Welcome everybody, welcome to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, the only pinball podcast that Pinside cannot stop talking about. We've got 11 pages of conversation about me. That's more pages than Looney Tunes hype thread. Thank you so much Pinside for keeping me relevant and falling victim to my marketing strategies. I wanna say thank you to Rodney C who just upped his membership from 30 a month to 50 a month. Rodney, you have blown past the omakase club. We have to get together and celebrate. Everybody, I'm super excited to talk to you about this show Just a good day, this is away from home you are watching And T novels unlock sprang up at WPPR verified Podcast You can download it on no��.com So please if you still miss out on worry going back up to the top right of the screen you will be getting random Ziplocные Familien dot What was memorable? What was exciting? What got people talking? And I keep thinking about this. It's like pinball is not that much that went on. And when we look at all the games that we want to celebrate, when we look at the personalities and the designers and the coders and all the people that worked hard on these games, I think it's only fitting that we should recognize them in the year in which they did their achievements. And so here's what we're going to do. We are calling this the 2023 Pinball People's Choice Awards. And how it will work is very simple. It's going to be very lo-fi. It's not going to be like some highly polished awards show. But what we're going to do is this on my Kaneda Facebook page, I'm going to upload a poll that you can vote on for all the different categories and criteria. And so you will see all of that on my Facebook page. And we're going to do it on Friday. And I'm going to upload the polls one after another. So there will be a poll for like best artwork, best rules, best game, designer of the year. And we're going to keep those polls open for an entire week. So the polls will be open starting Friday, December 15th, all the way through to Friday, December 22nd. So you have one week to vote and you're going to get one vote per category and we're not going to have to do like email verification, But you do need a Facebook account to make a vote in each category. Here's what's going to be fun about this. Unlike the Twippy's, you're going to be able to see in real time where the votes are going. So there's not going to be any like mystery at the end of the week. We're going to be able to see in 2023 who everyone votes for, for favorite game, for favorite call outs, for favorite this favorite that, and it's going to be good. And I just want to make it fun. Like, if people want to like hijack it Cwow === === all's choice awards that skin in near exactly what people will find out like three-and-a-half months from now when the treatise finally goes to Texas and by the time we recognized those games nobody is getting care about those games because games Spaß lecturu fighters which I think might wind game of the year will have been out for over a freaking year and everyone's gonna have moved on to the latest game flight jaws and other games that are coming out in the pinball space Now here's the thing I'm going to do a little bit differently. When it comes to the games that are available to vote on a lot of the categories, here's the very simple criteria. If your game took deposit money anytime in 2023, your game is eligible for a lot of the categories. So games like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Looney Tunes will be in some of these polls. If you took deposits and the games were revealed, I think games like that should be up for categories like even Game of the Year. It's not gonna win and it will be eligible next year if the game ships in the following year. But I think games like Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Pulp Fiction, like games like that should be eligible for categories like artwork. Because the artwork is not gonna change. The toppers are not gonna change. The mechs in the game are not going to change. So and as you're going to see on this episode of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, I think some of these games might have a chance in winning best mechanism designed in 2023. And even if you haven't played the game, we can look down and see which of these mechanisms are creative, are innovative and actually create a magical moment in pinball. You know, because I think it's so silly that Pulp Fiction Topper would not be eligible simply because it didn't ship. But the topper's not going to change and nobody's questioning whether or not CGC will actually make these games. So it's going to be fun, it's going to be low lift and after we do all the polling and the polls close next Friday, we're going to do a fun show, Cengiz and I, talking about the results of the Pinball People's Choice Awards. The only thing I debating about right now is whether or not I recuse myself from Favorite pinball podcaster and favorite pinball streamer I don want people to feel like I biased I know the polling is happening on my page but I can control any of it right It is all public polling I get one vote for myself and the rest of it is up to everybody else And we have about 3200 people on Kaneda Facebook page Obviously they not all currently active But I do think when you look at the trippy voting they get a few thousand votes I I think we can get around a thousand people to participate in this poll and I think it's going to be fun and I think it's a great way to put a cherry on top of the things that happened in pinball in 2023 and we're going to do it in 2023. The only favor I ask of all of you is if you could share and spread the word about this voting and this polling, I think it's going to be fun. You know, because I'm banned from places like Pinball Enthusiasts. Let's see who has the courage to share this People's Choice Awards with that site. And again, this is not about me. This is about allowing everybody on Facebook to simply vote about what they loved in pinball. All right, let's have some fun. Let's end the year on a positive note. Let's jump into one of these categories right now. And I want this to be the focus of this podcast. Now, if you listen to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, what do people always say about me? He's always complaining about prices. He's complaining there's not enough magic in these games. He's complaining that these companies aren't really throwing the creativity they should at these games. He's complaining that Bally Williams like 35 years ago put way more mechanical magic into the games. And now we're spending so much money, the most pinball has ever been in 2023. And surely if pinball is the most money it's ever been, we should be able to look down at and point out mechanical, magical, wow things that these companies created to make these pinball experiences incredible, unforgettable, memorable, and worth the freaking money. All right, so ladies and gentleman here's the funny part, if I were to ask you like close your eyes, everybody close your eyes, do me a favor, but do not close your eyes if you are driving a car right now, but if you're in a safe place, close your eyes and let me ask you one simple question. simple question what was the most magical mechanism in pinball in 2023 what was the mechanism that when it activated when it interacted with the ball what was the mechanism that when you saw it operate for the first time you said to yourself wow what a magical mech after all these years of pinball engineering I'm still amazed at what creativity comes through In this hobby. Did anything come to mind? Did anything happen this year that was cooler than a Bally Williams mechanism from the mid-90s? Did you see anything like the thing in Adam's Family grabbing the ball or shooting star outlane post saves like Totin or theater of Magic Magic Box that spins around and does like 18 different things? Did you see anything like a disappearing magnet in front of the genie in Totin? Did you see anything like the T-Rex head in Jurassic Park that picks up the ball and flings it around? Did you see anything like Slimer that swoops down and you get to bash him? Think about it. An entire year of pinball machines. And I'm going to read the games for you right now. An entire year of pinball machines. In which pinball is the most expensive it's ever been. It's a physical game under glass. And I ask you what's the most magical mech out of the following games? James Bond 60th, Foo Fighters, Venom, Godfather, Elton John, Galactic Tank Force, Pulp Fiction, Labyrinth, Looney Tunes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Centaur. Now you could argue this is also, I would say, one of the weakest years and weakest lineups in pinball in a long time. We won't even go down that road, right? For this much money, these are the themes we're getting in pinball in 2023. Now some of them are cool. Pulp Fiction is like over the top cool. But some of them, mmm, you know, Godfather, Elton John, are these really the themes people want? We are Gaudianane organziasi from booster teams defensive communications geben Ovita, Señor Del Toro, CEbedn Tim worm, 잘낷� shipsť, ry sazhu, g Shouto the 2009 Hey, guys. Welcome to another episode of the Foo Fighters. I'm your host, James Bond. And today, I'm going to be talking about some of the things that we think are sort of like, all right, like, if you're going to look at each of these games and point out the magical mech, the thing that does something that makes you say, wow, we've got the odd job hat in James Bond's 60th, the Foo Fighter alien, it has the post, it has the magnet inside that shakes the ball around, it locks the ball, and then you knock the ball out of that area. And then we've got something simple in Foo Fighters, the overdrive post, right? The Deadsafe post that pops up and saves the ball and puts it back into play when it about to drain One of the most simple things in all of pinball but boy does it create a wow moment and is this where we at right Just a single post that pops up but it put in a very very creative space Crazy right Then maybe something as simple as this could be the most magical mechanism in all of pinball in the year in which pinball was the most expensive it ever been intrac stumble conect bulky video accessory that maybe sometimes in life less is more One magical bite of a piece of uni is better than a cheesesteak that gonna make you feel horrible afterwards All right, we go to Godfather. The Godfather, man, this game, when you think about this game and you're like, where are the magical mechs in Godfather? You might as well fall over backwards and play dead because you're not gonna find any. But the one that we would have to call out is the gangster in the back up the center of the game. It's a spinning disc in there and then you've got the gangster on top with his Tommy gun. Doesn't really do anything magical though. I've played this game a bunch like that shot is not that satisfying. It's not that rewarding. And maybe you could argue that it's the Tommy gun going with the knockers on the topper and the sound of like the machine gun magical mech. I don't know. Recently released the Elton John piano that locks the balls. It's got all those LED lights on it. It's got little Elton John playing the piano. And I played this game a lot when I went to Automated Amusements. And while that piano is cool, here's where I think this piano mechanism like missed the mark because it's always just going. And it doesn't interact with you, the player. And here's where I think Jersey Jack missed a golden opportunity to make this mech more than just the mech it is, right? Which is just the ball lock and Elton just playing the songs. I get that his hands are mimicking the song that's playing, but there's no real interactivity between the player and that mech that's that satisfying. It's just kind of going on and you don't really notice it. Here's where they could have taken this mech to a supernal level. Imagine if there was a mode in this game that was just called Make a Request. This little animatronic Out with a The Next song you would like to hear and then it's like a beautiful mode where he's playing that song Just for you as if you requested it of Elton himself And then you need to sync up like the song with that mode It would be like a there and back again mode in the Lord of the Rings It would be magical, you know And also just making it so like you feel like that little Elton is talking to you The way Smaug talks to you in The Hobbit Pinball Machine. And they didn't do anything like that. Like he's just moving back and forth but they really should have made it seem like he's talking to you. Kinda like those old toys when we were kids like the game show host toy where you really felt like that animatronic little toy was actually speaking to you. And I think they missed a golden opportunity to do that. So as it is right now with the LED lights and the ball lock, is it a magical mechanism? I don't know. Then we get to Pulp Fiction. You know, there's the hamburger which is not really a mech. There's the pawn shop in Pulp Fiction which is some drop targets. Nothing truly magical. I would argue the most magical mechanism in the game. It doesn't really interact with the ball but it's the suitcase that turns around, opens up and has that shining golden light come out of it.ve put at APV or And we're off the hook at게magazines.com for the C improved Conenee Speedbook. Part the mechanisms that really are designed to create the surprise and delight are all those hidden goblins that pop up. But those two don't interact with the ball. You know, they're meant to happen when certain things are going on with the code or the gameplay, but they don't get triggered by a kinetic ball thing. But when I watch someone playing the labyrinth, I'm not like, wow, look at that toy. All right, then we get to Galactic Tang Forest and we've got a cow that is hanging from a piece of string that moves logik's bedroom to alleged The game is just a falling knife in terms of value, but Venom actually has some mechs in it. I mean, I actually give Brian Eddy credit for putting some mechanical stuff in the game. It's got the Carnage mech that's got the Newton ball that keeps pushing Carnage up the playfield. Like that's pretty neat. Is it magical? Does it create a wow moment? I don't know about that. Probably the coolest mech in the game is the Venom 180 ramp. It's very functional. It's a ramp that can rotate three different ways. It like goes from opening up so the ball can go through it. It then can rotate down and become a target. It then can rotate down again and become like this horseshoe ramp that puts the ball into a wire form. At least they tried. There's some actual engineering going on with that and the ball interacts with it and it's pretty cool because it changes throughout the game depending on the different Venoms and Symbiotes you occupy. And then we've got that Venom doppelganger that swings out with the three targets hanging from them. A little clunky looking. I always say it looks like Venom's Spider-Man's got three USB sticks hanging from his butt. Not really sure that creates a wow moment. And so that's pretty much it, people. There's nothing else. Out of everything I just mentioned, I don't consider any of these to be like wow magical mechs or something really cool where like wow did you see the ball do that Other than Jack Danger overdrive post And I fully mean that Like that is the most wow thing in pinball when pinball has been the most expensive it ever been But then we got two new games to the mix We just saw two new games from Spooky Pinball a company I rag on for years for having no mechanical magic in their games for having no toys in their games that do something cool For not having that moment where you say, hey, did you see what the ball did just there? And look, I'm not saying spooky pinball just engineered something crazy like a Godzilla building or a T-Rex or a freaking Doctor Who or ringmaster sort of mechanism, but they've got a few cool things happening in this game That I can't say I see in other people's machines I mean there are cooler mechanisms in freaking spooky pinballs gamesMoon Dr. George sido kontrol the I'm not sure if that's a celebration of spooky, or if it's just a celebration of the I think that's a celebration of spooky or if it's an indictment of how sad the current state of pinball mechanical engineering is. And I think Jaws is going to change that, but as I keep saying, we can't rely only on Keith Elwin to do magical things in pinball if pinball prices are going to be this high. And I think Jersey Jack should be a little bit ashamed that Elton John and Godfather are so damn empty. And I think Stern Pinball hasn't had anything really magical mechanically since Godzilla, so we're waiting again for Keith Elwin. American Pinball had more mechanical magic in Houdini and Oktoberfest than it has in any of its games since then. Barrels of Fun is brand new to the game, so I'm going to cut them some slack, but they need to get to the mechanical creativity drawing board. You're not going to be able to make stuff like the fifth element and just use off-the-shelf parts. You're gonna have to start engineering some toys to really bring these themes to life. And this is why I'm excited for Dutch Pinball making back to the future because when you look at the big Lebowski, that company understands the importance of mechanically magical toys in a game. They brought a lot of it to the pinball world 10 years ago and that's the other part that makes me like so confused. How could a company do it 10 years ago? An entire decade has gone by and we've got like 12 pinball companies now and nobody after an entire year of making games, nobody when you close your eyes and you say, what was the most magical mech you saw last year? Nothing comes to mind. That's a problem people. And look, this is not a negative podcast. You know, all these people that try to indict me for pointing this stuff out. We know We need to point this stuff out. We need to be saying to these companies, if you want to charge us this money, then hire some more mechanical engineers. And you know what they've done instead? They hired software people. They've hired artists. They don't want to put mechanically complex wow toys into the games because it takes money, it takes effort, and the things might break down. Form наб время 신대 motivo dinero 아녀데을 통�LAN사로 더饴 Ved crave톱 � Ontajg이에 simples �ห admits자 시avian bout여보기 sincer기체 아 I more We are not going to be spending this much money if the creative effort is not put into these games and if the themes are not themes we want. I mean, gosh, I didn't even go over like this can't be the best we come up with when pinball is the most expensive it's ever been. Thank you for the support. We'll talk to you later. Kaneda out. Take me to the magic of the moment on a glory night We're the children of tomorrow, dreaming we're in the wind of change When you look at it from up here, you get an appreciation of our world is a beautiful place and we do need to take care of it.