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Disney-Pixar Toy Story 4 Pinball First Impressions (Jersey Jack Pinball, 2022) (SDTM, 2022)

Straight Down the Middle·video·46m 35s·analyzed·Jun 17, 2022
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032

TL;DR

SDTM hosts praise Toy Story 4's art, hidden shots, and rules depth despite concerns about Toy Story 4 licensing and minimal mechs.

Summary

Zach Sharpe and Greg from Straight Down the Middle provide hands-on first impressions of Jersey Jack Pinball's Toy Story 4 (2022), praising its stunning art design, hidden shot complexity, and smooth gameplay despite initial concerns about the Toy Story 4 license choice and mech simplicity. They highlight Pat Lawlor's design excellence, Joe A. Raymond Katz's code implementation, and the game's balance between kid-friendly aesthetics and adult appeal, though expressing minor criticisms about stand-up targets, bumpers, and the Duke Kaboom ramp's visual presentation.

Key Claims

  • Toy Story 4 is Jersey Jack Pinball's prettiest-looking art package to date

    high confidence · Zach and Greg, during art discussion section, comparing favorably to prior JJP releases like Willy Wonka and The Hobbit

  • Pat Lawlor stated this is his 24th coin-op machine design, possibly his last before retirement

    high confidence · Zach mentions during interview segment: 'he said when we were interviewing him 24 coin-op machines this is his 24th some talking about his possible retirement'

  • The game has three ramps, but two are mostly hidden under the monitor and playfield

    high confidence · Greg explains layout: left ramp under monitor, right orbit ramp, and airborne Duke Caboom ramp from pop-up

  • The Duke Kaboom ramp is a motorized pop-up that launches the ball airborne without clunky mechanics

    high confidence · Greg details the ramp feel: 'feels like one seamless ramp' with smooth ball travel, not clunky

  • Joe A. Raymond Katz provided exceptional code and rules implementation

    high confidence · Zach praises: 'What I did notice was the effing code and rules' and later calls it 'the highlight of the entire game'

  • The spinning wheel has raised bumps for better ball grip and control, unlike previous iterations

    high confidence · Greg explains wheel design: 'they went through a bunch of different surfaces, and this actually has little raised bumps' for grip

  • Forky targets use stand-up targets for spelling rather than drop targets, which hosts prefer

    high confidence · Zach criticizes: 'Forky is such a dominant figure... His stand-up targets? You're spelling out his name... Give me drops there, Pat.'

  • Disney required JJP to use only Toy Story 4 assets, not the full franchise

    high confidence · Zach explains licensing constraint: 'They're focusing just on Toy Story 4. All right. So elephants out of the room now' — a Disney decision

Notable Quotes

  • “It's probably Jersey Jack Pinball's prettiest looking art. I'm trying Tee'd Off think. is that the nicest looking art pack i think it is”

    Zach Sharpe@ 14:18 — Establishes Toy Story 4 as peak JJP art achievement; major praise for game aesthetics

  • “I just kept finding things. Every time I played it, I kept finding something new and a new shot or a new little thing that was kind of hidden”

    Zach Sharpe@ 20:21 — Highlights game's hidden complexity and exploration value despite initial mech concerns

  • “It feels like one seamless ramp. It so smooth of a shot There no bounce There no rickety There just nothing”

    Greg@ 23:11 — Praises Duke Kaboom ramp execution and mechanical smoothness

  • “What I did notice was the effing code and rules. Pat Pat Lawlor is a The King. He's a pinball design god.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 28:32 — Emphasizes code quality as highlight of game; recognizes Pat Lawlor's design excellence

  • “For whatever you want Tee'd Off think about Toy Story, it being the four... I'm telling you right now, this game is phenomenal Tee'd Off shoot.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 21:59 — Separates gameplay quality from licensing concerns; strong endorsement despite Toy Story 4 theme controversy

  • “They were able Tee'd Off make it look fun for kids, bright, have the characters on there, but also... with pulling in that darkness... They were able Tee'd Off achieve a very modern, beautiful, adult-looking pinball machine”

    Greg@ 13:46 — Identifies JJP's successful balance between child and adult aesthetics in art design

Entities

Zach SharpepersonGregpersonPat LawlorpersonJoe A. Raymond KatzpersonKen CromwellpersonSam MaypersonJersey Jack PinballcompanyToy Story 4

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Pat Lawlor suggesting possible retirement after 24 coin-op machines; Toy Story 4 potentially among his final designs

    medium · Zach speculates: 'some talking about his possible retirement did he disappoint in the design' but no confirmation of retirement from Lawlor himself in content

  • ?

    community_signal: Jersey Jack Pinball provided studio access and behind-the-scenes production tour to Straight Down the Middle hosts for content creation

    high · Zach: 'we went up there... weeks back and we were not able Tee'd Off talk about anything of course but now we can finally talk... we've AC/DC our hands on this thing. We've AC/DC played this thing'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Despite initial skepticism about Toy Story 4 licensing choice, both hosts developed strong appreciation for game through hands-on play; gameplay and rules transcended theme concerns

    high · Zach: 'For whatever you want Tee'd Off think about Toy Story, it being the four... I'm telling you right now, this game is phenomenal Tee'd Off shoot'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Duke Kaboom ramp visually presented as plastic platform (described as 'sneeze guard') that is not aesthetically appealing despite smooth mechanical function

    high · Zach: 'Whenever I first looked down on it... just seeing that big old plastic platform, because honestly, not the most visually appealing. It's not. It's like a sneeze guard up there. There's going Tee'd Off be mobs for that.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Pat Lawlor employed hidden shot complexity and discovery-based mechanics in Toy Story 4, similar to Elvira's House of Horrors strategy of concealed features

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.140

0:00
All right, let's kick this shit. And you, my friend, are responsible for delaying my rendezvous with Star Command.
0:32
You are a toy! Hey! Ride like the wind, bullseye! To infinity and beyond! You heard the sheriff. Let's go!
1:05
Relax, this is no time to panic. This is the perfect time to panic! Bonnie made a friend in class. Everyone, I want you to meet... Porky!
1:24
Trash, here I come! Shoot the left ramp! Use the spinner! Rescue Forky Woody, how'd you find me? Shoot the inner loop to spin the wheel
1:59
Duke Caboom, Canada's greatest stuntman Kaboom! Whoa! We actually did that! Yes, my Canada! Hello, Woody. I knew you'd be back. I'm not leaving without Forky. Hey, guys! Long time no see!
2:29

The game includes full film assets, scene clips, and character call-outs from the movie

high confidence · Zach: 'I'm here Tee'd Off tell you, they AC/DC full assets' and 'they did have... the sounds from the – film clips' and 'call outs'

  • The game features a large 27-inch back glass screen and a 10-inch under-playfield screen

    high confidence · Greg describes screen setup: 'A big 27-inch screen. Then you've AC/DC the big 10-inch screen, we'll talk about that, that's under the play field.'

  • “I can do without the spinning wheel. I'm done with the spinning wheels. Can we take a break from the spinning wheels?”

    Zach Sharpe@ 25:08 — Criticism of recurring mechanic in pinball; minor design complaint

  • “It's like that with a bunch of different things in that game... you're like, oh, shit, okay. It's like that with a bunch of different things”

    Greg@ 20:15 — Reinforces theme of hidden mechanics creating discovery and engagement

  • “The thing that took me Barnyard the most surprise... it's probably obviously the central Toy Story or mech with, with Duke Kaboom”

    Zach Sharpe@ 22:20 — Highlights unexpectedness of Duke Kaboom mechanic despite seeing it beforehand

  • “Elvira's House of Horrors... there's nothing really in here. Yeah. But Whores probably has the most amount of mechs... They're just kind of hidden.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 17:49 — Draws comparison to demonstrate hidden complexity design philosophy

    • game
    Straight Down the Middleorganization
    Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factorygame
    The Hobbitgame
    Pirates of the Caribbeangame
    Guns N' Rosesgame
    Avatargame
    Whirlwindgame
    No Good Gophersgame
    Twilight Zonegame
    The Shadowgame
    Trongame
    Deadpoolgame
    Disneycompany
    Pixarcompany

    high · Zach explicitly compares: 'That's kind of what this is... there's a lot of hidden shots in a sense... like twilight zone that pat did... it's kind of a sneaky ass pin dude'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Pat Lawlor indicated this is his 24th coin-op machine design with possible retirement pending

    high · Zach: 'he said when we were interviewing him 24 coin-op machines this is his 24th some talking about his possible retirement'

  • ?

    announcement: Jersey Jack Pinball released Toy Story 4 in 2022; Zach and Greg provided first hands-on impressions from studio visit

    high · Content is entire first-impressions review of released game from official studio visit with Pat Lawlor, Joe Katz, Ken Cromwell

  • ?

    product_strategy: Toy Story 4 distinguished by art aesthetic and rule complexity over mechanical novelty; hosts note lack of standout mechs but emphasize hidden shot design and smooth gameplay

    high · Greg: 'there's nothing really in here' regarding visible mechs; Zach: 'it shoots phenomenally... for whatever you guys want... I'm telling you right now, this game is phenomenal'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Toy Story 4 spinning wheel features raised bumps for improved ball grip and control compared to previous wheel iterations

    high · Greg: 'they went through a bunch of different surfaces, and this actually has little raised bumps... this really affects your ball... I like that because it's not just the wheel and you get a little The Wiggle'

  • ?

    product_concern: Stand-up targets for Forky character are design choice hosts dislike; preference for drop targets to show physical completion

    high · Zach: 'His stand-up targets? You're spelling out his name... Give me drops there, Pat. Come on.'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Disney constrained Toy Story 4 pinball to Toy Story 4 film assets only, not full franchise; hosts express initial concern but acknowledge this was Disney decision, not JJP choice

    high · Zach: 'They're focusing just on Toy Story 4... So elephants out of the room now' and 'Working with Disney has been proven in the past. They're very protective of their IP'

    • So long, partner. Hey everybody, what's going on? Straight down the middle here. It's new pinball day, but there's no need to panic. This is the perfect time to panic!
    2:45
    Straight down the middle, Zach and Greg here. We get to talk about, finally, Greg, we get to finally talk about it. I know. The brand new pinball machine from Jersey Jack Pinball released in 2022. It's Toy Story 4, Disney Pixar's Toy Story 4. Now, you and I have had some behind-the-scenes action, helped with the promotional video featurette by Jersey Jack Pinball. Make sure to go check that out if you haven't yet. But we're here to give you our first impressions, not only just looking at pictures or videos or hearing podcasts. We've got our hands on this thing. We've played this thing, Greg. Yes, we're a little special. Well, everybody's nodding their heads right now. uh first i wanted to talk about our experience going up to chicago seeing that production line greg running and seeing all the vast majority of cabinets and and games boxed and play fields everywhere swing full swing always really stressful of course whenever we're doing production studio work but nonetheless still very special to us so we're kind of living the dream life aren't we buddy yeah we're not only pinball enthusiasts but we're filmmakers oh when do we get to use that moniker i don't even know yeah i don't know we got a little work our shit's clean yeah it is clean we're good all right so we we went up there uh weeks back and we were not able to talk about anything of course but now we can finally talk about our experience with pat lawler joe katz ken cromwell and the rest of the crew over at jersey jack pinball now let's first off big elephant in the room here. Ah, that was my line. I was going to say the toy elephant in the room. The toy elephant? In the room. What's the toy elephant in the room? My toy elephant in the room is this game. Everybody loves the franchise of Toy Story. Everybody knows that. Everybody's in love with it. Everybody grew up with it. Whether you were 40 when it came out or whether you were 4 when it came out, you're still growing and evolving with the series which I would argue there's some deep theory into the events that take place in each film. Now, the big elephant in the room, though, is that when you hear Toy Story, you want to see Woody, you want to see Buzz, and you do get all of that. But this is Toy Story 4. This isn't Toy Story 1, 2, 3. This is 4. Which I think that both of us would be lying that when we first heard about that, too, we've had some time to marinate on it, whereas I guess the general public or vast, vast majority of the general public has not had that time but you know at least we we had quite a bit of time to set on that but you know i think we'd both be lying if we said that that that didn't take us by surprise too yeah i mean ideally that's why i said elephant ideally you want toy story you want the whole franchise i'm not i'm not downplaying four because four was greatness in and of itself fantastic film but it's hard to take four without two it's hard to take three without one it's a it's a big collection. So they're focusing, and that was a Disney thing at the end of the day. They're focusing just on Toy Story 4. All right. So elephants out of the room now. We get to give our impressions on what we think about the game, the looks, the sounds, the feels, the touches, the licks. When you first seen this game and walked up to it, put your first game on it, Greg, what were your thoughts? And then we'll jump into the categories. So, you know, again, you know, we had a little bit of time to think about Toy Story 4, that it's Toy Story 4.
    6:16
    And so I didn't know what to expect. You can formulate a lot in your head and you don't know. So seeing that game the first time, it was absolutely beautiful. Yeah, stunning. It was. It was very beautiful. It can rival Wonka in certain aspects, but it is a stunningly beautiful pin. So you stand there for a minute and you want to take all of that in. You want to take in the characters because I got a little nervous that maybe with it being Toy Story 4, I didn't know if there was limitations or what they had. I didn't know if they were going to have the main character. That's a good point. Are they going to have the assets? Are they even going to have the sounds from the – was this going to be a silent, just orchestral game?
    7:03
    Yes. Working with Disney has been proven in the past. They're very protective of their IP, as they should be. Exactly. So are they going to allow Buzz and Woody to be front and center? Are you going to have them as the main feature? You know what I'm saying? You feel like you have to, but you just get nervous and you don't. I didn't want just pictures. I was like, man, I just hope they get scene film clips. I was like, please, please. Or at least call outs. But I'm here to tell you, they got full assets. Yes. And that was nice, too. Because like I said, you stand there. It was one of those games that took me a minute. And I'm standing there with Joe Katz. and you know and joe's excited about the pin like game coder like yeah like i walked in there because i got there a little before you and i walk in and and ken cromwell starts taking me back you know so i can set up and everything and start really prepping and then ken was like wait wait no no get out you're like i'm so sorry you you have to leave i'm like what the hell's going on dude and he was like joe joe wants to present this game to you like joe oh wants to see your face like so So you cannot ruin that. He'll kill me. So Joe was out on his break or whatever, so we went out and talked to him for a minute, and Joe took me in there. The enthusiasm on his face just watching me. And then I kind of felt bad because I think he was expecting me to jump in and play it. But like I said, it really took me some time to want to set and take it in. And we're there for work.
    8:31
    It's a different whole mind construct whenever we go there. It is. So like, but you know, I think I wanted to start looking, okay, we need to film this. We need to hit this. We need to do this. We need to talk about this. But again, it took me some time because I wanted to go over the art. I wanted to look at the play field more. And then, like you said, dude, when you started seeing the assets pop up on the screen, I was like, okay, this is cool. And, and I, I said, this is no lie. I told this Joe Katz and I don't know how other people will feel about it, but I was like, this may be JP Dwayne's like best work that he's done on his stuff because it was not a cluttered back glass at all um or you know screen lcd screen nothing was real cluttered um everything was super clean maybe some of his cleanest work uh and i loved pirates and everything but you know this this was good it's a it just stands out on there and it flows so well with the assets that they have nothing seems out of place of his work and what he did so you know first impressions wound up to it it was a lot because it was a lot to take in it's always a A lot of color, a lot of light, a lot of things flashing. Yeah, yeah, beautiful colors. A big 27-inch screen. Then you've got the big 10-inch screen, we'll talk about that, that's under the play field. So there's a lot of stimuli that's going around. Yes, yes, it really was. So it took me a minute. Whenever I first seen it, well, let's jump into art a little bit because that's kind of the first thing you see, right? Mm-hmm. I thought, this game is stunning. Like, what do you do? How do you take an art package that's already established, Greg, and it's just going to look like Woody and Buzz and Bo Peep. What's special about that? How do you make that special? What I think was really smart, because it is Toy Story 4, takes place at a carnival. So instead of just putting bright, colorful carnival Ferris wheels everywhere, what they did was very elegant, very smooth. They took a lot of rich bokeh effects to carnival, a lot of darker kind of nighttime festival things, And they put those behind a lot of the art pieces, and that was really rich in nature. It really pulled in the technological advancements of a Toy Story 4 compared to a Toy Story 1, very rudimentary animation. So it looks like it is a true world, and it's very rich. The colors are rich. I don't know how to explain that, but a lot of blues and purples, just deeper richness. And I think this is one of their greatest art packages for the entire company. And I would have never guessed that. Yeah, it's just, it's just, it's sexy. It's a sexy pin. I'll tell you what, I don't want to downplay the CE because that thing is gorgeous. But the LE may be the better art package. The LE definitely rivals it, man. Like, that's the thing, man, is, you know, there's nice differences between the two. But that LE is still just gorgeous. But I mean they did that I felt that away with with GNR when they did GNR, you know, no, no we go back Oh my god, I love that Ellie Are you everybody can get pissed off at me if they want but that le art package on I love the post but like on the LE Greg Woody is centrally featured Yes That who we want We want Buzz and Woody And boom, there he is, right center of that cabinet. And you get him on the head decal as well, whereas the CE is more an inside look into the inside of a pinball machine, which is appropriate for that Toy Story 4 license. But I like the LE.
    12:00
    I do. Now, when it comes to trim and stuff, it's kind of the same as Wonka. That was a little upsetting to me. Like you're doing the chrome red just like you did the Wonka CE on the Toy Story 4 CE. Same with the LE Blue. It was kind of very similar. I would have liked to see him mix that up a little bit personally, but it's still beautiful. Yeah, it's two safe, nice colors that work well with the franchise no matter which way you go. So, you know, I'll tell you what, people, this is the stupidest thing in the world, but, like, I love that shooter knob on that CE. That's one thing that pulls me in. That's right. The Pixar ball there. Yeah, it's a lot more striking than what I felt that it would be as a shooter rod, you know? Yeah, yeah. And then if we're looking at the art on the play field, it does not disappoint. They nailed the play field art. They didn't make it too busy. They didn't make it too cartoonish. Yes. This is a beautiful, beautiful color composition. You get the in lanes with that sunset area. You got the green grass. You get a nice little contrast with the green grass under that. And then it's almost like the gamut of the rainbow there. You go up. You get lighter blues, darker blues.
    13:15
    Nailed it. That is a beautiful play field. So here's something that I think that they were able to achieve. and I don't know if it was just they were wanting to make a pretty game or if this was their mindset. But the pen, it's what you said, it's not too cartoony when you got into that. They were able to straddle and do a good job on making it not a kiddie-looking toy or a kiddie-looking game. They were able to make it look fun for kids, bright, have the characters on there, but also, like you said, with pulling in that darkness and everything, They were able to achieve a very modern, beautiful, adult-looking pinball machine that looks good amongst your collection or just standing alone in a corner somewhere. You know what I'm saying? They found that good balance between still resonating with a kid but also being appealing to an adult. Let's talk about design. So the art, it checks. It's beautiful. Gorgeous. It is beautiful. Probably JJP's prettiest looking art. I'm trying to think. is that the nicest looking art pack i think it is i think i for me it rivals uh gnrce you like the la of course but i think it rivals i'm trying to think of a prettier art package from jjp hobbit was pretty cool i liked hobbit was cool but like dialed in just beauty like and wonka was pretty like it was pretty but it and it was pretty yeah this this beats it may be the best art package we know pat lawler this is his i think he said when we were interviewing him 24 coin-op machines this is his 24th some talking about his possible retirement did he disappoint in the design because i think the one of the common things that people are going to say is i don't know i look down here and i don't see anything any huge mech besides the big 10-inch monitor and what's different here you know for some reason i'll be honest completely completely don't lie to the people greg well but i mean it's not harsh but it could just be correlated a little wrong um so you know after seeing something like pirates and everything else when we walked in for the very first time and we saw wonka and we shot wonka wonka was a disappointment to me when i first saw it again now it's my favorite jjp game there you go by far but it because it i didn't feel that it had toys and mechs anything special yeah you had the gobstopper pat worked hard on that and that was a very unique uh uh feature in mech but it still just was underwhelming to me because of the lack of toys and stuff yeah you're like where's my castle to bash where's my ufo where's my rudy uh ventriloquist dummy to hit like where's that so no so so that's what i'm like so here's here's where i get here's where it gets good oh it's like when i walked in and saw this pin for the first time i oddly was not disappointed and it may have a little less than what wonka did maybe um in a sense but like i honestly wasn't disappointed and i don't i don't know why i don't know if it was just the beauty of the pin itself that kind of distracted me and took me aback um But, like, the lack of mechs and stuff didn't bother me too bad. Then, when you flip it, you don't really care that there's not that much in there. Because it shoots phenomenally. It does. Like, it shoots so phenomenally. For me, whenever I walked up to it and I saw the layout, because I like Pat Lawler layouts for the most part. So, I was looking forward to that. and fortunately for me i'm with you willy wonka i don't have enough time on this game but willy wonka is my favorite jjp game and it's not for the toys it's not for the art it's for the gameplay and the rules so that's what's most important to me of course and the theme i love the wonka theme uh i love the toy story theme probably even a little more it's a it's a dynamite killer license for me. So Wonka helped me because I fell in love with that game regardless of what was in it. And that's tough because you want cool shit in a pinball machine. But when I walked up here, I saw all the little components. But when I seen this for the first time, it kind of felt Elvira House of Whores-ish, and I'll tell you why. Because when you look at Elvira, you think, there's nothing really in here. Yeah. But Elvira House of Whores probably has the most amount of mechs for a Stern pinball machine. They're just kind of hidden. They're a ball lock. There's a crypt over here. There's a shooting Vuck over here. You have a lot of stuff. There's a Leapers, but you don't see it initially. That's kind of what this is.
    18:08
    I just see, well, what's the layout going to be? Whenever I'm looking at this game, game design, I'm like, does it even have two ramps? No, it's actually got three. You just can't see it. That left ramp is mostly under the monitor. The right ramp is a dialed-in right orbit to a ramp, which you guys know I love. I love those. They're smooth. And your third ramp is actually coming out from under the play field because you hit the ball. It goes airborne, Duke Caboom style, into a back tunnel that's lit like a carnival. So there's a lot of shots in here. You've got two spinners. You've got to rip two spinners. that's the thing is you know there doesn't seem like that there's a bunch of new mechs and toys per se or or that it's jam-packed but it's it's got a lot of shots it's actually kind of jam-packed with shots yes it is yeah it's not like a twilight zone wide body packed full of shots but like you said it's there's a lot of hidden shots in a sense uh like twilight zone that pat did like it's kind of a sneaky ass pin dude it's it's like you said you don't there's more to it than meets the eye like the ball lock you got a drop target there you hit that down then it's a physical ball lock to the left there and then whenever it releases it boom you're on a spinning wheel uh so you have all of that you've got the captive ball which is in a great place i do like that jjp captive balls are like the only ones i care about because they actually mean something you get an inner repeatable loop which is huge as well well and i'll tell you this is something this is one of my my first thoughts after you know throwing a game couple games on there and flipping around on a little bit um it's something that really excites me and i hope it excites people when they listen to this uh it's a game that left me wanting to explore it oh yes yeah like i wanted to stop and not just pat shots but obviously joe's code but but pat shots like when i was done i i just i wanted to keep going back because like you said with that ball lock you don't really pay attention that physical ball lock over there you don't look at it as that And then when you lock a ball in, you're like, oh, shit, okay. Okay. It's like that with a bunch of different things in that game. Oh, yeah, the ball gets stopped on the left ramp, too, remember? Yes, yeah. That's what I'm saying. I just kept finding things. Every time I played it, I kept finding something new and a new shot or a new little thing that was kind of hidden like that. And it doesn't seem like much, but it is because it's exciting because it just kind of almost comes out of nowhere. And it feels so good. I just wanted to explore it. This is probably one of the most combo-filled games that Pat's ever done. I mean, you've got a ball diverter on a ramp, so that can go two ways. I love the shot. It feels like shadow starting mode. You rip that spinner, kicks it out, bam, third flipper. You're ripping a spinner. That's phenomenal. And that little flipper, that's a great little repeatable shot. I was worried about that little flipper. Yeah, but that little flipper is so repetitive. like you can just keep hitting that that orbit all day long i was worried i was like no i don't like little flippers yeah but it feels like a full it feels like a big flipper it's a little flipper that feels like a big flipper uh someone knows from experience what that feels like chelsea uh another thing that i really like another shot that i love on this game is that shot that goes through the pops it's like a warp shot through the pops it's tight but it's there I really like that. And for some reason, there's no reason for me to like this particular mech. But I fell in love with it. There's a saucer in the pop area for Buzz Lightyear, Greg. You know which one. And I'm like, why do I like that ball going in there? I have no clue. You said it repetitively. I did. When you were flipping it. You're like, I don't know why I like that so much. It's so satisfying. I don't know why I like it. Yeah. Now, the thing. So, yeah, the gameplay, y'all. For whatever you want to think about Toy Story, it being the four. for whatever you guys want to think about the theme, whatever you guys want to think about the max, all of that aside, I'm telling you right now, this game is phenomenal to shoot. It is a ton of fun to shoot. And I'll tell you the thing that took me by the most surprise. And it actually, you know, it's kind of an odd, odd thing with it, but it's probably obviously the central toy or mech with, with Duke Kaboom. And like, I didn't know when that I was going to go into that mode. I didn't know when it was going to pop up. but like when that ramp popped up I wouldn't expect it and I hit it by accident like oh really the fly and it was so smells like oh my god what I just I didn't know that happened like there's no ramp but what how does it think go again we're laughing yeah so then it pops back up again and I try to hit it and it's harder that time like you know it's not an easy shot but the thing that took me by surprise is it's not clunky it's not clunky how is it not though it How is it not? I have no idea because you don't even know that the ball was in the air and then had to land. It feels like one continuous ramp. It feels like another level. Yes it a jump ramp to that but it feels like one seamless ramp It so smooth of a shot There no bounce There no rickety There just nothing It doesn't hit up there real weird. It's fantastic. And I've got to add this. Whenever I first looked down on it and I knew that that ramp was there, and just seeing that big old plastic platform, because honestly, not the most visually appealing.
    23:38
    It's not. It's like a sneeze guard up there. There's going to be mobs for that. I can guarantee that. But when I seen that, I was like, well, shit, you can't really miss this ramp, though. So how fun is that? Yes. But then I missed it four times in a row. Yes. And the reason I missed it, people, was because there are Benson posts to the left and right of it. And these things are key to that design. They pop up, and they will block your shot, just as those freaking dummies do in the film. But when those come up, now you've got a tight little shot there. And if you do not hit it, that thing's coming right back at you. And it's so fitting for Duke Kaboom not making his stunt ramp shots. Yeah, to not make every one. Exactly. Greg, they're individually controlled Benson shots. So during certain modes, if they just want to pop up one to mess with you, that was a phenomenal piece. So what did you not, because I'm raving the layout and everything. What did you, is there anything mech-wise or layout-wise that you did not like? Because I've got a couple things.
    24:46
    Man. No, not really. Not off the top of my head. Like, I liked, I loved that shot. Like, I mean, I'm trying to think of a mech that, you know, I'm sure there are shots in there that are slightly underwhelming. But for the most part, most of the shots were all like, they all felt good. Yeah. They felt good. My things are this. I can do without the spinning wheel.
    25:11
    I'm done with the spinning wheels. Can we take a break from the spinning wheels? So one thing that I like about this spinning wheel is Pat and them, they went through a bunch of different surfaces, and this actually has little raised bumps on there. Now, when I say raised bumps, don't take it as being something. Don't consult your doctor. Yeah, don't go to the doctor. You've got bumps on your wheel. Um, but you know, you can't like, it doesn't affect the ball travel. Like if the ball rolls over in any capacity, but there's like some kind of grippy things on there. So when it spins, this really affects your ball. It does. And I like that because it's not just the wheel and you get a little wiggle and then it does like this will really get ahold of that ball. So man, I don't know. I kind of like it. It reminds me of no good gophers right there. I, I'm just, I I'm fine with spinning wheels. I like them. Whirlwind, No Good Gophers, Pirates of the Caribbean. I like them, but I'm just kind of done with them. I do like that it's a game within a game. You can select.
    26:13
    It doesn't just give you an award. You can actually control and select where you're going to go if you're strategic about it. Well, and that's what I kind of like because this kind of has that pirate-esque kind of thing. Like, you know, there is more of a purpose to it than it just throwing your ball off. So, you know, I want more time on it, and I want to be able to mess with that and part of Joe's code and what Pat and them had in mind. like i just i i can't comment too much on it because i don't know how much of an impact it's going to have on your game or how fun that's gonna be that that that takes a lot more in-depth gameplay i feel but no i'm not mad at it like you like the the other thing that i was like on is forky is such a dominant figure in toy story 4 for those of you that compare forky to jar jar nuts. Forky stole that show, by the way. He's forever into the family. Give me Forky over like maybe over Rex. I know. Just give me Forky. Forky is great. But his stand-up targets? You're spelling out his name. You get five. Give me drops there, Pat. Come on. Give me drop targets there. I want to shoot everything on this play field, but I don't care about stand-up targets. I think that's a general consensus in pinball anymore, and I think that, I don't know, maybe, I guess I've gotten, it's one of those things that they have worked their mind control powers and I have become accustomed to stand-ups in so many games that that's why I just didn't even pay attention. You know the best use of a stand-up target? I still call them play-filled fillers or design fillers. The best use of a stand-up target, which I love, is when you use it as a bank shot. Use that propulsion, that physics, like on Tron or like the Snick shot on Deadpool. Give me a drop or give me a stand-up target there. Every other situation, give me drops. I want to physically see what I need to hit down.
    28:08
    And that and I don't need four pop bumpers, Pat. Pat's in love with pop bumpers. Let's put six of them in whirlwind. I don't need them. But then again, I haven't played this game enough to know if that extra pop bumper is really going to be a big deal. Yeah, I agree. Because it didn't, yeah, I don't know if offhand playing it that I felt the effect of it. I didn't notice, man. I didn't notice any of that. What I did notice was the effing code and rules.
    28:38
    Pat Lawler is a king. He's a pinball design god. He's been doing this forever. He's created some of the most classic games ever. mm-hmm joe cats this is his second lead design for code wonka was fantastic yes i think this might be the highlight of the entire game uh i agree so that that's one of those things you know again you know first impression walking up to the game and i'm standing there with joe i take it all in joe's like you know flip the game play the game play the game play the game greg god he was so Play the game, Greg. Play the game. He's like, I don't want to record. Let's just play the game. He's like, y'all come over here and play. And I'm like, Joe, we're here to work, man.
    29:21
    But, yeah, so I flip it a few times, and I'm obviously learning it, and Joe's telling me some things, and I'm not listening because I'm trying to play the game a little bit. And I play the game, and I'm like, okay, this shoots really smooth. This is nice. I don't think any game that you walk up to, I don't know what's going on, but whatever. It flipped good. So then I take a step back, and Joe starts talking to me, and Joe's telling me things in the game and what he coded and what he did with some combos and different things in these modes, and this is how you achieve this. And I'm sitting there listening to him, and I'm like, holy shit, man. I was like, this guy really, like, he might have created some special shit here. So then I was like, well, I don't mean to cut off our conversation, Joe, but I'm going to play another game real quick before Zach gets here. Joe, if you could just shut up, too, while I play, that would be fantastic. But, like, literally listening to him run through those rules and stuff got me excited. it and then when I started you know because again we were there to work so we didn't get like we got to flip this game but we didn't get to do we don't get to nerd out like we're doing now yeah yeah exactly and we just didn't get to really encompass and feel everything so but I did after Joe said some stuff to me and I sort of knew what I needed to do and he's walking me through it at that point I took some of the pen and I could listen to him so you know as he's walking me through some of it I'm like wow okay this is fun this is like I this is this has remnants of that 90s uh bally williams type stuff uh that i really like they were going for that yeah and you could feel it like he did that and i think that that's something that some of these pins have been lacking from jjp you know and you know you'll hear joe say in our video that his number one thing was making this approachable but difficult enough for people like you and me and also fun that that was the number one thing and listening to him and playing it i i think that the guy achieved just that it which is phenomenal and it's difficult he's getting a feel for moments yeah what we talk about we we've coined that straight down the middle pinball moments he's getting starting to get a feel for that because some of these uh no offense to joe but some of these uh coders and programmers they're a little analytical yes little science mind they're numbers based they're like oh super x makes me horny like that's what they do uh so i think he's getting the feel for that i like that this is very approachable super approachable even said like the wizard mode hasn't really been done before in pinball very novel very unique some of the way they're doing the wizard modes of the modes of the multi balls but sure you can get there yes but then joe cats like a wonderful cake, layers it so much, where, sure, you can get to it. But you're a moderate player, Zach, so I want you not only to get to it, but I want you to complete the seven different modes or the seven different scenes in the game. The newbies, they're just going to start it if they get to the wizard modes based on just starting. I want you to complete it, because if you complete all these tasks, here's what you get to do. And then he nerds out and talks about the high-end competitive people, where he's like, and then for the advanced player, we're going to have this. Here's the weapons that you can bring into it if you're able to capture it throughout the regular gameplay. And then him talking about the wizard mode, meet me at the carousel, sounds unbelievable. A staged ball process. A two-parter, you can take one path or the other, but if you complete one path, you'll get to fireworks, which Pat Lawler said has not been done either. A spectacle, if you will. But for that advanced player, then you've got to go back. And then you've got to complete the other path to get to the really big one. Oh, see that kind of stuff. It's freaking going again. Yeah, because there's so many levels to it. And I think that that's what we like. You take something like Walking Dead or you take some of these games that have multiple, multiple avenues of how you can approach the game and you decide of how deep you want to go or try a different path. And that's the thing is I feel that you're going to sort of get it's almost like an RPG or something like like you're almost choosing your path of how you want to go and how you want to approach this game. And you're going to have different outcomes. Joe Katz is always worried about having too much of a linear code set. I know that he's a friend.
    33:31
    And then just the little stuff. He was telling me, it's so approachable for people to start a scene or to get into a scene like Gabby Gabby. But he said, but for you and for other people, there's different levels of that. So one person will just see the surface level. But you get into it again, there's stage two. Stage three, they get progressively more difficult. I like having those options but still have an approachable thing where I can understand. And I've got to say, saving Forky. Can we talk about that just for a second? You've talked about it for two weeks. Dude, rescuing Forky, that's exactly the type of code moment I'm talking about. It is a simple task. It's a three-shot combo. He will confuse the hell out of you explaining it because he'll add too much to it. But here's the deal. You go to rescue Forky, you qualify, it's three shots, that's it. Here's the thing, though. If you do not get those three shots in a row, you miss a shot, mode's overdone. Yep. Simple. Yep. That's super simple, super addictive and fun, though. Yes. And you're not going to get tired of it because once you do that, Greg, in Rescue Forky, the next time you start Rescue Forky, four shots. Yeah. Next time, five shots. Oh.
    34:43
    See, that's what gets me high because I know this game's going to shoot well, and I know this code's going to keep it in my collection for a long, long time. Yeah. And again that what I walked away with Like like what did I say when we called each other When we left there I was like you know this kind of had that pirate effect over me where I walked away and I literally called you I was like, you know what, man? Like, I don't care what people say about this game. Yeah, I don't care. I can't wait. I just cannot wait to get my hands on it. And, like, I was kind of giddy about it. I was like, man, like, again, and it comes down to just like what I said with Pat Shots. like it's like especially with joe's code like i cannot wait to dive in and explore because there's just so much more there that means to i and i i don't know man and and i don't want to sound like a like this major hype guy on this show but i know but like i'm excited i don't who cares i have not been this excited to explore a pin in in in such a long time because there's just so much going on um that that you just it was a major tease when we got up there and only got to play it just a little bit so i was like okay this is the kind of game i want to dig into like and again we'll finish out code here you got seven different scenes clips from the actual freaking film yeah you get to collect those characters too if you do well enough just like on really good games out there you get to collect the character that's not all you're also collecting tickets on the ramps hitting ramps, kind of like the Wonka bars. And I love that on Wonka. But you're doing that so that you can play some carnival games. You don't get bored there. Twelve carnival games. Some are more difficult than others. Some take more tickets than others. Twelve different. That's like twelve more modes. Multiple. Multi-balls here with different stages. Add-a-balls.
    36:27
    I want to see what the wizard mode is. And then fireworks. That was one thing they did not go in depth about. They kept talking about it. And they talked about it in that video. And then it left me going. We know with Meet at the Carousel, Well, it's not because Pat was like, you know, a lot of these Wizards modes, they'll just throw you all six or eight balls and just go to town frenzy. But it's freaking boring. I agree. He said, you get one ball. You get one ball. You got to do enough correct shots to get to that next path. That's it. I'm curious. I know. I got kind of like cold chills. I know. Speaking of assets, we know they got all the video assets, how much they'll use of it. I don't know. We've seen a lot of it already. But audio is a big deal here. and they knew that they had to nail it for Pixar and Disney and they did they got the call outs from the film which I mean look at Guardians that doesn't happen look at Jurassic Park don't know what's happening so they got all that they got freaking Tim Allen to do custom call outs yeah the Tim Allen that's big Buzz Lightyear Santa Claus like any parts is no uh any pots pretty freaking difficult to keep custom call outs and you get ce custom call outs too yeah she was on ghostbusters amy potts and then you get tom hanks brother jim hanks that does all of his official voice work kind of stuff and video games and everything you get him too that's three of them they only needed one they could have saved money but it's awesome that they gave us three all right so i think we've we fully hyped this game but we're hyping it after we actually have experience of it yeah that's the difference um and i would maybe uh have a different sentiment and a different thought process going into it if we were sitting here filming today and i hadn't got to play it but but playing it uh it really it checks out people yes yeah it it's it's a whole different thing um and that happens with a lot of pins but i i feel that that i the initial shock of the release of this one i guess um makes the enjoyment and playability of it uh so much more um resounding well and there's so much stuff in here that we don't even have time to cover i mean we haven't talked about tiki multi-bowl uh where it's on the 10 inch display we haven't talked about the 10 inch display but there's so much that we haven't oh my gosh there's that we haven't talked about a lot of it but that's okay yeah that's okay i'm just saying right now regardless of what anyone says If you liked Willy Wonka, you're going to freaking love this. If you like Pat Lawler games, you're going to freaking love this. If you like the 90s Bally Williams stuff, you're going to freaking love this game. Agreed. I cannot wait. I think this might shoot better than Wonka.
    39:05
    I don't have enough time on it, but damn, my Wonka shoots good. I know it does. Dude, we didn't even talk about the Hot Rails. Oh, my gosh, the Hot Rails. Oh, it adds so much. And the topper for the CE. Oh, yeah. Duke Caboom. Duke Caboom is awesome in this. How great is Duke Caboom? I'm going for the CE, but I think the LE might be where it's at here.
    39:28
    For the price changes now? I mean, that's a big jump now that JJP made from the last collector's edition in GNR to this one, whereas you've just seen a $1,000, I think, increase for the LE. This may be my first JJP. Dude, we didn't even talk about them fixing the flipper mushy system. And they even bump up the power to that flipper whenever you hit Duke Kaboom. Yeah, so that was one of the coolest things I thought Pat said. I mean, maybe there just wasn't need for it in a lot of other games or something. I don't know, and this is a very specific mech for it. But, yeah, I really like that. Like Pat said, it senses and it knows when they're going to throw that jump ramp up. And I don't know if it's by rollover or whatever in that in lane, but he was like, you know, it automatically cranks that flipper power up, and then you can adjust that flipper power on the fly if you need to. Just because of your home power supplier, if you're being bogged down in an arcade or at a show or something, you can bump that up on demand. But generally, when it rolls over and that ramp comes up and it knows that you're going to attempt to do that shot, it increases that flipper power so that you're not underpowered at all and you make that shot smoothly. That's one of the things. Well, just fixing the flippers. Like people say they get sluggish after a couple hours. He said that your flipper power will be the same at two hours as it is after two minutes of playing. He said they've cleaned that up. So that's pretty phenomenal as well. I like that. So there's small little things that Pat did. And I loved watching the guy and the excitement on just something like that that he did because I don't know. Yeah, and I wanted to say a special shout-out to Pat Lawler. um you know i've never we we were able to work with him on a professional level not to the depths that a lot of people have over the years from bally williams to stern to jjp uh but regardless if this is his swan song if this is him leaving jjp um i've got to say man not only has he designed just phenomenal and exceptional some of my favorite pinball machines but he got that factory up and running in chicago let's not forget that um he's done production for a long time he knows a little And I'm just thinking about the Lexan inlet right by the scoop so you don't need a cliffy protect. Oh, yeah. He's done so much more. He's trained different designers and coders. He's done so much more. If this is it for him, what a hell of a legacy, Greg. So, you know, our first experience with Pat was when we did Wonka. And it was kind of off the cuff, like, you know, kind of thing. He's like, what are you all doing? I don't want to deal. I think we took him aback. Yeah, like, hey, we're going to interview you, Pat, and I don't think he really wanted to. We have that effect on people, Greg. So we did it this time, you know, and, you know, Pat was obviously gracious enough to do it and sat down for us and take his time. But, you know, it was one of those things like, you know, Pat wants, you know, get Pat in first and Pat can, you know, get out and go about his business. Set the tone, yeah. And do it, you know, and Pat can go because he's a busy guy. Like, he can go on and do his other stuff. what I really loved was that Pat was as giddy as Joe Katz or anybody else to stand there with a smile on his face and go hey look at that scoop like you said that Lexi and he was like look at that scoop get in there close literally it was like that and just a smile and he would do one of those like where he would point at something and he would almost do a mic drop he'd be like look at that and kind of bounce back throw his hands on his hips and just like nod at it and I was like dude like that like just listening to him go over everything and that's why we knew so much about that game it's like yeah to me pat was not selling us on that game and pat wasn't like look at this feature pat was proud he just wanted to share it yeah he just wanted to share what he did and the enthusiasm was not a this is what we put in the game it was a this is what i put in the game you like it well and it's a you know that that a game's going to be good when the creators put themselves on the back burner. They're like, I just don't care about being in front of video. I want to play this game. I want to show this off. I want to show you how excited and proud we are of this product.
    43:42
    Again, for whatever it's worth, hell, I'm wearing a JP shirt for God's sake. Take it for what it's worth, but we always try to be real with it. I'll tell you stuff that I don't like, that I don't think was a good decision on their part, and I'm no expert. I'm probably ignorant and wrong, but this game's badass. It's really good, especially if you like the theme and stuff. It's unbelievable. I'm guessing this is going to be a bolted one in my collection, just knowing what I like in pinball and in theming.
    44:14
    Greg, hopefully we'll do an unboxing here soon, maybe a review of Toy Story 4 here very soon. We've got a lot of stuff coming out, don't we? Yes. If they want to buy one of these Jersey Jack pinball Toy Story 4s, Where can they buy it from? Rollover 02. No, don't buy it. Sorry. I was holding my Jersey Jack shirt. No, don't buy it there.
    44:37
    You dumb bastard. That's all right. No. Flip in out the letter N pinball.com for all of your JJP orders. Hop on over and get yourself a Toy Story for today. Dang, that was really good there, Jerry Thompson. You know, just try it. Yeah. Actually, you guys can purchase one right now. They've had a lot in the box at reveal time, but it's going to take them a couple years to make all of the orders coming in. But, yeah, it's a phenomenal game. More information can be found on the website at jerseyjackpinball.com, or you can contact us, 812-457-9711, or me, Zach, C-A-C-H, at flip, the letter N, outpinball.com, or just pull the trigger, buy one. You'll like it. You will like it, and it's going to be pretty. The whole family is going to flock to this damn thing. It is a family pin. We didn't talk about the kids. Kids are going to take this pin over. Yeah.
    45:31
    Good luck playing your new game if you've got a family. Absolutely. All right. That right there is Greg. He's as sexy as ever. It's early. It's going to be a long day, Greg. You ready, buddy? I'm ready for it. I'm Zach. Straight down the middle. See you guys later. You hit it off with a bumper knife Straight down the middle, yeah Middle, yeah You had a fling with a fling shot You're rolling out the outlet again Like the best thing, I'm over here pissing off my wife I've got ferns behind me and shit I've been up for eight hours getting all pissed off at pinball I'm forking You gotta fend me With your bogey Put a fork in it, they say Who is that? A cat trying to eat my fucking computer cord. Oh, I thought it was one of your children. No, stupid.
    46:31
    God damn.