SDTM Episode 94: TOP 10 Shots in Pinball

Straight Down the Middle·video·22m 6s·analyzed·Jun 3, 2019

Analysis

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TL;DR

SDTM ranks top 10 pinball shots; Star Trek warp ramp #1, announces fan review program.

Summary

Straight Down the Middle hosts Greg Bone and Zach Minney present their subjective top 10 list of best-feeling pinball shots, featuring machines from classic designers like Steve Ritchie, George Gomez, and Pat Lawlor. The hosts rank iconic shots including Star Trek's warp ramp (#1), Lord of the Rings' destroy-the-ring (#2), and Star Wars Premium Edition's fork ramp (#3), while debating shot mechanics, repeatability, and the tactile satisfaction that defines great pinball design. The episode also announces a new viewer engagement initiative allowing fans to pay $100 to select and co-review a game with the hosts.

Key Claims

Star Trek's warp ramp is the #1 best-feeling shot in pinball
high confidence · Greg and Zach explicitly rank Star Trek warp ramp as #1 based on repeatability, feedback, and the aggressive/satisfying feel of hitting it multiple times
Lord of the Rings destroy-the-ring shot is the #2 best-feeling shot
high confidence · Zach argues for this shot's inclusion despite it being a controversial pick; features magnet interaction and satisfying payoff (Gollum falling)
Star Wars Premium Edition fork ramp to magnet is #3
high confidence · Greg strongly defends this pick, stating it's 'perfection' with timed hurry-up mechanic and magnet interaction; pre-emptively asks viewers to only critique if they own the machine
Ghostbusters right ramp is their #10 pick despite being unconventional
high confidence · Greg acknowledges this is a controversial choice but values the tight, steep shot feel despite poor game design overall
SDTM is launching a $100 viewer co-review program
high confidence · Hosts announce viewers can donate $100 to pick a game for review and have their weighted comments read on-air; designed to fund equipment and travel

Notable Quotes

“it feels so tight people have now turned off the television...but boy does it feels damn good”
Greg Bone@ 3:55 — Captures the tension between game quality and individual shot satisfaction that defines the top 10 concept
“you feel like a god after you knock Gollum...off the cliff...and the machine blows up and you feel so good”
Zach Minney@ 12:21 — Articulates the emotional/tactile satisfaction of destroying the ring in LOTR—the core appeal of a 'feel-good' shot
“I don't want to hear any of your [] unless you own it...if you own it and put 200 games on it and you tell me I'm wrong then I'll eat crow”
Greg Bone@ 16:30 — Defensive stance on Star Wars Premium fork ramp ranking; signals community pushback expected on controversial pick
“there's nothing amps me and fires me up like that forklift ramp hyperspace loop shot”
Greg Bone@ 11:35 — Personal passion for Star Wars shot; reveals emotional connection beyond mechanical analysis
“it's aggressive and sexual at the same time”
Zach Minney@ 15:08 — Unusual characterization of Star Trek warp ramp's feel; captures the visceral, almost primal satisfaction of repeating it
“a certified SDTM boner game”
Greg Bone@ 15:22 — Establishes SDTM terminology for games that deliver peak shot satisfaction; informal but community-recognized signal of high quality

Entities

Straight Down the Middlemedia Greg BonepersonZach MinneypersonStar Trekgame Lord of the RingsgameStar Wars Premium EditiongameSteve Ritchieperson

Signals

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community_signal: SDTM launching $100 viewer co-review program to fund equipment and travel while increasing community involvement in review process
high · Formal announcement: 'message us...a donation of $100 you get to pick the game we review...they get to submit...we're gonna read off their comments'
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design_philosophy: Hosts identify tactile/mechanical satisfaction as decoupled from overall game quality—a great shot can elevate an otherwise mediocre game (Ghostbusters example)
high · Greg explicitly defends Ghostbusters #10 despite poor design: 'it feels so tight...but boy does it feels damn good'; frames it as shot evaluation, not game evaluation
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market_signal: Magnet-based shots and timed mechanics are increasingly valued as core elements of modern 'feel-good' design (Star Wars #3, LOTR #2, Whirlwind #4)
medium · Three of top four ranked shots feature magnet interactions or timed mechanic elements; hosts emphasize these as critical to satisfaction
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community_signal: Greg and Zach demonstrate significant creative debate within SDTM—Greg advocates for controversial picks while Zach provides validation/push-back, suggesting collaborative editorial process
medium · Multiple instances of 'I had to fight for this one' and 'you said no but...' indicating internal disagreement resolved through discussion
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product_concern: Hosts acknowledge manufacturing variance affects shot feel; some machines deliver intended sensation while others don't, attributed to material quality and setup

Topics

Pinball shot design and mechanics (feel, repeatability, feedback)primaryDesigner contributions (Ritchie, Gomez, Lawlor, Meunier) to memorable shotsprimaryTangible vs. thematic game quality (loving a shot in a mediocre game)primaryManufacturing quality impact on shot feel (materials, tolerances)secondarySDTM viewer engagement and co-review program launchsecondaryControversial picks and community disagreementsecondaryMagnet-based mechanics and multiball interactionsmentionedClassic vs. modern pinball designer legaciesmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— Hosts express genuine passion and enthusiasm for pinball shot design. Despite some defensive posturing around Star Wars (#3) and anticipation of community disagreement, the overall tone is celebratory and appreciative of designer craftsmanship. Playful banter between hosts adds levity. No negativity toward games or manufacturers.

Transcript

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[Music] the wait is over a revolution and LED lighting for your pinball is finally here fully customizable full spectrum lighting from pin stadium lights order yours now at key stadium calm let's kick this [ __ ] [Music] [Applause] [Music] can you picture that shot I think feels so good there's still one on my radar that I played the other day that is still gonna be blasphemy consideration actually I've got one we we ended up using that one shot but then I'm like man there's still another shot okay one the same thing about what we want you guys to do is follow along with us on this video as we go through the top 10 best favorite shots in pinball didn't have to be a great game but boy oh boy that one shot is so juicy feels good or lines out I like the effect right after you shoot it raising mm-hmm so in the comments below first subscribe down there subscribe but in the comments below put your favorite shot in pinball you go and think about not tequila thank you but no yeah fireball tequila why does everybody drink fireball because you can actually get it down before we do that we also want to say we've got a little announcement hopefully you guys enjoyed our Alice Cooper nightmare castle review yeah that was a good one I had fun with that I guess but we're gonna doll for something special that's gonna make some of you roll your eyes others saying we're gonna be others gonna be really excited about this and take advantage we're looking to get a little bit more support to buy new equipment and travel for [ __ ] in the middle we're guessing big ideas we do so to do that you can help support us and also be part of our reviewing process what do you think about it great I think it's fantastic I think it's really cool so here's the deal we're gonna let you the viewer you the viewer pick the game that we're gonna review and not only that we are gonna let you review it with us ah kind of like you see whenever we have our SD team certified reviewers they submit their weighted grade but how can we let them do that yeah thanks for asking Greg what they've got to do is message us and ultimately we're taking a donation of $100 you get to pick the game we review the game right and they get to submit and we're gonna we're gonna read off their comments on each category they get awaited studies get to argue with you that's right we tell you so you can pick your favorite why you're right around your favorite game it's a hundred bucks it helps us out yeah so you become the reviewer what do you think people are gonna pick hopefully I don't pick like crap games for us somebody's just gonna throw me out there just to be an [ __ ] I just do Raven or something than just raising I don't even discuss the thing I don't think Wyatt fit good was so so top ten shots and fit mall this is a very subjective varies well it is but I'm hungry I was gonna say a lot of things are gonna make a lot of sense to you so number 10 is one that nobody's gonna agree with I think it's this is the one arm this is the zagging break special number ten I still agree we've dropped out a lot of shots of people who is that gonna have it on there and I said this is echoes like you guys in there I wanted to do but I left it out because people would agree number ten is Ghostbusters Pro right ramp shot oh good does it feel it's so tight people have now turned off the television it's so steep it rolls up it really goes nowhere it comes back to you but boy does it feels damn good and this is the exact shot that I was talking about when we were coming into the video yeah the damn ecto-1 left orbit feels good you never hit like you never brick on that normally it's like it's smooth and you're on how did I hit most people would say on ghostbusters Pro the left ramp is really nice because it's repeatable loop and supers yeah but we're at the right ring we're at the right right but it feels good when you hit it because it's steep it's tight in you're just like whoa it'll be hard for them to take us seriously but will redeem ourselves but that has to be in there cuz Greg and I love I shot it feels really good what about number 9 let him to say never knives a newer games by stern pinball no oh iron maiden iron maid is this all gonna be stirring games they say balli Williams were the shoot set up with the shots are in no it's Iron Maiden's loop shot super quick super butter remained repeatable yeah ain't no blue bondable and you can increase the difficulty by leaving the little flipper down yeah and trying to hit that shots worth more points when you do so that it's gonna get to get to come your own is alone and it fills that sucker five or six times in a row you go from 6:00 to midnight real warfarin but I'm saying this you can't I can't say that all right so that's a number that's number nine do you guys like the iron main loop I bet that's in a lot of people's it's number eight the insanity falls the city Falls is cool yes it suits on the tip of the flipper on the top upper plate that slippery goes up the roller coaster waterfall every time it's headway right oh don't hit that with ice Ellen this Lethal Weapon 3 and I don't tell him this I was it was more of a joke I wasn't legitimately trying to sell this to you but I sold it I got it in a really good deal so I'm not mad it's not it's not tempered glass it's no it's like in a picture frame it's like when I wrote yes yes I'm scared to death every time I pull that glass that's good yes it feels so awkward and I'm scared that it's gonna shatter into five pieces oh not a million five is flagger me all right whitewater insanity speaking of insane insanity Falls where you there's a lot of cool shots on whitewater it's a feel-good game that game is amazing to feel good game but that shot to that ramp went taxing extra special in worlds around what about number seven number seven is one that I had to fight for right you said no it's good but thank you number seven is the shadow the motifs start the moat start is a very tricky but it feels so good because I've mastered the shot so when I hit it it's not I've played that game thousands of times it's never got old that's never got old and when you need to start that final battle yeah a net shot will drain you because if you miss it you're out the sides yeah it feels so freakin good just maneuvers right in there so the shadow mode starts shot is number seven do you guys agree or disagree remember down in the comments comment let us know do you think they will agree on that one I think the die-hard toss it for you deep cut there yeah number seven yeah number six is number seven a deep cut or sixty monster bad law from the left Renee its man my brother said watching the show with his friend and he was like let's show like our show oh really and they were watching the Halloween episode and he was like why is he not breaking character hundreds of people made love that everybody loved the left ramp on monster best isn't really a left ramp at all but it is awkward it's it's over I reformed to play field right it's whooshes real it's I've caught hurry up that's our home and go me right there is super smooth man I love it I love it but there's some clunk no comment there ya know what I said it feels a monster bash left ramp yeah and are there other shots on the game it feels good agree drag feels good hitting him definitely want to hear that left orbit now Schmidty and I are talking about doing a homebrew game we've kind of got a white wood go I'm sorry it's gonna take forever because we want time but I told him I'd like the left ramped to just by that monster bachelor do that yeah I think it'd be really cool yeah number five Notice on you best shot in pinball's is you a lot of these guys a lot of these guys are gonna agree with me it's ripping that mother farm spinner on meteor ripping it get it loaded up get all of those drops down but one and all tear it up you guys know what I'm talking about there's it's the best I had to put a spinner shot in here and that one is my favorite spinner shot in pinball Oh feels so good it's on the end of the flipper you it's so hard to find but once you play it enough you find it you can yet it comes back down trap boom yeah I don't play yeah I just listen take your word for it hmm gives me the shivers that's number five different so these are the best shots in pinball yeah the fourth best feel good shot pinball pretty good you argued for this one is this a super jackpot side ramp shot on world doesn't it whirlwind super jackpot you got a multiball you gotta hit that side ramp shot similar to the warp ramp on star track feels so good and it trickles back down onto the spinning disc out of control if you want to see a light show in a jackpot it is good calm whirlwind it makes me feel good that's a feel good shot yeah in a pinball machine it's more than just a shot there's a few things that encompass to make that shot film good it's a feel-good shot but it's still feel good shot country my greatest feel good shots number three oh definitely fought for this one I said not needed not needed this is one that people disagree with they're gonna disagree with us I'll fight them no I'll fight you I'll be doing a lot of fighting off Mison fighting in the shower over that soap in prison and then you gonna beat this game is a Steve Ritchie shut it yeah but it still doesn't feel as good as you say it is maybe the best feel-good shot in pinball and that is Star Wars Premium le fork ramp shot the fork ramp to the magnet feels good but it's not that good it is perfection you got the hurry up Greg everything's blinking you gotta hit it before your time runs out you hit it hurry up oh there's nothing amps me and fires me up like that forklift ramp hyperspace loop shot OnStar there's two other things that happen whoo one of those being Lord of the Rings that's number 2 Lord of the Rings destroy the ring shot now I will agree with this one that feels good golems hanging rod nut challans hanging more than trying to save little golem hmm poor little get your three shots you start destroy the ring in my eyes are closed come picture in it right you got your three shots you've got your a straight shot orbit shot right overshot it we've qualified it you hit it up the ramp we got it up the ramp Greg it's magnet it's in there now golems hanging you gotta what you got to do great get the but gotta hit it in there bet the machine blows up and you feel like a pinball wizard you feel like a god after you knock Gollum altar that crusty little bastard off the cliff yo and tomorrow into all of the lava and the game goes pulls a scared stiff on you and you feel so good but you know the only guys make it if you feel so good but then you got go work yeah cause it says your journey is not over you're not dying yeah you're not done Eleanor's yeah that brings us to number one I think you know what right now everybody's like they left this game out and this is the number one I think if we did a poll on pin side right now a little bit of that everyone's their greatest shot in pinball I think this would be it and it is also a Steve Ritchie what's si I think it'd be what does it say before we go into the regiment's movie to ask great shots he's a smooth shot we've got a we've got a Jorge Gomez at number two we've got a Steve Ritchie at number three we've got a Pat Lawler number four we've got a Steve Kordek I think at number five or no Kurt steep Kirk number five number six we got Jorge Gomez - Jorge Gomez games a top ten on best best shots and pin Bob bet you we've got a Brian Eddy yeah we've got a Dennis Nordman yeah we have a key that'll win in the top and then we've got a those we don't speak up in number ten but number one chromic brass at black Nicollet candy chrome at powder-coated the possibilities are endless at pinball play t-dot-com your pinball machine deserves the best at comet pinball you'll find the best variety of LED products with the best quality LEDs and most importantly at the best price your collection is begging for an upgrade order yours now at comet pinball comm check out pin graphics for the latest and greatest in pinball enhancements power blades blade skins pin blades and even more visit ping graphics calm now to see what's available for your pinball machine best shot in pinball most feel good shot in pinball time Greg what is it Steve Ritchie Star Trek Star Trek war Priam warp rim warp 1 warp 2 warp 3 warp 49.1 9.2 not only does it feel good but the fact that it's telling you how many shots you hit and into power love that mmm that call out just now warm breezes what it is repeatable yes yes yes well do it again I didn't do it again appear over I'll do it don't do it it's aggressive and sexual at the same time oh it does it's a repeater it's dead [Music] that's a [ __ ] boner game right there certified SDTM boner game that's a boner game certified boner is for you yeah you hit a six or seven times and you feel like you're on top of the world yeah that's the reason I kept that game obviously what in the code wasn't layout wasn't the theme it was that shining you see some of the People's War preamp records and years o Doolin and I'm not don't believe on the premium le you get the chase up at to the lights the chase lights my god Richie you've done a spread on that one do you think anything will ever top that top shot in pinball hell the top three do you think a pinball machine will Taba do you think it's gonna happen the top three yeah yeah I think so thanks I think there could be something wise but you mean hyperspace shot oh my god and that's one real quick caveat what were we talking about no you're talking that's stupid Pro no no man you were talking about something what did I tell you what shot did I say came close to mmm-hmm we'll get into that but what I want to say is before you guys get your pitchforks out and your your fires out against me on the Star Wars premium I don't want to hear any of your [ __ ] unless you own it if you own it serger if you own it and put 200 games on it and you tell me I'm wrong then I'll eat crow but until then don't want to hear don't want to hear it it's one of the greatest shots in pinball let's talk about real quick some some honorable mentions some of the other best shots in pin well tell them what you're what and I was like it's good I'll tell you what just I would have water this to be on one of the best but the problem is is your game has to be set like warframe your game doesn't have to be set up no yeah Deadpool skill shot when you hit that katana yeah aim in plunges puts another ball in the shooter Lane yeah you plunge that pile you smack that one to katanas in a row whoa feel you get through a section can you get through I've come close actually I tried not to get three because out we don't already bottom oh yeah because you know you can do it and it feels that good it's that smooth but a the downfall is is your machines have to be set up goodness and that's why this that's why fellow that's what fell out of the tenant is this not when you hit that shot it slays my game plays all right yeah my game does it perfect but there's ones that like I got lucky I don't know if it's just lucky out of the box lucky setting it up right but well I'm sure there's yeah but some are not and that's what get knocked it out put that shot by Gomez another game that that I own that I wanted to give a contender to or an honorable mention is actually the New Jersey Jack Pirates of the Caribbean there's a lot of fun shots on wanna function but one of them is the Dauntless shot getting into the Canaan you're actually shooting it desert it's your tongue up and when you hit it into that that ship and I also will say one of my single and you can't repeat it so we couldn't put it on top in one of the greatest shots in pinball is jjp parts the Caribbean shout out to Eric menu that's right it's the left whirl pool but here's the duck creek but here's the deal with that I love it it happens maybe once every 50 shots but if you hit it really hard to the left rein try to do this on location if you hit it really hard on that left ramp it goes up and it's coming so fast that it goes around the bowl twice and shoots back up and then it comes back down to your wire form oh the coolest feeling it goes boom it's just too fast oh I love it that Circus Voltaire's right orbit shot to the left Habitrail very similar to the monster bash yeah more of an orbit yeah hole-in-one no good Gophers okay yeah we hear you we hear you the Tron's in shot difficult shot yeah I feel good because it's difficult yeah because it feels good yeah and then you've got your attack from ours the lock shot in the UFO both awesome really good feedback on attack from Mars oh that's it but are the shots that like we taught it shots it literally when you make it almost every time no matter you played it a bunch just good now tell you what they're the materials that a designer uses or your company uses has a lot to do with leash I agree the feel of that I agree it's almost like that you can get resonates through the Machine I get a little vibration or something weird and you are you feel it happened you like something doesn't feel right to drive this car every day someone's loosen that make you know yes exactly you do you become one with that machine already are the biggest nerds we are on YouTube I hate to tell you that I love it but make sure to subscribe follow us if you agree on some of ours let us know because we really took some time on this top-10 feel good shot arguing on this one there was yeah but hey at least Ghostbusters number 10 regular injury check out Chuck work Carrie Hardy Carrie Hardy yeah about game from my buddy let's get killer games I got a lot of these games I could get you yeah how did these games Iron Maiden Star Wars Star Trek still they had a long line we can get you some of those you can find G anything yeah even find you Oh Monster Mash I kind of want to Ghostbusters again not line I've kind of been in that mood my parents have won MLS it's beautiful views is beautiful too that was apparent so subscribe follow us donations if you would like to make sure I look if you want to review a game with us we'd be honored about that it helped out this fun here I love it it's set for rave it can we set some guidelines like no got leaves no or no yeah set guidelines these people be yo self they're gonna make us pick like an e yourself how are we gonna rake in [Music] you had a fling with a slingshot you roll an a/c outlet are gay [Applause] hey guys I'm Greg bone reading for the part of Cooper Hanny vodka martini up no olives fantastic get that today - it'd be great check back with me every five minutes is that clear yes sir listen lady every five [ __ ] minutes everything you need to let go of my arm before you make him mad what's in this vodka tastes a little strong