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November 2017 pinball news roundup: holiday giveaway, game updates, JJP rumors, and pricing politics.
Guardians of the Galaxy accessories (topper by Christopher Franchi, inner rails, laser-cut rails) have been announced and are priced competitively.
high confidence · Zach and Greg discussing official Guardians of the Galaxy announcement at IFPAPA show in Orlando, Florida.
Batman 66 received a significant code update that added minor villains as full-fledged modes, and community reception is now very positive.
high confidence · Greg states 'it added the minor villains to actually be full-fledged modes and people are raving about Batman 66 right now.'
Star Wars code update and accessories are expected in December.
medium confidence · Zach: 'Star Wars codes coming out to here in December they said uh certainly unions that Star Wars code will be released in December.'
Christopher Franchi (artist) confirmed he is working with Jersey Jack on their next title, which is universal and widely loved, not a theme anyone will worry about.
high confidence · Interview on Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; Greg relays: 'he said Franchi said that it is not a theme anyone will have to worry about and it is universal kind of loved by all.'
Barry Elser is designing the next Heighway Pinball title, to be announced at Texas Pinball Festival 2018.
medium confidence · Zach states: 'barry eisler supposed to be doing the next title for Heighway Pinball and they said they're gonna announce what it is at TPF or Texas pinball Festival 2018.'
American Pinball (makers of Houdini) are actively answering questions and addressing concerns on Pinside, and hype is building slowly.
high confidence · Greg: 'they look like addressing concerns and things very very promptly... it's a slow burn.'
Zach sold his personal collection, including Ghostbusters, Tron, and Shadow, in order to acquire Guardians of the Galaxy and other machines.
high confidence · Zach: 'I sold my my beloved ghostbusters... I wiped out my entire collection I sold my Tron hey man I sold my shadow... they're pretty machines.'
“give me some interviews give me some behind-the-scenes give me sitting down with Christopher Franchi she's talking about his inspiration behind the artwork”
Greg @ ~08:00 — Critiques Stern's marketing approach for Guardians of the Galaxy, calling for better production quality and designer interviews to address community concerns.
“if you really get Toy Story you've knocked it out of the park if you really get Willy Wonka this is true then you'll have taken a step backwards”
Zach @ ~20:30 — Strong opinion on potential Jersey Jack titles (Toy Story, Willy Wonka); expresses high expectations for theme integration quality.
“I would buy that game if I had the money okay I don't know much about the code update but if I liked it I'm gonna like it even more now”
Greg @ ~24:00 — Reflects growing enthusiasm for Batman 66 based on code improvements, indicating sentiment shift in community reception.
“I never felt Star Wars on that damn thing at any point and that's what kills it for me to own it”
Greg @ ~35:00 — Critical feedback on Star Wars theme integration; identifies lack of thematic immersion as key reason against ownership.
“it's a slow burn and I think that that that I would love to go up there and get some video of this”
Greg @ ~50:00 — Describes American Pinball's Houdini hype trajectory and advocates for manufacturer-released video content.
“the only blanket I'm getting from them his old woolly scratchy bastard I don't want to sleep with”
Greg @ ~57:00 — Expresses skepticism about Highway Pinball's reliability despite announcement of next title; metaphor for cautious optimism.
“who's to say what an $8,000 pin is because there's there $78,000 pins that are not $17,000 worth of game to me”
Greg @ ~75:00 — Core argument in secondary market pricing debate: machine value is subjective and market-driven, not inherent.
announcement: Guardians of the Galaxy officially unveiled at IFPAPA (Orlando) with playable machines and accessories announced (topper by Christopher Francis, inner rails, laser-cut rails).
high · Zach and Greg discuss attending IFPAPA coverage and accessory details; accessories priced competitively.
code_update: Batman 66 received significant code update adding minor villains as full-fledged modes; community reception shifted markedly positive.
high · Greg: 'it added the minor villains to actually be full-fledged modes and people are raving about Batman 66 right now.'
sentiment_shift: American Pinball (Houdini) experiencing slow-burn hype trajectory; community cautiously optimistic as company engages on Pinside and ships machines.
high · Greg: 'it's a slow boil slow burn' and 'hype down a little bit of height died down but now I think it's a it's a slow boil slow burn.'
product_concern: Star Wars (Stern) criticized for weak theme integration; lack of thematic immersion identified as dealbreaker for home ownership despite gameplay enjoyment.
high · Greg: 'I never felt Star Wars on that damn thing at any point and that's what kills it for me to own it.'
design_philosophy: Critique of Stern's presentation approach: lack of professional video production, designer interviews, and behind-the-scenes content for new releases; hosts argue this hurts machine reception.
high · Greg advocates for 'video promos' and 'sit down with John Borg' interviews to address community concerns; Zach agrees quality marketing needed.
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Secondary market pricing for used pinballs is driven by market fluctuation and desire/demand, not fixed values; examples include WWE and Shadow pricing debates.
high confidence · Extended discussion on Shadow pricing ($3,800 sale vs. criticism); Greg and Zach debate whether machine values are set by market rather than inherent worth.
“it was easily a $4,500 shadow with stuff that I had on it”
Zach @ ~70:00 — Defends Shadow sale price by itemizing mods (color DMD, PIM Stadium lights); illustrates tension over how upgrades affect valuation.
rumor_hype: Jersey Jack titles Toy Story and Willy Wonka leaked/rumored; community very interested but unconfirmed; Zach expresses high expectations for theme quality.
medium · Zach: 'title leak it's a rumor people think the toy stores coming up but then after that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'; expresses concerns about execution.
licensing_signal: Christopher Francis (artist) confirmed Jersey Jack working on 'universal' next title that is 'universally loved by all' and 'not a theme anyone will worry about'; specifics withheld.
high · Interview on Kennedy's Pinball Podcast; Greg relays confirmation via Francis; speculation includes Beatles, Jaws, Back to the Future but no confirmation.
market_signal: Extended debate on secondary market pricing: Shadow sale ($3,800) generated criticism; hosts argue pricing is market and demand-driven, not inherent; mods add subjective value.
high · Zach defends Shadow pricing via mod value; Greg argues market fluctuates; both reject fixed pricing standards.
personnel_signal: Barry Elser confirmed as designer for next Highway Pinball title; announcement planned for Texas Pinball Festival 2018.
medium · Zach: 'barry eisler supposed to be doing the next title for highway pinball and they said they're gonna announce what it is at TPF.'
collector_signal: Zach liquidated entire personal collection (Ghostbusters, Tron, Shadow) to fund Guardians of the Galaxy acquisition; signals FOMO/trading dynamics in collector market.
high · Zach: 'I wiped out my entire collection I sold my Tron hey man I sold my shadow... Guardians galaxy you guys are gonna see stream here shortly.'
content_signal: Hosts advocate for manufacturer-released video content (promo, gameplay, interviews) before shipping; note that operator-generated streams may not show games in best light.
high · Greg on American Pinball: 'they're not a big manufacturer yet... people like me streaming it which I'd like to think my stream sir pretty awesome but if not there could be just any Joe Blow stream.'
event_signal: IFPAPA (Orlando) and Grand Old Game Room Expo (Nashville) both held November 2017; Stern and Jersey Jack presence strong; community contributors provided exclusive video coverage.
high · Zach and Greg discuss attendance and coverage; anonymous correspondent provided exclusive videos from IFPAPA.