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DPP #56 "Venom is released! Gameplay livestream! Other rumors!"

Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)·podcast_episode·29m 42s·analyzed·Jul 21, 2023
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.033

TL;DR

Venom released; host-selection gameplay, leveling system, and LE/Premium/Pro variants analyzed; MOTU rumored to American Pinball.

Summary

Don's Pinball Podcast covers the official release and San Diego Comic-Con debut of Stern's Venom pinball machine, analyzing its fan layout, character-selection mechanics, connected leveling system, and three cabinet variants (Pro/Premium/LE). Host Don also discusses rumors about Masters of the Universe moving from Stern to American Pinball, production timelines, and his personal machine acquisition plans.

Key Claims

  • Venom has been officially released and is playable at San Diego Comic-Con and a hotel arcade across the street.

    high confidence · Don (host) states this directly during the opening segment, referencing the Comic-Con livestream and on-site playability.

  • The game uses a character-selection system that changes diverters and ball paths based on which of four starting characters (later expandable to 7+) the player chooses.

    high confidence · Don describes livestream gameplay and coder Dwight Sullivan's explanations of how character selection affects game behavior.

  • Venom features a 'Connected' leveling system where players scan an ID and earn experience points that persist across plays, making the game progressively easier as characters level up.

    high confidence · Don details the insider-connected mechanic extensively, explaining how modes become easier as character power increases, and notes this is toggleable for tournament play.

  • Unlocking all three venomized Marvel characters (Wolverine, Hulk, Captain America) by beating end-boss Null grants access to Null as a playable character.

    medium confidence · Don reports coder's Q&A response confirming Null is playable, but expresses uncertainty about whether Null is a secret boss character or standard unlock.

  • The Premium and LE versions feature a tilting 'bookcase' or 'Ferris wheel' mechanism (the 180-degree Avengers Tower-inspired ramp) that the Pro version lacks.

    high confidence · Don describes this mechanism in detail and confirms it's Premium/LE-exclusive based on gameplay footage.

  • Venom production timeline: Pros ship end of August from new expanded factory; LE units target mid-September; Premiums follow; subsequent runs targeted for November-December.

    high confidence · Don states Stern's announced factory and production schedule.

  • Masters of the Universe pinball has moved from Stern to American Pinball (rumored).

    medium confidence · Don reports hearing this from multiple sources and references Napa Arcade as a location where the game is on location, but acknowledges the rumor status and uncertainty about development timeline.

Notable Quotes

  • “The Venom bomb has exploded, sending its shrapnel of awesomeness across the land.”

    Don @ Opening segment — Emphatic opening establishing hype and tone for the episode.

  • “Choose your host, change the game.”

    Don (quoting Stern's tagline) @ Mid-episode during gameplay analysis — Captures the core game design philosophy and marketing message of character-selection mechanic.

  • “The more you play, the easier it'll be able to get... instead of just starting at ground zero every single game.”

    Don @ Leveling system explanation — Explains the video gamification approach that excites the host and differentiates Venom from traditional pinball.

  • “Not every game has to be the second coming of Godzilla.”

    Don @ Final evaluation — Contextualizes his 7.2/10 rating and sets realistic expectations.

  • “Premium is where I'm at because I want that gameplay. I don't want to spend $13,000.”

    Don @ Cabinet variant analysis — Personal purchasing decision reveals prioritization of gameplay over aesthetics.

  • “It's not one spinner in this game... A modern pinball machine with not one spinner. This thing's got to play fantastic when it's in your hands.”

    Don @ Layout analysis — Highlights notable design choice (absence of spinner) and its implications.

  • “Mirrored art blades. Love it. I'm going to give somebody a shout-out for that.”

    Don @ LE cabinet features discussion — Praises design innovation combining aesthetics and reflection properties.

  • “Maybe Food Truck was the project secret name for the Masters of the Universe machine, and this has been in development for four years now. Who knows what's really real in all this?”

    Don @ MOTU rumor segment — Expresses uncertainty while exploring plausible explanations for rumor inconsistencies.

Entities

DonpersonJack DangerpersonDwight SullivanpersonBrian EddypersonStern PinballcompanyVenomgameAmerican Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    product_launch: Venom officially released and playable at San Diego Comic-Con on 7-20-23; three-tier production schedule rolling out August (Pro), mid-September (LE), and later (Premium).

    high · Don states 'The Venom bomb has exploded' and cites Comic-Con livestream, hotel arcade playability, and detailed production timeline from Stern.

  • ?

    design_innovation: Venom's character-selection system fundamentally alters game behavior through diverter and ball-path changes; significant departure from traditional pinball design philosophy.

    high · Don extensively analyzes how each of four base characters (expandable to 7+) changes which diverters are active, with character swaps possible mid-game or between balls.

  • ?

    design_innovation: Venom introduces persistent, connected leveling system where player characters gain experience across plays, progressively reducing mode difficulty; toggleable for tournament play.

    high · Don explains 'insider connected' mechanic in detail: players scan ID, earn experience on every switch/mode completion, level up characters to reduce mode shots from 8 to 6 to 4, and notes tournament mode allows traditional fresh starts.

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern employs three-tier strategy: Pro (lowest price, no tilting bookcase mechanism), Premium (~$13k, full features, mid-tier pricing), LE (1,000 units, premium cabinet art and mirrored glass, highest price).

    high · Don provides detailed breakdown of each tier's features, pricing context, and manufacturing differentiators (foil art, powder-coat armor, mirrored glass, art blades).

  • ?

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.089

0:00
Hey, what's going on everybody? Who's ready for a podcast? Maybe with a little bit of video magic in there? We're gonna bring it right now.
0:10
Of course, what I'm talking about is the heat that comes from Don's Pinball Podcast, episode number 56 for you, coming on a Thursday, 7-20-23, from the United States of Eagolandia. We got a lot to talk about, man. The Venom bomb has exploded, sending its shrapnel of awesomeness across the land. And you will get your news, you will get your views, and you will get your shoes that you can't tie or lose. Anyway, we're going to get all that and more, including live stream coverage, coming up now, man. It's a podcast.
0:45
Whoa, whoa. That was hitting extra hard because we got the Venom drop going on right now. We are in the midst of it. We're in the midst of the release of a new game from Cornerstone, from Stern Pinball, the pinball megalithic company that's putting out most of the games that we're playing. All right, so we're right in the middle of this here. They've rumored the game. The game has been revealed. It's been teased. And we got our live stream last night from MrJackDanger et al. from the San Diego Comic Con. Starting today, man, you can go play this game in two versions on site If you got yourself a laminate, otherwise you can go across the street to a hotel or something where Stern's got a whole arcade set up. Go play all their games, man. That's amazing. So let's break down my reactions to this game because that's kind of what we do here. It's really what I have to offer you. That and something to listen while you're jogging around town. Getting in shape. That's fantastic. Okay, let's look at the layout for this game, right? So this is the ubiquitous fan layout, right? Every shot for this game is far up the play field. There's no tank that's popping up and Venom is yeeting balls over your flippers, right? We're not doing that with this one. And fan layouts, you know, are fun. They give you some wide open area to play with. And we've seen a lot of this, you know, most recently with Stern Star Wars, Oviru's House of Horrors, and even more recently with things like Godfather that has adapted that and now Venom. venom so you know always welcome to the mix cool layout the thing i was struck with the first time i saw this is like i saw this kind of open play area and then towards the back i thought i was looking at it's a small world right this is huge city facade where everything's there in the back now that i've had time to kind of go over the higher resolution images that we have now um i can kind of you know get a layout in my mind of actually what's going on this took me a little bit to figure out. And it started when I went back trying to find the spinners. I'll get to that in a minute. So let's just talk about the layout here. Okay, so two flippers down at the bottom, no flippers up the side. So this isn't like some four flipper game or whatever. You've got a nice orbit on the left and right, classic orbit, although there's some up posts in the back of the orbit there to help divert balls. And that's where this has given me a bit kind of godfathery vibes where it's, you know, a game where most of the things are up at the end of the play field. But there's a lot of variability that comes into play there without having like a large, you know, venom bash head or anything. So you got your orbits. The orbits look cool. You've got ramp shot coming up next from the left. It kind of does that 180 degree thing at the top that Munsters did, you know. Okay, fine. The wire forms here, of which there's two main ones, they also have that locking mechanism on either side, which adds something to kind of the bareness of the sides there. I'll get to that in a minute. Let's finish out. What else do we got? But after that ramp shot, I think the next thing is the bell tower. Now, I'm not deep into the Venom lore. I dig the guy. I've watched the cartoon, seen some of the movies, but I haven't read a Venom comic book. So maybe there's some reverence to this bell tower somehow. I know sound affects the symbiote known as Venom. But I was getting like Taco Bell vibes from this. I just went out and got a cheesy gordita crunch just because of all the bell action I've been watching in these live streams, right? So you got your bell tower with stand-up target. You know, next to that on the premium and LE, you've got this mechanism that looks like they took the Avengers Tower from Avengers Infinity Quest, turned it into a giant 180-degree serviceable ramp entrance. Otherwise, it rocks back like a bookcase that the cats jumped up on, and it's falling over backwards, right? So I was calling this the bookcase mechanism. I've heard other people refer to it more as a Ferris wheel because as this giant 180 tall scoop tower thing tilts back, it reveals some additional shots under there. If you get the premium in the LE edition, the pro edition, you ain't got this. So, I mean, this thing looks neat, right? So you got the 180 ramp and it's normal confirmation. It tilts back. And I think either the second tilt has an area where an up post comes and it can lock a ball for a moment, or in its final form there's a pass-through. That may be vice versa. It's kind of hard to tell because the action was so frenzied. But following that, you have the entrance to the horseshoe, and then there's another plastic ramp that's in there kind of in the middle that serves the right wire form, and then there's the right orbit there. And then all through the back, though, there's hidden little entrances and things. There's a skill shot area that comes in. There's a giant buck that shoots the ball up in this inverted rainbow ramp just to get to the wire form. The pop bumpers are there. They weren't initially obvious to see. There's two pop bumpers. They're hidden back there underneath Carnage. Oh, I slipped over Carnage. He functions as a bash toy. Also, it's like someone took Carnage and it's a cross between a bash toy and a lift hill of a roller coaster because you can knock this guy back. There's some kind of anti-rollback device and some chain dogs that are in there to use some coaster terminology. and then a captive ball at the base. Now, that's available in the Pro and the Premium. So, you know, there's a lot of shots, you know, laid out there to the back, you know, and they're present in both versions. You don't have that bookcase Ferris wheel in the Pro, but you do have an entrance to, you know, one of those U-turn shots, right? So if you're into that, cool. So a ton of shots in the back. There are a couple of pop bumpers back there, and there's some up posts that come and change things depending on who you pick. And so that was what I had to wait and see, kind of how the code was playing out with the gameplay video. And that's what we got last night. So, you know, Jack Dager, JD et al., Brian Eddy was there, the coder Damian, all those folks were playing and showing off the dynamicism of this game. What's missing, however, though, and this is where it differs from the other fan layout that I have and enjoy by Rehouse the Horrors, There were mechanisms there on either side of the play field, which are missing from this version.

  • Venom pricing: Premium under $13,000; LE limited to 1,000 units and costs slightly under $13,000 (appears to be typo in original, likely closer to ~$14,000-$15,000 for LE based on context).

    medium confidence · Don provides pricing context but the exact LE price statement is unclear/contradictory in transcription.

  • Venom uses comic book license (not movie license), allowing Marvel to mine character content for future code updates without film studio approval constraints.

    high confidence · Don explicitly states this distinction and its implications for post-release content.

  • Spooky's Halloween code is still receiving updates even though no more units are being sold, demonstrating post-release support commitment.

    high confidence · Don reports that Spooky is actively tweaking code late in the product lifecycle.

  • “I love that they're even this late out... still tweaking and getting the code to match the thematic inspiration.”

    Don @ Spooky Halloween update discussion — Praises long-term code support and thematic refinement beyond initial release.

  • “Taco Bell vibes from this. Just went out and got a cheesy gordita crunch just because of all the bell action.”

    Don @ Bell tower feature analysis — Humorous tangent reflecting on the bell tower mechanism's pop culture associations.

    • Spooky Pinball
    company
    Masters of the Universegame
    Halloweengame
    Scooby-Doogame
    Nullperson
    San Diego Comic-Conevent
    Pinball Networkorganization
    Godzillagame
    Elvira's House of Horrorsgame
    Mandaloriangame
    Napa Arcadevenue
    District 1venue
    Don's Pinball Podcastorganization

    manufacturing_signal: Stern moved to expanded factory in August 2023; staggered Venom production: Pros end-August, LE mid-September, Premiums follow, subsequent runs targeted November-December.

    high · Don states 'Stern moving to their new expanded factory warehouse in August next month' and details official production schedule.

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Masters of the Universe pinball game rumored to have moved from Stern to American Pinball; may be codenamed 'Food Truck' during development; currently on location at Napa Arcade.

    medium · Don: 'right now there's a rumor that says, American Pinball... I've heard from multiple sources it's up on Napa Arcade. So it's got to be true, I think, at some level.' Acknowledges multiple sourcing but notes uncertainty about timeline and details.

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Venom uses Marvel comic book license rather than movie license, enabling Marvel character mining for post-release content without film studio approval constraints.

    high · Don explicitly states: 'they're using the comic book license and not movie licenses... If they've gotten access to the Marvel comic brand, they should be able to keep mining that for content.'

  • ?

    code_update: Venom supports progressive character unlocks: beating end-boss Null with primary four characters unlocks three venomized Marvel variants (Wolverine, Hulk, Captain America), with Null itself becoming playable afterward.

    medium · Don reports coder Dwight Sullivan confirming Null is playable character but expresses uncertainty about exact unlock mechanism (secret boss vs. standard unlock).

  • ?

    product_concern: Venom notably lacks spinners (modern pinball staple); no spinners present despite Bond 60th having four; Don jokingly considers aftermarket spinner installation for kinetic feedback despite lack of gameplay integration.

    high · Don: 'There's not one spinner in this game... A modern pinball machine with not one spinner. This thing's got to play fantastic when it's in your hands.' Speculates about aftermarket modifications.

  • ?

    content_signal: Two major Venom livestreams: Comic-Con gameplay demo by Jack Danger et al., followed by Pinball Network community discussion with coder Q&A (Dwight Sullivan); significant community engagement.

    high · Don describes watching both livestreams live, noting 2-hour Comic-Con broadcast duration and Pinball Network follow-up with coder participation.

  • ?

    collector_signal: LE units limited to 1,000; Don analyzes $3,000+ premium features (mirrored cabinet art, mirrored backglass, custom armor, art blades, foil graphics) and concludes LE worth the cost for collectors seeking premium aesthetic but Premium more cost-effective for gameplay focus.

    high · Don provides detailed LE feature breakdown and explicitly states personal purchase decision: 'Premium is where I'm at because I want that gameplay. I don't want to spend $13,000.'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Spooky's Halloween game actively on location at District 1 brewpub in Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Spooky continuing code updates post-launch despite no additional unit sales available.

    high · Don: 'Halloween has gone out on location in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It's at District 1... My Halloween is on location.' Notes ongoing code refinement post-release.

    • 6:55
    Maybe that's why there's only two flippers there at the bottom. But, you know, when you think about Elvira, they had that casket locking shot on the left side with several stand-up targets. They had another sneaky way that you could quickly lock a ball on that left side. On the right, you had this crypt mechanism, which had, you know, three different positions it can be at. Function as a bash toy Function as a scoop A subway entrance And function as just a Bash crypt right And then you had that other Vuck that could Vertically up kick And scoop out the ball And throw it across the play field So there was like some dynamicism there in addition to you know all the shots being up at the end of the play field You're missing that with these, although on the premium LE, they do bring in that swing arm with doppelganger with the three swinging targets. They look like, I don't know, I call them truck nuts because that's what it looks like going down the highway. Only it's three sets of them, right? So if you loved it on Mandalorian, here's three times the amount. So anyway, so there's some there, but it's not as well-rounded and dynamic as I've seen from things like Elvira House of Horrors, particularly because there's only two stand-up targets on either side of the play field to really target and hit. So watching the gameplay, it looks like those stand-up targets, there's two there and then also some in the back of the play field. It looks like that's how you activate that doppelganger swing out. What we haven't seen yet is any gameplay of the pro to see, you know, is there some kind of equivalent there. So let's talk about that live stream.
    8:24
    Oh, did you start carting? I did. Oh, man. There he is, stacking. All right, keep it going. Oh, you already got almost a billion. Oh, my God.
    8:36
    He's got some play for them all. Great live stream last night, guys. It went on for two hours. It was broadcast from the Comic-Con or from the hotel last night. So it was fun watching that and seeing people blow this game up. So what sets this gameplay really apart is the fact that you can pick different characters. And as you pick the different characters, you start with a base of four. As you play in the code, you level up over subsequent plays, and then you can unlock even more. But for now, the character that you choose is what changes which diverters are active during that game. And it looks like you can switch characters mid-game, and you can definitely switch characters at the end of each ball. So that was interesting. The other thing that I heard from the official Stern podcast that they did, they covered the different musical styles that each of the four main symbiotic characters that you pick, how they integrate into the game, which I think that's cool. I want to learn more about that. And I think as we go forward, you know, after the game's official release and it's made and it's in people's homes, I think that's where we might see some of the code evolve as they add more music there. So definitely a plus. So, you know, my initial impression, just looking at the play field, I was like, this game, you know, I think out of 10 where, you know, Zero is like the worst game ever made, like an unplayable EM or Bone Busters or something. And then, you know, 10 would be one of the greatest games that are around right now. um you know probably godzilla at the top and the 9.5 you know medieval manager fit in whatever you think i was giving it a solid like 7.2 you know which i don't think is a terrible score i'd give velvira an 8.1 so it you know kind of comes in right around there that was my level of excitement initially after seeing this it was a serviceable uh superhero game is what it looked like to me it looked every bit like a pinball machine so appropriate but nothing revolutionary what did piqued my interest though is once I watched the gameplay and saw like how they've integrated picking your character and playing and then this new thing they're doing with the code so um you know with insider connected the idea is uh that you will uh you know scan in your id so it's personalized to you and connected through the internet and then as you play every switch that you hit every mode that you complete basically everything that you do will grant you some sort of in-game tracking experience points and allow you to level up and as you level up, your character becomes more powerful. And I think where this comes in is when you get into a mode where you're battling against, you know, one of the sub-boss enemies of the game, or, you know, Carnage or what have you, instead of taking, you know, eight shots to complete that mode, maybe it'll go to six. And as you level up, maybe you'll get to four. And so the idea is that if you're playing and you're not quite finishing these modes or it's a little difficult at first, the more you play, the easier it'll be able to get. And that's what really excited me because that means the more you play, the farther you're going to be able to progress in the game, you know, instead of just, you know, learning the shots and just grinding like we normally do. So for us normal pinball folks that aren't, you know, high level tournament players, every time we start a game right now, since now to when pinball was invented, every time you hit the start button, you're starting at ground zero. You know, you're, you're walking into the cave, grabbing the sword and starting right. Nothing carries over from the game before, but I think they're going to bring in some of that video gamification of pinball where as you play, you get to, you know, kind of retain at least some of that progress that you've already made. So that sounds awesome. Now, I don't want tournament people to feel left out. That's easily toggleable, you know, so throw it into tournament mode and then everybody starts fresh plate, no randomness, you know, play traditionally like always. But for those of us that want to play more of what I would call like an adventure mode where, you know, you're building experience and progressing through the game, that's fantastic. Now, following the live stream with Jack Danger and everybody of the gameplay, there was another live stream from the Pinball Podcast community on the Pinball Network. And, you know, they kind of went and discussed as they do. That was also a good stream to watch. But the coder came in and talked a little bit more about, you know, just kind of given – it was Dwight Sullivan. Sorry, I said Damien earlier. I was thinking of Golden Locks. Dwight Sullivan came in, and he was actually doing a little Q&A there too. And so basically, your four characters that you start with, as you level up and make it all the way through beating the end boss, Null, right, this big baddie symbiote guy, that will then award you one of three additional Marvel characters that you can then play at going forward, Wolverine, Hulk, and Captain America as like their venomized versions, right? So that's great. That's fantastic. So I threw a quip in there when I was watching this live last night. And I was like, so what about Null? is null a playable character and then he got right back to me and he's like yes null is a playable character and that was mind-blowing for me i take that to mean after you you know unlock all the three additional characters plus the four you start with he will become an additional selectable character with like music and stuff now i'm not sure if that's quite what he meant um i don't know if he took me saying null is a playable character meaning null is a character you can play against but dude if there's like you know you know secret bosses in this that is very much in line with what i would expect from like you know a fighting video game you know you play through mortal kombat enough times you unlock the bosses to play at and then there's like secret characters that you can unlock and so i'm loving that so i hope this direction that they're going these are the kinds of things that they've been thinking about because in code updates you could then add you know additional characters potentially now uh the other thing this game has going for it Venom, right, is that they're using the comic book license and not movie licenses and assets. So it's not like they have to go through movie studios and, you know, famous voice actors and things and try to get approval to use their likenesses or whatever. If they've gotten access to the Marvel comic brand, they should be able to keep mining that for content. So I would love to see, you know, bonus things come up different times of the year. Like, hey, play this game this next week. There's a new character you can play as or something. And we can see that in future code updates. So I love the direction they're going. The layout is serviceable meaning like it not blowing me away but it doesn look like it terrible right It looks good It just not you know it not Godzilla level with magnets and things all over the place There not one spinner in this game for instance you know Bond 60th had four. Maybe they used them all up. I don't know. But the game looks like it'll play okay in spite of the fact that it's missing a spinner. And I like to rip spinners. And I've even quipped online that I'm thinking about, you know, picking up my own aftermarket spinner and bolting it in there somewhere. It won't register with the gameplay at all, but it'll give me some kind of kinetic feedback. or whatever. So what do you think? So, you know, the whole tagline of, like, you're the host, pick your host, and that changes the game, this is what they meant by that. The character that you pick will set up the diverters and ball pass and things for the game. Choose your host, change the game. Right, right, that was the tagline that they were given. So, um, gameplay looks to be fast. So, in the wireforms at either side, there's ball staging areas. It looks like about three balls can be held, and each of the wire forms like towards the mid range of them you see a picture of the layout you see what i mean as the balls come down the wire form ramps they'll kind of drop down this little you know three ball high capture area where there's a locking pin and then they can then be subsequently released but what they were doing during the game play like when you're playing it as you hit a ball up into the start of the wire form if there's a ball that's already staged in one of the locks it'll go ahead and just kick out and fire to your flipper so the ball will hit your flipper quicker than it would be normally with gravity coming through there. And I think that's kind of where they get a lot of this fast-playing aspect of this game. So I did have a question, like, are these balls staged there all the time? Like, you know, when you put the six balls in the machine, do you have to then independently load each one? And so I asked in the chat, and what I got back from the coder was like, no, as you play, you don't have to stage any balls, but as you're playing, they will then lock in there, and then from then on, they are staged. So, you know, I guess you finish a game, if the balls are still in there, they'll stay in there and the computer knows where all the appropriate balls are and everything. You know, so that was interesting. It does add some frenzy. And maybe that one, it's a little bit of the design process of, like, you know, putting these in in lieu of banks of drop targets that we would typically see on the left and right side of the play fields. And apparently a spinner, right? Like not one spinner. A modern pinball machine with not one spinner. This thing's got to play fantastic when it's in your hands to make up for that. So I'm excited about that. What else did I have I wanted to talk about? We talked about experiences and leveling up. Null playable. I still need some clarification there on if he, like, let it slip that he's a secret character that's in there. You can play as the boss, which, you know, if they're going more video game rule set, that totally is in line. And that seems reasonable. But I do want confirmation of that before I put that out there. So, you know, I'll have to ask that in a subsequent live stream. But wouldn't that be sweet? You know, you get through the game several times. You unlock everything. And then there's this final boss that you can play at. And maybe there's like some cool lighting patterns and music and stuff that come with that.
    17:41
    So three different versions, Pro Premium, MLE, which one are you going to get? You know, a lot of people love the fast playing and lower price point of the Pros. I think if you just break it down by artwork, I think the Premium has the artwork I like the least. The LE cabinet where it has Venom on the side and that blue and black, and it's going to have the foil in there and the armor with like the cutout. So it looks like it's dripping ooze or whatever. that is going to look so great in person that for sure the le at least the venom side of the le is going to have the best art for sure the carnage side on the other side is more red but it's going to have the foil in there it's going to look great so that le i think as as a total package is going to be looking the best the pro i love the graphics on the pro it's like you know it's venom but it's very purple and purple like the concord grape juice purple instead of like, you know, dark, dark, like, uh, you know, Elvira house of horrors, purple, right? Uh, so I liked that one second. And then, you know, the kind of red of carnage and, uh, the black Spider-Man there for the premium, you know, it's okay. I was hoping to go, you know, really dark colors, brooding, dark blues and purples, you know, like just kind of a bruised up looking machine. And instead it's a little bit more of the, you know, almost like, uh, you know, some trims of Iron Maiden or something, or just like a lot of red. So that's where I got. Um, I think that the changing play field is going to be such a huge component to this game. It's only available in the premium and the LE version. The pro version doesn't have the tilting bookcase mechanism, and it's not going to have a lot of the ball diverting aspects of it. So, I don't know. From what they say, it's supposed to play faster. We haven't seen a gameplay stream yet of the pro. It's probably coming up like this week. Heck, it might even happen today. So, I'll look for that. But I think for getting this game with how it's designed, the more you play it, the more experience points you get, the nuances between all the different characters. I think that, like, the heart of this gameplay is only going to be available on that premium level end up. So I've already, you know, full transparency, I've already put in my order for a premium. That's the one I want. Should you get an LE? I think the LE is going to look great. The limited edition, there's 1,000 of them. um the uh freemium version is coming in just under a hair under ten thousand dollars so it's already expensive you're looking at um the smallest hair under thirteen thousand dollars for that 1000 edition limited edition here's what it comes with the the foil cabinet art on the sides is going to look great is it worth three thousand dollars um you're going to have some custom cut armor with powder coat that will save you a lot of steps and fabrication sourcing and you know powder coating your own armor. So, okay. But if you want the coin door to match, you're going to have to pull that off and get that dipped anyway.
    20:28
    Invisiglass will be on there. It's about $250. You can add that yourself pretty easily as you can with the shaker motor that it comes with. The interior art blades, though, I do want to pause here and give a shout out to whoever came up with this decision to go with the art graphic mirrored art blades for the interior of the cabinet. So as you're playing, you know, the plain black inside of the cabinet play field under the glass, instead of just having the acrylic decals like we're typically used to, there's been this trend to take the mirror blades, which have always been available, but to overlay graphics on top of that mirror and stick those in there. And those look like fire. I hope those come as an accessory. I've heard a rumor that six weeks after release, that's what they're targeting to have the accessories, the armor, the shooter rod, and whatnot and what have you, hopefully a topper. but for sure that's really going to elevate it. I love the idea, first off, I'm going to digress a little bit into mirror blades. Mirror blades are great because they give you that illusion that your play field is bigger than it is. It reflects a lot of the lights. So if you've got a great light package and a lot of metals and chromes in your game, art blades really bring more of that out and they reflect a lot of the light and make it look bigger than it is. It's a mirror.
    21:41
    But they do detract a little bit. I do like the look of art blades because it kind of completes the look. The play-filled art kind of comes up to the sides of the cabinet and makes a cohesive package. So mirroring those two ideas of bringing the art in there so everything looks complete and finished, but also having that reflectiveness, I am giddy for that, sir. I think that's great. I'm going to give somebody a shout-out for that.
    22:03
    Mirrored art blades. Love it. The other thing you get with the limited edition that you can't really replicate is a actually mirrored back glass instead of just the plastic trans light for the back box So is that all worth for me No no I think But you know if this is what you want you want a special game for your house then I not going to call anybody that went in on the limited edition foolish because I think you're going to have a great looking package, something that I cannot even completely replicate. So those are my thoughts on that. Premium is where I'm at because I want that gameplay. I don't want to spend $13,000, and I'll just have to make do with the fact that the cabinet art isn't quite as good as the Pro or the Limited Edition. That's where I come down on the breakdown of this. All right, so that is all the Venom news that I have to review and give you my views to use for Venom, you guys. That didn't end up rhyming at the end there.
    23:01
    But that's who we are with Venom. When are we getting them? Next month, August. Towards the end, the Pros will be coming off the line from the new factory. We've heard about the Stern moving to their new expanded factory warehouse in August next month. So those will be coming off the line at the end of the month for operators. Then going into September, they're targeting middle September for the limited editions. So the people that pay the most will be getting the next round of games. Totally appropriate. And then premiums following that. And then based on demand, that's when they'll be running subsequent runs, probably November, December, where they have that opening in the schedule is what I would imagine. So Venom's going to be on the line soon, if it's not already. And it's out to play right now at San Diego, if you want to head down there. Los Angeles area, you know, you're between 90 minutes and 17 hours of driving to get between Los Angeles and San Diego, depending on the whims of the fates, right? Or, you know, take a train ride. But you can go check that out now. I think that's fantastic. I want to see more, like, video reviews from people that actually played the game. I think that's the next thing we're going to see. but yeah I'll put this on my game room and play it I'll throw in my typical mods that I do and I'm going to have fun with it I'm looking forward to playing this game I don't think it's the second coming of Godzilla but not every game has to be covering a couple of rumors I know Masters of the Universe has been out there He-Man, Skeletor and Cringer the scared cat come on Cringer we're going to go find the sorceress I don't know if I feel like doing that Can I go hang out here with Snarf? Snarf, I'm not even supposed to be in this cartoon. I'm not even going to do Orko. So it was rumored that Stern had that license. I guess the rumor now is Stern does not have that license. And the Masters of the Universe pinball machine will be produced by, right now there's a rumor that says, American Pinball, right? Our galactic tank force friends. Oh, Lord help them if they take that movable tank tread tank from Masters of the Universe and stick it right there between the flippers and just shoot balls over at me. Hopefully they've learned from that mistake. I hope it's not this rumored food truck game that's being re-overdressed with Masters of the Universe stuff. Who knows? Maybe food truck had a great layout and a terrible theme. Maybe Food Truck was the project secret name for the Masters of the Universe machine, and this has been in development for four years now. Who knows what's really real in all this? But I've heard from multiple sources it's up on Napa Arcade. So it's got to be true, I think, at some level that Masters of the Universe pinball machine is being worked on or has been worked on by somebody. Right now, American Pinball. Why not? They've done Hot Wheels as a license. They've got good build quality. I don't know what's going on as far as how efficient that ship is running or timelines or if this game is next or if this game is in 10 years. No idea, but I'm reporting it to you because that is what I heard. What else is going on? I've been mixing up the lineups. You might see a new gap that's formed over here behind me if you're watching on YouTube, as you should be. But Halloween has gone out on location in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It's at District 1. A great brew pub in town, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, right in the middle of Wisconsin. My Halloween is on location, and it's one of the only ones around available to play in this region. So go and check it out. I don't know how long it's going to be there for. Just trying things out. But that new code is fire. I love what Spooky's doing. I love that they're even this late out. You know, they don't have any more Halloweens to sell that I know of. But they're still tweaking and getting the code to match the thematic inspiration from the creators, and they're bringing that out to us. So that bodes well, then, for their subsequent releases, including Scooby-Doo, which is also ordered, which is also part of the reason I have a gap here. So we've got a Venom dropping. We've got a Scooby-Doo dropping. Probably in the next 60 days, the lineup will be back to being full, and then I'm going to have to kick somebody out. But, I mean, look at these children back behind me. How do you get rid of one you want? The one that makes you the most frustrated is probably it. For those viewers on the YouTube channel, assuming I get this posted properly, you can check out the new LE armor that I put on my Star Wars here. I'll talk about that in a future episode. But, man, that's kicking. And it's got the light-up panels in it, man, the light-up panels. It looks like the Death Star. It looks like you're on the bridge of the Death Star or the Star Destroyer. It's awesome. I love it. Star Wars. Okay. I think that's all the things that I have to cover for right now. So thank you, everybody, for listening. Be sure to reach out because I do like the interaction. Don's Pinball Podcast at gmail.com. Not a bad way to do it. Another way is on Facebook at Don's Pinball Podcast. Notice the theme? I've got merchandise. Look, I just got these glitter stickers in for those folks who are checking out on the YouTube channel from the Don's Pinball Podcast YouTube channel. I've got these available. $5 will get you a sticker pack. If you want, just email me. We'll connect. We'll get details, man. We'll do Venmos or whatever. But, yeah, if you want stickers, you're going to get one of these. if you get a shirt you can get one of these right now i got coasters and all kinds of fun stuff so emails don spinball podcast at gmail.com facebook at don spinball podcast patreon if you want to be a baller five bucks a month is all it takes your stickers are free after that homie patreon.com backslash guess what don spinball podcast and the new youtube channel which has a streaming function which i am hoping to get functionality to soon also i started doing a weekly live stream on Fridays, you know, show up. It's been great. I've been targeting around 8 p.m. Central Time. I think this week I'll have to move a little bit earlier because Homeboy's got to work. But look for the Facebook page. If you go there, click follow. That really helps me, you know, connect with you and keep up everything and get you updated because I might decide, you know what, I want to live stream in five minutes and Facebook is the easiest place for me to post that. Thanks for everybody showing up to the live stream yesterday. We got 15 people going on. Numbers are going up. We're just having a good time in pinball. Thank you, everybody. for those of you that work in the industry and are making these games for us and tearing your hair out listening to our crazy rumors. Thanks for everybody that's reached out and ordered something or won something. I do giveaways on the live streams. Anything else, any other comments, be sure to bring them to me. I love to hear them. And be very well.
    29:16
    To each other. Coming to you through the airwaves. The episode's done. Episode 56, man. I can't wait for the next one. I'm going to tell my friends about it.
    29:31
    Let's be kids, dude. I love it. It's Tom's Quick Little Podcast, episode 56. You were there for it. Later.