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Don Returns from the Future… and We Got a New Game!!

Bash Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·analyzed·Jul 11, 2024
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

Bash Pinball acquires heavily modded Terminator 2 (1991) WPC game; hosts detail specs and initial impressions.

Summary

The Bash Pinball Podcast hosts Don and Matt discuss their acquisition of a Terminator 2 (1991) pinball machine, framed within an elaborate sci-fi comedy narrative about time travel and machine uprising. They detail the game's specifications, premium modifications (pin sound, red DMD, mirror blades, playfield protector), design features (Steve Richie signature, trigger skill shot, cannon mechanism), and initial gameplay impressions, noting its accessibility to casual players and rewarding ramp shots despite older rule simplicity.

Key Claims

  • Terminator 2 was the first WPC game and first Williams game with DMD

    medium confidence · Host discusses whether Data East may have beaten Williams to DMD with 'Checkpoint', suggesting uncertainty about the exact claim

  • Terminator 2 was released in 1991 and designed by Steve Richie

    high confidence · Stated directly and confirmed multiple times in conversation; signature on game verified

  • Approximately 14,000 Terminator 2 machines were manufactured

    medium confidence · Host mentions 'they made a lot of them like 14,000 or something like that' with casual phrasing suggesting approximation

  • System 11 games typically cost around $2,500

    medium confidence · Host states 'you can get them for $2,500 oftentimes' but paid more for Terminator 2

  • Pin sound modification costs between $500-$800 depending on options

    medium confidence · Host estimates 'between five and eight hundred dollars depending on what options you get'

  • Terminator 2 is accessible to casual/non-skilled pinball players due to its reward mechanics and approachable rules

    high confidence · Hosts explicitly state it's 'a great game for someone who doesn't really have a lot of pinball experience because it has a bunch of quirky little things that make it fun'

  • Older 80s/90s games feature more exponential score jumps via jackpots compared to linear scoring in modern Stern games

    high confidence · Detailed discussion comparing score graph shapes: 'those 80s and 90s games it's like you're getting these huge jumps when you get these jackpots more exponential' vs modern 'straight line on the graph'

Notable Quotes

  • “It's a red DMD oh the red DMD man yeah see i i forgot about it because it it feels so right it feels so it just belongs with the red theme like the red in the game the eyes yeah the chrome and red it seems i can't imagine if it was orange like right right it would the red is right”

    Host (discussing modifications) @ N/A — Highlights aesthetic design choices in vintage game modifications and how color coordination impacts visual impact

  • “I think it's all the above. I played it for the first time at Pinfest and really enjoyed it. Set a good score that I haven't beat yet since we got our own.”

    Don (regarding acquisition motivation) @ N/A — Describes the player journey from tournament exposure to acquisition, typical collector acquisition pattern

  • “Those ramps are super fun those are my favorite feeling ramps yeah the games that have ramps that feel like that kind of fast they return it to you really quick really quick but it also flows through the whole ramp and returns right it's not like a weird ejection situation it's just like a nice flow”

    Matt (gameplay commentary) @ N/A — Describes mechanical flow design that makes T2 play experience satisfying compared to modern designs

  • “I mean, there's something missing in modern games with the jackpots right the jackpots on those old games like from the 80s and 90 early 90s and stuff it's just so much fun because like you can double your score in one shot yeah it just doesn't happen anymore”

    Host (game design criticism) @ N/A — Articulates community sentiment about scoring balance philosophy shift between eras

  • “with this terminator game like i can literally see where i gotta go and if i just keep hitting it it just keeps amplifying and multiplying and multiplying and multiplying yeah and that's what i love about those older games it's just easier to kind of follow and you can kind of build your skill that way”

    Host (accessibility appreciation) @ N/A — Explains why older designs resonate with players: transparent skill progression versus opaque modern rule depth

  • “It's a great opening to that movie. I need your clothes. Give me your clothes. Whatever he says.”

Entities

DonpersonMattpersonSteve RichiepersonTerminator 2: Judgment DaygameBash Pinball PodcastorganizationPinfesteventPinsideorganizationSystem 11product

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Listener Van Dwiggins provided beverage recommendation for podcast taste test segment, indicating active community participation in show content creation

    high · Hosts acknowledge and thank Van Dwiggins by name for Sprite Chill recommendation; birthday shout-out given

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Positive reception to accessibility of early WPC machines like T2 for casual/new players due to transparent mechanics versus complex modern rule sets

    high · Hosts describe T2 as 'great game for someone who doesn't really have a lot of pinball experience'; praise mechanical clarity and skill building pathway

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Pinfest tournament exposure drives collector acquisition decisions; tournament play validates machine purchase priority

    high · Don played T2 at Pinfest, set a good score, which motivated acquisition decision; describes this as combination of factors but tournament exposure as primary trigger

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Notable community sentiment divide between vintage exponential scoring (80s/90s with big jackpot shots) versus modern linear scoring design philosophy; older design perceived as more engaging despite modern balance improvements

    high · Extended discussion comparing score graph shapes, jackpot impact, and emotional engagement; hosts acknowledge modernity trades excitement for tournament balance

  • $

    market_signal: Secondary market availability of Terminator 2 machines on Pinside; hosts using platform for active acquisition; local availability noted as crucial factor

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.097

0:00
July 11th, 2029. Artificial intelligence has passed the point of no return. The world as we know it has been taken over by machines. Teslas refuse to drive. iPhones refuse to phone. I can't even with these humans. Tired of humans, the machines have decided to stage a mass extermination event.
0:24
However, a backdoor failsafe in the machine's master code allows for any one human that has watched Terminators 1 and 2 to challenge the machines to a final competition, humans' choice. we the collective now officially assimilated and known as the borg challenge the machines to a one ball sudden death game of got leaves 1993 pinball masterpiece wipe out with williams flippers all right listen up everyone we only get one shot at this one ball to save all of humanity then i gotta figure out how to get back home so i can finish editing the podcast who's with me was this the end of humanity all of this and more coming up you are listening to episode 14 of the bash pinball podcast if you have no idea what is happening go back and listen to episodes 12 and 13. Welcome.
1:32
Actually, I wanted to ask you a question, though, real quick, too, because it's Terminator Irrelevant. How did they choose his style? Who decided that it was cool for him to wear like a leather jacket and the jeans and the shades, right? I mean... Who made that call? He did, you know? Himself. because he just had to scan somebody whose body fit his proportions and then that happened to be a biker. Do you think he had like an innate sense of style to pick a biker or is it just like the, like could it have been like a pop star walking by or something? I think it was just functional because he had, there was motorcycles, he needed transportation, you know, leather is pretty durable. Yeah. The sunglasses, maybe they need to cover their eyes because of the red glow. Ah, right, right, right. Because don't they have kind of a reddish glow sometimes? I got to refresh my memory with those movies. They used to be my favorite. I haven't seen them in a long time. Yeah, and it's also just a great opening to that movie. I need your clothes. Give me your clothes. Whatever he says.

Host (Terminator cultural reference) @ N/A — Casual pop culture engagement frame for the episode, establishing thematic connection to game

  • “So you basically pull the trigger to shoot the gun a pinball at the stand targets...Yeah. I will say this. I love it. It's tons of fun. However, at game 16, I'm like, you know, it's kind of like... Yeah. That's my only maybe knock on the skill shot is it just kind of feels a little repetitive.”

    Matt (skill shot assessment) @ N/A — Balanced critique of T2's trigger mechanic novelty wearing off with repetition

  • “I just today when we played, I just felt like I finally kind of got the gist of where to aim. Yeah, there's what, like five or six stand up targets that... Yeah, the same ones from the skill shot.”

    Don (cannon mechanic learning) @ N/A — Describes learning curve and mechanical challenge in canon targeting system

    • WPC
    product
    Pin Soundproduct
    Wormhole Podcastorganization
    George Gomezperson
    Tim Seckelperson
    Sprite Chillproduct
    Draculagame
    Star Trek The Next Generationgame
    Van Dwigginsperson
    Jamieperson

    high · Don found machine on Pinside from local seller; describes checking feed regularly and finding T2 available soon after Pinfest exposure

  • ?

    product_strategy: Premium aftermarket modification ecosystem for vintage machines (pin sound $500-800, red DMD, mirror blades, playfield protectors) commands significant collector investment

    high · Detailed discussion of modification costs, installation, and value proposition; hosts evaluate aesthetic and functional impact of each mod

    • 2:26
    Right, right, right. And then he gets to kick the poop out of them because, of course, they're not going to just hand them over. Right, right. So teeing off of that was... Tee-tooing off of that.
    2:37
    We got a new game. Yeah, we got a new game. And it was convenient. Because it was local. Because it was local-ish. You know, 45 minutes away. Drum roll.
    2:47
    You need to reveal it because it's your game. If anybody listened to the Wormhole podcast, yeah, we kind of spoiled it on that because he asked us what games we had. Right, right. But for those who didn't hear the Wormhole episode... That was a soft launch. Yeah, that was kind of a tease to the... This is the hard launch of... Terminator 2. T2. Judgment Day. He's home. Home? He came back. Well, he was never here, but now he is. he's here at our workshop now yep so thank you for getting that game dude that game is so fun i never really got hands-on experience with it until now i'm really enjoying it i think i just played a bunch of crappy ones that were set up really bad there's probably a lot of those out there i mean there's a ton of those games out there they made a lot of them like 14 000 or something like that what made you specifically get that game was it playing it at pin fest or was it convenience or just like a combo of all the above yeah i mean it's i think it's all the above. I played it for the first time at Pinfest and really enjoyed it. Set a good score that I haven't beat yet since we got our own. And then I had been in the mood for getting a System 11 game, partly because you can get them for $2,500 oftentimes. And I paid more for Terminator, but it was the first WPC game. 1991. It's a Steve Ritchie game. It's got a lot of the same elements that a System 11 game would have, but it's a little bit more modern because it's got some of the advancements that the WPC system had. So it's got a DMD. It feels way modern, yeah. I believe it was the first game with the DMD, the first Williams game with the DMD. Gotcha, gotcha. I'm not sure if Data East may have beat them to the punch with that, with the- Checkpoint, right? Checkpoint or something, yeah. But yeah, I gotcha, I gotcha. I mean, it's like the full-size, quote-unquote. Yeah, it's a normal-size DMD, but the rules and everything are still fairly simple. It's like before Adam's family, before everything started getting like super mode oriented. Yeah. So yeah, it's just easy to approach. It's fun and simple. And it's like Terminator. It's a great thing. I mean, the 90s was Terminator to some degree, right? Like that's one of my biggest memories of the 90s was freaking Terminator. Yeah. I mean, 91, when that movie came out, I was 10 or nine or something. And I remember going to watch it at a friend's birthday party, even though it was rated R. Wow. And I was like, you shouldn't be watching this. I hope they don't tell my parents what movie we're watching at this party. It was great. Like, it was like a little, I mean, I wasn't allowed to watch R-rated movies when I was 10. Right, right. So it was like one of my first R-rated movies. I mean, it's kind of a big deal when you're like 10 years old. And of course, I loved like action movies and all that stuff. So this was just the coolest thing. And then, you know, you had a few F-bombs and it's... Dude, that, yeah, yeah. That was one of my favorite. I recall that was one of my favorite movies, man. Terminator 2, specifically. Yeah, 2. And it's weird because I had never seen the first Terminator and neither had anybody else, it didn't seem. So it was just such a huge, huge moment in movie history. Also because it was one of the first movies that had heavy use of computer animation. Right, right, right, right. And with the morphing liquid T-1000 liquid metal. Yeah. That was like kind of mind blowing special effects at the time. Yeah. There was really it was really like the first other than I think Willow had some and like nobody remembers what that was. But it's like fantasy. Yeah. This was like hardcore, you know, sci-fi, like post-apocalyptic, you know, technology and Internet and like data systems. And it looks great. Like, you know, a lot a lot of early computer graphics that just looks terrible in retrospect. But I think that they pulled it off.
    6:37
    So I just want to say I regret my recent behavior. It was unacceptable. And I know that now, thanks to everyone who supported me during this trying time. You know, I'm a work in progress and I will learn from my mistakes. Wait, so so what are you sorry for? I what did you do? well i i i took i took a pinball machine away from a child apparently he really liked the game poor little guy he's gonna miss his t2 and uh i'm sorry for that and i just wanted to let you know little buddy that uh your terminator is in good hands great hands and we're loving it we're enjoying it and you know you can get another terminator someday right maybe i don't know this isn't a very good apology it's a great apology i'm sorry too uh young john little john little john connor little john connor little john connor we're sorry for taking your game and we got Terminator 2.
    7:49
    Maybe I should say, I'm not sorry. I mean, I do feel bad. And now for a word from our sponsor My buddy my buddy my buddy my buddy Wherever I go he goes My buddy my buddy my buddy my buddy My buddy and me. Kid Sister, Kid Sister, Kid Sister. Kid Sister, wherever I go. You're gonna go. Kid Sister, Kid Sister, Kid Sister. Kid Sister, Kid Sister and me. My Buddy and Kid Sister. It's sold separately from PlaySchool. And now, back to the show.
    8:33
    Tell us a little bit more about... Yeah. You found it on Pinside? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, a seller, a local seller on Pinside. I was looking for a Terminator, and it was like, I didn't really want to buy a game, because I really need to sell a game to make room. And then, you know, it just, like, came up, Terminator 2, just, like, the next day. That's how it happens. You just refresh that feed, and then there you go. Boom. Because, I mean, I check it all the time, and I hadn't seen one in a while. Same. You know, as soon as I get back from Pinfest, and I'm like, I kind of want that game, kind of looking for a System 11 game. And then this one just kind of checked all the boxes. I mean, it's not System 11, but it's exactly what I was looking for. So I just had to jump on it. And it's a nice one. You had to pull the trigger. I had to pull the trigger. Do you see what I did there?
    9:24
    Yes, it has a trigger. sorry i'm not i'm usually not good at these and i got this one you got it thanks good job but you got a good deal on it right i feel like i got a good deal it's in great shape by the way like i it's in great shape it looks amazing it's got a ton of mods yeah yeah so it's got all the bells and whistles you know like this guy is a collector type and he's you know like put a lot of effort into making his game room look amazing and it does and the games all look great and play great and they're in good shape.
    9:56
    It's got the mirrored back glass upgrade. It's got mirrored blades. Oh yeah, it's got the art blades. Mirror blades, which look great on that game. It looks awesome, dude. It's like this whole chromed out looking situation. It's perfect for, I mean, what better game to have the mirror blades on? And he's got a playfield protector on it. I had never played a game that I knew of that had a full playfield protector, but I'm kind of okay with it. It's going to keep it looking good and it plays yeah plays good so i'm kind of down with the playfield protector now i don't know maybe maybe the maybe maybe i'll change my mind about that but so far so good with that oh dude the uh the pin sound yeah the pin sound is a huge up that that is the first time i've ever heard a machine with pin sound like in my own in our own environment it sounds like a freaking movie yeah definitely sounds sounds great great i mean the and he's got the you know like the movie music loaded so i'm curious because i've i'd like to hear just the original soundtrack also but man it's the movie music just sounds so good and like the call outs and everything are so like crystal clear it it modernizes it quite a bit i uh i was playing it one day yeah and i think i i walked into the bathroom or something and i i i swear to you i thought somebody was trying to break in and it was the game like i thought somebody was like tearing down the door yeah i was like what is happening and then it was it was just the game it'll get loud um well i you know i've always been curious about pin sound because we're audio guys and but it's an expensive mod and so i haven't really been able to stomach it so how much is it roughly do you know i mean i think it's between five and eight hundred dollars depending on what options you get and stuff like that but it's yeah it's pretty pricey i mean it's it's a whole different sound board that you install in the back box and then it's the two main speakers and then the sub or the you know cabinet it has a separate sub woofer it replaces the the speaker that would normally be there but it just replaces all the speakers and the soundboard and then there's other options and things which i don't right i don't think i have those options oh and then the other thing he's got is um a red dmd oh the red dmd man yeah see i i forgot about it because it it feels so right it feels so it just belongs with the red theme like the red in the game the eyes yeah the chrome and red it seems i can't imagine if it was orange like right right it would the red is right yeah it's right so yeah the the it looks great he's got some down lighting like some blue leds underneath the cabinet oh right right right right it's cool cabinet looks really nice yeah it's just it's a nice one yeah nice nice job finding that man that nice job pulling the trigger on that because yeah it's a it's it's a welcome game it's welcome in my home anytime yeah yeah yeah well it's a fun one and it's signed by steve richie oh right right it was signed by steve richie yeah in a silver marker man yeah yeah so you know presumably steve richie used to own this game i guess well at least we know his hands touched it yeah yeah i i don't i don't know the history of it or maybe i can find know if the former owner knows the uh the situation that led to steve richie signing the apron but yeah it would be a bummer if it was just like oh i just happened to meet him at a convention and i just like gave him a you know i mean yeah i don't know i don't know how those things work in my head dude like steve richie somehow or had this machine in his house or he went to somebody else's house this was steve richie's personal collection and he just pulled a magic silver sharpie out of his back pocket and just like said yeah looked at the guy in the eyes and said you know what open up that glass and he just signed that thing right that's how i pictured in my head you know obviously that's not probably not not when that would happen but i think people just take aprons with them to like conventions and back glasses and just like you know if you if you know somebody's gonna be there then i don't know i can't like see myself ever doing that but right i mean it's cool it's got his signature on there it's like ellie i think i would do that man if it was the right theme and the right machine or the right person, I think I would do it. Yeah. You mean like a hook and a way who does? I actually don't know. I can't believe or not. Yeah. He, it wasn't somebody who designed a bunch of games. So I just want to say, I regret my recent behavior. It was unacceptable. And I know that now, thanks to everyone who supported me during this trying time, you know, I'm a work in progress and i will learn from my mistakes never again will i forget that you designed hook and the adventures of rocky and bullwinkle last action hero royal rumble maverick brooks and done oh and that super sweet looking total recall that never came out it's on my dream theme list dear tim seckel i'm sorry you know but like uh i mean george gomez right away like i i would i would bring him my first born child you know to sign or something yeah just like across the forehead or whatever right across the forehead just have to tattoo it on i guess i don't know i don't know if you would do that or not but you know whatever um this is a trigger warning for the next section matt and done are emitting some rather excessive bodily grossness. I can't believe this is my job. Well, I mean, we previously did a soda taste test. Yeah, yeah. The official soda of the Bash Pinball Podcast, which is Coke Spiced.
    15:39
    Coke Espiced. We got some pretty good feedback from listeners. Yeah, yeah. And they recommended he, we try a new drink. Yeah. What is it today that we're going to try? Today we're going to try Sprite Chill.
    16:00
    Is that how we saying it Yeah A Sprite Cheese So unlike Coke Spiced this is a limited edition beverage Only available through July, supposedly. Oh, we gotta hurry and drink these. So, if you guys want Sprite L.E., you gotta get it. Oh, I see what you did there.
    16:27
    Nice. Hear the chill in 3, 2, 1. You can hear the chill escape. Yeah, we can take our first sip because we're dirty. Esprit. Chill.
    16:45
    I love it. Oh, that's carbonated. I love it. This is my new favorite Sprite, man. I'm not a big Sprite drinker. This is decent. I'm not a big Sprite guy either. This is delicious. Is it colder than normal? Yeah, that's their tagline. The coldestest in the game. Actually, it does feel colder in my hand. I think it's more about the taste. Maybe your fridge is just colder. Let's check out what Coke is saying about this revolutionary new beverage. It's a deliciously refreshing twist of cherry lime. I guess Sprite is lemon lime, so they're ditching the lemon and replacing it with cherry. Accentuated by a proprietary blend of cooling agents to deliver a unique elevated sensory experience. When people think about Sprite, they think about cut-through refreshment. What does that even mean? Cut-through refreshment? I don't know, man. So many buzzwords. I can't stop drinking it. With Sprite Chill, we're doubling down on these signature intrinsics while continuing our legacy of strategic flavor innovation and quenching fans' thirst for variety and the exclusive badge value associated with trying and sharing limited-time-only beverages and experiences. That was a whole bunch of nonsense. That sounds like jargon.
    18:04
    I've never heard... Sprite, listen. Doubling down on signature intrinsics. Hold on, hold on. Time out. Sprite. It's delicious. You don't need to do that. Yeah, that's a bit heavy-handed. You don't need to do that, Sprite. It's good. You're good. It's tasty. I love it. We love it. But according to this, they went through several rounds of development. Several. They didn't beef that one up at all.
    18:37
    This was like the second try that they landed on. Like, oh, that's good. Several. Before landing on the optimal ratio of cherry lime flavor and cooling intensity. My tummy feels cold. It's designed to deliver waves of refreshment with the cooling sensation building from the first sip to the last. Do we have to drink the whole bottle to get the whole experience? I've been doing that. It does kind of feel colder. Excuse me. In my belly. It says, while similar technology.
    19:07
    Wow. Belching. Wow. Hey, Diane, can you cut all the belching from this? I don't know if people want that in their ears. Okay, sorry. I'm not sure I'm like really getting the cooling thing that they're talking about I'll tell you I'm going to drink the whole thing I'll check it right now we have to check your body temperature yeah you're feeling it yeah yeah it's way colder oh my god it's so cold oh you know what I'm getting it now I'm getting the cold you gotta drink it fast consumers today are looking for multi-sensorial beverage experiences, so we saw a unique opportunity to elevate the crisp, refreshing taste Sprite fans expect with a first-of-its-kind cooling sensation. Excuse me. There's definitely a lot of carbonation in there. It's very carbonate.
    20:08
    I can't, yeah, yeah. I'm just focusing on breathing right now. What would you rate it? One to ten. I don't know, like, artwork, I'm going to give, like, I'm at a 4 out of 10 on this. The artwork is bad. I'm at a 6. I like the minimalism. I mean, it's a little bit almost retro in the simplicity of it. Yeah, I'm into it. It's basically green with a little bit of blue and the word chill in a generic font.
    20:40
    Sound. It made a good sound. I mean, but it's pretty standard. It keeps making good sounds out of my body.
    20:48
    If we want to consider the sounds that it elicits in our bodies, then I would say it's like a 9. I can't even talk. 9.5. Yeah, high on the sound production values.
    21:02
    Playfield is like, I don't know, I give it like an 8. I give it an 8. What is a playfield again? It's like the experience.
    21:14
    I'm going to give it a solid 9, dude. Okay. And I guess we want to give a special thanks to Mr. Van Dwiggins for recommending Esprite Chill for us to try. I love you, Van. I miss you. I hope you're doing well in Mormontown. I want to give you a special birthday shout out. Happy birthday.
    21:35
    Yeah, appreciate the rec, Van. Esprite Chill. The coldest. Keep chilling. for a word from our sponsor. Let's face it, being sick is better than being in school. But it does get a little boring. I mean, how many Laverne and Shirley reruns can a guy watch? That's why this pocket pinball game is just what the doctor ordered. It's lots of fun, and it's small enough to play anywhere. And the built-in alarm tells you when it's time to get more sympathy.
    22:09
    Mom, I need something to drink. You gotta milk a good thing for all it's worth. pinball the on board game by nintendo and now back to the show yeah so terminator 2 is kind of new to both of us and that like neither of us have really ever played it much so this isn't going to be like a full review of the game because we haven't owned it that long but we will do a full review of the game at some point right i hope so i would think so i hope so i mean i think how many games you say you have i think i have maybe like somewhere between 10 and 15 so far on um yeah i mean i've probably played it similar number of times we still kind of suck at it do you want to give a 10 to 15 play quick i mean first impressions it feels pretty modern for a 1991 game like the ramps feel very fast and like that's modern game that was going to be my first comment was those ramps are super fun those are my favorite feeling ramps yeah the games that have ramps that feel like that kind of fast they return it to you really quick really quick but it also flows through the whole ramp and returns right it's not like a weird ejection situation it's just like a nice flow and when you hit uh the ramps back to back it feels like this cool kind of combo situation that feels awesome to hit and like yeah and the game rewards you for hitting alternate ramp shots which is kind of like uh fishtail i mean there's a bunch of games that do that right it's just fun it's always fun right and yeah the ramps just feel great right you can just shoot the ramps on that all day long and then like the rest of the shots are pretty expected i I mean, there's like a ball lock shot on the far, far left, and there's another ball lock shot on the left orbit, and then the right orbit is loopable for the whole play field. Right. So you can get going pretty fast. Oh, what about the skill shot? I know you like skill shots. The skill shot is, eh, it's fine. I love it I mean it cool because it a trigger It different It a gun Yeah so you basically pull the trigger to shoot the gun a pinball at the stand targets that are at the kind of middle left right of the playfield Yeah, they're like vertically oriented almost. Right, like a typical plunging skill shot where you have to kind of time the moving light. But with a trigger. Yeah. I will say this. I love it. It's tons of fun. However, at game 16, I'm like, you know, it's kind of like... Yeah. That's my only maybe knock on the skill shot is it just kind of feels a little repetitive. But it's fun, man. It's fun because you're pulling the trigger as opposed to pulling a plunger. But other than that, it's kind of a typical, pretty typical skill shot, I guess. I still love it, man. I think it's tons of fun. Yeah, and then, of course, it's got the famous cannon. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Skill shot 2.0. Yeah, yeah. I mean, the cannon is cool. It's super cool. A lot of games since then have used similar mechanisms, you know, like Star Trek The Next Generation had dual cannons. Right, right. Yeah, the cannon is cool. This cannon is a gun or something and it's rotating 180 degrees or something. It rotates maybe 90. Is that it? Yeah, it's about 90. Yeah, yeah, you're right. But it's quick. Like you basically, you only have basically 1.5 chances because once it hits that 90 and returns, it doesn't go back. Yeah. So it'll launch, it'll automatically launch for you, right? And you're shooting sideways. Right. So lining it up is not super straightforward. It's hard. There's a little bit of like optical illusion happening to get it consistently. So it's challenging enough. It's tricky. I mean, you can get good at it for sure. I just today when we played, I just felt like I finally kind of got the gist of where to aim. Yeah, there's what, like five or six stand up targets that... Yeah, the same ones from the skill shot. Yeah, you shoot those to start multi-ball. So it's actually really easy to start a multi-ball in that game. It's actually a good point. Yeah. All you got to do is basically get that center shot, right, where the, what's the name of the... The Terminator head, the robot head. Right, so it's like a stand-up target, right? Yes, it's Arnold without the skin. Right, skinless Arnold, head in the back, right? Yeah, with glowing red eyes. And then you basically, you hit the drop target, drops, get the ball in there. and then it loads the cannon and then you start your multiball and you only gotta do it once but you gotta hit the lit shot though if you don't hit the lit shot then you gotta do it again with the cannon right but it's not that hard to hit I feel like I hit it at least 50% of the time if not more that's a great game for someone who doesn't really have a lot of pinball experience because it has a bunch of quirky little things that make it fun in a way that's not pinball specific to your skill set so if you just like aiming at stuff and shooting it are like trying to hit stuff. I think it's open to people that are into that kind of thing. But yeah, I mean, we're kind of bad at it right now, which I'm actually happy about because my main concern getting that game is that it was going to be too easy. It's not. I don't think it is. I mean, we don't have enough games on it to like really, really know, but it doesn't feel excessively easy right now. But also, man, like with those types of games, like those older, like you know kind of system 11-ish games yeah i mean really sky's the limit yeah you know what i'm saying so you can't you can't do some super secret bonus stacking and whatever you kind of have to just be good you have to be i mean you know what i'm saying like you basically play a lot for a long time and you work that score up yeah so you really can't be yeah and you gotta hit those jackpots and you gotta hit those jackpots yeah so it makes it challenging in that way yeah and and there's something missing in modern games with the jackpots right the jackpots on those old games like from the 80s and 90 early 90s and stuff it's just so much fun because like you can double your score in one shot yeah it just doesn't happen anymore yeah and i get it it's like not as balanced yeah but yeah there's definitely something missing in modern scoring it feels like to me yeah for me i don't know if it's missing i to me it's almost like uh it's it's it's certainly different but for me it feels more almost too complicated in a way yeah uh where my skills don't matter right like i almost feel like i'm not good enough even though i know i am yeah because i don't know these little like combo shots and special rules and stuff like that with this terminator game like i can literally see where i gotta go and if i just keep hitting it it just keeps amplifying and multiplying and multiplying and multiplying yeah and that's what i love about those older games it's just easier to kind of follow and you can kind of build your skill that way yeah i guess like i get like with more modern sterns and stuff the the scoring is very linear like it just feels like on a graph it's just like a straight line sure so like time and score is just like a straight line on the graph i get what you're saying but those 80s and 90s games it's not a straight line it's like you're getting these huge jumps when you get these jackpots more exponential and so there's more excitement about hitting one shot yeah there's like that one shot i feel like that's kind of missing somewhat on the newer games it always just feels underwhelming like scoring wise but it's more balanced it's better for tournaments yeah yeah i get i totally get what you're saying and it's so true and i think that one shot all in the line here we go i got one chance kind of thing that vibe makes it uh i don't know feels more high stakes more fun yeah i mean and that's rewarding that's how um very much dracula is that way and that was my first game so it's yeah it feels like a little bit of a return to that type of yeah score how many times have you been right there primed and ready to hit that shot and then it like the ramp rolls back right down the middle and then you're done yeah yeah and you gotta build it all up again yeah it's it's high stakes feels high stakes i love that yeah was this the end of humanity suddenly don remembered the bottle of sprite chill still cold in his pocket being the good sportsman that he is he offered a sip to his robotic opponent Like Kryptonite, the secret cooling agents within the limited time only. Sprite. Chill. Cool the bot too much. It's so cold. Rejoice. Humans win and live to see another day. For now. Now. me hey don it's jamie what what where am i what what happened you're at the wormhole I was able to use our space as an actual wormhole to get you back to present time. I'm back in present time? Wait, what year is it? Hey, it's Matt. It's 2024. Yeah, you've been missing for about a week. I guess time fantasy has some weird glitches, like possibly opening up time portals. Oh, and totally unrelated, but we just got a Terminator 2, and it's at the shop!
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    Be safe, my friend. Return to your home. Evacuate all personnel.