Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • NName Review
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

SDTM Episode 56: Top 10 Pinball Wizard Modes

Straight Down the Middle·video·20m 59s·analyzed·Apr 10, 2018
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

SDTM ranks top 10 pinball wizard modes emphasizing theatricality and interactivity

Summary

Straight Down the Middle hosts rank their subjective top 10 pinball wizard modes, from Twilight Zone's Lost in the Zone at #10 to Lord of the Rings' Valinor at #1, emphasizing design philosophy around theatricality, interactivity, and player experience over pure point-chasing. They discuss what makes effective wizard modes—dynamic interaction, atmosphere, and narrative payoff—and critique modes that rely solely on victory laps or passive scoring. The episode serves as both entertainment and design critique, with hosts noting that accessing many wizard modes requires ownership or significant location play time.

Key Claims

  • Lost in the Zone (Twilight Zone) is ranked #10 because while the atmosphere is excellent, it's switch-based with no dynamic objective—'you're just getting points'

    high confidence · Host explains Twilight Zone ranking; explicit about mechanism critique

  • The Walking Dead's Horde Mode is 'one of the best coded wizard modes ever' with new code features cash-out risk-reward mechanics

    high confidence · Host provides detailed breakdown of Horde Mode mechanics and code updates

  • Valinor (Lord of the Rings) is so difficult/rare that one host refuses to watch videos of it to preserve the achievement for personal play

    high confidence · Host explicitly states refusal to watch Valinor video; framed as sacred experience

  • Demolition Man wizard mode is underwhelming because despite musical buildup, it's just multiball with no distinctive ending

    high confidence · Host calls it 'snooze fest' and 'lackluster'; explains it lacks purpose beyond point rewards

  • Good wizard modes require 'a show' or 'a moment'—not just victory laps or point-chasing; hosts compare to concert experience where visual/audio payoff matters

    high confidence · Extended discussion of design philosophy; host uses concert analogy to explain expectations

  • Accessing most wizard modes requires game ownership or significant location familiarity; difficult modes like Twilight Zone's Lost in the Zone are nearly impossible for casual players

    high confidence · Hosts repeatedly acknowledge not reaching modes; note requirement for dedication/ownership

  • The Simpsons Pinball Party alien invasion requires juggling up to 5 balls simultaneously without losing any; progression is cumbersome despite strong design

    high confidence · Host provides detailed ball-juggling mechanic explanation; notes it's 'hard to get'

  • The Shadow's final battle requires hitting 5 balls in play across upper playfield and two ramp diverters within 30 seconds—mechanically complex with high skill floor

Notable Quotes

  • “It's like climbing Mount Everest. Even if it has a shitty view, it don't matter. You done climbed it.”

    Host (on Valinor as #1 wizard mode) @ ~45:30 — Encapsulates philosophy that rarity and prestige of achievement matters more than actual gameplay quality; explains why Valinor ranks #1 despite being untested by hosts

  • “That's what makes a wizard mode is the rush that it gives you. It's the intensity.”

    Host (discussing Lord of the Rings Destroy the Ring) @ ~39:15 — Core design philosophy: emotional/physiological response matters more than mechanical complexity

  • “Give me a purpose to play the wizard mode. I want it to reward me with a show. A moment.”

    Host (design philosophy statement) @ ~51:45 — Articulates key distinction between tournament-focused point-based modes vs. narrative/theatrical modes; frames as home player preference

  • “See, that's the bad thing about wizard modes, too: you almost have to own the game.”

    Host @ ~6:30 — Identifies barrier to accessing wizard mode content; reinforces that list is biased toward home owners

  • “It's so fun. It's attainable. Yeah, you blow up that machine and you can get there.”

    Host (on Walking Dead Horde Mode) @ ~36:00 — Contrasts Horde Mode's accessibility with other high-tier modes; suggests it's balanced between prestige and reachability

  • “Ghostbusters is the worst. Like I said, the modes are so distinctive in Ghostbusters, and they're so fantastic. And then you get to a wizard mode that's not even really there.”

    Host @ ~52:15 — Critique of games with strong mode design but failed wizard mode payoff; example of unmet expectations

  • “This is sacred. I'm relieved. This is a sacred pinball. I'm used to not knowing anything about pinball, but you—I thought you'd at least seen it.”

    Host A / Host B exchange (on Valinor) @ ~44:00 — Reveals intentional information avoidance strategy; treats wizard mode as religious/spiritual achievement

Entities

Straight Down the Middle (SDTM)organizationTwilight ZonegameThe Wizard of OzgameDialed In!gameThe Simpsons Pinball PartygameWhitewatergameJoustgameThe Shadowgame

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: SDTM soliciting audience feedback on top 10 list quality via Facebook/Pinside; framing as collaborative/conversational rather than definitive

    high · 'Do you guys think this top 10 list is crazy, ludicrous, or ridiculous? Or do you think we're onto something here? Shoot us a message.'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Valinor treated as sacred/spiritual achievement within pinball community; rarity and difficulty valued over experiential quality; one host refuses to view videos to preserve personal discovery

    high · 'This is sacred. I'm relieved. This is a sacred pinball.' Host refusal to watch Valinor content; comparison to Mount Everest ascent: 'Even if it has a shitty view, it don't matter.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Simpsons Pinball Party's ball-juggling mechanic noted as 'cumbersome' despite satisfying design philosophy; indicates tension between spectacle and playability

    medium · 'It has all that it takes to be a number one wizard mode pinball. It's just kind of cumbersome at times... not as fun as a wizard mode sometimes is.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Hosts articulate strong preference for narrative/theatrical wizard modes with visual/audio payoff over point-based victory laps; frames as 'concert experience' where finale matters

    high · 'Give me a purpose to play the wizard mode... I want it to reward me with a show. A moment.' Extended concert analogy comparing AC/DC tour production to wizard mode expectations.

  • $

    market_signal: Walking Dead pinball positioned as highly accessible wizard mode compared to Twilight Zone/LOTR; described as 'attainable' with strategic multiball stacking, suggesting different market positioning

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.063

0:00
Are you ready for your next pinball machine? Call Flippin' Out now and choose from the newest and hottest pinball machines from Jersey Jack Pinball, Stern Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, and American Pinball. Flippin' Out also offers the Escalera Stair Climbing Hand Truck. Visit now at FlippinOutPinball.com.
0:23
The wait is over. A revolution in LED lighting for your pinball is finally here. Fully customizable full-spectrum lighting from Penn Stadium Lights. Order yours now at PennStadium.com. Check out Penn Graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements, power blades, blade skins, pin blades, and even more. Visit PennGraphics.com now to see what's available for your pinball machine. Marco Specialties, same-day shipping, accessible website, exceptional customer service, and with over 50,000 different pinball parts in stock, Marco Specialties is a must for every pinball enthusiast and operator. Treat your pinball machine right by visiting marcospec.com now.
1:13
Let's kick this shit. You're headed off with a bumper now, you're straight down the metal. What top ten are we doing, Greg? Top ten wizard modes. maybe that's what your your voice was a wizard so we haven't done the top ten no wizard modes is damn near impossible because it is cool so the disclaimer here is that these are probably not your top ten these are probably not objectively the top this is very controversial yeah this is our top ten that we could actually agree upon some of mine didn't make listen years and yeah but coming in at number 10 strong personality we usually go with his list i get like 80 pull you get a little 20 here and there if you can't spell the name of the machine greg you can't

high confidence · Host provides strategic tips (focus upper playfield first, then diverters)

  • “The cool thing is there's strategy in it, especially in the new code. New code, you can cash out risk-reward.”

    Host (on Walking Dead Horde Mode updates) @ ~35:30 — Indicates code updates are ongoing and meaningfully change wizard mode experience; suggests living game design

    • The Walking Dead
    game
    Lord of the Ringsgame
    Demolition Mangame
    Ghostbustersgame
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
    Chicago Gaming Companycompany
    American Pinballcompany
    Eric Menuperson
    Steven Bowdenperson
    Z Miniperson
    Hollywood Boneperson
    Flip N Out Pinballcompany
    Marco Specialtiescompany
    Penn Stadium Lightscompany
    Penn Graphicscompany

    medium · 'It's so fun. It's attainable... if you get lucky, you could get it on route.' Framed as achievable for dedicated location players without ownership.

  • ?

    product_concern: Demolition Man and Ghostbusters wizard modes criticized as underwhelming/lackluster despite strong preceding gameplay, suggesting design misalignment in finale execution

    high · 'Demolition Man is underwhelming. Snooze fest.' 'Ghostbusters is the worst... not even really there.' Both framed as failed payoffs.

  • ?

    product_strategy: Walking Dead pinball receiving active code updates; new code introduced risk-reward cash-out mechanic for Horde Mode, indicating living game development

    high · 'There's strategy in it, especially in the new code. New code, you can cash out risk-reward.' Comparison of old code behavior implies active development cycle.

  • ?

    technology_signal: Lord of the Rings wizard mode (Valinor) uses cinematic video sequences and full coil/ball launching finale, representing integration of multimedia elements into mechanic payoff

    high · 'You see the cinematic Mount Doom scene... every coil fires. There's balls flying around everywhere. The flippers are still going.'

    • 2:29
    oh i kid i kid all right so coming in number 10 best wizard mode in pinball is being lost in the zone twilight zone i like that it's hard to get to i've never reached it No, I haven't either. That's the bummer. That is the hard thing. Some of these you're just not going to. To get the video. The disclaimer here, before I show you this video. Disclaimer. I'm going to show you some videos of these wizard modes. So if you don't want to see it, this is probably not the episode for you. Yeah. Very much so. But Lost in the Zone is cool because it's hard to get to. There's a lot to do to get there. But the reason it's number 10 and not higher up, because it is a great feeling. It is. It's a great feeling. Because you would know. Yeah. I've been to Lost in the Zone once. Oh, okay. Just once. I thought you just said you hadn't been there. Just once. I had extra balls on too, so it's not like a feat. But we got there once, but the feeling was great. The buildup was almost like an Addams Family thing. Ding, ding, ding.
    3:29
    You have come to the end of your journey. Survival is everything. See, that's the bad thing about wizard modes, too, is you almost have to own the game. Yeah, it's hard. Or you just got to play on location a game. Or you have to be Steve Bowden. Yeah, to where you're just going to let them dominate after 10 plays. That's right. But the reason it's number 10 instead of higher up, because it's a switch-based mode, which I'm not crazy about, you're just getting points. And it's not really over. But it still makes top 10 because of the atmosphere that it brings whenever you play it. So that's number 10.
    4:27
    Number 9. Now, I haven't gotten here. I have not gotten here. And it's relatively reachable. It's Wizard of Oz. I've seen it quite a few times. Battling the witch and making her melt. And everything stops. I'm melting. Yeah.
    5:10
    Yeah It really cool I like the theatrics Yes It is doable again it just i haven put in a lot of time i just i can't ever get there i can get to other parts of that game it's just not there number eight oh this is a newcomer and he already made or she i don't know it's he because the voice now you never got to this either did you you had it for a while I mean I guess that's true it's going to be number eight is Dialed In Showdown the showdown you get that voice coming you get that we've done that in another video we like that it happens it pops in but the showdown you're battling you're battling that damn the dialed in electronics company and they're firing at you trying to eject but you're really you're battling them again i think that's what makes a great wizard mode is that that that dynamic interactivity yes that that it separates it from most other aspects of the game we'll talk about our least wizard our least favorite wizard mode and that's that's what's gonna it's gonna be okay failure 10 9 8 oh number seven i like this yeah the simpsons pinball party alien invasion never been there no and that's not even the biggest wizard mode in that game. No. But it's cool because you have to juggle balls. And I know you do that very well. You are a ball juggler. You have to juggle balls in the sense that they give you three. You've got to lock all three in that couch. It's more than what I've juggled. And you can't lose.
    6:50
    You can't lose one. You can't lose a ball. If you lose a ball, you're done. And then once you get three, you've got to get four. Then you've got to juggle all of them. If you lose one, you go back down to three. I think that's how it goes. Or it's five, four, three. I haven't played in a while. But you have to go all the way up to like five. Yes. And then you've got to do five of them. And if you mess that up, you go back down a level. So it is damn hard to get. This is a hard game. The reason it's not number one, because that has all that it takes to be a number one wizard mode pinball, it's just kind of cumbersome at times. Yes. It really, it's not as fun as a wizard mode sometimes is. Okay. Ten, nine, eight, seven. Number six isn't really even a wizard mode. Whitewater. Yeah, it's Whitewater. Vacation jackpot. Yeah. So what's cool about it is if you have to build up everything to get there, and it's like just a one-hit call-out, your vacation.
    7:58
    Vacation jackpot. Yes. But it is a wizard moment. We'll call it a wizard moment. Yeah, but is it that great to hold that spot? That's why you didn't have it on your list. But yes, it is. All these people, that person right there is like, Shut up, Greg. Vacation jackpot is the wizard moment of that game. Yeah, but it's not a wizard mode. It's a wizard mode-ment. Yes, it is. Mode-ment. No, it's a wizard mode-ment. It's a mode-ment. Yeah. The mode-ment. All right, speaking of... Oh, God.
    8:29
    number five I'll take this okay let me take this Johnny pneumonic do you even remember what it does I have to always find like the sound effects yeah it's like we want to honking by great all right tell them the people what it does So you start your power down mode, it starts powering down on you. Sectors start to power down. Which means what? Literally, because you've got certain sectors in it. Prepare for a five-minute discussion on Johnny. No, I'll make it really quick. And so literally, they start shutting down. The power starts going out. The bulbs go out in each sector. And they start shutting down in those modes and those areas. And then eventually, you're last. Powered down. You're powered down and your flippers don't work, you won't go anywhere. And you've got this creepy beacon man thing going on. I can't remember what he says now. You are the power down master. I think you're right. Yeah, it's fantastic.
    9:40
    It's an adrenaline rush. That wizard mode is the only reason I want Johnny Mnemonic. Yeah, it never gets old to get to it. It never gets old. It gets old getting to it because that game is not fun. No, it's fun. It's fun. But it's simple to get to just it's simple in a way just because you don't have to to complete modes to to Like to lock them everybody loves it. It's a Yeah, I think it's a fantastic wizard number four number four is one of my favorite games in the shadow The final battle on shadow is phenomenal It is very nice if it's cool because you don't get there and you don't do just victory laughs and score points Fantastic call outs and yeah prepare for the final battle So you have to hit every switch shot you get All safe for 30 seconds you get five balls flying around I think it five Might be four I think it five And you have to hit every switch including the upper play field and the two ramp diverters So don't forget to switch your diverters. Here's a pro tip for you.
    10:40
    I'm not a pro. Here's an amateur tip for you. Whenever you start that mode, try to get the ball up into the upper play field since you have balls saved. And let the other balls drain. Just focus on getting all of those targets knocked out. Yeah. And then once you got that done, then focus. Or if the ball save ends, then focus on everything. I can see it. But until then, you want to focus on that upper. And then once you get down to the bottom, focus on the diverters. Get those out of the way. And then just start hitting your shots. Yes. Oh, my God. It's so fun. I've never completed. Two shots away. Two switch hits away. Yeah. But it's so awesome. That feeling. The adrenaline you get. That's the moments of these wizard notes. So let's move to number three. It's a fairly new game. It's over my left shoulder here.
    11:27
    Coral! Walking Dead. Coral! Horde mode. That's right. There are a lot of wizard modes in The Walking Dead. They're all fun. They're all cool. Yes. The Last Man Standing is awesome. It is amazing. That's cool. It's very amazing. But nothing is like when you get all your weapons and you shoot that little loop shot back in the shooter lane. Yes. And all of a sudden you hear the cricket. I'll agree. And then what does it do?
    11:56
    I'll agree. Last Man Standing is neat. It has like the piling up of the corpses and everything is really cool. But nothing beats, like you said, it draws you in because it's that heartbeat. It stops you. It does. It makes you realize there is a horde coming for you. And then it starts going on and you happen to shoot. And then all hell breaks loose. It's the calm before the storm and then the storm hits. You feel it in the shaker mode of the lighting on the premium. And then all of a sudden, you see five walkers. And they're coming at you like you're in the apocalypse. Zombies are coming at you. Five shots. You have to hit each shot represents a walker or a zombie coming at you. Now, the cool thing is there's strategy in it, especially in the new code. New code, you can cash out risk-reward. But in the old code, even. You couldn't. And the old code is still cool that the closer you get, and this is a new code as well, so it'll stay the same. The closer the walker gets, the more points they're worth once you do hit them. But if the asses bite you. You're done. The mode is over. Yeah. I agree. You get bit. You're done. It's still one of the best coded wizard modes I've ever seen. It's so much fun. And it's attainable. Like, you can get there. Yeah, it's very attainable. Yeah. You blow up that machine and you can get there. I agree. I want to get there right now. I think if you get lucky, you could get to it on route somewhere. As long as you're familiar with it. But I think that's one of those games you can get lucky with. You stack both multiballs in a mode. Yeah. And you got Bicycle Girl. You can blow it up. That's four weapons right there. I agree. Hit enough drop targets. Nice. So let's move on to numero dos. Number two is, I think, probably my favorite wizard mode that I've reached. It is fun. It's a lot of fun. When people think of wizard mode, they think of one pinball machine. And that one pinball machine is...
    13:49
    The Lord of the Rings. Yeah, oh, Lord of the Rings. Now, Lord of the Rings, number two is going to be what?
    13:57
    Number two, destroy the ring, yeah. Destroying the ring. Easily, yeah. So the cool thing when you get all three multi-balls and then destroy the ring is lit. Yes. Right? You get it up into that ring and all of a sudden you see the cinematic... This is Mike Tyson. I like to play pinball. It's a cinematic experience. It's ludicrous. It's cinematic. The cinematic.
    14:24
    The cinematic Mountain Doom scene, right? Yeah. Where you've got Frodo and you've got Smeagol or Gollum. They're battling on Mountain Doom for that ring to throw it in or to keep it. Yes. My precious. You got four shots. Every shot you hit gets them closer to the edge. You hit it after those four shots into the ring. It does the magnet. Yes and golems hanging. Yeah, he's hanging Greg and all you gotta do is bump him off that cliff by hitting that ball through and If that wasn't cool enough then the shit goes crazy the machine blows up like lightning hitting your house a every coil
    15:01
    There's balls flying around everywhere the flippers are still going sometimes they're hitting the ball it's crazy but it's such a rush like that's what makes a wizard mode is the rush that it gives you it's the intensity like johnny mnemonic as simple as that seems it's still rush it's a hurry that's number five but i'm telling you know like the shadow is fun but i mean you you hoard hoard it's intense you you're relieved that it's done but when you're destroying that that's what i'm saying oh it's fantastic but then once you do it you're like and then what's cool is like it kills your ball because if everything goes dead like the issue down is anything you done and you think you done and you like I just something happened to this machine yeah and then it fires back up and then it reminds you that you not a good enough player and it says you not close the next step to get to our number one wizard mode which is Valinor so you got to do more you get to Valinor I've never been to Valinor I'm so surprised really Greg Bohn I know I misspoke tell me more I actually I gotta admit that I haven't even actually seen Valinor so I like it that we're not even gonna put this video in there why because because this is sacred I'm relieved this is a sacred pinball I'm used to not knowing anything about pinball but you I thought you'd at least seen it no refuse to watch it I refuse to watch it nah that's the reason it's still sitting here because I want to get to Valinor I told Eric menu when we were up there he got to Valinor yeah that's what I remember him saying I asked him I said you get the shirt and he sir left yeah if you get to Valinor you gotta get shirt you deserve the shirt right I'll never get to that's all watch the video if I get on Alan or we need to make an SDT in Valinor shirt okay that would be cool but it is the ultimate wizard mode in pinball he won't get there now some say the super duper wizard mode in Simpsons is but who cares that's a that's not even cool Balinor is where it's at what if Alan or sucks who care it's like climbing Mount Everest even if it has a shitty view it don't matter you done climb it doesn't matter i can take that doesn't matter even if there's fall who cares so valinor is the number one because it's unobtainium when it comes to pin you know you're damn good at pinball if you get to valinor that's very true all right so that was our top 10 what's our least favorite wizard modes for me it's your skanky ass demolition man demolition time demo man is underwhelming snooze fest because you think that you're gonna have something big we talked about like because you play multiball through the whole damn things out and it's going to just screens go and you're like, oh shit, this is getting ready to this is going to be epic. And it's just a multiball.
    17:40
    That's it. And yeah, it's so lackluster. Ghostbusters was beyond underwhelming. Yeah, Ghostbusters is the worst. Like I said, the modes are so distinctive in Ghostbusters and they're so fantastic. And then you get to a wizard mode that's not even really there. It's nothing. It's terrible. It's nothing. So lackluster. So I hate any wizard mode that you're doing victory laps or you're just chasing points. I do too. Give me a purpose to play the wizard mode. Because me as a mode-based player, I'm not a tournament player. So this is what I'm going for in the home setting. I'm going for a journey. I understand the point stuff with tournament stuff. That's cool. And I guess in the grand scheme of it, because I like to play for points too. But again, I still like an adventure and I want the wizard mode, something I work so hard at. Not to just reward me in points, but I want it to reward me with a show. A moment. That's like going to a concert, and the music sounds really good, and the music is fantastic, but they're just on stage standing there. And they don't rock out playing their number one hit. But you go to like ACDC, there's a freaking train busting through, you know, like Fall Breaker. They smashed an entire castle. The blow-up doll named Rosie. Yes, the big giant Rosie. You've got a big old bell, and you know, Brian's swinging from the inside of the bell. like that makes it something more special is that the wizard mode of the concert you know what do these people need to do to check out other sd tm videos go to facebook go to facebook like us on facebook we always always want to tell you that because it's a one-man it's one-stop shop right one stop shop for sd tm for everything on facebook you know I t-shirts help support the program. It's a donation with a free share. I got this from Charles Thomas. I know. He loves sunshine. He does love sunshine. I want to go there. We need to make a SDTM Does NYC in New York. I've never been to New York. I'd like to go to New York. So check out all of those different things on our channel and help support. Say hello to us, too. We like discussing, do you guys think this top 10 list is crazy, ludicrous, or ridiculous, or do you think we're onto something here? shoot us a message talk to us check us out on Pinside as well I'm Z Mini it's Hollywood Bone until next week you hit it off with a bumper now you're straight down the metal again metal again you had a fling with a fling shot you're rolling out the how'd that audition go the other weekend did you get a call back no I didn't tell the people what you auditioned for no I can't I gotta keep things secret oh NDA you gotta keep things secret they literally like scripts they print your name it's like all in watermark across the script so that if that script ever gets in anyone else's hands, they know exactly. They're going to pull a stern pinball on you. Exactly who lost that script. They're going to be like, did Kaneda give you this? He totally did not get what I was saying.
    20:44
    You done? You don't know when I'm done. I didn't know what that means. Honey, you don't know what I've done.