Top 5 Greatest Pinball Machines From Sega (SDTM, 2025)

Straight Down the Middle·video·8m 23s·analyzed·Mar 11, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.022

TL;DR

SDTM ranks top 5 Sega pinball games; notes underrated quality and rising secondary market prices.

Summary

Straight Down the Middle hosts rank the top 5 greatest Sega pinball machines: Baywatch (#1), Batman Forever (#2), South Park (#3), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (#4), and Starship Troopers (#5). Hosts emphasize Sega games as underrated, noting their strong themes, unique rulesets, and excellent playfield flow. Discussion highlights how Sega pinball machines have appreciated significantly in secondary market value, particularly The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Baywatch, which now command $4,000-$4,500.

Key Claims

Sega manufactured approximately 15 pinball games
medium confidence · Host states 'They made 15 or so Sega games' without citing source
The Lost World: Jurassic Park has appreciated significantly in secondary market value due to increased appreciation
high confidence · Host directly states: 'You made them appreciate it more, and they sell for a hell of a lot more than they used to' in response to host's influence on the game's perception
Baywatch machines currently sell for $4,000-$4,500
high confidence · Host states: 'they're expensive now. Baywatches are expensive. They are. They're four grand, forty-five hundred.'
South Park pinball has six-ball multiball that is easy to achieve
high confidence · Host states: 'Six ball multiball—it just was easy to achieve. I loved it.'
Starship Troopers features an uncommon third flipper on a different button
high confidence · Host describes: 'A weird third flipper on a different button. I hate that.'

Notable Quotes

“everybody hated these little games, but I kind of am growing to love these because they're great...Some great themes, they shoot great, there's a lot going on. They're underrated in a lot of ways—very underrated.”
Host (unnamed) @ ~0:30 — Sets tone for segment: Sega games are underrated and deserve reconsideration; establishes hosts' growing appreciation for Sega's library
“That game is a rocket ship, man. Those orbits are fast, the ramps are fast...The code is just freaking—it's so straightforward, but it's so hard.”
Host (Greg Bone or other) @ ~3:00 — Describes The Lost World: Jurassic Park's gameplay appeal; emphasizes accessibility of rules despite high difficulty
“I fell in love in middle school. I fell in love with pinball for the second time yeah through South Park.”
Host @ ~5:45 — Personal connection to South Park as formative pinball experience; demonstrates emotional resonance of Sega games
“Nothing screams '90s nostalgia like Baywatch. It's just greatness.”
Host @ ~11:30 — Explains why Baywatch ranks #1: exemplifies 1990s aesthetic and design philosophy; thematic appeal drives collectibility
“That's what gets you to number one on these lists. It is having the most well-rounded game.”
Host @ ~11:00 — Articulates ranking methodology: comprehensive feature set (rules, toys, flow, video modes) trumps individual strengths

Entities

Segacompany Greg Boneperson Straight Down the Middleorganization Baywatchgame Batman Forevergame South Parkgame

Signals

?
community_signal: Hosts credit individual influencer (Greg Bone) with driving community appreciation and secondary market value of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
medium · Host: 'You made them appreciate it more, and they sell for a hell of a lot more than they used to' in response to Greg's championing of the game
?
design_philosophy: Sega's commercial-focused design strategy: intentionally shallow rulesets designed for mass appeal and theme immersion over competitive depth
medium · Host explains: 'there's some Segas, it's more for commercial use. They're just trying to bring you into the theme. They're trying to make money, so they make them shallow'
$
market_signal: Sega pinball machines, particularly Baywatch and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, have appreciated significantly in secondary market value
high · Host states The Lost World 'sell for a hell of a lot more than they used to' and Baywatch now commands $4,000-$4,500; described as expensive
~
sentiment_shift: Growing mainstream appreciation for Sega pinball machines; hosts note community now recognizes quality previously dismissed as 'nobody loved these little games'
high · Host: 'Everybody hated these little games, but I kind of am growing to love these because they're great'; discussion of price appreciation driven by increased appreciation
?
licensing_signal: Sega's 1990s pinball library heavily reliant on culturally relevant IP (Batman Forever, Baywatch, South Park, Starship Troopers, Jurassic Park) that retains nostalgia appeal decades later

Transcript

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0:02

we can't talk about B Williams without talking about the love of Sega Sega you know here straight down the middle especially Greg bone he loves some seas and I'm growing a a fond connection with these little with these little games that nobody loved fantastic everybody hated these little games but I kind of am growing to love these cuz they're great I do really like them some great themes they shoot great there's lot going on they're underrated in a lot of ways very underrated and they made they made quite a few of them they made 15 or so Sega GES there's a few Seas but we're going to give you the top five the number five greatest Sega pinball machine of all time is one that I don't even like but it's one that most people do is Starship Troopers oh might most people's favorite a lot of people it is it's it's a very unique rule set with the the killing of the bugs and what you do yeah I'm not I'm not saying that it's the hardest game a weird third Flipper on a different button I hate that oh I don't mind it it works so well no I love the movie though and it's a yeah it's a very odd cult following behind the film but dude it's a have a Denise Richards in it Denise Richards Carri uh Carrie car Carrie whatever car I don't remember Carrie Carrie something she was big back in that time frame um Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Patrick Harris is yeah yeah it's a good movie but dude know it's it's a fun it's it's just a unique it's very different from what like like I said killing the bugs and hitting those standup targets stuff it's a very different objective than a lot of pinball maches alpha numeric display in the Playfield yeah for how many bugs and stuff for your bugs that you're killing but dude it's just and it's just it feels good it's a good shooter yeah it's a good shooter people love that they like the rules on that game and everything so that's what I'm saying it's different number four you love even more and it's one that you had to you turned the entire world on to I don't know if I turned them on to it but I made it they appreciate it more and they sell for a hell of a lot more than they used to they sell for a lot more than yeah they sure do number four greatest Sega pinball machine of all time is the lost to World Jurassic Park and listen snag you can sit there and anybody can knock that game you know the reason though I've bitched about this before is just there's so few good examples of that game that shoot right but that game Borg that is a flowy game that game is a rocket ship man those orbits are fast the ramps are fast even though the ramps it's a fast game the code is just freaking it's so straightforward but it's so hard yeah and you're having to hit stand up targets it'll come back and those Sega stand up targets will come back whenever a game or rule set is a little more shallow in what there's some seas that it's it's more for commercial use they're just trying to bring you into the theme they're trying to make money so they make them shallow but if you make them difficult yes the depth of it isn't as important no because it's another one those things I've never beat it yeah that's what I'm saying I've never beat it and that's the longest game I've ever there's what five or six basic modes a multiball mainly chasing points like the wizard mode isn't a big p multi ball is built into one or two of the modes yeah everything is the repeat shoot the ramps each ramp three times you go into a mode you do this you shoot the Spinners you know but you got to get it all like it's hard to complete it's hard to complete everything it's so so difficult it's kind of ugly but pretty in its own way it is I agree I agree with all of it if you like Tans and light greens it's a very weird color scheme and it's very weird art a great game the egg dude it's so cool the ugliest little baby toy in there dinosaur but dude it's so good it's so it's a rocket ship it's brutal it's so good if you if you ju suppose that's our number three on the greatest Sega pinball machines of all time this is just pure fun is South Park yeah like there ain't nothing like hard about South Park no you hit the ball into the toilet little comes up he got the Cartman hole that's that big like just no but it's fun and it was something about that era of of Sega like and Kenny bash him and then he falls down and yeah it's fun it's fun the call out and that was a that was a show that took the the World by still you know what like South Park still works today like they still make South Park that's still a good show because they stayed relevant with you know politics guy kind of did for a while Simpsons kind of does that too I think they could redo Simpsons again I think they could redo South Park again oh guy I don't know I might be Rick and Morty wouldn't work again no but yeah I agree I agree good I just I fell in love in middle school I fell in love with pinball for the second time yeah through South Park six ball multiball it just was easy to achieve I loved it the number two is a game that I'd love to have I think you'd love to have it as well it's F favored by a lot of people for a Sega game it's a widebody it's pretty in my opinion a great theme of sorts oh it's a great theme it's Batman Forever Batman's a wonderful theme but yeah you know what I'd have to get I would have to get I would have to get a freaking uh pin sound for that to be able to have Kiss from a dude I'm sold you sold repeat I want it right now on repeat that's all I'd have would do I wouldn't even have any call outs it would just be seal that' be great singing that song before you plune you know the whole time you would just want to be whimsically smack like you could I don't even know the words say [Laughter] [Music]