claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034
Pinfest Part 2: gameplay impressions of new Spooky/AP/Multimorphic games and 20+ classic machine reviews.
Barry O's Barbecue Challenge (American Pinball) is a tribute to Barry Oursler, who recently passed away and was credited as designer.
medium confidence · Mateo, discussing Barry O's Barbecue Challenge at Pinfest. Notes uncertainty about whether Oursler died before the game was finished.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Looney Tunes by Spooky share the same basic playfield with different code, rules, and animations created by different teams.
high confidence · Mateo directly played both games and confirmed they feel mechanically identical but play differently due to rule variations. Looney Tunes felt easier/more forgiving.
The Princess Bride kit standard edition costs around $3,700, with the full cabinet around $11,500; premium kit is ~$5,000.
medium confidence · Mateo quoting pricing from his experience at Pinfest. Stated as approximate ('around there').
Looney Tunes version of the shared Spooky playfield feels like an afterthought given the inappropriate mechanics (meat grinder, slow Tasmanian Devil) that don't match the theme.
high confidence · Mateo's direct observation playing both versions; noted Tasmanian Devil spins slowly (appropriate for Texas Chainsaw menace, inappropriate for the cartoon).
Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Looney Tunes played more polished than previous Spooky games, with better shot feel and inspired by Keith Elwin design approach.
high confidence · Mateo's direct experience playing and comparison to other Spooky titles he's played.
Multimorphic's modular LCD playfield design feels compromised: shots are cramped/miniaturized on the back LCD, and the upper flippers require awkward button configuration.
high confidence · Mateo's hands-on experience with The The Princess Bride. Detailed criticism of form factor and control layout.
X-Men (2012 Stern) was described as 'maybe the best playing game that anybody brought to Pinfest.'
high confidence · Mateo's 10-second review; praised its flow and similarity to Tron.
“I wish anybody other than Multimorphic had gotten a license for it. I mean, for people who are into it and who like it, that's cool. I'm glad that that exists for them. It's not for me.”
Mateo @ ~48:00 — Expresses strong preference dissatisfaction with Multimorphic's execution of Princess Bride IP; suggests other manufacturers (e.g., Barrels of Fun, Spooky) would have been better stewards.
“They felt, you know, slick, like the shots felt good... they were really fun to shoot. And they had like, you know, it was like the Keith Elwin version of a spooky game, kind of.”
Mateo @ ~18:00 — High praise for Texas Chainsaw and Looney Tunes, comparing them to legendary designer Keith Elwin's work; signals Spooky's refinement on these titles.
“it's so the whole idea of it is that it's like you buy like the cabinet like the pinball machine the basic thing and then there's like a big lcd screen that makes up two-thirds roughly of the entire play field... but it's a display and the balls are rolling over the display.”
Mateo @ ~38:00 — Detailed technical explanation of Multimorphic's unique modular design; articulates the core issue: playfield real estate compromised by integrated LCD.
“Like I had longer games on Looney Tunes I was progressing easier... Looney Tunes was the easier game.”
Mateo @ ~22:00 — Confirms code tuning differences between shared-playfield games despite identical mechanical layout.
“It played great. I'm shocked. That's a great game. It's fun. It feels like Tron. It shoots a lot like Tron.”
Mateo @ ~1:08:00 — Unexpected praise for X-Men (2012 Stern); positions it as high-quality modern Stern design.
“maybe spooky is just overly ambitious with their designs, and maybe that's why they weren't as reliable.”
Mateo @ ~20:00 — Analyzes Spooky's historical reliability issues as a trade-off for design ambition; suggests Texas Chainsaw/Looney Tunes represent more conservative, pragmatic approach.
“this is the jaws that i really wanted”
gameplay_signal: Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Looney Tunes (Spooky) have identical playfield mechanics but different code tuning; Looney Tunes plays easier/more forgiving, suggesting successful rule differentiation despite shared hardware.
high · Mateo directly compared both games at Pinfest: 'Like I had longer games on Looney Tunes I was progressing easier...Looney Tunes was the easier game.' Both share 'the same basic play field. All the shots and ramps and toys and mechanisms' but different teams coded rules.
product_concern: Looney Tunes version of shared Spooky playfield contains mechanically inappropriate elements (slow Tasmanian Devil, meat grinder) designed for Texas Chainsaw that don't fit the cartoon theme.
high · Mateo observed Tasmanian Devil 'spins very slowly' (menacing for slasher, wrong for cartoon) and meat grinder 'doesn't really make a lot of sense for looney tunes...okay, Looney Tunes was sort of more of the afterthought game.'
design_innovation: Multimorphic's modular kit system allows game swapping via LCD screen overlay, but creates compromised playfield design with cramped back shots and integrated LCD reducing available play area.
high · Mateo detailed the design: 'big lcd screen that makes up two-thirds roughly of the entire play field...balls are rolling over the display.' Result: 'they just cram it all into the back and it all kind of feels very mini.'
product_concern: Pinfest venue with 300+ simultaneous machines produced overwhelming ambient noise with no sound dampening, severely limiting players' ability to hear individual game audio.
high · Mateo: 'you still can't hear anything. It's a huge place with 300 machines going at the same time...It's just a wall of noise...you're lucky to hear anything on any of those games.'
groq_whisper · $0.084
Pinfest venue had persistent audio issues—300+ machines running simultaneously with no sound dampening made most games difficult to hear.
high confidence · Mateo noted this as a general complaint about the venue, not specific to any game.
Mateo @ ~1:26:00 — Referring to Atlantis as the game he wished Jaws would have been—suggests dissatisfaction with Stern's Jaws execution and desire for alternative designer approach.
“It makes me wonder what Jaws would have been like in theory if it was made by Spooky.”
Don @ ~1:49:00 — Speculative but reveals community sentiment: Stern's Jaws seen as underutilizing its theme potential; Spooky would likely deliver more ambitious art/theming.
sentiment_shift: Texas Chainsaw/Looney Tunes represent perceived quality and polish improvement for Spooky; less overambitious mechanically than previous titles, possibly improving reliability.
high · Mateo: 'these both felt more polished than any other spooky games that I've played...The shots felt good...it was like the Keith Elwin version of a spooky game' and appreciation for 'more conservative' design reducing breakage risk.
market_signal: Multimorphic secured Princess Bride license; unclear how they obtained major IP. Competitor manufacturers (Barrels of Fun, Spooky) viewed as better-suited alternatives by community.
medium · Mateo: 'I wonder how the heck they got that Princess Bride license. That seems like a bigger license than Labyrinth...I would have much rather that Barrels of Fun had this license because that would have been a game that I was actually interested in.'
product_strategy: Multimorphic Princess Bride standard kit ~$3,700; full cabinet ~$11,500; premium kit ~$5,000. Modular kit strategy allows customers to swap themes without full cabinet replacement.
medium · Mateo approximated: 'the standard cabinet with princess bride standard edition is like 11 500 or something...the kit just for the princess bride standard edition is like $3,700...the premium one...like $5,000 just for the kit.'
gameplay_signal: X-Men (2012 Stern) noted as best-playing machine at Pinfest; flows like Tron with responsive shot feedback; minor aesthetic issue (oversized Wolverine toy) but otherwise exemplary.
high · Mateo: 'That was maybe the best playing game that anybody brought to Pinfest. It played great...It feels like Tron...It's fun...The Wolverine is too big, and it doesn't have good feedback when you hit the Wolverine thing. But other than that it's a really fun game.'
sentiment_shift: Data East games show inconsistent quality—some titles (Star Trek) praised as fun/unique with interesting mechanics; others (Frankenstein, Ninja Turtles, Twister) criticized as clunky or phoned-in.
high · Star Trek: 'a good one...fun stuff happening...holodeck thing...pretty rad.' Frankenstein: 'felt kind of clunky and off did not love it.' Ninja Turtles: 'kind of phoned in...not going to be a keeper.'
community_signal: Golden State Pinball Festival featured campfire/bonfire campsite aesthetic with social camping experience; community member modified Fire machine to shoot actual flames from topper.
medium · Mateo: 'I saw it on Instagram they were doing this after party thing people were camping...picture like a bonfire like an actual festival like bonfire everything campsite style with pinball machines and tents...somebody had modded one of these fires to actually shoot flames...you could literally see flames coming out of, out of the topper.'
collector_signal: Mateo expressed zero interest in owning Texas Chainsaw or Looney Tunes despite acknowledging quality; seeks 'middle ground theme' between child entertainment and extreme gore.
high · Mateo: 'i almost wish there was like a middle ground theme between looney tunes...probably for me to ever want to like own one but i don't see myself like ever wanting to own either of those themes...one is possibly one of the most horrific themes you could design the other is an old children's cartoon.'
personnel_signal: Barry O's Barbecue Challenge serves as tribute to deceased designer Barry Oursler; credited as designer but may have died before completion.
medium · Mateo: 'Barry O is Barry Oursler. He passed away recently. And so this game, I think, was a game that he was working on...he's credited as the designer, but maybe he may have died before it was finished...it's clearly a tribute to him.'