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SDTM: a pinball show Episode 15: Aerosmith Machine Review

Straight Down the Middle·video·41m 8s·analyzed·May 1, 2017
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Straight Down the Middle reviews Stern Aerosmith as A-/B+ game with excellent art and multiball code design.

Summary

Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle Pinball deliver a comprehensive review of Stern's 2017 Aerosmith pinball machine. They praise the art package (both give A grades) and highlight exceptional multiball code mechanics, though they differ on shot difficulty (A vs B) and rules depth (A- vs B+). Greg initially struggled with his purchasing decision between Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, and Metallica, ultimately prioritizing resale value retention. The review emphasizes the game's skill-shot mechanics during multiball and the quality of its clear coat finish.

Key Claims

  • Aerosmith has some of the best multiball coding ever implemented in a Stern game

    high confidence · Zach stated: 'There's depth to it. There's depth. This is not an easy multiball game but the coding on multiball on this is better than any multiball coding that I seen on a game'

  • The six-ball multiball allows players to light all locks before physically locking any ball, offering strategic depth

    high confidence · Zach explained the mechanic: 'you can light all six locks if you want to before locking physically any ball in that toy box'

  • Aerosmith's clear coat finish is superior to other recent Stern releases and shows minimal wear despite heavy play

    high confidence · Greg stated: 'I can't fathom why Ghostbusters and some of these machines are still sort of having some chipping problems' while praising Aerosmith's finish

  • Greg prioritizes resale value retention when purchasing pinball machines, influenced by potential losses on games like Metallica

    high confidence · Greg expressed concern about losing $500+ on Metallica resale, making Aerosmith appealing for value preservation

  • The skill shot mechanic during multiball requires grabbing the shooter within approximately 2 seconds before auto-eject

    high confidence · Zach described: 'if you can grab a hold of that shooter real quick, within the two seconds it automatically shoots it and get the skill shot up to the back alley'

  • Aerosmith's shots are consistently tight/narrow, making them satisfying but requiring skilled players

    high confidence · Both hosts discussed shot difficulty; the left orbit is described as '100 miles an hour' and highly satisfying once mastered

  • Dirty Donnie's art on Aerosmith includes extensive Easter eggs and hidden details similar to classic Bally/Williams games

    high confidence · Zach noted: 'he packed the entire play field full of art' with 'cigarette butts' and 'a cat' and 'a sword with a nine or a yin and a yang'

  • Aerosmith's music/audio quality on Spike systems is exceptionally clear and high-fidelity

Notable Quotes

  • “there's nothing more satisfying than that it is so much freaking fun”

    Zach@ 18:12 — Zach enthusiastically describing the skill-shot multiball mechanic, highlighting what makes Aerosmith uniquely engaging

  • “This is an A game you're at a 3.5 it is I could see an A game”

    Zach@ 29:15 — Final grading disagreement; Zach argues Aerosmith deserves an A despite Greg's B+ assessment

  • “Buy the one you like the most... There shouldn't be”

    Zach@ 2:56 — Zach pushing back against Greg's approach of prioritizing resale value over personal enjoyment when purchasing machines

  • “The coding on multiball on this is better than any multiball coding that I seen on a game”

    Zach@ 20:26 — Strong endorsement of Aerosmith's technical programming, positioning it as a standout in the Stern catalogue

  • “It looks like a damn ice rink... this There's no wear so far It is nice looking”

    Greg@ 24:29 — Praise for clear coat quality and durability, differentiating Aerosmith from problematic recent releases

  • “When Zach first got this Zach was like man I think that my next game to go will be Aerosmith... And then Zach's like, man, I'm really feeling this game”

    Greg@ 29:27 — Describing Zach's growing attachment to the game over time, illustrating how Aerosmith improves with extended play

Entities

Zach SharpepersonGregpersonStraight Down the Middle PinballorganizationAerosmithgameStern PinballcompanyDirty DonniepersonMetallicagame

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Manufacturing cost-benefit analysis: Stern could address cabinet splitting with minimal 50-cent bracket reinforcement at factory but appears not prioritizing this preventative measure

    medium · Discussion of cabinet split reinforcement: 'it's going to be a 50 cent dollar bracket to put in there at their cost' but not implemented from factory

  • ?

    community_signal: Viewers actively participated in color selection for machine powder coating (metallic blue), demonstrating engaged community co-creation in content production

    medium · Zach: 'you guys voted, and you guys chose the metallic Aerosmith blue... we're going to powder coat this Biatch blue'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Aerosmith positioned as strong competitor to rival manufacturer releases; Stern perceived as 'putting the heat on these guys' with quality improvements

    medium · Greg: 'Stern is putting the heat on these guys... If Stern got all their quality control issues under wraps, I honestly think...'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Aerosmith toy innovation criticized as 'one-trick pony' despite cool execution; elevator/scoop mechanism compared unfavorably to Metallica's more extensive toy variety

    medium · Greg: 'it's just sort of a one-trick pony... Whereas... Metallica... There's a lot of toys. There's a lot of stuff going on there'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Aerosmith's exceptional multiball code represents strategic design philosophy emphasizing risk-reward mechanics and player agency through lock lighting before physical lock commitment

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.123

0:00
You hit it off with a bumper, now you're straight down the middle again Middle again You had a fling with a fling shot, you're rolling out the alley dog Yeah I tried to cradle you with my flipper, it was all in vain It was all in vain Baby, baby, baby, why are you doing me wrong? Doing me wrong Don't you remember the good days when we used to get along?
0:30
We'd make those four reels spend all night, then we'd be singing our song, then we'd be singing our song. You said life was getting white, so you brought two friends in, two friends in. But I can hardly keep up, you guys are making my head spin. Pass now? No.
0:48
Hello, my name is Zach, and I'm addicted to pinball. Hi, I'm Greg. Are you in denial? I'm addicted to pinball. Are you? Okay. Who's not addicted to pinball? A lot of people. I think I'm really weird because I like pinball. Because I haven't played it. You live in the state of your house for an hour? Boom! Pinball lovers! Pinball lovers.
1:10
This is Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle Pinball. Oh, you guys, we get to review the Aerosmith machine. You guys have probably been watching some reviews. And this is just our take on the Aerosmith machine. I got mine about three weeks ago. Yeah. What we wanted to do, we really wanted to wait for Powder Coat to come in. because you guys voted, and you guys chose the metallic Aerosmith blue. Yeah. So congratulations. Not my favorite color, but I love it. I'd personally pick the copper. I would have picked the orange. The Starburst looked really good in person. But I love you guys, and you guys picked blue, so we're going to powder coat this Biatch blue. Blur. But they're getting the powder in right now and stuff like that. So next time you see it, it will be blue. Nice. Yay. You excited about this review, Greg? I'm sort of. I put a little time on it. But you know what? This is the thing, man, is I'm struggling for my new pen.

high confidence · Greg stated: 'The sound on these spike systems kills. Oh, my God, man... it's a freaking high-quality stereo system'

“it's basically a scoop in a sense... And if you guys haven't seen this. It's like a coil that's turned up too high on a scoop”

Greg@ 23:28 — Greg critiquing the toy innovation as limited, though acknowledging the elevator's visual spectacle

  • “Stern keep making games like this because when Zach first got this... I can't put it down”

    Greg@ 29:25 — Endorsement of Aerosmith as a template for future Stern releases, showing long-term satisfaction

    • Ghostbustersgame
    Walking Deadgame
    Batman 66game
    Spikeproduct
    Measlemonsperson
    Steven Tylerperson
    Cliffyperson

    high · Zach: 'You have to decide your three balls. Are you going into multi-ball? Are you going to deny that multi-ball start and try to get four balls?' demonstrating intentional mechanical depth

  • $

    market_signal: Secondary market resale value considerations influencing purchasing decisions; collectors concerned about depreciation on newer Stern releases (Metallica noted as ~$500 loss)

    high · Greg: 'if I buy a Metallica, I'm going to lose $500 or so right off the bat if I sell it... I figure if I get an Aerosmith, it's going to retain its value better'

  • ?

    product_concern: Stern's cabinet splitting and chipping issues on non-Aerosmith machines suggest inconsistent manufacturing quality control; Aerosmith's superior clear coat questioned as to why not applied to Ghostbusters and other recent releases

    high · Greg: 'I can't fathom why Ghostbusters and some of these machines are still sort of having some chipping problems. Are they not using the same process on Ghostbusters and stuff now?'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Greg's skepticism about Aerosmith purchasing decision shifted toward appreciation after extended play; initial indecision replaced by acknowledgment of growing appeal over time

    high · Greg: 'when Zach first got this... And then Zach's like, man, I'm really feeling this game... I'm just, I don't know if I could get rid of it'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Spike platform audio system praised as high-fidelity upgrade; stereo quality noted as exceptional compared to previous pinball audio implementations

    high · Greg: 'The sound on these spike systems kills... it's a freaking high-quality stereo system. It really sounds good'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Speculation that full Aerosmith band member call-outs were not licensed; Steven Tyler voice potentially unavailable or restricted for game integration

    medium · Zach: 'I guess they couldn't get him [Steven Tyler] banned, but if he called out jackpots or something like that or extra balls'

    • 2:08
    And you sold Johnny new money. I sold Johnny. So I originally was dead set on a Ghostbusters. Yeah. But Aerosmith came out. You guys, this guy has been going every time. Every day we talk, he's like, yeah, I think I'm going to put my order in on an Aerosmith. And the next day he's like, well, you know, but Ghostbusters look really good. And then I played Metallica. Yeah, I like Metallica. Yeah, I really wanted a Metallica. But I banged for my buck. Did you bang? Look, and here's the other thing. I shit you not, this is what this guy does. He says, well, man, if I buy like a Walking Dead right now, then if I were to ever resell it, man, I'd be losing a lot of money there. And I'm like, Greg, buy the freaking pin you want to play. It's so many factors that go into my decision. Because that's what I'm trying to do. There shouldn't be. Buy the one you like the most.
    2:57
    Well, no, it's not that easy. Yeah, it is. No, I ain't got the dollars falling from the sky. The multi-dollar money ball. The multi-dollar money ball ain't happening over here. So I've got to be cautious. So I figure if I get an Aerosmith, it's going to retain its value better from the start so that when I get tired of it or I want something new. Like Star Wars. Possibly Star Wars. We shall find out here soon.
    3:23
    Then I'm a little safer than if I, especially if I buy a Metallica, I'm going to lose $500 or so right off the bat if I sell it. Buy a used one. No, he can't buy a used one because he's like, look at that shooter. Lane's got a little nick out of that shooter. Some of my older games, like some of the Valley Williams stuff, I can take a little bit of wear, but man, wear on sterns, it drives me a little crazy. So, you know, same thing with Ghostbusters. Here we go. What are you going to buy today, Greg? If you're buying a machine, what are you going to buy? Today, I'm back to Ghostbusters. Back to Ghostbusters today.
    3:58
    So I've played a lot of Aerosmith. A lot, a lot of Aerosmith. And I'm not a pro, so I don't know all the code yet. But I do know quite a bit of the code. You've played a lot of Aerosmith, considering not having one. You've played a lot of it. So we're very familiar with the game. And I didn't want to just, since I was going to own it, I wanted to get the code down before we did a review. Yeah. So we're going to make this hopefully the best damn comprehensive review of Aerosmith there is. Great. And I just set the bar too high. Do you feel it? Yeah, I feel it. I set it too high. We'll fall. Okay. So what we're going to do is we're going to go to the game first, guys. I'll show you the layout, the art package, and then we'll come back and Senior Gregory and I will start reviewing this bad boy. Si. What's happening, everybody? Welcome. We're going to talk about the Aerosmith pinball machine today. The first thing I want to show you guys is the cabinet art. Beautiful logo with wings. Color scheme for the Pro is a blue. Here's the head deco. Colors pop, really sharp looking. I have the optional laserific topper, which I feel like they did a great job with. All right, let's talk about some play field here. So Aerosmith is a two flipper game. Stern's newest offering 2017. We'll start with the layout. Left side, you have stand up targets. The Spella Aerosmith. A, E, R. Those are killer right there. Zero S. and so forth. Just fell out the Aerosmith.
    5:49
    Okay. We have left orbit right there. Right through the pop bumpers that change color a nice touch. Alright.
    6:04
    Side blades are done by Stern. Very nice, actually. and easy to install. The toy box featuring Jackie right at top there. You hit the toy box to light locks up to a six ball multi ball and he opens up. Alright, middle ramp there, kind of tricky of a shot, it's a weird spot on your flipper. Love in an elevator is the scoop you hit it into and it shoots it out the top.
    6:45
    This is where you lock your actual balls. It's a difficult shot, and oftentimes it bounces in via the pop bumper, which is fine. Right ramp, a tight, nasty little ramp. You can see the black marks on the post because I missed so much.
    7:04
    I changed those to Cliffy's purple ones. Up and around. Back down safely to the right flipper. Alright, next we have a right orbit. And the rest are stand up targets. Pretty basic layout. Right in the middle here you have your nine modes. Top two modes, toys in the attic and love in an elevator are both multi balls. 7 modes follow. You can select these at the beginning of each ball or when you complete a mode. Each is responsible for a shot. So, in lanes or dude looks like a lady or dude looks like a lady. There we go. Mystery Scoop. Okay. So, you complete the 7 modes there. You can go into a mini wizard mode. I know you complete them all you can go to the big wizard mode but if you start them all you go to the mini wizard. Alright in our video upcoming we'll talk about different strategies and techniques but for now it shines guys I'll leave you a little clear coat shot right before we leave. Alright, so you guys just witnessed some layout action, some art action on the Aerosmith. I liked it. Do you think they liked it? I think so. It's a beautiful art package. It's a beautiful package. Is that what you're saying?
    8:48
    No. Steven Tyler, you're beautiful. No. Oh, shit. It's already gone downhill. We're like five minutes in. I just think of his little scarves I like his little scarves I can pull that off no I mean I don't know you know what I'm going to do though I'm going to put scarves on oh you should oh don't anybody steal that oh yeah alright let's talk let's review this machine that was so corny that was terrible erase that from your brains we're going to keep it because I don't want to edit it. Oh, gosh. All right, let's start with the art. Speaking of Steven Tyler, what do you think about the art package on this Aerosmith? Dirty Donnie again? I think it's easily an A. Easily an A. I'm with you, brother. I've got an A as well. Next to Batman 66, I know that the game's not great, but the art is amazing on Batman 66. So just erase the rest of the game from your mind and think about that hand-painted art. this this is this is right there with this is it this is gorgeous it is very beautiful especially that back glass that back glass you like the back I love the back glass my favorite part is on the play field of the the portraits yeah for the album art that a great coloring the spotlights I point right on there just well shine that in the thing is it so fitting It not overdone It not something way out there That right That's a good point. It literally has the feel of Aerosmith. It has the feel of the era that they dominated.
    10:29
    What I like about Dirty Donnie's art, especially on Aerosmith here, is that he packed the entire play field full of art. I guarantee if you guys pull up ramps and shit like that, There's art underneath. There's cigarette butts.
    10:45
    It's really reminiscent of old Bally Williams like Greg Frears and John Yowsey. Yes. How they pack it full of little like a snake here, a cigarette butt here. Of how you find something new every time you play. I do. Yeah. Dice. Yeah. Dice everywhere. Even in the back last other night I was looking at it. And I was like, there's a freaking cat. There's a sword with a nine or a yin and a yang. Like, look at all that stuff. It's like a really good tattoo, too. Oh, yeah. All that would make sick ink. It would be nice. Sick ink. That's how people associate me with sick ink, right? I'm, again, speaking in cool terms. That's right. I have no ink. I had a coworker one time. She was like, sorry, guys. Bear with me. I was like, you know, she's got like sleeves and stuff. It's pretty badass. And I was like, you know what? I'm thinking about getting a tattoo. She's like, Zach, there's nothing significant enough in your life or badass enough in your life that you would ever deserve any... I was like... I don't see what you would ever get a... See, thanks, asshole. You're doing the same thing. Not to be mean. I know you a little bit. I'm going to get a freaking neck tattoo. Just crawling up a lizard. Just like crawling up my neck. Pimp and pinball. So we both have an A for art. Yes. It's self-explanatory. You guys just Google some pictures of it. Man, that thing is beautiful. It is. The coloring, the themes.
    12:08
    It's... Man. Fuck. Forget it. It's awesome. It's really awesome. Let's go to shots and layout. This is where I differ a little bit. Why? I am the person to be. Look, if you agree with me for the rest of your life, you'll do very well. I promise you. His head. Mine's a big head, but his is just. Yours is physically big. Mine is just psychologically big. It's psychologically big. His head is huge. All right. Go ahead. I gave it a B. And the reason I gave it a B, man, and Zach will kind of go into this, the shots are tough, man. Almost every shot on there besides that toy box is tight. They are tight shots. So you have to be a fairly good pinball player to be able to get that down. But they are satisfying once you do shoot them. But again, the shots are so tight. I think that my thoughts on it would change a bit if I owned it and I got to put quite a bit more time on it. That's fair. But at this point with the time I put in on it, man, I've just got to give it a B just because those shots are kind of tough. Okay. That's the exact reason I gave it an A. You like the shot? Yeah, because I play Metallica and I'm freaking bored to death. Everybody likes it tight.
    13:22
    You had to put it in. No, I didn't put it in. I hope they didn't hear it. I didn't put it in anyway. But now I can't say tight. They are narrow They're narrow The left Through the pops That left orbit shot Is very very satisfying And it's 100 miles an hour And that is freaking cool That is actually A really cool shot Yeah that's a That's a board thing Yeah that's neat man Well I mean It's not a board thing They've done it It's timeless Because you run off a little bit And you just glimpse One of those pops And it throws you Or even the metal at the top Yeah So I've hit it twice in a row And oh man It's awesome So that's the left orbit The Jackie shot for the toy box is pretty simple, and it should be, because that centers around the game. The center ramp shot is no slouch. I have a hard time hitting it because it's on a weird part of the flipper. The elevator shot is pretty easy. The lock shot is tough. You usually bounce into it. Yeah, off those pops. The right ramp is a son of a bitch. Yeah, that is really tough. It looks inviting.
    14:23
    It's hard, but when you hit it, it's nice. The right org, it's tough too because it's on the tip of that flipper, but not so much the tip where you're hitting stand-up targets. It's tough stuff. I want to do it one more time. So what did you end up getting? I gave it an A. You gave it a B. Okay. Let's go to rules. Rules, man, I went with a B+. I think, especially for a Stern game, that it's fairly well complete. But I would like to see, and I don't know if this is just because Metallica sort of spoiled me sort of thing, but I'd like to see maybe more multiballs, something else put in there, and maybe a couple of mini-wizards, something a little smaller, something that's more achievable maybe, but it's fairly... I got to the one last. So there's two wizard modes in here that I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong. When you open up the modes, if you start all the modes, all nine songs, three, six, nine, all nine songs, if you start them, after that will be a mini-wizard mode. But if you complete all nine modes, you'll get to the Grand Wizard. And that's what I'm saying. I mean, it's still pretty difficult other than circling. I did it last night for the first time just to start the mode. The medley multi-ball, I believe. But I'd like something that's a little more within grasp that, I don't know. Do you understand what I'm saying, sort of? I hope you guys understand what I'm saying, too. I kind of like how it is because it's tough. Yeah. It is very tough. When I play Metallica, man, I'm telling you, the reason I'd stop playing it,
    15:50
    I don't know. I can get to crank it up fairly easy. The trick, of course, I know I'm not as good as a lot of players, the trick is to get to all four modes and complete. Nobody's going to do that.
    16:00
    But it just does nothing for me. This one actually does piss me off. I'm playing and I'm like, oh, my God, I'm one song away, and then I drain. So for code update, what would you like to see since you rated it so high? What do you feel would improve the game beyond the code this time? Here's the thing. I don't think they're going to update the code very much. I don't think so. I think it's full. I think it's set up how it's supposed to be. The thing you're going to see changes for, there's hidden Jackies on the screen that you can obtain. I don't know if those give you like a free ball afterwards. There's coins. If you get combo shots and different things, you get coins and you accumulate those. I'd like to see those coins be integrated like a Ghostbusters Walking Dead. If you get so many, you get to maybe another multi-ball. Or you get double score. That's my only complaint. Dice? You get dice somehow? I don't think it's code yet. See, that's what would be nice, I feel, for it to be some kind of little mini-wizard mode that you'd get off of those or another multi-ball or something. I'd like just a little more depth to it. Just a little more depth. And here's what I really, it's a small rant, but nobody really has talked about this in their reviews yet. The best part of this code is the multi-ball rules. Oh, yeah. I really run through here. So the nice thing about Aerosmith is you hit the toy box and you light a lock. Right. Now, in typical pinball machines, some of them, you'll have to lock that ball before you can make the second ball eligible. Yeah. In Aerosmith, there's a six-ball multi-ball. So you can light all six locks if you want to before locking physically any ball in that toy box. That's badass. Yeah. Okay. The second thing that's really, really cool about it, and this is where nobody talks about. This is the challenge I give to you guys. Whenever you lock a ball, physically lock that ball, it'll throw it into the toy box. Now, it'll throw you another ball into the shooter lane, and the auto-eject is going to shoot it. Here's the challenge that makes this game over the top. And I don't even know if they've intended this to be the case, but if you can grab a hold of that shooter real quick, within the two seconds it automatically shoots it and get the skill shot up to the back alley um the back alley skill shot that goes and locks another ball there's nothing more satisfying than that it is so much freaking fun and what i try to do typically is i'll start one of the modes that are the rather the easy modes and the first thing i'll do is i'll try to lock all six of the or make light all the locks light all the locks and then i'm gonna try to get two or three of those skill shot locks in a row those are so much fun. And the skill shot, man, the skill shot is so tight back there. It is. They need to code that better, too. Well, and I watched your six-ball multi-ball video that you posted on my thing. And I was like, you know what, man, that kind of makes it easy. I was kind of like, oh, no. That's kind of, I don't know what I feel about that. But then when I played it and tried it myself after Zach told me about it, and that is a quick two seconds. You don't have time. No, not at all. I mean, a skill shot. You can't adjust. No. No, like Ghostbusters is hard to get through there without a trigger. It's a feeling. You've got to bam before it hits. And even then, it's still tied up there. It's rough. If you go too far, it'll go. And the other cool thing is on the skill shot, never let the auto plunger, never let that work. Because even if you don't have a lock lit, you can plunge far enough up but slow enough up that it hits that left orbit. And it'll give you that switch shot because that is a hard through the pop. So make use of that too. I'm trying to think. Whether it was intended, I hope it was intended just for the fact that that's really good shit. The other cool stuff on a multi-ball code is it's a risk-reward. You have to decide your three balls. Are you going into multi-ball? Are you going to deny that multi-ball start and try to get four balls? Are you going to try to deny it to get five? Especially on your third ball. Yeah. Do you keep risking it or do you just go ahead and finish it? Here's the other thing that's coded, I believe. Elevate them. First, I'm going to stick with toys in the edit. The more balls you get, the more bonus and score you get. So again, it pays to keep going. And then once you get elevator multiball, I think the guys on Pennside have said that if you can lock five balls and toys in the attic before you start elevator multiball, then your elevator multiball will score more and will have more multiballs than just the three of them. Hit the left scoop on each multiball to our attic multiball. I mean, there's depth to it. There's depth. This is not an easy multiball game but the coding on multiball on this is better than any multiball coding that I seen on a game It is its own part of the game
    20:41
    And then during, I'm sorry I'm writing on this, but you guys need to know on this Aerosmith, whenever you start the Toys in the Attic multiball, your goal is to get jackpots, of course, but you can stack it with a mode, which is awesome. You can add a ball, which is awesome. But the really cool thing is you're trying to lock balls again. Yeah. You're trying to lock balls in. During that multi-ball. And what Aerosmith, Stearns Aerosmith does, unlike most other Stearns that I know of, is like those old Bally Williams. If you hit a scoop or you hit the toy box, it's going to hold the ball there for a little bit. So you're not having to try to cradle. Yeah. That's right. Four balls on one flipper. You guys, this game for me, code-wise, I mean, I gave it, I'm going to an A-, you're going to B+. Yeah. I feel bad giving it an A-, I feel like I should because it's supposed to be new. man you sit this next to Batman code it's freaking laughable or Kiss or anything really you know what or maybe Metallica for me it's not though I have modes I have the best multi-ball rules and what do I chop in wooden Metallica it's more mode based than Metallica it's not Walking Dead no but if they can update it and turn it into Walking Dead type deal? I don't think you'll ever be there. No, it's a different design. It's a totally different machine, but I'm saying of an equivalency, in a sense. Okay. Aerosmith has the potential to be one of the best Stern games created recently. It's a really good one. It surprises the hell out of me, too. I don't know. I hate to rant, but really, for me, the rules are freaking awesome. They're so awesome.
    22:23
    Alright. I'm geeking out here, but man, the multiball, if you get into that, oh my God. There's nothing more exhilarating. Okay, toys and innovation. I've got to get off this coat thing. Oh my gosh, he loves it. I do. He loves it. I think it's just because Batman was so terrible. This is just an uprising for you. What the F am I playing? Okay, so toys and innovation. What do you think? It's got one of the coolest ball locks in pinball. Yeah, I agree. What do you mean? I agree. Well, I gave it an A- myself. Okay, what did I give it? And I sort of feel like maybe I should have gave it a little lower because, as you'll see in our Metallica review. Throwing a ball through the air into a box. No, that's cool, man, but it's just sort of a one-trick pony. Oh, careful. In a way. A one-trick pony. Because you guys will see in our Metallica review, and most of you, again, are familiar with Metallica. Like, to me, there's a lot of toys. There's a lot of stuff going on there, a lot of innovations. Whereas this, even though it is one really crazy cool toy, it's still kind of, it's basically a scoop in a sense. But it's throwing it out of the elevator. Oh, my gosh. And if you guys haven't seen this. It's like a coil that's turned up too high on a scoop. And on these stairs, you've got to be careful. All these balls flying.
    23:39
    It's scary. But tell them about the clear coat, Greg. Clear coat is gorgeous. I do not understand this at all. I can't. Why is it so much better now? I can't fathom why it's so much better. I can't fathom why Ghostbusters and some of these machines are still sort of having some chipping problems.
    23:57
    Are they not using the same process on Ghostbusters and stuff now, like the newer machines, as what they're doing in Aerosmith? Because Aerosmith, man, it is slick. It looks like a damn ice rink. It does. And there is the wear. Like Zach's put, you probably put quite a few games on there. I mean, there's dimples. Yeah, dimples. But it's not like a Star Trek dimple No, no But you've played quite a few games And to me I've seen games with less plays When shooters are on the way Yeah, this There's no wear so far It is nice looking It is just so shiny and so gorgeous I'll give a free plug to Measlemons They're doing a mod For the elevator Where there's actually doors And the ball flings out Oh, that'll be cool. It's really cool. That'll add a lot to the elevator.
    24:50
    Probably should have been there at the beginning. Well, we could say that about Stern all day long. Should have been there. I mean, we were still dealing with Page instead of Rails. But if they did too cool a shit, then they'd put a lot of mod guys out of business. So more power to the mod guys. The mod guys. Mod guys. The mod guys. What are you sure it says that? Mod guys. We're not. We're not mod guys. You're a mod guy. You're not a mod maker, but you love the mods. I love mod guys. Give me a pro with $1,000 worth of mugs over any premium. Yeah, I agree. Let's go music and call-outs. This is a rock band. I'm going with an A. Okay. Where'd you go? I went B+. Yeah. There's not many call-outs on this. No. When I hit the flipper buttons, you got nothing. I like when you hit the flipper buttons.
    25:34
    Right? I like this. That's a nice little code fix. It's subtle stuff. It is. But that's why I can't give it an 8 right now. The music rocks. The sound on these spike systems kills. Oh, my God, man. I said that when I first played it.
    25:51
    It's a freaking high-quality stereo system. It really sounds good. It sounds damn good. I mean, I hooked up to the Polk Audio sub. Yeah. But even the sub aside, it's just damn clear. And everybody's complaining about Jackie's call-outs. You guys are fine. They're really good. There's nothing wrong with them. If you like Sparky, it's similar. Sparky's is better. Why? I don't know. It's very similar. It fits. It's not old. I think there's like a sequel to something. I'm fine with that. What? When sequels try to... But they're good. Yeah. I mean, it's not bad. It's not bad. I don't think it's as bad as what people are complaining about. No, the music sounds really good. And what I do like about the music call-outs on this, unlike other games where if you drain a ball, the music starts over, ACDC or something like that, this is playing right. I agree. That is beautiful. I would just like to see maybe more like band member call-outs, something like that. I would like that too. Steven Tyler. He's quirky. His voice is freaking amazing when he talks. He just sounds great. I guess they couldn't get him banned, but if he called out jackpots or something like that or extra balls. His voice is just unique. They did that great with Metallica, the band and Sparky. I'm at a B-plus right now. What about Theme? Theme, I'm over the B-plus. I'm with you, brother. B-plus for me. Again, Aerosmith is a cool band. They're nice. It's no Goonies. It's no Harry Potter. It's no, for me, Muppets. I like the Muppets. It's kind of an irrelevant band at this point. Not to be mean to Errol Smith. I mean, he didn't watch any of our videos. That's right. Just in case you do, Stephen, I'm not saying you're completely irrelevant. No, he's not, so you don't have to know. No, but it's not a – We just busted on his scarf. Yeah. I still think it's fantastic. I like his style. But it's just not the – You do like his style. Highlighted hair that looks like a chick. Yeah, dude, he's sick. It's like Prince. It's like a white Prince. Yeah, he's cool. It's awesome. but it's just it's not for today's generation we're some of that last generation I think we were the tail end of I still rock out some Aerosmith all these tough guys out there you guys are like oh Aerosmith's soft I'm soft so I like Aerosmith I even like the new stuff yeah I like it but that's why I gave it what I gave it a B plus because it doesn't blow me away I like cheesy corny Armageddon stuff You and my wife both Oh see Are you comparing me to a female?
    28:12
    Definitely 100% My wife actually probably has a bigger penis Oh my god Caution She's a mean woman She is rough man She's going to watch this video Everybody who knows her knows she's mean Everybody knows Who knows her knows Zach She pulled Zach's ass Really That's a stretch.
    28:37
    A fire hydrant could whoop my ass. I try to talk my way out of conflict. What am I going to do? All right, so if we accumulate... Whoop-de-doo.
    28:48
    I've cracked on you too hard. An 11-year-old son could whoop my ass. Two videos. I apologize. I kind of feel bad. No, it's all good. It's all for you. Poor guy. All right, so we accumulated all the results, and you, my friend, are at a B+, because you're an ass. this is not a freaking B game I'm sorry man it's not a B game this is an A game I'm in an A minus 3.7 this game is a freaking amazing you eat that in there with an A minus this is an A game you're at a 3.5 it is I could see an A game like I said I think that mine is if I owned it and I put more time on it Stern keep making games like this because when Zach first got this Zach was like man I think that my next game to go will be Aerosmith. Like, I'm just, you don't have, you don't have, you don't have high hopes for it. Yeah, I didn't. And you had it for a little bit, and it was still sort of that thing. But then, would you put on a week or two or so? Yeah. And then Zach's like, man, I'm really feeling this game. Like, I don't know if I could get rid of it. I can't put it down. The kids are going out there and playing it. They're turning it on. They don't mess with pins very much. Yep. They're turning that game on, so. The LCD screen is nice. Yeah. And I know pins do that. I mean, that's kind of the cool thing about pins, and that's what's hard to judge if you don't put a lot of time on it. Some games, you initially play it, and it blows you away. You play it for a month, and you're just like, this sucks, man. I'm not really into it. Some pins, you play it for a week, and you're just like, I'm not really into this. And then it's vice versa. It's just like, oh, my gosh, one of the greatest pins in the world that I've ever played. I want to keep it forever sort of deal. Stern is putting the heat on these guys. I agree. When they do stuff like this, these other guys are starting to worry a little. If Stern got all their quality control issues under wraps, I honestly think... I don't think they ever will just because they... They don't care. I don't know if they don't care. Well, I think that if they cared, they would tighten the reins on it. They don't feel like they're even tightening the reins much. Well, it's always something after the other. Now it cabinets That what I saying Like there this weird stuff going on I know some of it maybe is out of their control with certain glues Maybe just weird stuff But to me listen to this You seeing about cabinet splits Go ahead and reinforce it from the factory. It's going to be a 50 cent dollar bracket to put in there at their cost. So that's why that I feel that they're not doing that. Do they think they need to?
    31:08
    No. That's what I'm saying. That's why that I feel that they're not really taking a seat in that. They're actually cranking out pinball machines every year. My way is crawling across the finish line right now with Alien. I agree. Jersey Jack announced that over seven months ago. But that's what I'm saying. It's in reference to what you said about do they care or do they not care. And I don't think they care because if they did, they would simply just stick some brackets in there and reinforce it. But that's why I don't think they really care about the quality control. They're selling, and as long as they continue to sell, they're going to do whatever I think they want. If they make machines like Aerosmith, I'm going to continue to buy them. Well, it's hard not to, even beside quality control. And a lot of you guys will rag us for this, and I know there's arguments every day on Pennside about it. But, I mean, honestly. People are saying, hold off, don't buy anything. And I was one of those guys when Ghostbusters problems started happening. But, man. I can't not. It's hard to not. I love pinball. They're fun games. I love new things. I love fun things. Yeah. And that's what Stern's producing right now. It's like one of these things, man, where they grab you because. Now, in five years, if I still had the thing, I might be worried. Yeah. Because I'm like, well, it's a turd. Yeah, it's going to be a last of a machine. But this feels a lot more solid than what – Because Aerosmith's the top game. It really is nice. It's creeping up the Pennside Top 100 right now. And I don't think it's stopped creeping yet because – and the code is pretty fantastic how it is. Just little mini tweaks. So pros and cons before we talk too much because we probably already talked about a lot of this stuff. But pros and cons. Go out and buy one. Just go buy one. Cons I don't really see much to it. Let's talk a little bit about the premiums. It's got an upper playfield. The upper playfield I heard is fantastic. We haven't got to play the upper playfield. But I heard that it's... I've played it. The way that it's integrated into the game, it makes sense and you get bonus scoring. It's fine. Up there in every step. It's a you don't have to have it. John Board makes a great pro. But it's a you don't have to have it. You don't have to have it. But it's a nice bonus.
    33:03
    But for the money, I think it's like a Star Trek premium pro. It's worse. Oh, even worse. But you definitely don't. No, there's no reason for it. It looks cool, but once you get it up there, there's not really much to do. Oh, see, that's nice. Save you some money, man. You're back. You're, like, tapping the flipper to hit the stand-up target. Well, see, but that's what one guy said. One guy said, was like, he was, said. And the ramp's not smooth. If you ordered a premium or you ordered an LE, don't be mad at yourself. No, enjoy it. You'll enjoy it. But if you want to save some money, you're not going to miss anything by buying a pro. You know what? Here's the other thing. I don't necessarily like the light show on the premium LE like I usually do. How the different songs, different modes change the red, white, and blue like X-Men and ACDC and stuff. And Metallica. For this, this for me called out 70s nostalgia. And usually you know me. I freaking puke Rainbow and the GI and everything on LEDs. But for this one I didn't. He thought I was crazy. But I went with a warm, like a sunlight from Comet. Down in the Sling Area. And I want to do the rest of the game like that too. But tell me how that looks. In the Sling Area I think it looks good. But if you went all over and went too much sunlight, I'm sort of mixed. It's a nice warm feeling. Seeing your game and the colors and the yellows and the oranges and reds that are down there.
    34:23
    Man. It's a lot of gold. When I see somebody post a video that's got a brand new one, that natural white down in those slings, it looks like crap. Yeah, it's a little too bright. Yeah, it's something wrong with it. If you're a pro, I'd recommend getting some Comet sunlight. And you saw what it looked like. So free plug for you guys. Tell us what you think, man. You guys saw that sling. You guys have that going a lot. But for this band, this is a mellow 70s band. It needs to be a little warmer. I agree. It's nice, man. So price, you guys can pick up a pro brand new out of box for, let's not give them the dealer price. 52 to 56?
    35:01
    Yeah, somewhere around. 52 to 56. Maybe, yeah. I mean, let's just say the mid fives, low to mid fives. Yeah. And that's a great package. Great value. Yeah, I guess. Yeah. What else are you going to buy for $5,400? I don't know. I hate that they jacked up everything else $100 when this came out. I think that's a little bit of a joke. I'm fine with that. I'm not okay. I'm not ever okay with the price hike.
    35:24
    But it's not a bad price for the game. For the game you're getting and the quality. Premium, mid-sixes, late-sixes. If we don't see quality issues with this with clear coat and everything else, cabinet, if we don't see any major issues and it's just random small things. Well, they're already splitting. Cabinet's already splitting. Oh, they already see it. Not mine. Thank God. Yeah. But there's Flutter. Well, I don't know what I'm going to say. I was going to say, you know, then it's a good bang for your buck. Go out, buy a pro, play a pro. It kicks ass. You guys will enjoy it. It's a really good game. It is a recommended game. Okay. Anything else we want to hit on? I just wanted to thank the viewers. Yeah. You guys are coming along. I love it. We are so appreciative of the comments. We love responding back. Lots of good input, lots of good ideas. Hell yeah, we're taking that stuff. We're going to use that stuff in the upcoming videos. And we try to respond and talk to every one of you, man, because, again, this is what we love, so we're going to try to answer whatever questions you have. When we started this out, what, two months ago? Two and a half months ago. Our goal was, like, we were like, there's 25 people watch this? Yeah. That's pretty cool. The first 25 views, we were calling each other, like, 25 people watched it today! And there were, like, a couple subscribers, like, first 10 subscribers. People are subscribing to this. But it's because of you guys that just gets us all fired up about these videos. I mean, this is what we do anyway. So we just stick a camera in front of us. But it's overwhelming. We can't thank you enough. Keep checking out the videos. Because I don't think if it wasn't for you guys and you guys not enjoying this as much as what we enjoy it, it's like a two-hour drive between us. Yeah. So I don't think I would drive two hours to come here. I love you, Zach. I don't think I'd drive if it wasn't for you guys enjoying it I'm still having fun, I love doing it don't get me wrong, but man early Sunday morning reviewing an arrow I hit a bird I hit a bunch of bugs ran over dilapidated possums and skunks all the way here welcome to Indiana it was a rough one, the wind blew me off the road it was raining we're going to some exciting places coming up though We are going to some pretty cool collectors. We are? We got that. I hope you guys are enjoying that, man, because I like it. That's awesome. Yeah, let us know what you like. We started with this or that. I like that. That's fun. This or that. And we got a couple other ideas up our sleeve to vary it, man. We don't want to be the, again, the one-trick pony kind of thing. We don't. We want to vary it up and give you guys a lot of content and give you a broadness that is pinball and just not focus and associate on one aspect of it. Yeah. And hopefully you can deal with our shoestring budget. We're trying with the audio, with the lighting, and different things like that. We're not going to ask you for money. It's not going to happen from us.
    38:11
    Come on. We're not going to ask for money. We just like doing it. It's fun. So we'll take some sponsors maybe in the future. Yeah. We're always open to sponsors. Yeah. So if you're a sponsor, come on. Upgrade a few things. Yeah, come on. Come on. You know, we plug your product. If we believe in it, we're not going to take anybody that we don't believe in. And that's why we like sponsors, too. We're picky. And we are picky. But that's a good thing. We're not going to ask you for money.
    38:34
    We'll spend gas and microphone costs and stuff like that. I'd like to have better equipment, but I'm not a tight ass like you, so I'll end up buying it for us.
    38:43
    I'm very tight, but it's all good. You made a rig for us. Yeah, I made a rig. We got some nice stuff. We're getting very DIY and very crafty with some things that we're starting to. We've blown through our goals. Yeah. And the only reason that's because of you guys. So at this point, you've already turned it off. But if you're still watching, Jesus, thank you. Yeah, and check us out on Facebook, man. We're wanting to kind of broaden, and we're thinking Facebook's going to go. Yeah, like our Facebook page. Yeah, where it's going to go. Make sure you like, follow our post. We try to post content on there and keep that up to date as much as possible. We don't have a lot of people on there now like we do YouTube. Reach out to us if you want us to come to your place, give you an interview, review your collection. Message us on Facebook. We talk to quite a few people on Facebook regularly. If you get one of those brand-new fancy machines coming in, like an Alien or a Houdini in the future, dialed in, hit us up. Definitely a Houdini, man. I want to see that in action for sure. So with that kind of stuff, hit us up. We'd love to come hang out with you. Yeah. Cool. Thank you guys for watching. Sunday morning, Greg. Make sure you subscribe. You should be at church, young man. Football season starts. I won't be here Sundays.
    39:47
    That's fair enough. Yeah, that's very fair. I'll be watching football too. So don't expect Sunday videos. Saturday night recordings. Yeah. Seriously. All right, guys. Have a good one. See you.
    40:00
    with a slingshot, you're rolling out the alley again. I tried to cradle you with my flipper, it was all in vain. It was all in vain.
    40:11
    Baby, baby, baby, why are you doing me wrong? Something's coming up. Fuck the sun. Do you live in daylight? Did you say fuck the sun? Yeah, fuck the sun. Do you live in daylight? No, daylight is... I know, like, who, who, who, who rolls into a town and goes, what shall we name this place? Well, you know what? The sun was out. Let's name it daylight. Of all the names. You couldn't have named it after somebody in the little colonial tribe that settled? You name it daylight? Like, how original? Like, I'm scared of what people... I can't make fun of those people. I don't want to go that far. Yeah, don't make fun of daylight people. I mean, I'm just talking about your ancestors. Your ancestors. Hey, you know no vampires live in daylight. You know? That's a vampire freedom. You know what settled it was vampires? We shall name it Daylight. That's right. So they don't know who we are.