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Episode 775: "Foo You Jack!"

Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)·podcast_episode·14m 34s·analyzed·Mar 1, 2023
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030

TL;DR

Kaneda reverses his skepticism on Foo Fighters, hailing it as exceptional and Jack Danger as breakthrough designer.

Summary

Kaneda expresses dramatic reversal of expectations about Foo Fighters pinball, initially expecting it to be underwhelming but finding it exceptional in theme integration, design innovation, and artistic direction. He praises Jack Danger as an emerging designer capable of pushing the franchise forward and critiques competitors Jersey Jack and others for failing to match Stern's marketing and creative execution. He positions Foo Fighters as a watershed moment signaling a generational shift toward younger designers with fresh ideas.

Key Claims

  • Foo Fighters pinball is the most exciting game launch since Godzilla and checks both theme and design boxes exceptionally well

    high confidence · Kaneda, speaking enthusiastically about first impressions; this is his main thesis

  • Jack Danger's Foo Fighters is arguably his most important moment and comes as a breakthrough for a 'rookie designer'

    high confidence · Kaneda directly states this about Danger's career trajectory

  • The game was designed as an adventure/cartoon experience rather than a concert experience, distinguishing it from Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Guns N' Roses pinball

    high confidence · Kaneda's interpretation of creative direction by Jack Danger and Zombietti

  • Tanyo (programmer from Deadpool) will handle code and is expected to deliver strong results

    high confidence · Kaneda identifies Tanyo as the coder and expresses confidence in his abilities

  • Foo Fighters will sell out Limited Edition units and likely reach market before Godfather and Galactic Tank Force

    medium confidence · Kaneda predicts sales success and faster market entry for Stern vs competitors

  • James Bond 60th is a 'joke of a cash grab' in comparison to Foo Fighters

    high confidence · Kaneda's direct comparison and criticism of Stern's own recent James Bond release

  • Younger designers like Jack Danger, Eric Minier, and Scott Denise represent a new generation not recycling 1990s ideas

    medium confidence · Kaneda's opinion on generational shift in designer approach; compares unfavorably to established designers like Pat Lawlor and George Gomez

  • Stern's marketing for Foo Fighters (teaser videos and imagery by Zombietti) is 'the best they've ever done'

    medium confidence · Kaneda's assessment of Stern's marketing strategy and execution

  • Jersey Jack Pinball needs to 'wake up' and change its playbook because Godfather will struggle competing against Foo Fighters' momentum

Notable Quotes

  • “i'm absolutely shocked how wrong i was about foo fighters about this game's ability to excite people this game's ability to win people over in the pinball world”

    Kaneda@ 0:00 — Establishes the dramatic reversal of his expectations that frames the entire episode

  • “this is what pinball is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be something that you look down and you see a world under glass. You see all this fun stuff.”

    Kaneda@ 1:02 — Articulates his core philosophy of what makes pinball satisfying and why Foo Fighters succeeds

  • “And I haven't seen a game that got us this excited since Godzilla.”

    Kaneda@ 1:42 — Comparative benchmark showing scale of excitement; Godzilla is referenced as prior high-water mark

  • “this whole game is basically like an 80s cartoon featuring the freaking Foo Fighters in a modern day version of Attack from Mars”

    Kaneda@ 2:41 — Key description of theme/design concept; suggests Danger reinvented the band theme as adventure rather than concert

  • “I think this game just feels so damn original. And I love everything I see.”

    Kaneda@ 5:45 — Core assessment of originality and emotional connection to the design

  • “And this is why you should wait and see and also like this is why you might not want to buy the game today because if you wait a couple weeks, you'll be able to see Foo Fighters. You'll be able to see Godfather. You'll be able to see Galactic Tank Force.”

    Kaneda@ 10:17 — Strategic consumer advice reflecting his philosophy that buyers should evaluate options before committing $13k

  • “i just think this game was the most brilliant direction to go in with a band like foo fighters and i don't think anyone saw this coming i think this has blindsided the rest of the pinball industry”

Entities

Jack DangerpersonZombiettipersonTanyopersonFoo FightersgameStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyGodfather Pinballgame

Signals

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Kaneda explicitly reverses initial skepticism about Foo Fighters, moving from expecting it to be underwhelming 'B theme' to considering it exceptional and game-changing

    high · Opening statement: 'i'm absolutely shocked how wrong i was about foo fighters' and sustained enthusiastic tone throughout

  • ?

    design_innovation: Foo Fighters positioned as adventure/alien narrative rather than concert experience, distinguishing it from Led Zeppelin, Rush, Guns N' Roses approach

    high · 'turning Foo Fighter Pinball not into just another concert-going experience in a box... This is like an adventure game starring the Foo Fighters'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Jack Danger positioned as significant emerging talent with Foo Fighters as cornerstone moment; described as 'rookie designer' achieving major success

    high · 'arguably this is Jack Danger's most important moment... he has come out with something that is super awesome'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Foo Fighters launch expected to impact competitive positioning of Jersey Jack Pinball's Godfather and other upcoming titles; timing advantage for Stern

    high · 'How are you going to follow up this game with that game? I'm really worried about Jersey Jack Pinball... Foo Fighters on location before we even see Godfather'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern's marketing campaign (teaser videos, imagery by Zombietti) described as exceptionally effective; contrasted with James Bond 60th as 'worst launch they've ever done'

    high · 'the marketing around this game was genius. The teaser videos they put out were the best they've ever done'

Topics

Foo Fighters game design and receptionprimaryJack Danger as emerging designer talentprimaryTheme integration and adventure narrative in band-themed pinballprimaryStern Pinball marketing strategy and executionprimaryCompetitive positioning vs. Jersey Jack Pinball and GodfatherprimaryGenerational shift toward younger designerssecondaryLimited edition pricing and LE art package differentiationsecondaryCode development and Tanyo's rolesecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Kaneda expresses overwhelming enthusiasm about Foo Fighters with only one minor aesthetic complaint about LE art. His tone is energetic and celebratory. He tempers this with professional skepticism about pricing and supply dynamics, but maintains positive overall assessment. His criticism is directed at competitors (Jersey Jack, James Bond release) and legacy designers rather than Foo Fighters itself.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.044

0:00
wow wow i'm absolutely shocked how wrong i was about foo fighters about this game's ability to excite people this game's ability to win people over in the pinball world i thought
0:32
pooh fighters was going to be like a b theme i thought it was going to come and go and i thought we were going to look at pinball in 2023 as another underwhelming year of pinball and now all of a sudden you can hear it in my voice because i've been screaming about how awesome I think they crushed this game. And I mean, Jack Danger, Zombie Eddie, this game, when you look at it, it makes me feel like a little kid inside. And I'm like, this is what pinball is supposed to be about.
1:05
It's supposed to be something that you look down and you see a world under glass. You see all this fun stuff. You can't wait to shoot. The colors are very bright and vibrant and inviting. You hear this energetic music. And that's what pinball is all about. And I've always said it. A game needs to check two major boxes first and foremost. It needs to check the box. If you're a fan of the theme, are you loving what you see with the pinball machine? And if you're a fan of pinball, are you loving what you see from a pinball design standpoint?
1:39
And I think this game freaking hits it out of the park. And I haven't seen a game that got us this excited since Godzilla. And all of a sudden Stern comes out of left field with arguably a rookie designer. I know he did the home edition of Jurassic Park. But arguably this is Jack Danger's most important moment. Stern has given him the reins to do a cornerstone game. And he has come out with something that is super awesome. And I love so much about this game. I love the upper play field.

medium confidence · Kaneda's concern about JJP's competitive position and Jack Guarneri's Harry Potter-focused promotional efforts

  • The LE should have had a unique art package distinct from Premium, not just color variations

    high confidence · Kaneda's only aesthetic complaint about the game; he prefers Pro art package

    • Kaneda@ 11:02 — Emphasizes creative surprise and competitive shock across the industry

  • “What a great day for Stern Pinball. And also what a great day for Stern's marketing. I mean, the marketing around this game was genius.”

    Kaneda@ 11:40 — Explicit credit to Stern's execution across both product and marketing

  • “You got to get back into the ring. You got to get your swagger back... Because the game has changed. And Mr. Jack Danger and Zombie Eddie, they changed the game this week.”

    Kaneda@ 13:01 — Direct challenge to Jersey Jack Pinball's competitive strategy and acknowledgment of market shift caused by Danger/Zombietti

  • “I would rather have Jack Danger than Steve Ritchie. I want young people with new ideas, young people like Eric Minier, young people like Scott Denise.”

    Kaneda@ 9:30 — Explicit generational preference statement; controversial ranking of new vs. legacy designers

    • Galactic Tank Force
    game
    James Bond 60thgame
    Godzillagame
    Retro Atomic Zombie Adventurelandgame
    John Papadukeperson
    Eric Minierperson
    Scott Deniseperson
    Pat Lawlorperson
    Steve Ritchieperson
    George Gomezperson
    Dennis Nordmanperson
    Jack Guarneriperson
    David Fixperson
    Kanedaperson
    Scooby-Doogame
    Led Zeppelingame
    Toy Story 4game
    Attack from Marsgame
    Guns N' Rosesgame
  • ?

    industry_signal: Commentary on emergence of younger generation of designers (Danger, Minier, Scott Denise) displacing legacy 1990s designers (Lawlor, Ritchie, Gomez) in industry relevance

    medium · 'we're witnessing right now is the birth of a whole new generation of younger designers who didn't grow up during the 90s and they're not trying to relive their glory days'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Concern about LE pricing ($13,000) and affordability despite excitement about the game; references historical pricing of past games

    high · 'it's still hard to wake up and spend $13,000 on a Stern LE... I remember the days when games like Ghostbusters were [cheaper]'

  • ?

    product_concern: Criticism that Premium and LE share same art package with only color variations; prefers Pro's unique art

    high · 'I would have liked the LE to have been the game that has the completely unique art package. The Premium and the LE have the same art package, but it's different colors'

  • ?

    content_signal: Kaneda leveraging Patreon subscription to gate exclusive Galactic Tank Force image; driving membership renewal

    high · 'you're going to have to renew your Canada Club membership for March. And then I will share it. You're going to have to see it... Galactic Tank Force'

  • ?

    business_signal: Kaneda expresses concern about Jersey Jack Pinball's competitive position and marketing strategy; calls for strategic reset

    high · 'Jersey Jack you got to wake up... You got to get back into the ring. You got to get your swagger back... times have changed'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Kaneda's evaluation framework: a game must satisfy both theme fans AND pinball design enthusiasts; Foo Fighters cited as hitting both targets

    high · 'A game needs to check two major boxes first and foremost... If you're a fan of the theme, are you loving what you see... are you loving what you see from a pinball design standpoint... this game freaking hits it out of the park'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Broader positive sentiment about pinball industry health; described as 'great day for pinball' with multiple quality games in pipeline

    medium · 'what a good day for pinball... I think everyone is so happy for Jack Danger... this is what Pinball needs'

    • 2:10
    I love the alien mechanism to the right. I love the captive ball that loops around another ball. I love the death save post that I think that's the name of it. The death save post that pops up and knocks the ball back into play. And we know Jack was working on that with his homebrew game. The zombie Yeti art package in this game is absolutely one of his best. I'm looking at it right now. And my gosh, if this game is not an F you to Raza, I don't know what is.
    2:41
    I mean, when I saw this game for the first time, like this whole game is basically like an 80s cartoon featuring the freaking Foo Fighters in a modern day version of Attack from Mars. And we've got a van and we've got aliens and we've got one of the grooviest looking play fields I've ever seen from an artistic standpoint. And I think this thing just looks amazing. and I'm looking at it right now and I'm just smiling ear to ear on every aspect of this game
    3:14
    and it's got four flippers it's got a unique layout it doesn't look like the ramps are that hard to hit it's got major mechs in the game that are just inviting you to shoot here right isn't that what a pinball machine is supposed to do you're supposed to look down and want to figure out what happens when I shoot the ball there it got two awesome ramps it got drop targets but It got no pop bumpers for you pop bumper fanatics out there It just looks so freaking good And normally when I look at a game, I start to see some complaints.
    3:47
    I'll find something to complain about. You know, Canada always has to find something to complain about. And I really only have one complaint with this game. And it is a pure aesthetic complaint. My only complaint about Foo Fighters right now is that I would have liked the LE to have been the game that has the completely unique art package. The Premium and the LE have the same art package, but it's different colors. Like they changed some of the colors around, but it's the same visual on the cabinet of like the Foo Fighters in the van.
    4:22
    I actually like the Pro Translight the best out of all of them. It's the most unique because the Premium and the Ellie guys, they're going to look somewhat similar, albeit the Premium has a lot of reds in it and the Ellie has a lot of greens in it. But I do like the fact that they gave it the bright green armor. The Ellie pops. It comes with the expression lighting. But what I love about this game the most, it just feels like this is Zombie Yeti and Jack Danger's F.U. a little bit to John Papaduke's Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland.
    4:56
    And I mean, that's what we're seeing in this game. I mean, the alien creature looks just like Ned from Deep Roots Raza, but it looks so damn good. And this is just a first impression. This is just me seeing the game for the first time. I think the creative direction that Jack Danger and Zombie Eddie did, I think turning Foo Fighter Pinball not into just another concert-going experience in a box. You know, it's not like you're going to see the Foo Fighters in concert the way Led Zeppelin was trying to do that, the way Rush was trying to do that, the way Guns N' Roses did it.
    5:32
    This is like an adventure game starring the Foo Fighters. And I think that decision, the creative decision to do that, made this game so much fun. And it just feels original. You know, looking down on this game, it just feels so damn original. And I love everything I see. I love the color palette. I love the unique shots. I can't wait to play this game. And this is just my first impression. I'm super giddy. I'm super happy. And I think this game is going to be a great success for Stern Pinball.
    6:05
    Now, the other question is this. Do I think they're going to sell 1,000 of these at $13,000 a pop? I actually do think they're going to sell all of the LEs, but I just don't think they're going to sell them all out this week. We will see. Jack Danger is doing his stream tomorrow. I got the dates wrong. There's only 28 days in February. And so when I was seeing like March 1st, I thought it was Friday, but it's actually tomorrow. I think the more we see of this game, when we see the code and the animations,
    6:35
    you know, it's the same coder from Deadpool. I think it's Tanio. He's going to crush it with this code. And I think when we see all of this game come together, I think a lot of people out there, whether you love the Foo Fighters or not, you're going to be super excited about this package. but the painful thing in all of pinball is this as much as I love this game right now and I would love to get one it's still hard to wake up and spend $13,000 on a Stern LE I mean I remember the days when games like Ghostbusters were or for an LE and it just a lot more cheddar to spend on a single pinball machine now that being said I happy that they going back to like the foiled artwork on the LE
    7:22
    real mirrored back glass. I think this game does absolutely embarrass that joke of a game known as James Bond 60th. And I think everyone who ordered a James Bond 60th right now is looking down at this game. And I know you've got more money than all of us, you people who ordered that game. But what a joke of a cash grab that game was when you look at this game. And here's the other thing. And this is the important part. Is Stern Pinball got this game to market before Godfather, before Galactic Tank Force.
    7:54
    And now the real interesting thing is this. With Stern Pinball having this game on the line right now, what is this going to do to people who are waiting for Scooby-Doo? What is this going to do to Jersey Jack Pinball's plans to launch Godfather? How do you launch Godfather? A very slow and dark mob drama. How are you going to follow up this game with that game? I'm really worried about Jersey Jack Pinball, ladies and gentlemen. And I also think Galactic Tank Force, same thing.
    8:24
    Like, I don't think anyone, I don't think David Fix realized this is what Foo Fighters was going to be. And even though Galactic Tank Force is pretty packed, And I'm going to share with you the image that all these other pinball media outlets have been looking at. Because I only think it's fair that you get to see it too. I'm going to share it with you. But you've got to renew your Canada Club membership tomorrow. That's when I'm going to share it. After we process everybody's payments for Canada's Pinball Podcast. And then I will share it. You're going to have to renew your Canada Club membership for March.
    8:56
    And then you'll get to see Galactic Tank Force. But what a good day for pinball. And I think a lot of people are feeling that right now. The vibes of today have been amazing. I think everyone is so happy for Jack Danger because now we've got a new young designer that shows us he's very capable, he's very creative, and he's approaching pinball differently. And this is what we want, right? We don't want like Pat Lawler like washed up with the same recycled ideas, basically nerfing Toy Story with his game.
    9:28
    We want youth in pinball. Like, I would rather have Jack Danger than Steve Ritchie. I want young people with new ideas, young people like Eric Minier, young people like Scott Denise. I think what we're witnessing right now is the birth of a whole new generation of younger designers who didn't grow up during the 90s and they're not trying to relive their glory days. And look, we'll see if Dennis Nordman can do it. He's a great designer. but all of these guys from the 90s I mean it's questionable how hungry they still are how hungry
    10:01
    do you think George Gomez really is to make a name for himself I mean he's George freaking Gomez and I knew it like when I'm looking at this game it's just so much more interesting to me than James Bond and again Canada's been telling everybody wait and see wait and see and this is why you should wait and see and also like this is why you might not want to buy the game today because if you wait a couple weeks, you'll be able to see Foo Fighters. You'll be able to see Godfather. You'll be able to see Galactic Tank Force. You'll be able to play Scooby-Doo.
    10:33
    I mean, there are so many options right now. I mean, distributors must be really happy. They finally have all of these games coming out. But again, this is why Stern's going to benefit because they're going to be able to make the games so quickly. People are probably going to start to see Foo Fighters on location before we even see Godfather Pinball from Jersey Jack Pinball My voice is gone I been chatting with many of you offline today about this game and how exciting this game is i just think this game was the most brilliant direction to go in with a band like foo fighters and i don't think anyone saw this coming i think
    11:07
    this has blindsided the rest of the pinball industry and i think jack danger is now a force to be reckoned with in the pinball world and it's going to get real exciting from here because there's a lot at stake now. I mean, Stern Pinball is already the most successful pinball company of all time. And now we've got this and now they've got Jack Danger. And I put out a little thing, people. Imagine if Stern Pinball goes and gets Eric Minier to join their crew over there. I mean, they're just like a couple designers away from just taking over all of pinball. I mean it.
    11:40
    What a great day for Stern Pinball. And also what a great day for Stern's marketing. I mean, the marketing around this game was genius. The teaser videos they put out were the best they've ever done and all the teaser imagery that Zombietti made. This might be the best launch Stern has ever done. I mean it and they deserve a round of applause and they also really needed it because James Bond was the worst launch they've ever done and I mean it when I say it. Jersey Jack you got to wake up. It was kind of embarrassing that all you thought you could do this week was put out
    12:11
    your like acknowledgement that it's Godfather and get ready to have a seat at the table. What are you doing? What are you doing, Jersey Jack? You got to get back into the ring. You got to get your swagger back. You're not going to win this battle with the same playbook you've been using with games like Guns N' Roses. Times have changed. You don't have Guns N' Roses. You don't have Slash. And so you've got to figure out how to get people excited about Godfather. And it sure as heck is not going to happen if Jack Guarneri is taking photos in front of a Harry Potter mural outside of Warner Brothers.
    12:44
    Like, what were you thinking? There are more people and more pages on Pinside where people are discussing Harry Potter than they are discussing Godfather. I hope there's an emergency meeting over at Jersey Jack Pinball this week because they got to get their ducks in a row and figure out how do they do this now? Because the game has changed. And Mr. Jack Danger and Zombie Eddie, they changed the game this week. And I think they're going to crush it. And I think the sales are going to be amazing. And I think this game is going to make people so happy. And this is all we want.
    13:14
    I want to see games that come out that make me smile like this. I have no more energy left because I'm that excited about this game. And no, I'm not buying one yet. I can't wait to play it. And I'm just happy for all of you. I'm happy for Pinball. I'm happy for the Pinball content creators. I'm happy for everybody because this is what Pinball needs. More games like this that just make us go, wow. And less jokes like James Bond 60th, less jokes like Led Zeppelin, less jokes like Toy Story 4.
    13:47
    We don't need those games. Keep your mediocre games out of pinball. We need more of this. Good job, Jack. Good job, Zombie Eddie. Great job, Stern Pinball and the entire team that worked on Foo Fighters. I can't wait to play it later. We're in the dark again
    14:18
    Can't you see I've waited long enough