and and that's always the thing when a new game comes out. It's just like what what am I replacing this with? And does it add enough kind of value to my collection to keep it as eclectic as possible, right? and and Alien is just uh to me it's just such a it's just such a great game and I I just love playing it. Uh the and and and I think I'm I'm a little bit homelind on Alien, I guess. It's just like it's grown on me a lot over the years, right? And um Predator might do that at one point and I kind of like all right, let's just replace it, right? But um uh it's not where it is at the moment. But at the end of the day, like I I kind of want to, you know, I kind of want to put them in the A tier, you know, but like I have high I have very high standards, right? And at the end of the day, like completely objectively, it is a pretty mid game, right? Uh unless you're a big Predator fan, then like then go to town, right? And uh it will definitely be uh uh the game you want, right? If you're into Predator, because if if you're a Predator fan, this is the game for you for sure, right? Uh but uh I would pick so many other games above Predator. I think that's kind of what I want to to say with that. And uh and and at the end of the day, like it's not a bad game, right? And uh like like the other Btier games here like Portal and Star Wars, they're not like they're not really bad games, but they could have done a little bit better, right? And u and and obviously Pinball Brothers here, they're a new like manufacturer. They and they recently signed on one of the Swedish pros on their team, right? So hopefully they will get a bit of help with the with the rules and and and influence from kind of A-list kind of uh tournament players uh which I which I think is going to help a lot right and uh and and if you kind of compare like if we compare kind of predator to abba I I'm I'm sort of in the camp where I would sort of I would rather have an abba than predator like and I think I think that kind of says a lot right because I think Abba I put ABBA is an A tier game like hands down right because it has so many good references from from older '90s games and and and it just it's just a different vibe altogether than Predator obviously but I just think that's a more fun play game to play uh like casually than than was than stepping up to Predator. That's uh that's the that's the sad truth, right? So, we could probably do a Primal Brothers tier maker here, right? Where where you have Alien at the top and then you have Abba and then you have Predator and on C you or D you got Queen, right? Because that game should have never left the factory. But, uh, yeah, I digress. I digress. Uh, but at the end of the day, where are we here? There. There you have it. Uh, there's your tier. Uh, there's my tier maker for 2025. Uh, I'm going to save this uh and so we can compare over the years. I did one last year and I'm probably going to do one for for next year as well. And uh next year we got uh a lot of exciting rumors. Uh uh like the ones that we're kind of uh hovering around is like Pokemon and and we have um uh Transformers is another uh rumor. Those are those those both are um stern rumors and uh and I I mean I I I'm going to get uh both those games uh like in my rotating stern spot, right? So whatever they announce and ship here uh early next year uh that is going to show up on the arcade on the channel. Uh I I'd sort of hope that uh so so it kind of if we if we kind of look at the kind of you know game rotation here right now um so Iceman is the one that is kind of next up right if if we look at uh uh the um look at look at the kind of uh the the designer cycles right because Iceman hasn't done anything since John Wick and uh and and John Wick kind of showed up like sort of March 2024, right? You know, so it's 18 month uh development cycle, right? So so and and and a lot can be said about like Iceman and his kind of uh design pattern uh which is very highly influenced from '90s games and also with the guidance of George Gomez, right? And and that's why John Wick shoots so incredibly well, right? That's because Gomez had a firm hand in in guiding Iceman in its first game that he was going to design, right? And I just hope that they kind of have that budding relationship into going into Iceman's next title. Uh because say what you want about Gman's own games, like if you like him or not, doesn't matter. they are geometrically perfect, right? And that is something that I appreciate a lot uh about his games that it's just like the shots are exactly where they're supposed to be. They feel fantastic and and and overlay that with a fun rule set and and and you have an instant classic, right? This there's nothing like that there's no flaws in it, right? The only thing I I've seen the only questionable thing I've seen Gomez do do lately that is the uh the left scoop shot on on Bond that came out that I will never forgive that shot. It's not a shot. It's just like a dribble down smack dab in the metal and and a dribble and it's just not very Yeah, there was sort of like let's just uh let's just leave it there and u see what happens. and uh it didn't turn out to be a good shot. But besides that, um, fantastic games and, uh, other rumors, uh, yeah, we have like Jersey Jack. What, what is Jersey Jack going to do, right? And uh we all uh we all seen the rumors about Matrix and how uh we had Jack sitting in front of um uh in front of a Matrix that you know there's a Matrix um uh rethenomic out there and it was at a European show where that they had that John Minomic there's a there's a guy in the UK I think that did the rethe I I actually played it that was a very long time. So, 10 years ago or something like that, [clears throat] but um but that rumor is still kind of around, right? So, will be interesting to see if that actually going to uh uh going to manifest itself. And uh then it was another rumor floating around. I can't remember which one it was, but it was definitely another one. Uh yeah, I should have looked up the latest rumors, but th those are the ones that I have. And uh uh yeah, it I mean at the end of the day, maybe we'll see another game from uh Barrels of Fun. Uh that would be that would be really cool. I think Expo next year is going to be a a big one, right? Uh so there's going to be a lot of new games there. Uh another kind of game manufacturer that I kind of left out of this tier maker is the French one from Hexa Pinball, the Space Hunt because I had it last year. Uh but they're coming out with a new uh the the the three musketeers game. So hopefully that will be um uh available at the expo uh along with all the other weird ones that we see there uh and the homebrews and and whatnot. And and there's also the rumor, well it's not really a rumor anymore, right? But it was revealed there is a Swiss company working on a Resident Evil game. Uh I've got very mixed feelings about that. Um, Resident Evil is of course an instant buy for me for the channel, right? So, [laughter] and I'm ju I was just hoping that that would be a franchise that uh um that Spooky Pinball could pick up. Hint hint, you know, because it's sort of like a horror theme and uh and and it kind of fits their kind of brand uh very well. So, that would have been an awesome spooky game. And I don't really care if you what kind of Resident Evil you kind of build it on, right? And it could be on the video games, can be a specific video game, can be a specific era of the video games or it could be based on the movies. It doesn't matter. The there's enough kind of, you know, story and and and cannon in in Resident Evil with the T- virus and Umbrella Corporation and like all that good stuff, right? And uh there's so much to borrow from and you can just make big uh mutating zombies and uh and heroins shooting um zombies, right? And we'll have an excellent pinball machine. All right. Uh that was me uh rambling for an hour here about pinball 2025. Uh the thing is uh we got an exciting year ahead of us. Uh so uh hopefully uh we'll get all the new games on 2026 on the channel and uh hope to see you laterers. Thanks for hanging out.