Episode 245 - World Poker Tour Remastered?

TL;DR

Sparse pinball news drives discussion of designer brand power and dream Stern remasters.

Summary

Key Claims

• King Kong had a log diverter issue that was fixed in code and through power adjustments.

  high confidence · Dennis reports this as current news about King Kong's early reception.

• King Kong is selling well and has been well-received despite polarizing art direction.

  high confidence · Dennis: 'reports are that King Kong's been well received, selling decently I believe, not a surprise as an Elwynn title.'

• Dune has received good reactions from early players.

  medium confidence · Dennis: 'I've heard pretty good reactions so far from people who have been able to get their hands on Dune.'

• Elwynn's designer name significantly impacts game sales, especially for collectors who buy all his games.

  high confidence · Email from Lewis asking about Elwynn effect; Tony and Dennis both confirm that Kong would not sell as well without Elwynn's name.

• Metallica remaster was successful, driving interest in potential future Stern remasters.

  high confidence · Dennis: 'Metallica was really the first stern remaster and it's done well like people love it.'

• Stern added center post mechanics to recent games (Kong and last three cornerstones) and basic side armor starting with Jaws.

  high confidence · Email from Brian J. about center post and side armor additions.

• AC/DC is a pivotal game that put Stern back on the map commercially and would be a strong remaster candidate.

  medium confidence · Dennis: 'ACDC is the pinball machine that put Stern back on the map... That was like to me, that's really the start of when Stern started to have these great successes.'

• Lord of the Rings remaster would outsell Metallica in terms of copies.

  medium confidence · Dennis: 'This one would do gangbusters. This one would do better than Metallica. Yeah, it would.'

• Game of Thrones DMD implementation was weak and would benefit from LCD upgrade.

Notable Quotes

• “Kong itself for theme is interesting, but it doesn't grab me. But I think being a L1 is a reason to play it because, let's face it, even the themes I've not liked out of L1 have been good games.”

  Tony @ ~15:30 — Articulates the 'Elwynn effect' — designer reputation drives initial interest even when theme doesn't appeal personally.

• “Elwynn's name sells games. It does, 100%. And he's not the only one. It was interesting he brought up Elton John because there was a time when Steve Ritchie's name sold games.”

  Dennis @ ~17:45 — Historical perspective on designer brand power; Steve Ritchie as precedent for Elwynn phenomenon.

• “If the game wasn't good, the sales would dry up... the games are really good.”

  Dennis @ ~20:15 — Clarifies that while Elwynn's name sells initial units, game quality is required for sustained sales.

• “I would love to see a modern take on a center pop game. That would be interesting.”

  Tony @ ~40:00 — Nostalgic interest in classic pinball mechanics being revived in modern designs.

• “Lord of the Rings... This one would do gangbusters. This one would do better than Metallica.”

  Dennis @ ~58:00 — Identifies Lord of the Rings as the highest-potential Stern remaster based on IP recognition and fan demand.

• “Game of Thrones... the last really great layout steve ritchie did for stern. I would tend to agree with that.”

  Tony @ ~65:00 — Positions GoT as Steve Ritchie's final major layout achievement at Stern.

• “Because it's a Trudeau game, whether or not what people's reaction might be. But a lot of people in the hobby now don't know about his background.”

  Dennis @ ~80:00 — References serious allegations against designer John Trudeau; notes generational knowledge gap in community.

• “I finally tried this game. I'm old enough to remember when it was called Robotron and you could actually shoot when you wanted. This game sucks.”

Entities

Signals

• ?

  business_signal: Jersey Jack's Harry Potter messaging two months prior ('save your money') followed by zero new announcements suggests further delays or communication breakdown with community.

  high · Dennis: 'Two months ago now, he's like, don't buy any other games... But I have nothing new to share there.'

• ?

  community_signal: John Trudeau (Ghostbusters designer) serious allegations noted; hosts acknowledge generational knowledge gap in hobby regarding designer backgrounds.

  high · Dennis: 'it's a Trudeau game, whether or not what people's reaction might be. But a lot of people in the hobby now don't know about his background.'

• ~

  sentiment_shift: Community frustration over repeated JJP Harry Potter delays; collector budgets strained by holding back purchases.

  high · Dennis humorous self-report: 'my pinball fund is just quaking and shivering, and it's 48 cents waiting to go.'

• ?

  competitive_signal: Game of Thrones Pro version preferred over Premium for competitive play due to upper playfield design being intrusive despite functional.

  medium · Tony: 'I preferred how the pro played overall because it was much more fast and flowy... If I had to pick pro or premium, I'd pick pro.'

• ?

  design_philosophy: Hosts note center posts accommodate home collector preference for longer ball times; contrast with arcade settings where goal is player elimination (dead flippers).

  high · Dennis: 'The idea, I think, is driven by these games are mostly in the home environment. People want long ball times.'