claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.038
Hosts review Sam Stern's 1980 Ali pinball: poor sales, weak sounds, good gameplay.
Sam Stern Ali was made in March 1980 and produced approximately 3,000 units
high confidence · Dave cites this as the production run based on research; confirms poor sales
The game's poor sales performance was directly attributed by programmer Alan McNeil to lack of market appeal
medium confidence · George states 'Alan McNeil basically said this game did terribly in sales. Terrible. Did not sell.'
Muhammad Ali's controversial draft stance and government issues during the late 1960s-early 1970s negatively impacted his public perception and likely harmed the game's marketability
medium confidence · George explains Ali's image problems: 'He was not very well revered when he was going through his issues with the government. And he drafted, right?'
21 units were produced as knockdown games and distributed to Australia through Barnyard Leisure and Allied Industries
high confidence · Dave references production breakdown: '21 units of the production were made as knockdown games... those 21 went to Australia'
The sound effects in Ali are identical to the Galaxy pinball machine and consist of generic space sounds rather than fight-themed audio
high confidence · George: 'They're the same sound effects as Galaxy. They use like space sounds in this game. Now if there was ever a game that should have sounds, it would be this one.'
Ali features a giant backglass head artwork of Muhammad Ali that is never illuminated, unlike the surrounding caricature faces
high confidence · Dave: 'This guy is not lit up... The other four... those are all lit up... This guy is never lit up... I actually put lights back there and lit it up.'
Classic EM pinball machines like Medusa and Mata Hari have appreciated significantly in value, with Medusa now selling for $3,500+ despite the host buying one for $1,300
medium confidence · George notes: 'What's a Medusa worth these days? I've seen them for $3,500. Dumb money. There's no such thing as an under $2,000 Medusa anymore.'
“Alan McNeil basically said this game did terribly in sales. Terrible. Did not sell.”
George @ ~2:30 — Direct attribution of poor commercial performance to the designer/programmer, establishing credibility of sales failure claim
“Now if there was ever a game that should have sounds, it would be this one. I'm the greatest. Yeah. Right? And punching sounds.”
George @ ~5:00 — Core criticism of the game's design flaw—missed opportunity to feature Ali's iconic catchphrase and fight audio
“I guarantee it. You will not lose money on this game... What's a Medusa worth these days? I've seen them for $3,500.”
George @ ~28:00 — Demonstrates dramatic appreciation of classic pinball machines and validates long-term investment value despite initial skepticism
“It's like a ramp game. That's how heavy this freaking thing is, the whole body of the game.”
Dave @ ~23:00 — Describes the physical challenge of moving OXO machines due to dense internal components and weight distribution
“You know what? I find it endearing. I actually like listening to podcasts out there where actually they're learning live real time. It's like, you get to walk the path with us.”
George @ ~31:00 — Meta-commentary on podcast format and approach to content creation, showing intentional design philosophy
“So I threw them both a couple of times. Say, here, buy yourself a little bit of lunch and a coffee on both of them.”
Dave @ ~24:00 — Illustrates Dave's approach to tipping and worker treatment, establishing personal values within the narrative
“I think it's so funny. It's just so... It makes for a good podcast. Does it? It's so bad, it's good.”
George @ ~37:00 — Self-aware acknowledgment that the podcast's entertainment value derives partly from critiquing weak game design
“You know, you've heard me. I bribe my landscapers. It goes a long way.”
community_signal: Dave planning to restore OXO machines and sell projects through optimized website to clear warehouse space; targeting seasonal indoor activity market
medium · Dave: 'I'm going to be getting some projects ready for sale... right in time for the winter season. People are looking for something to do inside... when you get your website optimized, you're now going to have a spot on your website'
sentiment_shift: Hosts embrace 'so bad it's good' entertainment value of discussing failed pinball machine design; self-aware that podcast content benefits from critiquing weak games
medium · George: 'It's so bad, it's good. That's why [it makes for a good podcast]. It's kind of like us... you know we're going to keep harping on that'
design_philosophy: Hosts critique Sam Stern Ali for missing thematic opportunity: designers failed to leverage Muhammad Ali's famous catchphrases ('I'm the greatest') and fight sounds in audio design, instead reusing generic Galaxy space sounds
high · George: 'I'm the greatest. Yeah. Right? And punching sounds.' Dave: 'They're the same sound effects as Galaxy... makes no sense to me.'
event_signal: Hosts reference playing Ali at Pintastic event in a 'bank' (arcade location), suggesting the game appears in competitive/tournament circuit despite its commercial failure
medium · George: 'Didn't you and I play this at Pintastic? Wasn't this in the bank? That was in the bank, yeah.'
market_signal: Classic EM pinball machines (Medusa, Mata Hari) appreciating dramatically in secondary market; Medusa worth $3,500+ today vs. $1,300 purchase price; driven by aging collectors wanting childhood nostalgia pieces
groq_whisper · $0.133
The Al machine's core gameplay mechanic involves spelling 'GREATEST' via drop targets, with multipliers that carry over after being earned
high confidence · George: 'You spell greatest. You want to hit the drop targets down, get multipliers, and they stay. Once you get them early and often, they stay.'
Dave acquired a second OXO machine from a Malden, Massachusetts estate sale for $100-200 to combine with his existing machine for restoration
high confidence · Dave's extended personal narrative about acquiring the game from a basement in Malden after the homeowner's brother passed away
Ali competed in the market with numerous other games released in 1980 including Big Game, Sea Witch, Cheetah, Quicksilver, Flight 2000, Stargazer, and Nineball
high confidence · George lists contemporaneous releases: 'Big Game came out the same month... a couple months later, Sea Witch, Cheetah, Quicksilver, all the same year.'
Dave @ ~27:00 — Reveals Dave's consistent approach to tipping service workers as an ethical practice
high · George: 'I've seen them for $3,500. Dumb money. There's no such thing as an under $2,000 Medusa anymore... people are getting older, they're 50s and 60s, they want to buy a piece of their childhood back'
community_signal: Dave's restoration approach involves acquiring multiple units of same machine to combine the best condition parts into single saleable restored machine, keeping project machines for future sale
high · Dave: 'So the plans with this is to combine these two OXOs and make one nice one for me and one project that will be for sale'
product_concern: Sam Stern Ali's poor sales directly attributed to weak design decisions: generic space sound effects instead of Muhammad Ali catchphrase/fight audio, unflattering and non-functional backglass head artwork, awkward marketing copy
high · George: 'Now if there was ever a game that should have sounds, it would be this one... And punching sounds.' Dave: 'This guy is not lit up... I actually put lights back there and lit it up.' Marketing quotes criticized as 'hacky' and threatening.
sentiment_shift: Despite initial criticism of Ali's design and marketing failures, hosts acknowledge solid core gameplay mechanics and appreciate Dave's restoration modifications (bell addition, backglass lighting enhancement)
medium · George: 'Once you play it, it's like, oh, it's a good game.' Dave demonstrates drop target mechanic appreciation and bell/light additions improve the experience.