Straight Down The Middle: a pinball show Episode 2: Top 10 Pinball Toys

Straight Down the Middle·video·20m 25s·analyzed·Feb 9, 2017

Analysis

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TL;DR

Straight Down the Middle ranks top 10 pinball toys and identifies worst 3 based on design and integration.

Summary

Zach and Greg of 'Straight Down the Middle' present their subjective top 10 list of pinball machine toys, ranking them by design, integration, and play experience. They discuss iconic toys from machines like Medieval Madness (castle), Funhouse (Rudy), Metallica (Sparky), Pirates of the Caribbean (sinking ship), and Attack from Mars (spaceship), then contrast with their three worst toys: Mick on a Stick (Rolling Stones), the troll (Rollercoaster Tycoon), and the punching bag (Champion Pub). The hosts emphasize that great toys combine mechanical simplicity with excellent integration of sound, lighting, and narrative to create memorable gameplay experiences.

Key Claims

Johnny Mnemonic/Matrix toy is a reliable mechanism that rarely fails when properly maintained, though the nut threads can wear on older machines
medium confidence · Greg discusses Johnny Mnemonic toy maintenance; states 'Mine never has' failed and mentions older games' thread issues
Medieval Madness castle toy is ranked #1 because it combines multiple interactive elements (ball walk, cannon, drop gate, moat, shaking) with strong lighting and narrative integration
high confidence · Zach and Greg explicitly rank Medieval Madness #1 and detail its multi-faceted design and storytelling integration
Funhouse toy has personality-driven features including following ball-activated switches, animated eye movement, and a snoring jaw mechanism that makes it memorable despite being scary
high confidence · Greg describes Rudy in detail as #3 toy; mentions jaw jiggling mechanism and interactive eye-tracking
Metallica (Pro) toy is simply a bobblehead figure with a coil knocker but resonates with players because of its simplicity and colorful design by artist Dirty
high confidence · Zach describes Sparky as #2; explicitly states 'it's literally just a figure with a coil in the back that knocks his head around'
Attack from Mars spaceship toy is elevated from a simple gyrating mechanism to a top 10 candidate because of accompanying strobes, LEDs, sounds, and modded UFO effects
high confidence · Greg explains #7 ranking: 'Everything accompanied with that toy makes that a fantastic shot... it's not just the spaceship shaking'
RollerCoaster Tycoon troll toy has no logical connection to the video game IP and is deeply embedded in D&D animations and playfield, making it impossible to remove without game redesign
high confidence · Zach states troll is a 'game breaker' and 'deal breaker'; Greg confirms troll appears 'everywhere' in animations and playfield
Champion Pub punching bag toy resembles male genitalia in appearance, making it uncomfortable to play once pointed out to players
high confidence · Greg explicitly compares punching bag to 'a ball sack'; both agree it's 'hard to get past' once noticed

Notable Quotes

“It's like Keanu in the movie. You know, he's moving his hands... he's mimicking moving stuff in the computer... it's integrated into the game very well.”
Greg@ 1:42 — Explains the thematic integration of Johnny Mnemonic's Glove toy and how movie IP informs mechanical design
“It's a bobblehead in your pinball machine that's all it is but boy oh boy you guys not love just hitting the hell out of sparky getting in the multiball and see him go”
Zach@ 11:39 — Captures why simple toys can be memorable—it's about the player interaction and feedback, not complexity
“It feels like you're raiding a castle... you're shooting the cannonball through the castle to... it's a story.”
Greg@ 13:07 — Articulates the narrative immersion that makes Medieval Madness #1; emphasizes storytelling as key to toy excellence
“The troll is everywhere. When that came out, it came out in the 2000s... It's in the D&D animations. It's in the modes. It's on the damn play field.”
Greg@ 16:55 — Explains why Rollercoaster Tycoon's troll is a deal-breaker—it's inescapable and thematically disconnected from the IP
“If you've never thought about that before, if you play that game again, it's all you're going to see.”
Zach@ 17:54 — Describes the psychological impact of poor toy design—once a flaw is pointed out, it ruins the play experience
“Rudy is scared of what that game is... it talks to you, it moves its eyes, this thing falls asleep... it has personality.”
Greg — Highlights Funhouse Rudy as a personality-driven toy that transcends mechanics; notes emotional response to design

Entities

Zach Sharpeperson Gregperson Straight Down the Middleorganization Medieval Madnessgame Funhousegame Metallicagame

Signals

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content_signal: Straight Down the Middle launching monthly top 10 list format for pinball discussion; planning interviews, expo coverage, and community engagement via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinside)
high · Hosts explicitly state 'Hopefully once a month or so we'll do top tens' and announce plans for Louisville Expo filming and competitor interviews
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design_innovation: Modern pinball toy design success driven by multi-sensory integration (lights, sounds, mechanics, narrative) rather than complexity alone; simple mechanisms elevated by accompaniment effects
high · Hosts repeatedly emphasize integration: Attack from Mars spaceship elevated by strobes/LEDs/sounds; Medieval Madness castle's storytelling narrative; Rudy's personality-driven interactivity
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community_signal: Community values vintage toy designs (Medieval Madness, Funhouse, Metallica) for personality and narrative integration; skeptical of modern toys that lack thematic coherence (Rollercoaster Tycoon troll, Champions Pub punching bag)
high · Top 3 toys are from pre-2000s machines (Medieval Madness, Funhouse, Metallica); worst toys include 2000s+ machines; hosts critique troll's disconnection from IP
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design_philosophy: Hosts advocate for personality-driven animatronic toys (Rudy, Sparky) that interact with gameplay and create emotional connection; note that modern pinball designers underutilize this approach
high · Greg states 'I'd like to see more games like that... more interactive toys like that... it's a different experience' regarding Funhouse; praises Rudy's switch-tracking and personality
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Transcript

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0:00

So like this is the beginning of the show where we show our logo and we insert upbeat music that's really cool but we can't afford editing. What's happening guys it's me Zach and Greg here with Straight Down the Middle a pinball show. So today we're gonna do a top ten list. Hopefully once a month or so we'll do top tens. This week's toys. Toys, yeah. We're going to touch on things, back glasses and art and shots and rules and ball locks and ramps and anything you can think of. We're going to try to, we'll give our subjective view as the top ten pinball. And why we picked them. Why we like them. So we're going to hit on toys today. I like toys. I like toys, yeah. It's a big part of pinball. But every machine's kind of got its iconic toy or mechanism that you remember it by for the most part. I mean, that's what makes a good pinball. Some are integrated a little better than others. That's right. So we're going to give our top ten list. So we're going to start out with number ten. So number ten, our favorite in the top ten list. Go ahead. It's your baby. We went with Johnny Mnemonic. The Glove Matrix. And a lot of people, you know, the game itself doesn't get a lot of love, even though it's a great game. It's the only reason, man. But that feature itself doesn't get a lot of love because it slows down the gameplay and everything else. But, you know, there's some strategy to it. When you were telling me on the phone the other day, you were like, it's a freaking glove that pulls the ball up. Yeah, I said, you know what, it's like Keanu in the movie. You know, he's moving his hands. You watched the movie? I've seen the movie. I'm a huge Keanu Reeves fan. I haven't seen it recently, but when it came out, I liked it. But, you know, so it's like he's mimicking moving stuff in the computer. So he's moving it over and puts it in the matrix grid. and there's some strategy behind the Matrix grid too. It's integrated into the game very well. So even though it's simply a magnet and a hand that moves, it's still a really cool feature. It's fun. And the fact that it shoots up into the glove like it does is outstanding. I like it. It's a really neat toy. It's a good number 10. What color is it? It's like a silver metallic kind of. The glove is like a black with, I guess, the joints and stuff under it kind of like a silver in one stationary, in the other hand. It literally, you know, there's a sort of, it shoots it up into the glove and the giant magnet holds it and you move it over and you've got. Has that ever failed?

2:29

Mine never has. No. So it's, you know. I heard it's a booger to work on though. No, I just think that the older games, the nut wears out on the threads and you've got to replace those nuts. When you've got to replace your nuts. That's going to be a good one. But, you know, if it's been rebuilt, you know, I've heard that it's really reliable. Solid gloves? Solid, yeah. And it's actually a very simple mechanism. And I guess the mini play field is kind of part of that toy because you drop it down. Yeah, that's your matrix grid. Yeah, and each spot, there's three spots each way. So there's three, six, nine spots on there. Yeah. And each of them. Oh, the multiplayer. That's where your multiball is. That's where you play with other people, though. Yeah, they'll take their ball because it's only a four-ball game. And that's your ball lock at the same time. But each spot that you drop it in, you can get video mode. It pertains to 50 gigabytes. There's certain things that you get, bonuses that you get when you drop it in there. And if you do three balls in a row, then you get like two or three times jackpots on your multi-ball. But then that tray flips forward and your balls go down separate ways. So it's very important. It made it into the top ten, man. It did. Congratulations. It's a great game. Johnny made it. So what do we have number nine? Number nine we're at high speed getaway High speed to the getaway. Is it that good? Wait get away Yes, but anyway the supercharger on it you hit it up into the ramp and it choo choo choo choo choo and it goes around to the Descriptive like yeah, so whips around this thing. It's a really cool effect It's not it sounds lame and I'm not a big fan of the game looks. I am I like I actually played it a guy's house like a month ago or so and it took me by surprise like how actually cool it was everybody wants to get away but then I've heard once you own it for a while it kind of gets boring you know I just I don't really like it with the supercharger is amazing that took me by surprise and I loved it I love this it's similar it didn't make our top ten but NASCAR yeah NASCAR is what it is the best thing that NASCAR's got so cool that laugh that shoots around though I really like that all right number eight I felt like this was one I rated higher but I don't think I haven't had a lot of time on the game so I couldn't I could put too much in so number eight is ACDC the bell never they've gotten plenty of toys on that game but the bell itself okay so it's a captive ball ish kind of thing you hit it but what I love about the bell is the feedback that you get with it it a shaker motor it a sound it just boom you really it feels it one of the fun shots in it in the game yeah and if you hit it right especially on the premium LE if you hit it right the whole thing is on a pendulum So you can hit it right either you can go all the way through or it can hit the ball back to you. It's so cool. It is neat. It's well integrated into the game. Who doesn't love hitting that damn bell over and over? Yeah, and integration, it's a big part of what makes it fun for sure. So that's number eight. So at number seven, we have Attack from Mars, the spaceship. And we discussed this, and it's simply a little gyrating spaceship. So you don't really – how does that make a top ten of toys? It's got like a knocker or something on the back that kind of pops it. Yeah, yeah. And so we discussed – we're like, you know, because Zach had brought it up. I was like, hey, how do you really put that as a top ten toy? But then the more we discussed it, the sounds. Yeah, the LED and the grass, and it goes around. Everything. The strobe. Everything accompanied with that toy makes that a fantastic shot. To me, it doesn't get old. That's right. And we can add the smaller little UFOs, and I think the mod that the guy does that really makes it well done. But just seeing all of those UFOs go off and the shot right into it, you really feel like you're defeating a UFO. You do. It's so well integrated. So that's what boosts that toy is everything that accompanies it. It's not just the spaceship shaking. it's the lights, the sounds, it does. It makes you feel like you really achieved something. Why don't we have more strobes in games? Well, well-utilized strobes. Like a strobe light. I think that's the coolest effect. Flash Gordon had that in the back glass with the strobe. I love the strobe. We should do more of that in Pinball. Number seven, Attack from Mars. Now, the game itself, you love that game, right? I like it. I know you're not too big a fan. It's some repetitive stuff. It's a fun game, but let's get to the wizard mode by hitting the damn UFO all the time. But like I said, crashing that ship, it never gets old. It gets old. It's fantastic. But it's fun. It's fun. So number six. Number six is Jurassic Park, my first game. Love Jurassic Park. You guys know what I'm talking about. It's the T-Rex. The T-Rex goes down. It's kind of a theatrical spectacle, the lights and stuff. Stop it. He goes down, picks up the ball for the ones that do actually work. That's a monster of a little mechanism. Picks up the ball, pulls it up. You see it in his mouth. And then he swallows it. He goes through a subway down. Which is a simulation of eating the goat. The goat, yeah. A lot of people put the little goat up on the... Yeah, so it's fantastic. As simple as it is, it's cool. He turns around and stuff. I love Jurassic Park. That is an underrated game, but I think everybody's first game, they go, oh, it's underrated. But I love Jurassic Park. That's a fun game. So T-Rex, number six, it's cool. It's really cool. Number five, we went... So we juggled between five and six here. Yeah. We went Pirates of the Caribbean, number five. The ship. The ship itself. I don't know what the ship is. I don't know what it's called. The black... Is it the black pearl? Or is it Davy Jones's? Oh, I don't know. It might be Davy Jones's. I don't know. It's a ship. When you hit it, it's just... Thank you. Thank you, Wizard of Oz. When you hit the ship, it rocks. And then you hit the ship again, and then the sails start going down. You hit the ship again, and it all starts sinking. You hit it, and it goes all the way under the playfield. That's freaking awesome. There's nothing cooler than that, really. We're geeking out on toys. I love it. That is fun, man. It is really cool. So that's number five. Number four. You know where we're going with all this stuff. You know what's going to be top list. I know you do. Yeah, you've got to. Everybody, it's got to be. They're like, when is it? Yeah, yeah. But number four, we went with Adam's Family. The Thing. A lot of good toys on that game. I especially like the magnets in the play field. A lot of people hate that, but it's pretty cool. But think, man, it's one of those things that it's, again, simplicity. But it's so cool. Because it's integrated so well that it just rolls out and takes that ball, rolls out and puts the ball back. Yeah. Like, that never gets old. Because it's a little surprise hidden in the back, too. And it's kind of hidden. It's an unassuming little box. It is. And you don't see anything else. Yeah. Part of the play field. And then all of a sudden, the damn thing opens up in a hand. Yeah. And it looks good. It does look good. And it comes out and grabs it and then goes back out. It's a fantastic toy. Another thing. I think for a lot of people that probably would be like number one or two. It would fall number one for a lot of people. Yeah, I do. I do agree. That's a really cool, really cool toy. Number three. Number three is what I ranked as number one. Yeah. And we averaged that. Yeah. Because I'm just not the damn game creeps. And it scares me. And this toy scares me. That's right. Like I wouldn't play it alone in my basement for nothing. Oh, man. It's Funhouse. It's Funhouse's Rudy. Rudy is, think about the date on that thing. Yeah. Back in the 90s. And for what? And that's for what Rudy does is pretty fantastic. He looks around the play field, he follows switches, so it looks like he's watching the ball. This is a toy that has personality. Yes. It draws you into the machine, it talks to you, it moves its eyes, this thing falls asleep. And it what Mary Shelley Frankenstein wanted to do But did not utilize it with that ugly Frankenstein The four backwards arms Yeah that what they wanted to do but it failed in every aspect But Rudy is scared of what that game is I am. It's a hit. Rudy is- And Tales of the Crypt you're scared of. Tales of the Crypt, I love the one in Nightmare on Elm Street, but I'm scared of that son of a bitch in my basement. Yeah. But man, Rudy is very- And you hit him in the mouth. You hit him in the mouth. And even like the – I forgot whose video. I wish I could plug their video. It might have been Tucky on TNT talking about it. Shit. I'm sorry, guys, whoever it was. But when he's asleep, even the mechanism to make his bottom jaw jiggle as if he's snoring. It's fantastic. It is very cool. I'd like to see more games like that. I wish Turner or somebody would throw some very interactive toys like that in. Because it's a different experience. That's a lot of research and design. It is a lot. But, I mean, it's done there. you kind of you kind of have the blueprints you know it can be done but then Road Show came well all right so number three was fun house number two doesn't have a lot going on on it no it doesn't but there's something special people love it ever it's it could be a number one for a lot of people Metallica Sparky number two it is literally just a figure with a coil in the back that knocks his head around yeah but man like a bobblehead yeah it's a bobblehead in your pinball machine that's all it is but boy oh boy you guys not love just hitting the hell out of sparky getting in the multi ball and see him go just electrocuting and then just walking at you and stuff like that it's colorful it's designed by great artist dirty yes and it the thing is it's not even really associated with Metallica but it has become a metallic it has become a state that's really from Metallica itself that is a solid fun playing toy I can simple fun playing I definitely and then what's number one so number one so how do you do number one so number one you guys know what it is it's number one for a reason for a lot of things but it's really cool medieval madness The castle itself, you've got a lot of stuff going on. You ball walk through. You're shooting cannonball through the castle. The drop gate opens. Well, the drop gate opens. You've got basically a moat that you fall into without the drawbridge coming back. So there's a ton of the castle shakes once it starts to hit. It shakes. And so the castle, for it to be one solid toy, it has a lot of aspects. It's sort of like Rooney. There's a lot that goes on with that one toy that is fantastic. And the lighting of it is fantastic. I don't know, it's really cool. It feels like you're raiding a castle. It's another one of those things that you feel like... I love that there's multiple aspects of it. It's not just a castle that moves. Yes. You pound up... it's a story. It is a story, yes. You're shooting the cannonball through the castle to... It's like Attack from Mars in that sense. It's like with the spaceship. But it's even better. It's way better. Yeah, way better. I agree. But it's like since the story you feel like that you're part of that pinball you're part of that getting this guy I'm gonna hit the castle door. He's an author comes down then you're hitting the the gate inside of you And you're going through the gate. Yes, gone, and then the pillars start bouncing around You know defeated it and everybody channel that whole minute erect right back up with the trolls everything that that whole game Yeah, it's a story in itself. It's absorbed It's sort of like I feel with what they're gonna try to make aliens do where that you're more integrated integrated, into the game. Yeah, and it's a different tone. Oh yeah, totally different tone, but where you're more in the game. Yeah, you're playing on the modes as part of the game, you're getting through something, a quest. Yeah, it feels more than pinball. That game is good. So Medieval Madness, we love that, it's number one for a reason. This whole top ten list, you could really argue, there was a lot of things, I'm trying to think of some of the things we had that we were a crane of some type, whether it's Dark Knight or Last Action Hero. Crane is a really cool thing. I'm trying to think what else we had.

14:19

It's worth looking on my phone real quick. We had a couple more honorable mentions. You know, Lost World, again, I'm going to argue that. You and your dang Lost World. But the snagger on that is cool. It's a neat little thing. The egg is neat. Man, there's so many games. The egg is neat? That's kind of neat, yeah. It opens up and a little baby T-Rex in there screaming at you. That's fantastic. So some of our honorable mentions. We had Star Trek did the Vengeance ship just like the UFO. The Smaug in The Hobbit is really cool. They took a lot of time on that. Pinball Magic, The Wand, Traveling Down the Wand. These are all just honorable mentions that were hard to love. A lot of stuff in Theater of Magic. There's some on there. The Trunk is neat. The Trunk is really cool. Goldmine Satellite, Laps on NASCAR, The Spinning House on Wizard of Oz, The Trunk on Tom. This Ringmaster on Circus Voltaire, it's hard. And this will sort of bring us to another game, too, that Zach wants to bring up as one of the worst toys But I also think it has an honorable mention But we Champions Pub People hate it but the jump rope on that the little toys on there it neat It is very neat, you know. But it's also one of Zach's Yeah. So let's talk about, so we got our top ten. I hope you guys are in somewhat agreement with us. If not, hit us up on Facebook or hit us up on Instagram. Let us know what your thoughts are and we'll try to include it in the next video or so. But yeah, so we're going to talk about the worst three toys in pinball take a second really think about what the worst pinball toys are so in no particular order because they all suck ass uh mick on a stick the rolling stones this piece of thin plastic that comes out with this ugly guy on it and you bash the hell out of it everybody hates that we hate that no nobody likes that thing so you almost want it to break you do when i'm playing you just don't have to look at it i want it to break i don't like it Like Shag breaking the back glass. I want this thing to break. So not a good toy at all. Agreed. The other one we have, I want to like this game. Every time I play it, Rollercoaster Tycoon. You guys know what I'm talking about. It's a cool layout. It's a Lawler layout, I think. Yeah, I think so. It's cool. And then you see the troll. That ugly-ass troll that has nothing to do with the troll. Yeah, I played Rollercoaster Tycoon as a kid. I had every one of them that there was on my computer. Oh, PC games? Yeah. And I don't remember anything to do with trolls. It's brutal, man. I have no idea where that integration... And I could be wrong. Somebody might be able to point out why there's trolls. I have no clue. But we talked about it. We didn't figure out where the trolls came in. Yeah. What's up with the troll, man? Yeah. And the problem is, so you think, that's a toy. I can jack this thing out and put something else cool in it. Yeah. You can't because it's in the D&D animations. It's in the modes. It's on the damn play field. The troll is everywhere. When that came out, it came out in the 2000s. Yeah. It's a newer game. It's more popular. We collected those things in the late 80s. Late 80s, early 90s. Yeah, where the hell's the troll coming from? It might have stayed in the late 80s. That's a game breaker. That's a deal breaker for me. Agreed. I can't have that game in my collection because of the damn troll. So, well, back to the Champions Pub. Oh, God.