claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.033
First hands-on Avengers: Infinity Quest impressions highlight smooth shooting and art but note sparse layout and weak voice characterization.
Avengers: Infinity Quest is one of the first The Avengers (Pro) machines in the world, unboxed the night before this video
high confidence · Host states 'last night I unboxed one of the first in the world stern pinball The Avengers (Pro) infinity quest'
The Avengers (Pro) playfield is missing the Captain America ramp, subway, and other premium features
high confidence · Greg describes The Avengers (Pro) missing 'the captain america ramp,' 'the subway,' and other content that appears on Premium/LE versions
Keith Elwin third game finally achieves smooth shooting geometry he had not achieved in Iron Maiden or Jurassic Park
high confidence · Host: 'Elwin finally, I feel like not that there was anything wrong, obviously his other games are fantastic, I still want another Iron Maiden, honestly... but this one has the flow... he honed, because this game... this one has the flow. It has the good shots. And he finally has a third flipper shot that shoots smooth.'
Premium models are outselling Pro models at a 5:1 ratio at Flip N Out Pinball
high confidence · Host states 'premiums are selling five to one... to pros for us at flipping out'
Avengers: Infinity Quest experienced production delays on Premium and Pro models
high confidence · Host: 'It's delayed, actually. I feel bad when people are ordering because it's delayed on the premiums pros reveal'
A $100 price increase was applied to Avengers at the beginning of the year, with other titles following suit
high confidence · Host: 'There was a price increase, Greg. Yes, of $100 on the Avengers at the beginning of the year January all the other titles will catch up to Avengers with a hundred dollar price increase'
Limited Edition versions are expected to release late September, with Pro models in early-mid-late October
medium confidence · Host: 'I think Ellie's are going to be coming out next here very soon at the end of September. And then at the beginning of October, you'll get some more pros as well as mid-late October for premiums'
“this thing, I love love love the way this thing shoots I love the way this thing shoots better than the other two Keith Elwin games I would have never guessed that in a million years”
Host (primary reviewer) @ ~12:45 — Core thesis of the review: Avengers is Elwin's best-shooting game despite initial skepticism about his prior titles.
“he finally has a third flipper shot that shoots smooth. there is really no clunk in this”
Greg (co-host) @ ~13:20 — Validates host's claim about geometry improvement; notes the absence of characteristic 'clunkiness' from Elwin's prior designs.
“It is a fact that this play field art is better than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And I thought for sure when I saw that that was going to be artwork of the year.”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~28:30 — Strong endorsement of playfield art quality; ranks it above TMNT (2019), considered a high-water mark.
“I feel like this is a very tournament game. It's very a points-blowing-up kind of game. It's not really a journey at all.”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~20:15 — Identifies game design philosophy as competition-focused rather than narrative-driven; contrasts with story-heavy designs.
“it does. It's kind of... It's another stern. It's that another feeling of that stern.”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~19:00 — Expresses vague criticism of generic 'Stern feel'; later clarifies as stemming from lack of character in call-outs and voice acting.
“I feel like Deadpool... becomes a better game. And I think that's where Stern has got to really start pulling their games together.”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~34:00 — Critique of Stern's asset package strategy; argues competitors like Deadpool succeed through comprehensive audio/visual cohesion.
“This thing has been selling nuts for Stern Pinball”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~37:00 — Strong commercial signal despite production delays; indicates market enthusiasm.
gameplay_signal: Avengers: Infinity Quest features notably smooth shot flow with minimal 'chatter,' representing a significant departure from Keith Elwin's prior two games which hosts described as having inherent clunkiness despite good shot design. The third flipper geometry is praised as an extension of regular flippers rather than a traditional separated third flipper, and combos are deeply integrated into the ruleset.
high · Host: 'this one has the flow. It has the good shots. And he finally has a third flipper shot that shoots smooth... there is really no clunk in this.' Greg: 'Borg uses a lot of plastics. You get a lot more traditional fan kind of stuff, so you get a smoother feeling.'
gameplay_signal: Avengers playfield is notably sparse and back-heavy compared to recent Stern titles and Keith Elwin's prior designs. Most shots are positioned toward the backbox; middle playfield has significant dead space. Pro version lacks Captain America ramp, subway, and other premium features, but still includes window staging for ball visibility and lighting effects.
high · Host: 'everything feels like it's towards the back... it felt bare when i just first saw it... there's so much dead space and everything so far away.' On Pro: 'You still have windows in there. It's just more shallow. You're not locking your balls. There's lighting effects.'
gameplay_signal: Game is tournament-focused with points-heavy scoring and minimal narrative journey structure. Modes are battle-based rather than story-progressive. Tower shot with magnet staging is difficult (not easy as initially expected) but rewarding. Hawkeye mode features adaptive difficulty with countdown timer followed by randomized sequencing.
high · Host: 'this is a very tournament game. It's very a points-blowing-up kind of game... it's not really a story-line game... The difficulty of that tower shot. I thought that thing was going to be easy. It's not. I love hard shots.'
youtube_groq_whisper · $0.094
Keith Elwin has his fourth game already completed (in the can)
high confidence · Host: 'Keith Elwin, this is his third game, y'all. He's already got his fourth in the can.'
“I'm finally happy that I have a Keith Elwin game that I'm stoked to get the LE”
[name withheld pending review] @ ~36:00 — Signals strong confidence in buying the higher-tier model, contrasting with reservations about prior Elwin releases.
product_concern: Voice call-outs lack dynamic character compared to other recent Stern titles, particularly Deadpool. Marvel-provided voice actors sound flat and generic despite being AAA-level actors in source material. Call-outs described as 'lacking character' and not providing enough personality differentiation between characters. Animations are good but static, missing opportunities for dynamic visual storytelling.
high · Host: 'I feel like this pen sort of lacks that character... The call-outs are lacking... There just there a Kendall Hale to the music there's not a lot of dynamic Ness in their voices...' Comparison to Deadpool: 'Deadpool sounds are a lot better... has more spunk in life... Character.'
product_concern: Game uses comic book-style 2D animations rather than film assets; hosts express preference for film content and note that prior Stern games (Jurassic Park, Stranger Things) benefited from code updates incorporating video/audio from source material. Current out-of-box version 0.90 expected to receive code updates improving animation dynamism.
high · Host: 'The assets package... I'd rather have the film. But I understand they're all AAA actors... When I updated... Jurassic Park where you get video and audio from the film... It made a world of difference.'
market_signal: Stern announced $100 price increase across Avengers lineup at beginning of year, with other titles scheduled to align. Premium models significantly outselling Pro models at 5:1 ratio at major dealer despite higher price point. Despite production delays on Premiums and Pros, game is selling extremely well overall.
high · Host: 'There was a price increase of $100 on the Avengers... premiums are selling five to one... to pros for us... This thing has been selling nuts for Stern Pinball.'
product_launch: Avengers: Infinity Quest experiencing production delays on Premium and Pro models. Limited Edition versions expected late September 2020, Pro models early-to-mid October 2020, Premium models mid-to-late October 2020. Host notes concern about customer satisfaction given delays.
medium · Host: 'It's delayed, actually. I feel bad when people are ordering because it's delayed on the premiums pros... I think Ellie's are going to be coming out next here very soon at the end of September. And then at the beginning of October, you'll get some more pros...'
personnel_signal: Keith Elwin has completed his fourth pinball game while Avengers (his third) is still ramping production. Represents significant design output velocity and signals continued active work in industry despite niche market constraints.
high · Host: 'Keith Ellens, this is his third game, y'all. He's already got his fourth in the can.'
design_philosophy: Keith Elwin's design has evolved significantly from his first two games (Iron Maiden, Jurassic Park) toward smoother, more flowing geometry and less cluttered playfields. Hosts debate whether this represents positive design maturity or loss of unique identity. Avengers feels more like George Gomez designs (flowing, characterful) than Elwin's prior work; hosts express concern about further convergence toward generic designer styles.
high · Host: 'I don't really know if I want him to continue this trend... I don't want him getting away from that and going and moving into where he feels like other designers... I want to see his uniqueness continue... This doesn't feel anything like Maiden or Jurassic Park... To me, it still shoots... more like Deadpool.'
design_innovation: Hawkeye tower shot features innovative magnet staging system where ball is held at top and drops quickly; mode progresses with adaptive difficulty (countdown timer initially, then randomized sequencing). Hosts praise this as genuinely innovative rather than gimmicky, with strong integration into rule flow and mode structure.
high · Host: 'the tower shot, the shot because that no matter how many times you hit that with the magnet on top feels amazing it is stellar... It's innovative. It's actually... it is really neat. It's not just a gimmick it is just really neat and it adds a lot to the game.'
sentiment_shift: Significant positive sentiment shift regarding Keith Elwin's design capability. Host had reservations about Iron Maiden and Jurassic Park (theme didn't click, gameplay felt cramped) but now expresses genuine enthusiasm for Avengers as his best work. This potentially repositions Elwin within competitive designer landscape.
high · Host: 'the first two Keith Elwin games... the theme sucks... Jurassic Park... didn't pull me in... I thought Keith Elwin was going to do the same thing... I was fucking wrong... I finally clicked with Keith Elwin game... I'm finally happy that I have a Keith Elwin game that I'm stoked to get the LE'