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Predator Pinball - First Look at Gameplay Video

Dirtypool Pinball·video·18m 41s·analyzed·Jun 26, 2025
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

Dirtypool reviews Predator Pinball gameplay; praises mechanics and Arnold moments, notes skill gap in demo.

Summary

Dirtypool streamer analyzes official Predator Pinball gameplay footage from Pinball Brothers, highlighting game mechanics (team assembly, weapon upgrades, multiball modes, Predator hunt sequences) and praising authentic yet unconventional presentation by company owner Daniel who admits to not being a skilled player. Discussion covers Arnold Schwarzenegger integration, sound design, layout comparisons to Alien, and mechanical reliability concerns from prior releases, with acknowledgment of tariff cost management by distributor Flippin' Out.

Key Claims

  • Predator Pinball includes significant Arnold Schwarzenegger content integrated into the game experience

    high confidence · Streamer specifically calls out 'Arnold moment' multiple times during gameplay analysis, confirms Arnold voice/likeness appears in multiball sequences

  • Pinball Brothers is absorbing tariff costs to limit consumer impact, capping tariff at $600 regardless of actual cost through Flippin' Out partnership

    high confidence · Streamer mentions discussing this with Daniel in interview; notes company working with distributor to shield consumers from full tariff burden

  • Game layout emphasizes right side shots over left side playfield utilization

    medium confidence · Streamer observes: 'they don't go much into the left area of the playfield. It's almost like only the right two of the game counts' and notes this may reflect player skill gaps rather than design issue

  • Predator Pinball has greater shot diversity than Alien pinball

    medium confidence · Streamer states: 'there's definitely it looks like there's more shot diversity uh members than Alien'

  • Pinball Brothers switched Predator Pinball production to FAST hardware platform

    high confidence · Streamer mentions in context of discussing Daniel's interview: 'They switched over to FAST. I mean, we talked about that in the interview.'

  • Official Predator Pinball gameplay video features authentic, non-polished presentation with company owner admitting gameplay skill limitations

    high confidence · Streamer notes repeated instances where Daniel drops balls, states 'I don't really play that well' in video, describes this as opposite of typical promo video approach

  • Predator Pinball gameplay focuses on rule complexity and thematic integration over mechanical showiness

    medium confidence · Streamer assesses: 'all things considered, I think that it looks like the scoring concepts like they really focused on the rules and the predator experience here'

Notable Quotes

  • “I will give a spoiler that there is Arnold in this and it's Arnold in a big way. For the people that were saying like there's no Arnold assets in this and how could they do this and that, there's a giant Arnold moment.”

    Dirtypool streamer @ ~12:30 — Directly addresses community concern about missing Arnold Schwarzenegger content in game; confirms substantial Arnold integration

  • “If this isn't what you want from a Predator pinball machine, I'm sorry, but there's just no satisfying you”

    Dirtypool streamer @ ~16:45 — Expresses strong approval of Arnold moment and game's thematic execution in response to previous community criticism

  • “Pinball Brothers isn't a Stern. It isn't a Jersey Jack. this is they're just doing authentic like, hey, this is our game. I'm the owner of the company. I'm not a very good pinball player.”

    Dirtypool streamer @ ~19:00 — Frames unpolished presentation as authentic indie manufacturer approach vs. polished corporate marketing; predicts mixed community perception

  • “if that's the case where like a game was broken a handful of times in previous release, are you supposed to never give another game a chance from that same company? Like I don't know. EV has to be given the opportunity to show that they've learned from their previous mechanical issues.”

    Dirtypool streamer @ ~24:15 — Defends Pinball Brothers against reliability concerns from Alien, argues for manufacturer redemption opportunity

  • “the consumer shouldn't be eating the cost of tariffs and how they're working with Flippin' Out is limiting the tariff to like $600 regardless of if it's goes more.”

    Dirtypool streamer @ ~34:30 — Confirms tariff cost-sharing arrangement between Pinball Brothers and distributor Flippin' Out

  • “Get to the chopper. I'm playing Predator Pinball.”

    Arnold voice in Predator Pinball game @ ~28:45 — Example of Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice/likeness integrated into game; confirms famous catchphrase usage

Entities

Predator PinballgamePinball BrotherscompanyDanielpersonDirtypool PinballpersonFlippin' OutcompanyAliengame

Signals

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Positive reception to Arnold Schwarzenegger integration; streamer frames it as sufficient addressing of prior community criticism about missing iconic actor content

    medium · Streamer: 'If this isn't what you want from a Predator pinball machine, I'm sorry, but there's just no satisfying you' in response to Arnold moments

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Playfield layout may underutilize left side of machine; apparent emphasis on right-side shots and ramps

    medium · Streamer observes: 'they don't go much into the left area of the playfield. It's almost like only the right two of the game counts' but notes this may reflect demonstration player skill rather than design flaw

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Pinball Brothers prioritizing authentic, unpolished presentation in official marketing—owner demonstrates gameplay despite skill limitations rather than hiring professional player

    high · Streamer repeatedly notes Daniel admits 'I don't really play that well' during official video; describes this as opposite of typical promo video approach and contrasts with Stern/JJP polish expectations

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Arnold Schwarzenegger voice and likeness successfully integrated into Predator Pinball; addresses prior community concern about missing Arnold assets

    high · Streamer confirms multiple Arnold moments including 'Get to the chopper' callout and voice lines; notes footage shows Arnold image cropped/integrated into display sequences

  • $

    market_signal: Pinball Brothers absorbing tariff costs through Flippin' Out partnership to limit consumer price impact; tariff capped at $600 regardless of actual trade war costs

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:06
Dude, that was so funny. Shout out to leaving your stream running for 16 hours. You're like, "What's brewing?" Except there was nothing actually playing. What's going on, everybody? Uh, we're going to take a look at some Predator footage. So, Daniel posted this and uh sent me a link along with I'm sure plenty of other streamers of them actually playing Hello Great Pyramid. Can you This You're ruining my intro. Thank you. Uh, the game or help. So, we have it. Stitch is here. We're hanging out. We're gonna watch uh them actually play official Predator footage. So, without further ado, hopefully the sound is working and everything sounds good. Oh, I need to put that text layer underneath. I'm switching my chat engine. Hopefully. Hey, look. The YouTube chat is actually showing up. What a [ __ ] miracle. Uh, you need to get under there, though. All the way to the bottom. There we go. Uh, all right. Let's do it. Let me know if it sounds good. Hi everybody. Thanks for tuning in. My name is Daniel from Pinball Brothers. We are here today to uh show you a little bit of our new pinball machine, Predator Pinball. When you play the game, you uh step into the boots of Dutch. And uh your task is your main task of the game is to uh assemble your team and uh also upgrade weapons and get some ammo to take on special missions and uh also obviously the fight the Predator. I do I love how chill Daniel sounds. Like he is just like this is like the opposite of a promo video and part of me digs its authenticity but also as an official gameplay video right off the bat. It's like not it's not super engaging. I have watched the whole thing. I think the game does look pretty good. Uh this is not my first response. I watched it earlier. Uh I'm sorry for pausing it. We will get back into it, but uh I want to big boy mention despite the high price that it could possibly be good. This does look as good as Alien, which either means that it you're going to like that or not like that depending on it. the flow and the layout of it is is seemingly it's just he's not a great pinball player and you'll see what I mean. I think with someone who is a good pinball player playing this that it would be received different. But let's let's dive in. Shut up, Jess. One of the most important things in the game is to gather your team that should join you uh in the jungle and uh you have the crew members scattered around the playfield. So you collect them in different places and uh so here we are collecting Mac disappeared. You can see that he is u turning up in the user interface on the upper right corner. Uh I will I will give a spoiler that there is Arnold in this and it's Arnold in a big way. For the people that were saying like there's no Arnold assets in this and how could they do this and that, there's a giant Arnold moment. In fact, it's probably like the most main thing that happens. At the top, we have some drop targets in front of the Predator. And those drop targets right now, they are uh lighting the lock for Chopper multiple. So now the first ball of Chopper is uh locked and that is locked in the helicopter. Ammo added. And when you shoot the spinners, the nest area that goes around the predator, you are actually the the landscape, the music and sound design for this are awesome. I I got to say that this is a huge collect weapon and uh you actually qualify for weapons in the game live mode and then uh change weapon in the light left reversal. Quick shoot the jump. So, here is uh a hurry up mode called jungle encounters. And jungle encounters happens in the game. Um when you uh the light and animation are great in this Kelly did the back glass. Uh I'm sorry, the LCD animation. He's the same artist responsible for you by shooting the jungle. I actually don't know. And if you do that, you take a step um you make progress on the map in the middle of one thing that I noticed from this that is they don't he doesn't go much into the left area of the playfield. It's almost like only the right two of the game counts perfectly and uh I don't know if that's just because he doesn't shoot over there and the items are quite important. Uh we collect some ammo and ready to be collected in the camp. qualify for some more guns to collect in the scoop
FAST
company
Barrels of Funcompany
Dunegame
Arnold Schwarzeneggerperson

high · Streamer references interview with Daniel: 'the consumer shouldn't be eating the cost of tariffs and how they're working with Flippin' Out is limiting the tariff to like $600'

  • ?

    announcement: Official Predator Pinball gameplay footage released by Pinball Brothers via YouTube channel; first detailed public demonstration of game mechanics, multiball sequences, and Arnold Schwarzenegger integration

    high · Streamer analyzing official gameplay video sent by Daniel from Pinball Brothers; available on official channel in higher resolution

  • ?

    product_concern: Mechanical reliability concerns from prior Alien release creating skepticism about Predator Pinball durability; streamer advocates for second chance opportunity if company demonstrates learning

    medium · Streamer references Alien breaking at Revenge of Comics venue; questions whether previous issues should disqualify manufacturer: 'are you supposed to never give another game a chance from that same company?'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Predator Pinball utilizes FAST hardware platform for production

    high · Streamer states: 'They switched over to FAST. I mean, we talked about that in the interview.'

    • 4:53
    and then second ball is locked for chopper multiple chopper multiball. So for every special mission or multiple oram from the predator, it's always good to uh Yeah, there's definitely it looks like there's more shot diversity uh members than alien. Hey, look. It's Cammy open in a box and the stronger weapon you have yours, the better. I mean, it's a pretty traditional layout. You know, you got your Italian flippers at the bottom. You've got your big big ramp on the right. You've got your side shot ramp on the left. Um, but that little orbit that they have going on here at the top, like in this area, which you can't see in my house.
    5:34
    Here we go. This is the moment. This is the Arnold moment. Tell me if this isn't enough Arnold for you, I don't know what you want. And here we go. Get as well. Now we start uh chop a multi wall in the jungle
    5:48
    [Applause] [Music] and there will be a number of jack look if if you if this isn't what you want from a predator pinball machine, I'm sorry, but there's just no satisfying you like.
    6:08
    [Music] Oh, I don't have my replay buffer set up. [ __ ] Pots lit in this uh in the upper mainly in the upper part of the play for this first phase. This uh multiball is actually two phased. So you have a super jackpot after each phase and um they are a little bit different. They are based the phases are based on the first phase is based on when um the team gets hunted in the jungle. And uh when you get the super jackpot and get to progress to phase two, you actually uh that is the second part and in the movie that is the part where Dutch is swimming in the river to escape from the predator. But in this game, I don't really play that well. So, I dropped a couple of balls and I'm out of the See, this is this is what I'm talking about. I I love He's just being very authentic. Like, I'm just not playing well. And it's like, and this is the promo video for Predator. I know I think a lot of people are going to complain about that as my microphone is going further and further down, but I I don't know. Pinball Brothers isn't a Stern. It isn't a Jersey Jack. this is they're just doing authentic like, hey, this is our game. I'm the owner of the company. I'm not a very good pinball player. Like, I appreciate that, but I get that that's going to be probably mixed perception.
    7:40
    And the part coming up where they talk about uh the predator attack sequences, how you use your members to like uh your teammates to kind of like get they get murdered and you have to try to protect them. The special missions is basically the modes the big modes.
    8:02
    I believe that's coming. And uh there is a lock for another multiball in the game called jungle blast. And as you can see, the ball was actually locked in the lower right part of the playfield under the army net. And how it ended up there was there's a lock consistent location. A lot of operators and have a problem. The only time that I went to go play alien with Sid at Revenge of it was broken. uh subway come up. But like how if that's if that's the case where like a game was broken a handful of times in previous release, are you supposed to never give another game a chance from that same company? Like I don't know. EV has to be given the opportunity to show that they've learned from their previous mechanical issues. There's otherwise they're not going to be around as a company. And do you want more pinball or less pinball? Uh and this is quite the exciting moment in the game. You fight the predator. What's up, Nebeard? Thanks so much for the follow. Look at that, man. You're throwing emojis into the jungle. Sounds from him when you hit him. So, you basically need to uh fight him back and uh when you do that, I think this is the moment coming up. He will go away and then you will have to shoot a number of shots in the search phase to find him again. And that is what I've done here. So, this is the sort of second uh second time I I meet him in this mode. But I sadly dropped the ball there. So that was uh really really bad. But uh I think we can have another because there are a few things I would like to describe to you. And um I think I think this is the countdown ready to uh hit him. So they've cropped him out of the footage. I think that the the dial I mean Arnold's voice is so easy to imitate by people. Well, either they got a voiceover actor to do a very convincing Arnold sound or uh it is Arnold from the film. Maybe somebody who is more of a Predator fan can identify that more than me. But you can tell from the footage that they just cropped him out barely. It's all like here, you know? It's like I'm honored. It's me. I'm here. I'm honored. Yeah. Get to the chopper. I'm playing Predator Pimba. Yeah. Get down. Get out. Get out. It's not a tumor. So, it's just like that, guys. start the attack. So, um, we have this, uh, talking about that was really, that was really Arnold background. So, here is coming up from the playfield and he immediately This is the sequence where uh, Predator is attacking your homies and starting. This is so funny. Hunt all the crew members. And as you can see in the on the display, the countdown has begun. In 6 seconds, he will kill Mac unless we So, all right. So, lock in on this. He said in 6 seconds, Mac's going to get killed, right? Before that, so uh in this case now, now he took out Mac. So, Mac's head just exploded. This is what I think so cool about this game. And spoiler in about 10 seconds he's going to say that you revive your teammates by hitting this scoop here on the left uh once this sequence is done because I mean obviously it's a scoring mechanic so your your teammates need to be alive. So, I love that they gified the whole concept of like you're basically being hunted by the Predator and also fighting the Predator off, but it's just it's so 80s movie schlock that this person can have their brains absolutely obliterated out of their brain and then 6 seconds later he's going to shoot a scoop shot and bring them back. It's and you can see that the insert is turning red on the playfield. Sorry, Mac, you're dead. And this porn show and he will go out in 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second. There he goes. So now we are two red inserts on the plate. We are have two crew members less. Uh and if he would take out take them out, take them all out. So all things considered, I think that it looks like the scoring concepts like they really focused on the rules and the predator experience here of the whole hunt, finding weapons, powering your [ __ ] up, saving your guys, hunting the predator. Uh it's cool. We would plays well and it doesn't break, he would win obviously. Great. So, but we managed to hit him here. And um so he's he's hidden again. And now in this we can always add modes later on. You see that there are arrows in different colors showing and those There we go. Max back everybody check it out. Did you die in real life? That's okay. Just shoot a different colors. Feeling great. Look at that. He just had his brains blown out and he just has a nice refreshing sip of his beverage. Arrows in different colors showing and those indicate you get your head blown off. Drink a refreshing spin drift beverage. Come back with life. It's that if you should shoot those arrows, you will actually find him. You locate the predator again. In the meantime, you can revive the crew members in the scoop. So there you go. They collect when they collect um uh insert is is flashing. You can shoot it and then you get your uh crew members back. And there is a shot. This is like one of the only times he shoots the like left area, but it looks like it's like a vertical scoop similar to like I don't know the uh now we Jurassic Park Raptor tower. See, he's already immediate return. He located Matt Mac and and plan to take him out. I mean, the lights are looking first. So, um this time we actually That's it though. That's all they got to and win. First half is is not a lot happens. Second half they show off a little bit of how the scoring works. So, is this enough to to make people believe in what Predator is going to be? I don't know. I think that this is going to have to be a game that you got to play. And if Pinball Brothers can make sure that their games don't break and a few operators have these on location, yeah, Olaf did a great job. I mean, a lot of the music is from uh Alan Sylvester's original score, which is the Predator theme. Um, they switched over to fast. I mean, we talked about that in the interview. By the way, if you're curious, I asked him a bunch of questions. He was very honest and some of the stuff was pretty like intense questions about AI and some other [ __ ] And he didn't dodge it. He talked about that the consumer shouldn't be eating the cost of tariffs and how they're working with the like flipping out is limiting the tariff to like $600 regardless of if it's goes more. Whether the consumer should be paying any tariff is a different conversation, but like nobody wins in this in this situation because the tariffs are not something that pinball brothers can control, but it's also like it's not something that the consumer can control either. And the consumer is the one spending the money. So
    15:28
    fast, did you do blow? I have not blown any fuses on Dune yet. No. And I've been playing the [ __ ] out of it, obviously. Uh, by the way, we have new sound effects for spinners. I'm going to be streaming that probably later today. Uh if I have the energy. Um and you can see some giant pyramid on top of me. Uh yeah, we're going to be doing uh there's a straight flipping out's doing it's beta code. I you know I'm develop I'm working on with barrels doing Dune stuff. So I have I have beta code so you can check out kind of a sneak peek of what's coming to uh to uh the world of Dune. Uh Flipping Out's going to be doing an actual Dune stream though this evening. So, which is, you know, kind of a big deal. Go check that out. That's going to be on YouTube. I think it's 7 PST, 9 central, whatever that is. Um, but enough of that. Let's, uh, let's bring up that Arnold moment again. And then, where is it? When he starts, uh, the get to the chopper multiball
    16:28
    phase one, two phase. So you have a super jackpot after and when you shoot the speed, I just want to see the chopper. I want to hear him say get to the chopper again. You know, it's you take a step um you make uh I use Bitwig as my primary DAW unless I'm doing score and then I use Nendo. Try to collect as many I'm using Bitwig right now to handle all my audio and then feeding it to OBS. um things we get as well. Now we start tunes are fun to work on. Chop a multi wall in the jackp
    17:05
    [Applause] [Music] and there will be a number of jackpots. I mean that sounds pretty authentic man. I don't think that's I think that is legit. That sounds like what's his face fos? Yeah. I mean, I worked on every platform. I've been You name a DAW and I've probably worked on it. Uh, but right now, Bitwig is my jam. I like the the owner's really a nice guy. I work with them pretty closely and yeah, I think it's a great platform for music. Um, okay. Thank you everybody. This has been a short one. Like I said, I just wanted to show off this footage that Daniel had sent me. Uh, it is available on their official Predator Pinball Brothers YouTube if you want to go check it yourself in higher resolution. I realize that our capture reream is not the ultimate in high resolution. Uh, so if that tickles your fancy, go find it on a different platform. Uh, yeah. I'll be back later. Thank you so much for hanging out. Uh, bye. Let's go raid somebody because that's what we do, right? We do that thing. Say bye, Sid. Bye.