claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030
SDTM reviews Avengers Infinity Quest: masterful shots & code, but frustrating precision demands and overly complex rule set divide the hosts.
Avengers Infinity Quest is Stern's hottest title since Jurassic Park (another Keith Elwin design)
high confidence · Greg (SDTM host) states this multiple times; corroborated by both hosts discussing strong sales
Keith Elwin has designed three games: Iron Maiden, Jurassic Park, and Avengers Infinity Quest
high confidence · Zach explicitly states 'this is his third game yes an iron maiden jurassic park and then avengers infinity quest'
Avengers Infinity Quest was released in September/early fall 2020 and is not yet a year old at time of review (2021)
high confidence · Greg: 'it was released september-ish uh early fall of 2020 so we're not even a year old for those watching current'
The game's code won awards and is considered best-in-class for competitive play
high confidence · Zach: 'it is an award-winning code and rule set yes it has some of the greatest minds in pinball working on it'; confirmed by both discussing competitive appeal
The layout requires extreme precision; missed shots result in immediate ball loss to slings or outlanes
high confidence · Zach: 'if you are off by the smallest amount you pay for it' and 'you pay for every missed shot that you make'
The third flipper shot (inner orbit) is problematic because if not used, the ball goes straight down the middle or bounces off posts into danger
high confidence · Zach describes the third flipper mechanics extensively, noting that ignoring it results in ball loss
Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) provided artwork; the cabinet art is mirrored on the Avengers: Infinity Quest (Premium/LE) version rather than unique like on Turtle games
high confidence · Both hosts discuss Zombie Yeti artwork and note the mirrored cabinet art as a limitation compared to Turtles
Ray Davidson (described as 'only the greatest pinball player in the world right now') was involved in code/software development
medium confidence · Zach: 'our buddy ray yeah raymond davidson only the greatest pinball player in the world right now' credited for code work; host later references 'how ray day has coded trophies'
“Avengers is probably the hottest title from stern pinball since jurassic park”
Greg (SDTM host)@ 2:15 — Establishes the game's commercial success and market dominance relative to recent Stern releases
“you pay for every [ __ ] missed shot that you make you're either getting into that sling that's going to the about the outlanes and you're done”
Zach (SDTM host)@ 18:17 — Key criticism: the game's unforgiving layout design penalizes imprecision heavily, contrasting with Jurassic Park's forgiving nature
“I don't like thinking too hard about strategizing code and pinball i think the true greatness of a pinball player should mostly come from their ability to control the ball and to shoot accurately”
Zach@ 24:54 — Articulates philosophical divide between rule complexity and pure ball control; explains why Zach rates code C-minus despite acknowledging its award-winning status
“if i can try to imagine five pinball machines in the last five years that shoot better ah i can't think of one”
Greg@ 16:45 — High praise for shot design and layout flow; Greg's justification for A+ rating on shots/layout
“it's this feels like a keith element without feeling like keith ellen”
Zach@ 23:13 — Suggests the game differs stylistically from Elwin's prior designs despite his signature flow characteristics
“i still don't know what the damn bingo card is for the drop down targets”
Zach@ 25:09 — Criticism of rule complexity; Zach admits to not understanding core mechanics despite extensive play
gameplay_signal: Game requires extreme precision on shots; missing by small margins results in immediate ball loss to slings or outlanes, frustrating casual/intermediate players
high · Zach extensively criticizes the third flipper mechanics, shot accuracy requirements, and overall unforgiving nature; contrast with Jurassic Park's forgiving design
gameplay_signal: Rule set is complex with multiple strategies (gem placement, mode selection, bingo card mechanics); hosts admit to not fully understanding core mechanics despite heavy play
high · Zach: 'I still don't know what the damn bingo card is'; rates code C-minus due to over-reliance on strategic complexity rather than pure ball control
design_innovation: Bowl-legged wide-mouth ramp allows clean hits from all three flippers; hosts acknowledge this as genuine innovation even while criticizing other aspects
high · Greg: 'give the guy credit because that is some innovation to be able to hit one single ramp cleanly from three feet from all three of us'; Zach agrees it's 'fantastic'
product_concern: Third flipper (upper inner orbit) creates unavoidable risk: if not used, ball goes straight down or bounces into danger; perceived as poor design forcing flipper usage
high · Zach describes in detail how the upper flipper shot exits to slings/posts; criticizes that the designer 'shouldn't require' flipper use and compares unfavorably to Jurassic Park's optional upper flipper
market_signal: Game is extremely popular and difficult to keep in stock; highest-selling Stern title since Jurassic Park (2015)
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“Thanos is kind of the saving grace to me on a lot of aspects on the artwork”
Zach@ 13:24 — Indicates that while overall artwork is criticized as lacking detail/character, Thanos character art stands out positively
“the tower lock the tower locks power it is it's fantastic”
Greg@ 21:26 — Highlights the magnetic tower lock as one of the game's most satisfying mechanical features
high · Greg: 'they're selling really well... people are loving it you can't keep them in stock'; 'avengers is probably the hottest title from stern pinball since jurassic park'
competitive_signal: Game is considered best-in-class for competitive play; award-winning code appeals to skilled players and tournament circuit; features trophy system for diverse skill demonstrations
high · Zach: 'competitive people say that this is everything you would want in a competitive base pinball machine... upper echelon'; Ray Davidson coding contributions indicate IFPA/tournament focus
design_philosophy: Fundamental design philosophy disagreement: hosts split on whether rule complexity serves competitive depth (Greg's view) or detracts from intuitive fun (Zach's view)
high · Zach: 'I don't like thinking too hard about strategizing code... true greatness should mostly come from ball control'; Greg defends code as 'everything you would want in competitive base pinball'
artwork_signal: Premium LE cabinet art is mirrored rather than featuring unique left/right illustrations; perceived as less effort compared to Zombie Yeti's Turtle games which had different illustrations per side
high · Zach: 'on the premium le version greg i feel like there was a lot of replication on that cabinet we have both left and right side we're mirrored'; compares unfavorably to Turtles
sentiment_shift: Zach's opinion shifted from initial enthusiasm to frustration after extended play; game's difficulty and rule complexity wear on intermediate players over time
high · Zach: 'when i first got this i i explored it and i was like this is this is good... then i i'd kind of [ __ ] on it'; 'the more i played it i was like i'm not a fan of this'
gameplay_signal: Game modes lack sufficient variety/story progression; intermediate players hit the same mode completion patterns repeatedly without narrative progression toward wizard mode
medium · Zach: 'i wish it went through a cycle of like three mini wizards or something'; 'i found myself getting to that so over again... give me something new'
competitive_signal: Game rewards precise shot execution; pro players like Ray Davidson can handle the layout but intermediate players suffer; skill gap is pronounced
high · Greg: 'you watch ray day play it the dude don't miss... to some people you're a good player it's not a big'; Zach struggles with precision despite regular play
design_philosophy: Game represents stylistic evolution for Elwin; maintains signature flow but feels different from Iron Maiden and Jurassic Park; described as 'smoothest, most flowing game he's created'
medium · Zach: 'it's this feels like a keith element without feeling like keith ellen... it's his smoothest most flowing game he's created'