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SDTM Ep 109: Stranger Things Pinball Review (Stern Pinball, 2019)

Straight Down the Middle·video·1h 8m·analyzed·May 31, 2020
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

SDTM reviews Stranger Things Pinball: strong shots/rules, weak art, praises Vinacore's dedication.

Summary

Hosts Chuck Work and Greg Bone review Stern Pinball's Stranger Things (2019), designed by Brian Eddy with code by Lonnie Ropp and Mike Vinacore. They praise the game's shot flow and brutality (A-/B+ on layout, A- on rules) but criticize the artwork as vague and washed out. The episode highlights the game's unique features including UV lighting, projection mapping, and Demogorgon toy mechanics, while discussing production editions (Pro/Premium/LE) and personal ownership experiences.

Key Claims

  • Stranger Things was designed by Brian Eddy, marking his return to pinball after 20+ years

    high confidence · Hosts confirm this and reference Eddy's legendary prior work (Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, The Shadow)

  • Mike Vinacore co-led code development alongside Lonnie Ropp as a collaborative effort

    high confidence · Hosts describe it as 'pitched as a real equal collaboration' between Ropp and Vinacore

  • Game was released end of 2019 for Pro Edition, with Premium Edition in February-ish 2020, then Limited Edition

    high confidence · Host explicitly states timeline and notes 'coronavirus' disrupted rollout

  • The left orbit shot with spinner is one of the two best shots Stern has released in a couple years

    high confidence · Chuck Work: 'There's two shots in particular in Stranger Things pinball that are better than most anything shot wise...we've seen from Stern pinball in a couple years'

  • The mystery shot is the worst shot on the machine because it locks every time with no flow

    high confidence · Greg Bone: 'That's the worst shot in the game it is and it's a bad one it's a bad shot'

  • Game comes in three editions: Pro (Season 1 art), Premium (Season 2 art), and Limited Edition (Upside Down art)

    high confidence · Hosts discuss cabinet art differences between editions during layout overview

  • There were design issues with the Demogorgon mouth shot that required adjustments after factory release

    high confidence · Chuck Work: 'After you took a whole month of trying to adjust your machine to accept balls in there, then it might be a little frustrating...there were some design issues'

  • The game's artwork was done by hand but lacks detail compared to artists like Jeremy Packer or Johnny Pinball

    medium confidence · Greg Bone criticizes artwork as 'very vague' and 'like a fucking Monet painting' - detailed up close, vague from distance

Notable Quotes

  • “The weird thing about this game is there are a few shots that just suck. They're just terrible. They're not fulfilling. No. But there are a few shots that are so fantastic. Make up for it.”

    Greg Bone@ 22:04 — Summarizes the game's polarizing shot design philosophy

  • “There's two shots in particular in Stranger Things pinball that are better than most anything shot wise and satisfaction wise we've seen from Stern pinball in a couple years”

    Chuck Work@ 23:11 — Strong praise for specific game mechanics, identifies standout design elements

  • “It's like a fucking Monet painting or something. It's just like it looks okay from far away but you get up close and you're like yeah I don't know what's going on here.”

    Greg Bone@ 18:34 — Detailed criticism of artwork quality and visual detail work

  • “Mike Vinacore is a passionate human being about what he does. You have a lot of love for Vinny after this. Beyond. Beyond. All the respect.”

    Chuck Work@ 29:12 — Personal endorsement of developer dedication and quality of work

  • “There's not another game that shoots like this. No. There's not. At all. It feels so completely different from anything you can buy.”

    Chuck Work@ 30:17 — Establishes game's unique mechanical identity in market

  • “I gained a level of respect for at least a few of their employees about the dedication and how much they care about the games that they're producing and the problems that arise in pinball.”

    Chuck Work — Reflects on industry challenges and manufacturer accountability

Entities

Brian EddypersonMike VinacorepersonLonnie RopppersonChuck WorkpersonGreg BonepersonZach SharpepersonStern PinballcompanyStranger Things Pinballgame

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Game release timeline disrupted by COVID-19; Pro Edition released end of 2019, Premium in February-ish 2020, Limited Edition followed, then 'coronavirus...it just all went to hell in a handbasket'

    high · Host: 'Then came coronavirus. Then it just all went to hell in a handbasket.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Hosts directly addressing community criticism of shot design and gameplay, defending game's merits against skeptics

    high · Greg Bone: 'People don't [like the shots]...they called me shills and everything else. You even get lumped in now.' Chuck Work engages with criticism directly throughout review

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Community has mixed opinion on shots and layout; hosts argue positively against common criticism that game doesn't shoot well, stating two specific shots are among Stern's best in years

    high · Chuck Work: 'People don't [like the way this game shoots]...Yes. And I will argue.' Greg Bone acknowledges 'People don't' agree but defends the game's shot quality

  • ?

    community_signal: Hosts emphasize learning about manufacturing complexity and unforeseen production issues at Stern, gaining respect for employee dedication despite consumer perception of large manufacturer oversight

    medium · Chuck Work: 'I had some insight on about what these manufacturers think...there can be unforeseen issues and things that arise even for Stern. Out of everybody's control. Yeah, out of everybody. Because it's pinball.'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Stranger Things compared to Star Wars Pinball as most similar recent release; hosts note Stranger Things more 'brutal' and faster than Star Wars which is 'more floaty'

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.206

0:00
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.
0:28
Let's kick this shit. Turn around, look at what you see In her face, the mirror of your dreams Misbelieve I'm everywhere, given in the light Written on the pages is the answer to a never ending story Reach the stars, fly a fantasy Dream a dream, and what you see will be Run against their sacred wheel A boat behind the clouds And there upon a rainbow is The answer to our never-ending story Story
1:59
This episode of Straight Down the Middle is brought to you by Miller Lite. Miller Lite, a half-warm beer and the taste is good enough. Miller Lite. This is your choice of beer, isn't it? That's a pretty damn accurate description. It's not sponsored by me. It's not my choice of beer.
2:18
My choice of beer. What is your choice of beer? One of my favorite beers is Estella. I love Estella Artois. Oh, no. The Estella again. Yeah, but I have to, like, drink too much. to i gotta have sell us too expensive how's it going everybody we're in episode 10 something i think it's 109 hundreds we're in hundreds 109 and we are reviewing a pinball machine for you fine men and women out there what are we reviewing today greg do you know stranger things stranger things have happened on this show but they have where is miss bone at oh i was watching back and I remember her, like, kissing my neck. Oh, that missed. I don't know which Moan you're talking about. Too many ladies in my life. People probably think I'm referring to your wife, and that would be awkward. No, I'm talking about the beautiful and voluptuous Greg Bones mom. A mirror, a $100 bill, and a nosebleed. Oh, my God. Hell, yes.

  • Code revision was at .92 at time of review (hosts reviewed based on .9 code)

    medium confidence · Chuck Work mentions code version during rules discussion

  • Chuck Work gained increased respect for Stern employees, particularly Mike Vinacore, after learning about behind-the-scenes challenges in production

    high confidence · Chuck Work: 'After this game, I have a lot of respect for Sam Stern' and praises Vinacore specifically for caring about his work

    • @ 28:20

  • “I'm at a C+...the cabinet aren't on the side when you really get close to it”

    Greg Bone@ 17:35 — Critical assessment of cabinet art quality

  • “I very much miss the shots. I miss the feel because it has...a very particular feel and shot style to it.”

    Greg Bone@ 6:52 — Indicates strong mechanical appeal despite earlier sale decision

    • Jeremy Packer
    person
    Johnny Pinballperson
    Stumbler Modscompany
    Pin Stadium Lightscompany
    Sam Sternperson
    Medieval Madnessgame
    Attack from Marsgame
    The Shadowgame
    Star Wars Pinballgame
    Deadpoolgame
    Pirates of the Caribbeangame
    Netflixcompany

    medium · Chuck Work: 'The most similar I can think of was like Star Wars...Star Wars is a little more floaty. This is just...I don't know. It's brutal. I love how brutal it is.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Brian Eddy's design philosophy favors 'chump shots' - challenging, non-gimme shots that don't always feed cleanly (Demogorgon mouth mechanic similar to Castle in Medieval Madness, UFO in Attack from Mars)

    high · Chuck Work: 'That is a shot. That is part of the layout where you get that main bash loot toy that Brian Eddy very much likes to do...I find that satisfying. A lot of people don't like that shot.'

  • $

    market_signal: Greg Bone previously owned Premium Edition, sold it due to market concerns about losing money, indicating secondary market volatility for this title

    medium · Host: 'You got rid of it because you were worried about the market falling out and losing money. Do you miss it?' Greg responds affirmatively

  • ?

    community_signal: Increased respect for Mike Vinacore after learning about behind-the-scenes dedication to Stranger Things development

    high · Chuck Work: 'Mike Vinacore is a passionate human being...You have a lot of love for Vinny after this. Beyond. Beyond. All the respect.'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Three distinct editions with different artwork themes: Pro (Season 1), Premium (Season 2), Limited Edition (Upside Down); hosts indicate Premium as most visually cohesive

    high · Greg Bone: 'I like the Premium Edition side art...Premium Edition focuses on season two artwork...Pro Edition focuses on season one. Yes. And the Limited Edition focuses on the upside down'

  • ?

    product_concern: Design issues with Demogorgon mouth shot required post-release adjustments; factory testing may have been insufficient

    high · Chuck Work: 'After you took a whole month of trying to adjust your machine to accept balls in there...there were some design issues' and 'I think that's what turned a lot of people against this game'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: The 'Stranger Things effect' - game initially received poor reception for layout but appreciation has grown over time; hosts now defend it against community criticism

    high · Greg Bone initially sold his machine due to market concerns but now 'very much misses it' after 2-month hiatus; both hosts give A-/B+ scores despite community skepticism

  • ?

    technology_signal: Stranger Things features novel technology including UV lighting kit (Stern official product), projection mapping, and Demogorgon telekinesis ball lock mechanism described as 'never been seen or done before in pinball'

    high · Hosts reference 'toys and technology that's never been seen or done before in pinball' and mention official Stern UV kit available at sternpinball.com

    • 3:14
    Just like 11. Oh, man. At this point, Cern Pinball has tuned off. They're like, well, they did review our game. There's been worse things. They talked about alcoholism. They talked about cocaine. And then, yeah. Okay. Projected during. So we are reviewing Stranger Things Pinball Machine by Stern Pinball.
    3:34
    Finally! Yeah, released in 2000 and technically 19. Yes. End of 2019. Most of the pros got rolling out in 2020. Then came the LEs at the end of the month. And then came the premiums in February-ish. to February and then came coronavirus.
    3:54
    Then it just all went to hell in a handbasket. For those of you who are worried about social distancing, there's no worry because Greg and I are actually green screening right now and I'm at my home and Greg is at his home.
    4:07
    Boom. So how about it? Look at this technology. It's almost like you're right here. Zach is an editing master. I can almost smell you.
    4:16
    Like grass clippings. Bad decisions. Grass clippings and peroxide for some reason. He got a cut? Fresh wound? Yeah. We're going to review this game. It was designed. Let's do it. I love quizzing Greg. Who was Stranger Things designed by? Brian Eddy. Very nicely done. And why is that significant? What's so significant about Brian Eddy? Because Brian Eddy's been on hiatus. Brian Eddy's been doing other things other than pinball. Don't know why, Brian. Where you been at? Brian, how you doing? Brian might have been drinking somewhere. We don't know where Brian was. but was that brian no it wasn't yeah shut up more of a smoker but he created like three of the greatest pinball machines in existence so that's a huge uh it's a huge ordeal damn you know i love more than brian eddie though that worked on this pin mike vinicore mike vinicore helped with the code on this we know this is the lani rob code set with almost it felt like it was pitched to us as the public as a collaboration a real equal collaboration between Lonnie Ropp Mike Vinicore who is always kind of helping with code but more so kind of a push to a lead uh and Brian Eddy yes we know that Brian Eddy back in the Valley Williams days was also by trade I think he's a an IT like a coder yeah a programmer That's what I heard. So, we got that big team. Art.
    5:47
    I don't know who did art. Really? But I don't like it. We'll get into that. So, the artist is right on your screen there. Because I don't know either.
    5:57
    Sorry, artist. So, you have owned. I always hate ripping on anybody. We're having fun. But you got to make a name for yourself. We're having fun. You have to do it. It's paying your dues. No, believe me. People don't feel that way whenever I talk to them. No, they don't.
    6:14
    I can get away with it a little bit. I'm already out. Are you really? Yeah, you stole my number three. You don't even have room on that table anymore for any more cans. It's a humidifier. Well. If I called it a table. It was behind the sit for effect. But it's even more real than it is a humidifier. It's even more white trashy. It is. So we're going to review this game. You've owned the Pro for a couple months. I did. You got rid of it because you were worried about the market falling out and losing money. Do you miss it? Do you want it again? Are you glad it's gone? What's the deal? We discussed that. You know we discussed that. I know it's for a fact. Come on, man. You're an actor. We discussed it. Yeah, actually, I'm to the point that I very much miss the shots. I miss the feel because it has, and we'll go into this, it has a very particular feel and shot style to it. I am a particular sort of machine. I will find you and will make you addicted. it sort of does feel like that try shitting on me I actually I 100% miss it because I played it's like most pins you play the fuck out of them honeymoon yes but we both enjoyed it I still own my LE from day one yes and I was just ready to move on I just wife's wanting a new car a bunch of other stuff and I played the hell out because it was the only pin I was playing I literally never touched another pin when I had that in my house but I am very much what am I on maybe a two month hiatus from it. Yep. And I, I missed the feel of it. And now I think that says something when you miss a feel, the feel. I do that with star Wars, uh, premium. Yeah. Now I had, I opened up an Ellie and you guys got to see my unboxing of an Ellie before I did. Fantastic. Because I was blindfolded. So if you guys haven't seen that, go back into the STTM archives and watch me open up an unbox, a brand new $9,000 pinball machine blindfolded. That was a lot of fun. We are going to rate today. We're actually going to rate the premium LE version of this game. It has some features in it that are very unique and a first time in pinball. So we're going to focus on the premium LE. And you've played plenty of my LE. Have you seen a premium in the wild? Yeah, played one at Expo. Right before all this happened. Oh, Louisville. Yeah, Louisville Electroball. You brought a bunch. That's right, I did. So we're going to do that. Let's do that now, but before that, we need to shift it over to an overview of the layout of some of the rules so that these people know what the hell we're talking about. Best part of the game.
    8:49
    Feast your eyes on Stranger Things Pinball. Developed at the end of 2019, this is one of Stern Pinball's latest offerings. It comes in three models, the Pro model, the Premium model, and as seen here, the Limited Edition model. Now this thing is loaded and packed with some of your favorite moments from the Netflix series, as well as toys and technology that's never been seen or done before in pinball. Let's take a closer look to see what makes this game so special. As we typically do, we're going to go left and right, up and down this play field, but first we're going to pay attention to the bottom third of this pinball machine. You're going to see an in-lane and out-lane on each side. Very typical, very standard here. On the left, you can light what's called a spell of protection. That's going to give you a virtual ball save. Otherwise, very typical. Now, on this particular model, you're going to see a couple of modifications that are aftermarket that I've done, namely some of the fluorescent plastic protectors right here, as well as a UV lighting kit that is made by Stern Pinball that you can order right now directly at sternpinball.com. The objective of this game is to reach final showdown. You do so by completing each of these six tasks that surround that final showdown. They include a five-way combo, send it back, demo dog, that's the demo dog modes, demogorgon, that is the demogorgon modes, light the fire, and telekinesis multi-ball. We'll go in depth on that more here in a second, but let's look at the shot patterns and the layout of this game. This game was developed by Brian Eddy. He made his return to pinball for 20 plus years. He was the brainchild behind Medieval Madness Attack from Mars, my personal favorite, The Shadow. And he's returned to Stern Pinball to help develop Stranger Things. As we're looking at the shots here, we have a stand-up target here with a D. As we go around the playfield, we can spell out Demo Dog. Demo Dog are these modes right here. up this path is a kick out just a kick out boom it's right there that's responsible for shots during modes as well as two times scoring so going up you see that e stand up target the left you're going to see that projector see the projector on me the left shot has a spinner what makes this very unique you hit this shot as if it's a typical orbit but it's going to go up and back and safely actually into a ramp on your return to your right flipper. Now you're going to see three inserts right here with bicycles. Essentially you've got to hit this shot three times to start a mode. As we move over here there's a couple more stand-up targets. These are going to light your lock for the telekinesis multi-ball. There's the indicator right there that says lock ball. You're also going to have those three inserts again this time walkie talkies. The left side of the play field identifies season one of Stranger Things. The right side is season two. So this is going to start a season one mode as soon as you complete those three shots. As we're shifting over once more, you're going to have a little alley shot that goes back there and hits a stand up target, then trickles out from under the left ramp and safely back to the left flipper. This shot is responsible again, anytime you see these arrows, These are mode shots, so when they're lit during that mode, that's going to award you one complete shot during that said mode. It's also responsible for your mystery, demo dog attack, and achieving and receiving your extra ball.
    12:29
    As we take a look up the middle of the machine, there's going to be four drop targets right here. Or knock down two. But you're going to have four drop targets, each with its own insert indicator. And then there's the M and O for demo dog right back there. and there's also a saucer right in the back that again kicks the ball safely under that left ramp and back to your left flipper. Now you see this stack of inserts here. These are your demogorgon modes. You start out with bust out. Trap them. What's that? Run well. Can't stop this. I don't know if it goes like that. You progressively go down. They get more and more difficult. for bust out you hit the drop targets down once you hit it in the back this ramp will fold down exposing the demogorgon you need to hit the demogorgon a certain amount of times to defeat him or hit him once right into the mouth i don't know if i can see that now there he is look at him so get him right in there it's going to go down under your left ramp and out safely but this can be a mean shot. You're taking, this is kind of like your chump shot, your UFO in Attack from Mars, your castle in Medieval Madness. So be careful whenever you're either hitting this, because they can come right back down at you, or whenever you are hitting the drop targets. This path right here, one of the most satisfying shots along with that left orbit. This right inner orb is what we'll call it, is responsible for mode shots as well as burn it back burn it back are those demo dog modes it goes cleanly around as an orbit should right back through the the entrance of the left orbit so it's a very fast and sometimes repeatable shot and i'll remind you viewer that this is a modification right here i think it's from measle mods it's the 20 side dungeons and dragons die with the demogorgon dungeons and dragons card on Alright, as we're looking this way, right ramp shot, very typical right ramp shot. Again, three inserts for a season two mode. You light all three of them, start that mode. Right orbit-ish shot has the slingshot. Same thing, you hit it three times, you'll start a season two mode. Now this path will go all the way up, hit some pop bumpers back here, and then it will come back down.
    14:53
    Now there's a stand-up target right here that ends that demo dog with the G. these two stand up targets are part of that demo dog then you'll see here the inserts all have names on them those are the names of the modes what mama says is one of my favorites again one of the objects of the game is to get to the final showdown and you get to light all these what you're going to do, you're going to start this game up you've got a couple of options you can go for your locks if you want to start that telekinesis multiball or you can try to work your way towards these different modes or you can go for the drop targets and try to defeat all the demogorgon modes so you can stack these as well you can get a mode running then get that multi-ball going then maybe get a demo dog going there's a lot of possibilities in this game it is a pretty tough shooter it is very fast the ball is flying around everywhere what I like to do is try to get modes going, stack them with that telekinesis multiball. Now here's the thing. The first wizard mode, the mini wizard mode, is achieved by completing each of these modes. There's four of them. So one, two, three, four. You complete all four modes. You don't have to complete them. Just get through them from start to finish, and you will light this for total isolation mini wizard mode. Once this game then returns to normal functioning after the first mini wizard mode, your second mini wizard mode starts after you complete them all again. Another four modes. Once that's done, you'll get to the second part of total isolation.
    16:38
    Upon completion then, you've got a final season one mode on the left side here, starting by one of these modes, and a final season two mode. To my understanding, there are many wizard modes in each of those seasons. And then once you complete those many wizard modes, then you got the ultimate wizard mode. Good luck. All right, nicely done, Zach. So I cracked open my second Miller Lite. And it's a cold one. This one is cold. Fresh out the freezer. It is. Fresh out the freezer. Thank you All right let talk about this game Gregory Let start with art as we typically do Now on art let me pull up my Oh mean Greg Bone Everybody says you're Mr. B-Man, not on this game. Tell them where you're at there. I'm at a C+. You are at a C+. Uh, maybe... It's just not that good, so I'm going to tell you. So, I think everything is fairly cohesive. It's dark. It's illustrated by hand, not good enough for Greg Bone. It's pretty good, but the cabinet aren't on the side when you really get close to it. What are we talking about? Premium Ellie, what's your favorite? Do you like the Pro? I don't mind. It depends. I don't mind. I like the arcade side. What's that on? Premium? On the side art? Yes. I like the premium side art. I actually kind of like the premium. The Pro's got the van. Premium is probably my favorite. Okay. Backglass included. Mm-hmm. But it's just... Premium focuses on season two artwork. Yeah. Pro focuses on season one. Yeah. And the Ellie focuses on the upside down. Yes. Okay. I don't really like the upside down you do? I know you do it's not great but none of it's great when you get up close when you look at somebody like zombie yeti the detail is there even honestly I hate to say it fucking Johnny crap did a better job you know how I feel about Johnny crap Johnny at least had some detail when you get up close to people it's just very vague. It's like a fucking Monet painting or something. It's just like it looks okay from far away but you get up close and you're like yeah I don't know what's going on here. Yeah I don't know what this guy did. I can't tell. So you heard it here. The Stranger Things art is like a Monet. But the play field is okay. I kind of like the way the play field is. Backglass That's my least favorite. Really. I think it's cohesive. There's just not a lot going on but it's feeling. Backglass washed out looking. I don't know why and I'm blaming that on the artist i'm not blaming on star i'm gonna blame it on the artist there's something that just feels we yeah dampened about it doesn't it this is the same artist that did help i believe with game of thrones which wasn't people didn't love that yeah um i think he helped with richie some of the richie stuff um i'm sorry i'm going blank but i'm at a i think i'm at a b maybe a b plus let's see here i'm gonna be i don't think it's great i don't think it's horrible it's done by hand yeah the colors pop colors do pop so i'm good with it except for the back glass it does a lot of reds and purples and yeah but it's washed out looking i even tried to turn my light down enough i think it's washed out because it is more of your photo photo realism like no no and it's actual humans so the flesh tones and stuff rather than your deadpool you know comic book i know but you take something guardian i'm trying here greg you take anything it's not there it's not there it's good it's like lord of the rings it's good enough that's why i'm going to be if anything in the middle of the play field because they're it's a dark game yeah it is because of that projection mapping so the middle of the play field that's where i'm like ah like pixely kind of thing i'm not as wild yeah about that but i like the side art cabinet i like the back glass um maybe it's just because i'm so used to the le with that mirror back glass yeah that does kind of pop yeah that might be see i haven't seen that it's a b it's a b for me okay boy i think it's fair i think it's fair we're always fair take it we are fair fair small folks speaking of fair let's talk about shots and layout people might not agree with us here no they won't But do you like the way this game shoots? Stranger Things, pinball. I do. I do as well. I do. You know, it's like a... People don't. No, they're... Yeah. Yes. And I will argue. And I argue, and they called me shills and everything else. You even get lumped in now. Sorry, buddy. Yeah, I am. I'm not a shill when I try to sell my game. Like, but it does shoot meat. Like, it's just meat. It's just shilly nonsense right here. Shilly nonsense. Look what he drinks. He, like, counts it every five minutes. He's like, I got a beer, guys! It's probably the fourth one in the whole year. He's like that high school. It's nasty. High schooler. So gross. Go ahead. Shots and layup. All right. Yeah.
    21:27
    I think it's fantastic. So there's two shots. This is my. Remember when you did it in the can, put your little weed in there?
    21:34
    Yes, you poked the holes. Yes, I do. Hell yes. 100%. Oh, my God. Bill Billy Hoosier's the best. I know. We're like, oh, my God. Okay, go ahead. That's amazing. You know who taught me that? That's really sad. Oh, it's even more sad.
    21:53
    Let CPS not take you away. Because we live in Indiana. Oh, no joke. But back to Shots and Land. I think we both will agree with this. The weird thing about this game is there are a few shots that just suck. They're just terrible. They're not fulfilling. No. But there are a few shots that are so fantastic. Make up for it. That make up for it. Yeah. And this is one of the flowiest, most combo-ridden games ever. Like, you know, everyone always, I feel that, like, one of the staples of combo games is, like, Star Trek and Demoman. Yep. I don't think those hold a key to this game.
    22:33
    Okay. Because of the speed. Demoman does not have the speed that this game does. I don't even know if Star Trek holds a key to this speed-wise mixed with the flow. where are you at? Star Trek has more speed on the orbit. Yeah. This doesn't have an orbit. No, but that, that left shot left or the ramp is phenomenal. It's so simple, but my God, you hear it. So good. You hear it. It rattles. Think about trying to think about the last stern that I thought had some of the, some of the shots in stranger things. Uh, I'll try to say in a different way. There's two shots in particular in stranger things, pinball that are better than most anything shot wise and satisfaction wise we've seen from stern pinball in a couple years probably for me yeah there are some very dissatisfying shots yes the shot uh the mystery shot yes where you hit and it just hits the stand-up target and then trickles out the left yes that's a bummer because it locks it every time it's a bummer there's no flow there it's a stop um i don't it would make it a little better if it didn't lock it every time where would it go i mean at least let it just like don't stop it with that diverter yeah yeah yeah at least that would add a little bit and stop it when it needs to but the fact that it stops it every single time is a killer back to the good though that's the worst shot in the game it is and it's a bad one it's a bad shot i've almost thought about like what can i do to redesign it to go back up 180 onto that ramp or something yes something there but that left orbit makes even more sense and feels even better because it's got a fucking spinner on it yeah and that spinner sound you and you hear it and you can repeat it you can keep going but it hangs on that back metal yeah here yeah like i don't even know how to explain it's like the it's like the premium version on uh deadpool yeah how you can just keep going oh whisper nothing so satisfying and the inner orbit on the right the right inner orbit yeah um uh the demodog shot yes how it goes in and comes back out and you can keep on super quick very fast yeah even left ramp is very like the what is it the bring bring back bring it back yeah bring it back so those two shots in particular make this thing a fast flowy beast yes the right ramp is hard to hit it is but if you if you get that shot that's where a lot of your flow comes in too if you get that right ramp shot but it is not a given shot that's tough no it's it feels like an aerosmith right ramp shot or a iron maiden right ramp shot where you're just like every time it leaves the flipper you don't know you don't know if it's it's not a given it's Not a given, no. You're just hoping. Then you have the right non-orbit shot. It feels like Opposite of Pirates of the Caribbean by Eric Menier and Jersey Jack. Where you go left up in the Dead Man's Triangle or the Devil's Triangle. Where it just goes up and it comes back down. Yeah. Except it's less satisfying than that. But it's not. It goes up, you hit your pop bumpers to build up, I was going to say Groot. What's his name? the little Dusty's little guy that he's building up. What's his name? Oh, the, oh my God, if you wouldn't have said it. No. Tart? Tart. Dart. I was going to say Tarkington. Grand Tarkington. Minnesota Vikings.
    26:02
    That's a good reference. Dart. That's obscure as fuck. That is so obscure. I don't know why I know the Minnesota Vikings. No one will know that. That is obscure. You did. Yeah, but that's. Dart. That's where my brain is. Dart. But it's not the most horrendous thing. It's just odd. It's not. It's just odd. Yeah. I like the drops in the middle. They're bastards, but I like them. I do, too. I like those. Well, because you can come at them different ways. It makes you think. The drops in the middle make you think. Okay, how do I hit them? How do I attack them? Then do I go up the shot to drop, you know, up the middle to drop the rest of them? It makes you, you have to contemplate because they are so brutal that it causes a lot of thinking going up there. Oh.
    26:44
    Does that mean you made a home sale? It does not. It means I'm being bothered. And then we've got to talk about it. Part of it is a mech that the ramp comes down. Yes. But that is a shot. That is part of the layout where you get that main bash toy that Brian Eddy very much likes to do, like he did on Medieval Madness Castle. And like he did on the UFO and Attack from Mars. I find that satisfying. A lot of people don't like that shot. I really like it because it's not a gimme. You're not hitting it into the Demogorgon's mouth every time. Now, after you took a whole month of trying to adjust your pro to accept balls in his mouth, then it might be a little frustrating. No, but even once everything was worked out with it, which there were some issues, there were some design issues, and I think that that's what turned a lot of people against this game. Some of the design. Were some of the problems. The adjustments that need to be made. Yeah, but, and we'll go into this later, there were things that happened. I give it stern. After this game, I have a lot of respect for Stern. Why is that? And we can go into that maybe later. Just because I... It's not a popular opinion. I felt that there was some behind-the-scenes things that I can't really disclose or talk about. But I had a lot of inner workings. You make it sound like a controversy. No, really, what a controversy. But I learned how much their employees care about the games and the things that they do and the problems that can arise that we as consumers take for granted that we look at and we go, well, how did Stern fuck that up? How did they leave the factory like that? Yeah, how did they leave the factory like that? How did they not have enough testing, all this? I gained a level of respect for at least a few of their employees about the dedication and how much they care about the games that they're producing and the problems that arise in pinball. Even for a manufacturer, when everybody says pinball is hard, everybody says that. Everybody talks about that. But you take for granted. Oh, Stern's made pinball forever. Stern is the leader in pinball. Spending this much money, you shouldn't have to. Yeah, exactly. They can't make mistakes. But you find out that there can be unforeseen issues and things that arise even for Stern. Out of everybody's control. Yeah, out of everybody. Because it's pinball. And it's so difficult. Why don't you, do you have a name or two that you would like to at least say that really loves and cares about the things that they help create? I don't know if I want to leave anybody out when I say somebody. Just in particular, somebody that you know. Brian is fantastic, but Mike Vinacore is a passionate human being about what he does. You have a lot of love for Vinny after this. Beyond. All the respect. Yeah, very much so. That dude cares about his job, and he cares about what he is putting in your homes or in your venues. Cheers to that. Yeah, and I would have known. Oh, sorry. Cheers. You're about out again.
    29:42
    This is the Mike Vinacore. But, I mean, I think the dude is deserving because, you know, there's times that we're harsh on Stern. I think there's times on any manufacturer. And it was just a very thing that I had some insight on about what these manufacturers think. It's a good experience for you at the end of the day. Oh, very much so. Very much so. So, on shots and layout, you're at a B+. I'm at an A-. Yeah. because sure there is a shot or two that I don't like but the shots that I do like, you were alluding to it earlier you're missing those shots. I love the brutality of this game. There's not another game that shoots like this. No. There's not. There really isn't. At all. It feels so completely different from anything you can buy.
    30:26
    That's what brings me back. The most similar I can think of was like Star Wars. Yes. That's about as similar as I can compare it to. Very much so. But it's still the plastic ramps.
    30:43
    I know these are plastic. It still just... I don't know. It's brutal. I love how brutal it is. Yes. It's more brutal. We love brutal games, so that's why... Star Wars is a little more floaty.
    30:56
    This is just... I don't know. That's the same for me. Really? Yeah, that's the same. That's the same. All right. So far, we're doing pretty good. Kind of mixed. Yeah. Rules.
    31:08
    This Lonnie Ropp, he's always a mixed bag with people, with collectors. I 100% agree. Always a mixed bag. But we're both the same grade, and we're both at A-. Before these people could throw anything at us, explain why you're at an A-. I just love it. It reminds me of an old school 90s pin. Okay. It grabs me like my lost world, man. The whole three shots to everything. to start a thing.
    31:35
    I don't know. It's pretty easy to understand. It is. And this is the problem. Hard to master. It is. Yes. And it seems easy. When it comes off, it's like, oh, I just got to hit that ramp three times. I just got to do that. Good luck. Yes, exactly. That's the allure. Because you're plunging into the drop target. So good luck. That's the allure is I think that it seems that there is a simplicity to the code. But it's like you said, you can't master. There's a lot to do on it. Yeah. Even right now, it's at .92. I think it was the newest code revision, and you've not played that. So you're reviewing it based on .9 code, which is good. I like that there's a lot of variety to do. One of my favorite things, and I haven't had this on a pinball machine lately, Greg was talking about each of the four paths to start a mode have three indicators or three inserts that you have to like to start said mode. One of my favorite things is to see how many of those prepped and lit I can get on ball one. there's nothing more satisfying than being like oh I got two on this, two on this, one on this I'm doing okay I really like doing that and the fact that you have to run through everything so you can't hit the left ramp three times go into that and then start all over again you have to complete everything before you go back we get that Brian Eddy that we loved on Medieval Madness and on Attack from Mars where it's not just the modes, it's the modes but then it's all the Demogorgon modes then it's all the hurry up Demodog modes Then you get a five-way combo because Brian Eddy likes that you have to do a five-way combo. And then you've got the multi-ball you've got to do. And then, oh. So I must say, like, when it first came out, the demo dogs were horrendous. Oh, the hurry-up modes? It was terrible because it just ate up the time. Like, you were stuck in that mode. You couldn't progress. Yes. You couldn't do anything. You were just like, can I not time this out? Like, this is just horrible. Like, I'm so close again to total or isolation. Yes. And it was just brutal. Like, you can't hit those targets. No, I don't want to touch anything. Because I know I'm going to drain. One of the best parts is whenever I'm in a multi-ball and a mode, and then I start that, because you have stacking capabilities. Yes. Then I get demo dog mode, and I'm like, thank God. But if you start it first. Oh, you're screwed. Oh, so I'm glad that's fixed. I'm glad it's fixed. They did fix that. And now on the newest code revision, just to update you all at home and you, Greg Bone, .92, there's different, I think there's different parts of that. And there's different, we didn't talk about the upside down. That's one of the coolest parts of this game. It goes into that hurry up, upside down. It's risk-rewarding. Are you really going to tempt yourself to go into the upside down? Because just like the TV show, Greg, there are plenty of reasons why you need to go into the upside down, but it is very dangerous. Be careful going in because you might not come out. And that, that's good broadcasting. But it's a point. It depends on what you going for Are you trying to progress or are you trying for points Because if you trying to progress but if you trying for points it super lucrative But if you get a multi going before you get that going then you just fucking hammer it There's some good strategies. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Hammer it away. But now there's two different levels of upside down. Oh. Yeah?
    34:38
    Oh, and we didn't even talk about the UV light kit yet. Oh, the UV light kit. You know I wasn't impressed by that. I still won't spend the money, personally. Maybe that's why I'm loving that upside down mode. But it was a lot better than what I thought. It was. I'll give it to it. For those of you who are not familiar with the Stranger Things or this mod, embedded into the play field of every Stranger Things, no matter the trim level, is UV reactive paint. And you can only uncover this paint with this mod of UV lighting strips around the whole game. And during the upside down, it makes you feel like that because it's got flakes everywhere on the premium LED, that projection mapping. and then you've got uv lights that make oh shit see see what happens i get two beers and make them projection mapping uh then you get the lights everywhere and then all these vines are everywhere plastics everything and they caught a lot of flack for that but i mean you know your budget's cut whatever happened who knows some people say dude it was it was like if you lift the playfield there's dimples where that board goes yeah oh yeah i bet it was supposed to be there but it is cool I was hesitant it is cool when you see a 9000 on a pinball machine 300 okay it sucks sure but I just don't want to burn my retinas I got a bot yeah you're worried about the UV light rays yeah terrified more terrified than I'm going to live once than COVID why not die from a strange pinball machine I'm not going to die I'm just going to go blind rules were both at A- there's a lot to do and the code is still not done yet I like it and now the modes kind of differentiate remember the heated up where you're trying to max out that thermometer so that Will gets that damn thing out. It doesn't drop anymore, does it? No, you're working your way up to 102. There's some cool modes. That's a lot of cool. Quarter hunt, man. And the shots are different. It takes advantage of the entire play field.
    36:29
    Yeah, you have to shoot the entire play field. It's good. I like that code. Two times scoring to the left saucer.
    36:36
    Toys and innovation. Oh, speaking of, can we go back? Oh, no. We need to go back to shots. We never talked about that saucer. that saucer kind of is lame there's we didn't touch on the shoe no that's how that's how much we forgot about it we literally that's more of like a it's kind of like a saucer or a scoop in a game where you're not aiming for it if it falls in the fall yeah but this is one thing that i do like about it is i feel that game is so fast and so brutal sometimes i just want to get it over there so it gives me like that that split second break yeah exactly i like the chuck wort mod I did the Chuck Wirt mod where usually if it's ejecting out of that scoop it hits a drop target Chuck Wirt showed in a tutorial streaming that he shifts it in a way where when it ejects it goes back into that inner loop so you get credit for another one that would be nice that's nice but yeah that scoop is another one of those things alright toys and innovation remember Greg we are reviewing the premium elite So you get the first time ever done in pinball, a projection mapping device in the apron that projects to certain areas, including the big screen, side ramps, ramps gives you information. It gives you question marks and little flakes of the upside down, stand up targets, drop targets. It can project all kinds of images and interactions within that as well. Telekinesis multiball. It's a telekinesis multiball where it diverts on the ramp onto the back wall, stuck using 11's powers. The giant folding down ramp. Giant folding down ramp. Yep. Right? And three balls can stick on the back wall, Greg. This is where my problem is. What's that? Do you want to hear it? Really? Yeah. Of course. When you say. I'm one with you today. You have a projector and projection mapping. You have magnets that stick on the back. So awesome. You have a gigantic ramp that you shoot inside of a demogorgon's mouth that moves. You're still A minus. Be careful here, okay? What's your point? But listen. So when you say all that, here's my problem. Super innovative.
    38:39
    Amazing. Give it up to Brian. Give it up to the entire team for them trying something new. UV lights? UV lights. Well, that's an add-on. Can I not slide it in there? No, you cannot slide it in there. All right. This is my problem. Yeah. Does any of it feel like it sounds?
    38:57
    To me, no. But I give it up for them for trying because- You got to start somewhere. Yeah, this is where I am, is I'm not going to judge those guys because when I look at films and I look at a film and I'm like, man, that just didn't, like, something's writing, directing's off. Yeah. I go, I know when that I couldn't do better. Yeah. That's my thing, is I think I would look at this, I'd be like, Zach, dude, we do a projector and we put it in this game. Yeah. We have a fucking shot into the Demogorgon's mouth. We're going to sit there and we're going to go, oh my God. Sounds good. Yes. So, I think that they got hyped up. It seemed like a good idea. Just for whatever reason, it just doesn't feel as good as what it sounds. Another thing that's going against it, Greg, is that when the game is turned off, it looks odd. Yeah, white with the projector. People are like, what is going on there? And then you get the game fired up and they're like, holy shit, that's really cool. Yeah. I will say that whenever I have guests over, one of the first things I believe that every pinhead that I've had over said was, oh, that projector is actually nice. Everybody's shitting on it. Oh, yeah. I think it's good. I think it's good, but does it cost... I just don't know if I get the feeling from it. It is nice. It definitely does not deserve the hatred. I know what you're saying. You wish it could be a couple notches up on each of the toys. It's like a tube TV versus a high-def TV, like the progression in technology. But it's good because they started somewhere. You can't start with the most masterful thing. Sometimes it takes... I think they probably learned a lot. Materials, you're going to get a projection mapping. And I'm hoping that it doesn't end. I would like to see this technology progress. I would like to see it utilized in a different function, like maybe more towards the back. I like that idea. Not necessarily the front, like maybe changing stuff in the back. I like that idea. Dude, change it. I think there's room for this technology in pinball. I hope that we get to the point where projection mapping is so sharp and crisp that we can do a play field. we can actually take interactions that looks like the play field is changing think about a basketball court yeah but you're so far removed and it's such a big space like this is so close up now what I would like to see there needed to be more utilization like they would a Halloween or like something in Haunted Mansion I think that they missed out on utilizing more like facial somebody talking or like universal yes I think they missed out on that and stuck to like projecting on the ramps or something. Yeah, then you need mirrors and stuff. No, no you don't. Because you're just projecting on like a mannequin head of a moving mouth and everything. And I think the further you remove that and you put it in the back of the pin and you have some awesome things happening. You need some quality at projecting. It's still got to be quality. But I think that if they would have hit it in the back, you have less room for error. Iron Man talking to you. Yes. Or Star-Lord talking to you. Exactly.
    41:53
    There's still room for this. That's actually really smart. I hope that Stern Pinball continues with it as well. I hope so, too. I love the technology. I love the fact that Stern Pinball, they get dirt kicked on them all the time. Everybody's like, oh, they don't innovate. Oh, they leave them barren. And here they come out with one of the coolest forms of contemporary technology of our time, and they throw it in a pinball machine. Did Jersey Jack do that? No. Did Multimorphic do that? No. Did Chicago Gaming do that? No. It was Stern Pinball that did that. I think it was a huge risk.
    42:26
    Because you make a very good point. Because everyone bitches about that innovation. Take a risk. Yeah, why can't you start to take a risk? Now, it might not have 100% paid off, but they took the risk.
    42:38
    Yeah. As an enthusiast with a game that I enjoy, I give them credit. Yeah. And it does look nice. It really looks nice. Me too. If I had to complain, I'm giving it an A. You're an A- on Toys and Innovation. I'm an A. The damn telekinesis multiball lock. Yeah. it needs rework some out of the box are perfect yeah and i'm envious some are they're in between they can be tweaked they need to be tweaked a couple of my customers have found some they don't work yeah just doesn't work i've heard a few problems so that's frustrating because but they are working on a fix i've been told um and i've been working on a fix as well as well as some of the club members in Pinside. Chuck Wirt is leading the army. That guy, I'm telling you, if I was stern pinball, I would give Chuck Wirt an LE because he becomes a free employee at that point. And he does everything he can to help everybody to fix all of these things. It's fantastic. So I'm in a solid A. I love magnets. Projection mapping is now in pinball. Holy shit. And I'm throwing in the UV because it's embedded into the plane. All right, next category.
    43:51
    Display and animation. Okay, display and animation. Oh, yeah, because I don't know where I'm at. I'll game with that. Okay.
    44:00
    I'll game with that. Display and animation. Anything up on the screen there. I'm going to B+. You think it's solid? I think it's... No? Solid. That's okay. It's nice. It's pretty cool scenes. There's different stuff. They obviously, like you've said before, they've got assets. Chuck Ernst and his team did a fantastic job because you have to admit, Gray, there are times where you're seeing visuals on that where you don't know if that came from the television show or if that was made by Stern Pinball. No, I mean, there's some nice stuff. That is alone. That's good work. This is my whole problem, and I hate to lump it all in with display and animations and so forth. But I still will wholeheartedly feel that they missed the mark of capturing the feel of that show. and I think and we'll get in a call I disagree I do I think that it was still a nostalgic based theme that was more fun loving and it's all just intense chaos with this and I would have liked to seen more of like the pinball yes and the pinball machine does not make you care about the characters okay I think that it needed that just like the show it makes you care about those kids you feel a little distant yes you're very distant It's very just clip, clip of chaos, chaos, chaos. There's none of that heartwarming monster. A lot of sci-fi. Yeah, there's none of that funness. Aliens, monsters. Yes. There's just none of the fun. There's none of the things that grabbed you about the show. I feel that that is the major miss with this pin. And I think a lot of it is projected through the sounds and animations.
    45:36
    I'm not slurring, am I? No. Okay, good. I get your point. I respect your point I think you hit on a lot of smart statements there I respect you you're at a B plus I'm at an A minus so we're close I'm giving it an A minus because the animation that Stern is doing in particular the animation they did for Stranger Things I think is good it is the dart they made a Demogorgon get hit on the side of the head to attribute Attack for Mars for the extra ball that was near perfection. And there is good things. Plus, when you tell me as a company, Stern Pinball, you say, look, guys, I know you love Stranger Things so much that we actually got the assets from your favorite parts of that Series 1 and 2 for you. Boom. And they put it not only on the LCD screen, Greg, but on the animation right in the middle of the play field. You're giving me, you're not giving me, you're not giving me dinosaurs that we don't see in the film you're giving me the actual people how how's this an upside down for you you're you're being the positive one and i'm being the negative one and you're bringing all the the positive attributes of the pen no i i love the uh the serious stranger thing so if you can give me those assets which they did i am thankful that's an a minus i feel pulled in a hell of a lot more than i do if it was a generic couple of boys on their bicycles. I feel a little more pulled in. I don't know. I need to be pulled in more. I need to care. Were you pulled in by the music and call outs? Because you certainly were not. No. I'm an A minus. And this is my problem with it. They actually got Hopper, dude. Yeah, but he's so frantic. Something's weird. You know it's off.
    47:35
    Something's off with it. That's perfect. That's kind of scary. But you go into the music, like, everything is differentiated between the modes, everything else. But the music is also a little too similar. That's the main score, dude. What do you want?
    47:50
    They got Hopper. They got the main score. Son of a bitch. What do I got to do for you? Something doesn't captivate me. Jeez. Something doesn't pull me in. Typical pin cider. Oh, I think a lot of people are going to be like that, too. Like, I got accustomed to it, but I needed more. I need more. Listen, listen. We have proven this with Spider-Man Vault. We have proven this was Spider-Man Vault. Don't compare this shit to Spider-Man Vault. No, but what I'm... Spider-Man Vault was fucking generic. It is. This is not generic. No. This is from the actor. Custom call-outs from the actor. I'm not saying necessarily call-outs, but what I'm comparing it to is the music and everything. It needed more different... There was no moments. Very few moments, actually. That's true. Mama is a moment. That's a moment. That doesn't get it done with lights. That gets it done with sound, my friend. Exactly. But that's my problem. It's like one or two modes in the entire thing that get it done.
    48:42
    Tell me about the moments in that Jurassic Park behind you. I want to hear the audio moments in that besides the score. Because they both got the score. Do not speak yellow, Jerry Thompson. I wonder if Jerry did sound on Stranger. He did not. I actually reached out to him. That's why you're boycotting it. no jerry no way oh my god i love miss thompson that should be my motto i'm team miss thompson oh she's fantastic i like jerry too i'm gonna a minus you give me hopper you're actually giving me the custom audio from an actor in the game that is the best actor you're You're giving me the audio from the television series. Did you give me that on Guardians? No. No, we got Bubbly Bobo and we bitch and moaned about it. You're giving me actual audio assets and for that I have to repay you with a good grade because that's what I've been asking for and you gave it to me. I'm not going to bitch and moan after I get something. So I'm going to an A-. It's good. Is it an A-? No.
    49:47
    It's not horrible. I might be speaking a little out of line with it, but it's what it is. No, you're a great friend. But, when you give me what I ask for, I'm going to reward you.
    50:04
    Theme. So, obviously, based on the way you're rating this thing, you've been shitting all over it the whole time. You hate Stranger Things because you have no taste. It's an amazing show. We know it's an amazing show. A-. Ray, you're an A. Yeah, it's a fucking great show. It's a really good show. I'm a fucking 10. Give me an A+. It's exactly what Spielberg tried to do with Super 8. Oh, my God. Dude, props to that statement right there. You don't think so? Because you're so right. I've never heard it explained better than that right there. It's what one of the greatest directors and film creators of all time tried to do with a feature film. But these Netflix duffer brothers nailed it. Super 8 wasn't bad, but this. Super 8 wasn't bad. This was the closest thing with the child actors. Everything is what you get to Goonies or anything of that era. Richard Donner film, anything. If you want to do Goonies in 2020, you watch Stranger Things. 100%. Not as good as Goonies. No. Not as good. No, nothing will ever be. Did you watch that Homeboy Josh? Yeah. You had me watch it. Yeah. I loved it. I teared up a couple times. I did too. I was like, oh my God, they got everybody. Richard Donner, like 900 years old. Or Chris Thomas. This is like Sean Ashton's where it's at for me. And he's Bob on this show. Yeah. How awesome is that? That's nostalgia in itself. I'm an A+. The theme is one of the greatest television shows in the last 10 years So why wouldn I give it an A And you gotten the assets integration i have to say it feels pretty damn integrated to me you got you got the assets you got magnetism and telepathy you've got a demogorgon telepathy telepathy thank you i'm the one there's not many times i get to do that i take advantage i wasn't gonna say it but people do it to me all the time drinking beverages that make me dumber uh and then you you also have the uv light reactive theme integration for me is top notch even though we've had a couple people reach out to us recently greg and they said i hate that you guys do rate the theme and not theme integration it should at least go in there i still disagreed with them i respect it but i still disagree because theme in 2020 for myself and for greg it really does mean a lot even if them theme integrations off a little bit its theme is still a very big big fact i completely agree now last category enjoyability and then we'll close down the shop here at street in the middle of pinball show we're both at a minuses that's good this is really good i think we're gonna get some heat for that i played it excessively enjoyability is our gut feeling yes and my family loved it That meant a lot. Like, my kids loved it. My wife loved it. And that meant a lot. Did your mom love it? I can't remember.
    53:00
    Last time I was over at her house, there was a bunch of fucking stranger things going on. Oh, boy. I'll tell you one move that she did. I don't want to hear it. It looked like a motherfucking Demogorgon. Yeah.
    53:12
    I just caught it out of the corner of my eye. Why? Thing looks like a vagina, too. It does. I was like, Miss Bone. I felt like, what's his name? What's my favorite character's name?
    53:29
    He always gets rejected by Nancy, but he's the biggest. Oh. What is his name? Oh, my God, if you wouldn't have said it. Anyway, I took my barbed bat right over to Mrs. Bone's house the other night. Sing it. No, fuck. What is his name? If you wouldn't have said it. Steven? Steve. No, is it Steve? Steve. Love Steve. And you got Billy. My kids love Billy. what's that say about my kids season season says a lot about your heritage if anything why trash we're both the a minuses i enjoy the hell out of this game i still have it i've been getting rid of games in my collection for new stuff stranger things le is still there if you haven't if you haven't caught on to this game then you probably i'm gonna shit talk you right now uh you probably just need an easier game you know maybe find an easier game for you wide open shots. It's real slow. You make a good point. You can't handle the strange things. We talked about this when I had mine, and I said, I think that it might be too hard for people. Yeah. And that's why it's not enjoyable. You need to move the machine. You need to batter the machine. You're battling the Demogorgon, damn it. It is not an easy game to play. Hold on tight. Yep. The guy who bought mine, because he was like, he's a big tournament player, and he was like, I've got some older games, but I need, this is my first new Stern, and I'm super excited because I need something for tournaments to be able to get a feel for it. I said, this, you're going to prove whether you can play on this game. You know what I did as part of ownership flipping out pinball thing? We did during the quarantine, we loaned some out free of charge to a couple people in the local area here. One of them being Kentucky State champion previously, Sean Davis. And he wasn't wild about the game but he didn't have much choice. He's like, hell yeah, I'll take this game. It's a free game. You know what? Ask Sean Davis about it now. A lot more respect. So I think people just need to get more time on this. I do too. Any of these tough games, we're like Broken Records. We always tell you guys that. It's a home environment game. Ghostbusters, same way. When you get tough games, people shy away when they're at the arcade. They're like, I don't like that game. I like Star Trek. But I'm telling you what, Star Trek in the home environment might not last as long as you think it would. It will not. Simpsons Pinball Party, very deep, might not last as long. Addams Family. You need some challenge. I agree. You need some challenge. A minuses. Okay. Chrome it, brass it, black nickel it, candy chrome it, powder coat it. The possibilities are endless at pinballplating.com.
    55:53
    Your pinball machine deserves the best. At Comet Pinball, you'll find the best variety of LED products with the best quality LEDs. And most importantly, at the best price. Your collection is begging for an upgrade. Order yours now at cometpinball.com. Check out Pin Graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements, power blades, blade skins, pin blades, and even more. Visit Pingraphics.com now to see what's available for your pinball machine. All right, let's close down shop here, Greg. Cumulatively speaking, we got hung up on that word in the past. Cumulatively speaking, we are both at B pluses. Skeetatively. Surprise, surprise.
    56:39
    We try. Look, what are we going to do? We try. It's a B+. I feel like it's almost I'd rather have this game over some of my higher ranked games. I can see that. But that happens a lot. There's a lot of lower ranked games I'd like to have. B+, all around, after our weighted scores come into effect. Now, I'm at a higher. I'm at the top end of the B+, at a 3.69. You are at the lower end of 3.44. So, it's kind of cruised down for you.
    57:07
    Do you think you'll ever own a Stranger Things again? Yes. What are some of the pros, and we'll talk pros and cons real quick. Pros of this game. You said flow and speed. Flow and speed. Theme. That's the number one thing. Rules. Theme. I still like the rules. Theme. And it has to do, it doesn't have to do with Jerry Thompson. That's a con. Definitely a con. Has to do with Mike Vinicore. That's a plus. Mike Vinicore is a plus. Yeah, for me, pros would be theme, how brutal it is, how tough it can be tough, and some of the shots are real feel-good shots. cons i like the toys and innovation as a pro too just for the record i'm mixed on those cons some of the shots some of the shots art yeah the art's not the best that we've seen from sir and pimple that's my cons problems there there's just some adjustment adjustment issues and problems that's a con and my look on my le my telekinesis still isn't it's not a hundred percent but i mean it's still a freaking blast of a game to play so keeps you on your toes pricing wise le you're going to come in about 9100 bucks um that's hefty that is that's how that game uh i still love my a middle of the line so you got le middle line is a premium version um which is around 73 to 7600 flipping out offers free shipping and then pro is 58 about 5800 bucks pro still the way to go unless you just the the projector really means a lot to i do like the projector i just don't know our buddy is a big fan of stranger things this is like his favorite television show and he asked me recently he's like if i were to ever buy one of those he's missing anything would i do pro would i do print what would i do it would be a toss-up for I mean, I couldn't definitively say a pro because the projector is cool enough that it makes you want to take that next step. It does. It's really cool. It is. All right, Greg, what do these people need to do between now and the next five months whenever you decide you were okay with recording? Like us. Share us. They like us already or they wouldn't be watching all the way to the end of it. Check out Chuck Wirt. There's a couple of assholes that watched to the very ending just yelling at us. I know. Check out Gary Hardy. Another B plus. Here we go. Check out these awesome pinball machines behind me. Litten by... Litten. Litten! Somebody's getting Litten. Litten by the Great Bone Comet Pinball Special. I did see that. I like that. I have my own... Too bad we missed that. It came out like January. I know. I was so... Because I checked the website because I talked to Ryan and Ryan was like, Hey, man, do you care if we use your stuff and kind of tout you for this and everything? Because you created this. We really appreciate it and everything else. And I was like, oh, yeah, great, dude. so like I stayed on top of it watching forever and I never saw it and then a fan slash friend of ours wrote me and he was like hey man I thought about buying those uh those comment to like the heads they commented the Greg Boneheads and I was like Greg Boneheads what I love it and so I looked down there I was like son of a bitch there it is that was so fine dude they're super cheap I'm telling you it's like one of those impactful things since oh like Penn Stadium's on there yeah it's so awesome love them look at that why don't you plug flipping out pinball like the guy just delivers to me and sets them up while i'm drinking beer but yeah he brought me he brought i'm gonna tell everybody a story i don't know if he wants to hear this he brought me a free game today to try out something i've really been wanting something i haven't i have no opportunity to have time on yeah and he was like yeah i didn't want to tell you about it until we got done filming because i didn't want to play it i was like oh my god i I can't believe you brought me a Willy Wonka.
    60:50
    He's like, I don't really want to take it downstairs. Do we really want to deal with this? But you're going to tell the people what you think after playing a little more. So much so that we're going to, in one of our next videos, rate and review Willy Wonka pinball. He's trying to leave it in my 86 degree, 90% humidity garage. It can hold it. It can handle it, I bet. Hopefully. So, next couple of reviews. As a reminder, we've got Willy Wonka. We've got Big Lebowski. We've got Stern's brand new pinball machine that they're announcing here soon. It's called, no, that's coming as well. First impressions and a review of that. And Medieval Madness Royals. I feel like Willy Wonka's been so long in the making. Like, I'm just so excited to see what I think of that game. I'm excited for you to put some time on it. But you know what that says about us? We didn't review a game that we both didn't have time on. Well, yeah, of course. We have integrity.
    61:41
    Integrity. We do. Yeah, we do. Also check out, what else do they need to check out? Buy yourself some chrome or some brass from Pinball Plating. Buy yourself some pin stadium lights. He's got new ones that are brighter now. Good shit. Hidden. I need some of the extremes.
    61:59
    So sign up, pin graphics, all that shit. If you're ready to buy a brand new pinball machine, buy it from one place. The one place that makes videos for you. The one place that makes you laugh, that makes you throw things at your television. Might as well buy it from myself and Nicole Minnie from Flippin' Out Pinball. 812-457-9711 email me at ZachZCH at flip the letter in out pinball dot com or just hell go to flip and out pinball dot com on the interwebs and put it in your cart and you know that kind of thing so that's what we're doing next I don't want to say goodbye to these people because I know it's going to be way too long before next time maybe I'll come tomorrow and record all over again love you guys where's your warm beer another warm beer you hit it off with a bumper now you're straight down the middle again middle again you had a fling with a fling shot you're rolling out the island again I tried to cradle you with my flipper it was all in vain all that fucking song stuck in my head now where'd you did you give it to me or I no you gave it to me fuck you know that movie no but I know the song Really well Recent movie Pinball machine About it It's a sequel And we covered The first Film though In the Pinball machine What the fuck I don't know Superhero Oh Iron Man Nope I don't know It's definitely not Batman I don't ever do that Like my encroaching On my I don't know Square um picking hair off like a baboon uh yeah technically Captain America Guardians of the Galaxy Captain America ain't even got a motherfucking pinball machine he should have that would be good bum I should have had beers you want a beer no I don't get a beer no cause I'll get what I'll now get no it's one beer it's look it's fresh I will get blah it's fresh I'm going to let you pop it even. Pop it. Here, I'll pop it for you. Look. Pop, pop it, Miller. Pop it, Miller. Yeah, buddy. It's a fucking party. Woo.
    64:23
    Uh-oh, here comes Chelsea. She was like, thanks, drinking. No, she was like, shut up. I can't watch this fucking smut TV. You know your best friend's an alcoholic when he gives you a beer and it's fucking lukewarm at best. I didn't have time to cool him down. You don't have time to keep up. Do you want a white cloth? Jack? No. No, I don't like white. No. I might like white. No. They're pretty good. I don't like fruity alcoholic drinks. They're pretty good. They're not real fruity, though. They're very mild. They're not real sugary at all. They're really good. So you can't handle that. Now you're wasting my beer. Now I'm mad.
    65:02
    Can I get you a white cloth? No. I don't like it. It's not fruity. I don't like it. anything that doesn't taste like beer. It probably tastes like your things that you drink. That's the problem. I'll just drink those. Yeah, but you'll feel better. No, I won't. I most certainly will not. That's the worst argument in the world. You don't have to drink it. A fine pilsner, my ass.
    65:26
    A warm pilsner. There goes one. I'm just going to hold the beer the whole time. You can set it down. Set it right there. I set beers on that arm all the time because I know that you're disgusted by it. You thought it was a good idea because you saw how refreshed I was. You did seem very refreshed. Almost like this was ice cold. I know. But it wasn't. No, it wasn't. None of these are. It's almost like when I'm addicted to Pepsi and that when it's not cold enough yet but I've been without for about four hours and I'm like, yeah, but it's still a Pepsi. Oh, yeah. If I open a box because I'm too tight to buy, I won't buy cold beer. I'll grab a hot one out. Why won't you buy the convenience of a cold beer? It's like $3 more for really okay see i'm not fucking with that oh to the sweat drop down my ball oh these bitches crawl oh ski ski isn't that what it starts three six nine remember three six mafia yes i do oh my gosh it's we they were really dirty we're back in the day all right ready yep to the window what was the y'all ski ski yeah ski ski oh ski ski when I think of ski that's dirty I think of uh like shooting ski yeah that's sort of it like pow oh is that what it's supposed to be oh ski ski ski is that what it's supposed to be that's where I'm ejecting ejaculate everywhere all over those bed sheets 800 carat thread to the windows to the walls yeah but what does that mean to the window to the wall to sweat drops down my body so they're in a physical interaction window wall I don't want to decipher it I'm too paranoid uncomfortable get low get low what do you think he's getting low on is she getting low is he getting low it's a hard song to decipher get low get low get low or whatever
    67:31
    Oh my god. It's going to be fucking unbelievable. I can't believe it hasn't gotten. No, because I told him. When he first came to me with this idea, Chicago Expo last year, he was like, I know that you like this movie and shit. And I said, whatever you do. I said, I will fucking help you with conceptualization, but do not fucking tell a soul. No. Don't tell a soul, because he's wanting to. And I said record everything. Where's he at? There we go. Turn that shit up. Yeah.
    68:06
    Did you ever want a grill in high school? Yeah. Did you really? I never wanted one. I always want my teeth capped. I would like a nice set of caps. But I would have them pearly white, thank you. See? Peace. Peace, man.
    68:26
    Yeah, he dropped There he goes You weren't You were I thought he said something else Nope