claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.035
Spider-Man Vault praised for art/shots/toys but severely hampered by poor callouts and sparse music.
Spider-Man Vault features callouts performed by a single voice actor trying to cover multiple characters, resulting in campy, poorly differentiated character voices
high confidence · Greg: 'These callouts sound like they are done by one voice actor trying to cover the scene. It's just way too happy... Green Goblin goes to town... that's what it kills it.'
Earlier production runs of Spider-Man Vault have significant ghosting insert problems, with later runs showing improvement
high confidence · Zach: 'originals do have a lot of ghosting inserts... the later runs, like mine, is basically brand-new. And there's yeah, there's nothing on it at all.'
Doc Ock magnet on Spider-Man Vault was upgraded from original to use protector design like Walking Dead, addressing consistency issues
high confidence · Zach: 'the Vault upgraded to the magnets like on The Walking Dead... a lot more consistent. A lot more protectors on ramps and metal.'
The Sandman ball-kicking mechanism shoots the ball extremely hard into the pop bumpers, creating a jarring impact similar to a 'slam ramp'
high confidence · Greg: 'it just like throws the ball down there... like the slam ramp... When I'm like, oh my playfield... it's like hard... coil buck. BAM, straight into it's like hard.'
Spider-Man Vault's combo-heavy rule design makes the game feel better to play than typical Steve Ritchie designs despite having more stopping points
medium confidence · Greg: 'when you start comboing this game, it feels phenomenal... when you have all those lit shots lit and you start comboing, you hit all those shots out with just on-the-fly combos. Then it feels good because you're not stopping.'
“These callouts sound like they are done by one voice actor trying to cover the scene. It's just way too happy.”
Greg Bone@ 25:52 — Core criticism explaining C/C- music/callouts rating; identifies major design flaw affecting overall enjoyability
“I sold it just because of the way it sounds... the callouts. This pin stain in your collection... solely because of the callouts.”
Zach Sharp (quoting friend 'Chris'/'Kamé')@ 27:01 — Evidence that poor audio design has driven collector divestment despite game's other strengths
“It's like that house enacting be that bad idea... The callouts are the callouts to me are those stupid Hallmark movies than my wife watches during Christmas.”
Greg Bone@ 30:10 — Harsh comparison illustrating perceived tone-deafness of callout direction; connects audio design to broader directorial choices
“It's loaded. Fantastic. Compared to some of the Stern stuff. It is. It's super loaded. And it feels but built, the Vault feels very well-built.”
Zach Sharp@ 23:55 — Acknowledges Spider-Man Vault's mechanical quality and toy density despite audio criticisms
“When you have all those lit shots lit and you start comboing, you hit all those shots out with just on-the-fly combos. Then it feels good because you're not stopping.”
Greg Bone@ 20:55 — Explains why combo flow feels better than typical Steve Ritchie games despite more stopping points mechanistically
“You're gonna get a lot of playfield wear because someone look at that... the Vault upgraded to the magnets like on The Walking Dead.”
sentiment_shift: At least one collector ('Chris') sold Spider-Man Vault machine entirely due to callout quality; indicates broader player dissatisfaction with audio design
medium · Zach: 'Chris said that was the single, the single reason he got rid of that pin was the callouts... sold it just because of the way it sounds'
design_philosophy: Callout and music design fundamentally misaligned with Spider-Man theme; single voice actor attempting multiple characters creates campy, annoying effect that diminishes game enjoyability
high · Greg: 'These callouts sound like they are done by one voice actor trying to cover the scene. It's just way too happy... The callouts are the callouts to me are those stupid Hallmark movies'
design_philosophy: Spider-Man Vault's combo system design (multiple lit shots requiring sequential hits) creates better flow and 'on-the-fly' gameplay than typical Steve Ritchie machines despite having more mechanical stopping points
medium · Greg: 'when you start comboing this game, it feels phenomenal... when you have all those lit shots lit and you start comboing, you hit all those shots out with just on-the-fly combos. Then it feels good because you're not stopping.'
product_strategy: Sandman feature upgraded from plastic ball-kicking component to metal construction in Vault version, though impact force remains problematic
high · Zach: 'a regular Spider-Man, it's a piece of plastic. This one is a metal... it does hit hard. You kind of cringy. But it's neat because you don't see it.'
product_concern: Doc Ock magnet mechanism originally had durability/consistency issues resolved in Vault version through upgraded design with protective components
mixed(0.45)— Strong praise for art, layout, and mechanical execution (A/A+/A ratings), but severely dampened by extremely negative assessment of callouts and music (C/C- ratings). The audio design is described as so poor it drove at least one collector to sell their machine and significantly impacted reviewers' overall enjoyment despite acknowledging excellence in other areas. Zach's ownership of machine and willingness to buy despite knowing callout issue suggests appreciation for physical qualities overcomes audio problems for some, but Greg's position that callouts make game 'boring' and unenjoyable represents significant concern.
youtube_auto_sub · $0.000
Zach Sharp@ 24:45 — Documents specific quality control improvement between original and Vault versions
high · Zach: 'very much like Metallica with that single magnet without the protector. You're gonna get a lot of playfield weird... the Vault upgraded to the magnets like on The Walking Dead'
product_concern: Spider-Man Vault production runs show clear quality control improvement: early runs exhibit ghosting insert problems, later runs (like Zach's) are essentially defect-free
high · Zach: 'originals do have a lot of ghosting inserts... the later runs, like mine, is basically brand-new. And there's nothing on it at all.'
sentiment_shift: Greg's enjoyment of Spider-Man Vault severely damaged by audio presentation despite comprehensive mechanical excellence; describes being 'so stoked' initially but now fundamentally dislikes playing it
high · Greg: 'I was so stoked about it, dude... But the call-outs definitely killed this bin for me... it's like fingers on a chalkboard'