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Top 5 Greatest Pinball Machines From Each Company (SDTM, 2025)

Straight Down the Middle·video·58m 18s·analyzed·Mar 9, 2025
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TL;DR

SDTM ranks top 5 games per manufacturer; Godzilla #1 Stern, Elton John #1 JJP, Medieval Madness #1 Chicago, Halloween #1 Spooky.

Summary

Straight Down the Middle hosts Zach and Greg rank the top 5 greatest pinball machines from each major manufacturer (Stern, Jersey Jack, Chicago Gaming, Spooky). They discuss design philosophy, rules depth, shooting quality, and theme execution across games like Godzilla, Elton John, Medieval Madness Remake, and Rick and Morty, while debating subjective criteria for what makes a game 'greatest.'

Key Claims

  • Jaws (Stern) is at code 0.98 and already competing for top-tier status despite still being in early code

    high confidence · Greg/Zach discussing Jaws as #5 Stern game; explicitly stated Jaws at code 0.98

  • Haggis Pinball went under; host lost money on merchandise

    high confidence · Zach directly states 'Haggis went under and I lost my ass' and mentions having Haggis merchandise; gave some away at tournaments

  • Jersey Jack now has 10 games released

    high confidence · Greg/Zach state 'Jersey Jack now has 10 games out' when introducing JJP top 5 ranking

  • Lord of the Rings (Stern) has one of the hardest wizard modes to reach and is played on White Star system

    high confidence · Hosts discuss LOTR being on older White Star system and note it's one of hardest wizard modes to achieve

  • Elton John (Jersey Jack) had very low initial sales that slowly built through word-of-mouth

    high confidence · Greg/Zach: 'sales were low initially. Very low. But guess what? Slowly... People continue to come in because it's just continuing to build because people are giving it a chance'

  • Willy Wonka (Jersey Jack) marked first time JJP delivered a 'pinball players game' rather than focusing on toys and glitter

    medium confidence · Hosts state 'Okay, Jersey Jack finally has a pinball players game now' when discussing Wonka, implying prior focus on visual toys over depth

  • Rick and Morty (Spooky) 'shoots like a dog' mechanically but excels in themes, rules, and call-outs

    high confidence · Greg/Zach: 'It shoots like a dog... It's a turd of a shooter. I'm not even going to lie. But the everything else just is so great'

  • Walking Dead and Ghostbusters (both Stern) are the two games that taught hosts how to actually play pinball

    high confidence · Zach: 'that and another game on this list are the two games that truly taught me how to play pinball' (referring to Ghostbusters and Walking Dead)

Notable Quotes

  • “Haggis went under and I lost my ass... This is a scar on this entire industry. I've got to get rid of it.”

    Zach @ early in video — Signals business failure in pinball manufacturing; host's personal financial loss indicates market volatility

  • “Keith Johnson's greatest rule set. Cuz it's not overly saturated with multiballs. It's got that depth to it, but fun.”

    Greg @ LOTR discussion — Identifies designer preference for complexity without multiball saturation; references legendary designer Keith Johnson

  • “Did we really want an Elton John pin?... But guess what? Slowly. It was a little spark. People cannot dislike this game.”

    Greg @ Elton John ranking — Demonstrates how thematic indifference can be overcome by exceptional gameplay; market education effect

  • “It's as close a field to Bally Williams that we've ever come.”

    Zach @ Elton John discussion — High praise positioning Elton John as gold standard modern shooter game matching classic design principles

  • “Walking Dead and Ghostbusters were the two games that I truly learned to play on because if you're not nudging and you're not manipulating that game, you're not playing pinball.”

    Zach @ mid-video Stern section — Identifies core pinball skill development games; emphasizes player agency and physical control as essential

  • “Godzilla... took people by surprise because no one was really thinking about Godzilla... But then when it came out, it was such a good game.”

    Greg @ Godzilla as #1 Stern — Demonstrates theme novelty creating market discovery; Godzilla as unexpected #1 Stern game indicating design excellence trumps IP familiarity

  • “I like the rules better than Attack... But there's just something about the special... about the comedy, about the castle.”

    Zach @ Medieval Madness vs Attack from Mars debate — Shows tension between objective rules quality and subjective thematic/mechanical charm in game evaluation

Entities

Straight Down the MiddleorganizationGodzillagameElton JohngameMedieval Madness RemakegameHalloweengameRick and MortygameStern Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Haggis Pinball manufacturer failure; host retained merchandise and distributed at tournaments suggesting business closure was significant industry event

    high · Zach: 'Haggis went under and I lost my ass... I had a bunch of Haggis merchandise... This is a scar on this entire industry'

  • ?

    community_signal: Hosts credibility tied to honest assessment and willingness to rank controversial choices (Halloween #5 but Greg #1); transparent about subjective vs objective criteria

    medium · Greg: 'This is Straight Down the Middle... they might not agree with us here, but controversy... I almost want to do number five last'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Elton John (JJP/Richie) positioned as matching Bally/Williams classic shooter standards; represents benchmarking against legacy of greatest vintage shooting games

    high · Zach: 'It's as close a field to Bally Williams that we've ever come. Very true. Very true.' and comparison to Star Trek as Richie's only better layout

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Halloween (Spooky) has documented mechanical issues (scoop rejects, hedge problems) that threaten gameplay; Greg defends it despite issues

    high · Greg: 'I do understand that sometimes uh you get some rejects out going up to that upper play field... some people have scoop rejects... the hedges'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Hosts emphasize rules depth without multiball saturation (Keith Johnson's LOTR) as gold standard; Rick and Morty/Willy Wonka rules philosophy valued over toy-heavy designs; challenge-focused 'pinball players game' positioning emerging as JJP strategy

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:08
Greg, I can't tell you how excited I am. It's not fake. It's for real. This is going to be a good video. We like We did this. This is straight down the middle. I'm Zach. This is Greg. Um, introductions. But we did this like years ago where we picked our top five, the top five best games from like each manufacturer. Yes. Stern, yes. JJP, Valley Williams, Spooky Pinball. Fuki Pinball, Sega, like we we take every company and we're going to tell you the top five games from each of those companies.
0:42
I loved it back then and I can't wait to see if it's the same now. I can say it's it's very different. It is very different. Some things are the same. Some things you just can't. We did this when like Jersey Jack didn't even have Willie Walker. They only had five games. They had No, they had four games out. Four games. They had four games out. Four games. But first, if you haven't already, we're trying to get to 20,000 subs. If you're watching this in three years from now and we're like at 50,000, it's just what we do best. Honestly, we've probably updated this video since then, so go to the newer ones cuz new stuff has come out like Harry Potter. Oh, cats out the bag. Son of a [ __ ] All right, let's jump into what's So, let's start with Let's start with like the manufacturers that are still making pinball machines. Some of the manufacturers we can't do because like Barrels of Fun hasn't made five games. Haggus went under and I lost my ass. Like uh what other like Yeah. Pinball Brothers hasn't made five games yet. So I had I had a bunch of Haggus merchandise. I know. And I was sitting there. I'm like I actually gave some away at one of my tournaments. How you going to do that to people? I did. I gave away hats. But then I was like should I keep this? And I was like, "This is a scar on this entire industry. I've got to get rid of it." We didn't do American Pinball either. We could have done that cuz they've got five games, but I mean, look, we liked Houdini. Yeah. I like Hot Wheels. My wife still loves Hot Wheels. I like Hot Wheels. Give me GTA. I would say, "Okay, this is where I would go. I would go Houdini." Really starting to There go the people. No, we cuz we got to wing it. So, we're going to We're just going to do it really quick. We're not even going to stay on this. So, we would do Houdini Hot Wheels. No. Okay. We're going to do Houdini. No, cuz Galactic Tank Force is probably a better game. Houdini, Galactic Tank Force, Hot Wheels. Oh [ __ ] there was a good one. Legends of Valhalla. No. Hell no. That one wasn't What the [ __ ] else is there? No, it's not good, but it's a top spot. Oh, okay. October Fest.

  • “Number one's probably better than number two. I like it. I like number two better than I like number one.”

    Greg/Zach @ Chicago Gaming top 5 — Illustrates complexity of ranking subjective vs objective game quality; Medieval Madness/Attack from Mars near-parity

    • Jersey Jack Pinball
    company
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Chicago Gaming Companycompany
    Keith Elwinperson
    Steve Richieperson
    Haggis Pinballcompany
    Lord of the Ringsgame
    Walking Deadgame
    Ghostbustersgame
    Jawsgame
    Keith Johnsonperson
    Lymanperson
    Joe Catzperson
    Bill Grebperson
    Greg Boneperson
    Barrels of Funcompany
    Willy Wonkagame

    high · Multiple references to depth, complexity avoidance of multiball overload; 'Jersey Jack finally has a pinball players game now' regarding Wonka; Rick and Morty rules echoed in Barrels' Labyrinth

  • $

    market_signal: Jaws (Stern, Keith Elwin) at code 0.98 already competing for top-tier ranking despite incomplete development; signals strong baseline design quality and rapid community adoption despite early code

    high · Greg/Zach: 'it's not even at 1.0. I think like code 0.98 and it's still already in the top line... especially the premium. The pro the pro... you still get the code'

  • $

    market_signal: Chicago Gaming remakes (Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, Cactus Canyon) dominate their top 5 over original games; indicates remake quality/demand exceeds new IP development for boutique manufacturer

    high · Chicago Gaming top 5 is 4 remakes + 1 Play Mechanics game (Pulp Fiction); Monster Bash Remake rated lowest despite being newest; no original Chicago IP in top 3

  • ?

    product_strategy: Jersey Jack strategy shifting from toy/glitter-heavy games to challenge-focused 'pinball players games'; Willy Wonka marked inflection point in this philosophy

    medium · Greg: 'It was all, you know, uh, glitter and toys and stuff before... Okay. Now pinball machine. It's a good challenge'

  • ?

    product_concern: Rick and Morty (Spooky) criticized for poor shooting mechanics ('shoots like a dog,' 'turd of a shooter') despite excellent rules and theme execution

    high · Greg: 'It shoots like a dog. Yes. It's a... It's a turd of a shooter. I'm not even going to lie. But the everything else just is so great'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Elton John (JJP) positioned as surprise quality success after poor initial sales; demonstrates community education/discovery model overcoming theme indifference

    high · Greg: 'sales were low initially. Very low. But guess what? Slowly... people are giving it a chance... This ain't a cheap game, dude. This is a great game'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Lord of the Rings (White Star system) considered for modernization/remaster to improve game despite strong rule set; suggests technical platform limitations persist on older hardware

    medium · Greg/Zach: 'this game it would probably been number one if it just wasn't such a long journey' and 'I think this might pop up to number one if they ever remastered it'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Looney Tunes (Spooky) preferred over Texas Chainsaw Massacre despite identical layout; indicates audio/theme implementation quality and content appropriateness differences from shared hardware

    medium · Greg/Zach: 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre, same layout as Looney Tunes. Yes. But Looney Tunes just it looked better... I like the audio better'

    • 2:39
    I don't know, man. It wasn't [ __ ] barbecue. I don't that you get the gist of that one. These are the top five stern pinball machines of all time. This is it. Top five. We'll start at number five. Number five, this is a tough one for us. It is tough because there was a couple that didn't make the list that we were like, should Star Trek, but we wanted it to make the list. Should Jurassic Park make? We wanted to make the list. Number five is Keith Elwin's Jaws. Yes, Jaws the newcomer. And Jaws is very much like that. It was a little sneaky because it started off a little slow. You wondered and then it grew. And then at this time of this recording, it's not even at 1.0. 0 I think like code.98 and it's still already in the top line. They couldn't go higher game. Yes, especially the premium. The pro the pro I mean you still get the code but still the premium is where it's at. I wonder if people will agree with us on this next one. Number four of the top five stern pinball machines ever made. Ghostbusters. Love Ghostbusters. Love Ghostbusters. That's a straight down the middle game. It is. Listen. And hey, like don't complain that it's too hard. Don't complain that it's unfair. Yeah. That game will teach you how to freaking smack a game, how to say like it will teach honestly that and another game on this list are the two games that truly taught me how to play pinball. Ghostbusters will you can't you can't rely on a lot of those bounce cuz the flipper like Yes, it will. It will shimmy it out a little bit. But the things that make it great, the code, it's Ghostbusters, the call outs, the shots on there. Again, that left orbit, you you look at it, you should never you it's as wide as we prefer the pro. I do those busters. That little right ramp. People hate that. I love it. I love that. It's a freaking game. Magnus slings take leave, but they're cool innovation. But you still got the hologram and the premium. You got the subway. Like, it's got it's a hard game. a mean bastard of a game, but it deserves to be one of the greatest. So rewarding. What's better than that? Well, the number three uh greatest stern pinball machine is The Walking Dead. That's the other. That's still my favorite game. Love it. Still my favorite pinball machine. It's ugly to me. It's one of Lyman's best rule sets. Yeah. That was created. It's my favorite lineman rule set. It is ugly. Like you said, you're not wrong. There's just something about it. It's something Yes. It's mean. It's unfair at times. Yeah. But there's just something about it. It doesn't have the most toys ever. No, it's a theme that hasn't aged well. No, the theme is horribly aged. There's just something about it. It is. But but the shots are just good. The shots are so good. Like what B did with that? Yes. Like it just like you know when you got the well walker you can bash. It's up close. It's still fun. Bashing the barn doors till the barn doors open. Drop targets that that matter. Yes. That you truly need to hit to be able to get into um Oh my gosh, I went blank. What's the blood bath? Blood bath. Yes, you're going into And those shots are smooth. The ramps are smooth. The ramp's right at your face, but it's still smooth. Sometimes it goes all the way, but maybe not. And you can actually get some flow working on the game, too, if you start hitting some of the That's a game you have to move. It is. You got to beat around. But that's what I said. That's why I brought it up, but I didn't want to give it away too soon. Walking Dead and Ghostbusters were the two games that I truly learned to play on because if you're not nudging and you're not you're not manipulating that game, you're not playing pinball. Some of the best wizard modes of all time. Yes. Oh my gosh. Horde is dude. It's exhilarating. It is. Last man standing is one of the furthest away wizard modes you're ever going to get. I've never been there. It's tough. It's great. Does it get better than that? It does. It does. The number two greatest stern pinball machine of all time. The Lord of the Rings. Oh, get your little bagings, Frodo, cuz you're going on a journey. So much going on. It's Yeah, I'm looking at it right now off the screen here. Bro, the magnetic ring. You've got uh the my favorite wizard mode and it's a mini wizard mode is destroy the ring. Such an epic moment, especially whenever you complete it. Yes. And the story in and of itself, the theme is wonderful. The story line's wonderful. Uh one of the hardest wizard modes to get to. Valid. It is. And honestly, this game, it would probably been number one if it just wasn't such a long journey. It's a very long journey. And it's an old system. It's a white star. It is. You know what? I think this might pop up to number one if they ever remastered it. If they re Yes. Yeah, I could see that because that would help. It would take that even though that it's still a long playing game. If you still upgraded some of those things, the rules are Keith Johnson's greatest rule set. Cuz it's not overly saturated with multiballs. It's got that depth to it, but fun and you have to complete the multiballs is not easy. And then the gifts from the elves that you're trying to get as well. Yes. I've told Keith, he's a friend of ours. I've told him like, "Don't be afraid just to repeat that in your next jersey jacket. Just do the same rules." Exactly. That's it. Yeah. We don't want nothing more. That's perfect. No. Cuz it's one of the best rule sets in all pinball. He laughs and makes fun of me when I say that. But But you're not wrong. It's true. Just do it at all. But it's not the number one greatest. Some argue that this game is not only the best Stern game of all time, it's the best pinball machine of all time. It's Keith Ellen. It's Godzilla. M. It's got a little bit of everything. Just like Lord of the Rings. It's just got everything. It's got art. It's got toys. It's got rules. It's got layout. Keith Elwin came into this industry and changed what people think about layouts. Like they're not just fan layouts anymore. They're not just rule sets with modes. Like he knows how to do so much of everything in each little category. And you know what is so great? It is it's it's got that depth for that that that very good player, but it's also so approachable for anyone else. It's very easy to understand what you need to do with the monsters and you know the ramps, hit a building and then start to multiball. Exactly. Like it's comes crumbling. Yes. It's so much. It's just so easy to understand, but yet it's not it's not just like a oh wow. It's not much to it. There is probably the best well-rounded game very much in any category. There's not a bad category in that entire game. No, there's not. Art is fantastic. Everything in it is fantastic. The worst to me would be theme because easily, but that's still an iconic classic. And that's what I was going to say. It's one of those things that took people by surprise because no one was really thinking about Godzilla. Like, okay, Godzilla, who car, you know, it's cool, but whatever. It's fine. But then when it came out, it was such a good game. You're like, oh, it's got humor. Yeah. Now I'm a Godzilla fan. I like Godzilla again. So that's the top five Stern pinball machine games. Great lineup. The top five Jersey Jack pinball machines. This one's tough, too. Jersey Jack now has 10 games out. And we argued on this one quite a bit. We tough, man. Because what constitutes the best some back and forth. I It's It is really tricky, especially with Jersey Jack cuz is it like, you know, their most loaded game? Is it is it how that game shoots? Is it really the world under glass? But then if it doesn't shoot so well, you know, is this the world under Yeah. Like there's so much different stuff that Jersey Jack brings to the industry. Yes. But if we're arguing the best, it's hard to argue with what we picked. I agree. We'll start at number five. The fifth best Jersey Jack pinball machine of all time is the one they started it off with. It could be argued to be higher. It could argue to be lower. This number makes the most sense. The Wizard of Oz. Yes. This thing is It is the epitome of world under glass. Beautiful. It is everything. Sculpted spinning house. A spinning house, a a winged monkey that comes up and grabs my red flippers. Oh my. And then the the state fair bowl. Yes. The haunted trees. It's It's loaded. It's completely loaded. And it's deep. It's got that Keith Johnson rule set. It's as deep as Greg Mom's haunted forest. That's how deep. Can't see the forest through the pubes. It's so dirty. Please. Horrible. Please let a house fall on her. You don't You don't understand how mad people get about my mom joke. They're so stupid. They're so immature. All he did was have mom jokes. There's just a reason I love them. So, and if you don't like them, I don't remember. We used to get called immature like mom jokes. Really? Yeah. Absolutely. They're nostalgic and they're fun just like pinball. Just let your mom the the Wizard of Oz is it is good, but man, it's it does not shoot well. No, it's a twoot Joe Ball. And that's why that I had to argue with you because you were like, I thought it should have been higher maybe. It should be higher because it's so jam-packed and it was that first game that really like elevated pinball into a different, you know, and I even said it's definitely not my favorite jersey Jack and you're like, then what are we doing here? Yeah. Like, okay, that's true. That's true. That's number five. Number four, the the fourth greatest Jersey Jack Pinball machine of all time is The Hobbit. Believe it or not, The Hobbit over Wizard of Oz. Listen, over the likes of a lot Oh, the Hobbit is a journey. Oh, man. It's a beautiful journey. It's an experience. It is. It truly is. And that's what when we started talking about this one, we really got into it. It's like there's not, you know, you could argue that that Guns and Roses, which Eric did a phenomenal job, uh, you know, same thing with Wizard of Oz, how immersive it is. Even without lighting. Yes. Well, this has lighting, but even without Hot Rails, it has the most immersion in a game that I can think of. It does because the LCD and everything that they did and the call outs and the sound effects, you literally feel like you're [ __ ] traveling with those hobbits on a journey, the different modes, the captures from the film into the I mean, you still got the dragon head, but you didn't need a ton of sculpts. You didn't need all this stuff on the playfield. It's literally just it the immersion with sounds and video smog talking to you like that's immersive when you have something interacting with you smile turns around and talks to you and it's on the screen and then the light show that accompanies yes like oh just don't like it's beautiful it's a beautiful game long playing game it's a long playing game but but so is the film it's a journey it is it's still a journey and it's worth it you feel accomplished floaty again it's like wizard of os feel the best to shoot. It's got a third flipper that doesn't really, but once you get accustomed to that feel and you play a few games on there and especially when you're on that journey and you destroy Smog. Yeah. Feels so good. So, it's such a rewarding out of the air. One of the drop targets drops and that's his little scale that you got to hit with the arrow. Oh, that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. To you to have a third flipper that is pretty much only used and created for that one moment. Yeah, it's I'm a sucker for that. I'll take it. I love it. That's The Hobbit. Number three, the third best Jersey Jack pinball machine of all time is Pirates of the Caribbean. Great game. Yeah, jam-packed. That's a Eric Mer special. Another one of those things Eric did so much stuff with that, man. You shot out of a cannon, a pinball to strike the the hull of another ship across the playfield. Come on. You got constellations in the back of the backboard that can give you secret hidden messages like with the way the stars. It's insane, man. Yeah, it's that was really cool. You got pop bumpers with the little guy in the pop bumper. You got spinners that go into a lagoon. You got a a whirly mig on the chest. Yeah, it's Yeah, it's And a map that's spinning around. Now, it could have been number one if they didn't pull that triple spinning disc. If it didn't have the chest that come up, it did work. It just worried about long ter and I agree. I mean, smart move to do ball. It's a multiball heavy little multiball heavy stack multiball. But to to show you what this pin is, nobody was asking for a Pirates of the Caribbean pin. it. I won't say it was a dead franchise, but it was a franchise that nobody really cared that much about. Yes. It doesn't have And so for them to take that and to be able to create what they did and to make it one of the best pins like cuz you got the call outs from the one guy in the film like it's just really good. It's good stuff. But it gets better. The number two Oh, we're going to hear about this. I know cuz I love the number two greatest Jersey Jack pitball machine. It's Willy Wonk and the chocolate. So good there. People are going to You guys don't turn it off. No. Joe Catz did a remarkable job on that code. It's so good. It is. And it's an immersive pin, too. Not in the same way as some of the others like The Hobbit and so forth, but it's challenging. You've got that quirkiness. It's And it's very challenging. It is very Pat Lawler, so you know it's going to be smooth. Uh, and I like that it it has an unorthodox play field, like the layout and such. Um, you got upper flippers, you've got magnets, you've got uh the the Wonka Vader. Yeah, you got a lot of stuff, but it's really the layout in the world. This is a pinball players type of game. It really is cuz it can be a mean bastard out of the collecting those golden Oh, it pops and it's just different. It's not just mode based. You're collecting golden tickets and then you get to different wizard modes throughout. It's just all around it. It was finally whenever we were like, "Okay, Jersey Jack finally has a pinball players game now." Yes. It was all, you know, uh, glitter and toys and stuff before. Yeah. Okay. Now pinball machine. It's a good challenge. Yes. And then the best of all the worlds is our number one greatest Jersey Jack pinball machine. It's not dialed in. No, it's not Avatar. I'm sorry. It's It's not uh What else we got? It's not G&R. No. No. It's not Godfather. Of course my godfather I bet a lot of people saw GN I bet a lot of people were going they thought GNR GNR they thought were dialed in a lot of people really like cuz we had dialed in before it's Elton John it's Steve Richie coming over to JJ the game that came out of nowhere Elton John does anybody want an Elton John game necessarily that theme doesn't do anything but Steve Richie and and and Bill on on rules yes it's it shoots and it's gorgeous it's like one of Steve Richie if not his best shooting pin machines And then you layer on all the beauty and the moments that they create with Bill Gre's code. It's I I'm trying to think Star Trek is the only layout that Steve Richie has done that I would argue is better. Yeah, Steve Richie has made a lot of games. Yes. But just it's a close it's as close a field to Bali Williams that we've ever come. Very true. Very true. And a testament to this game is just like this game came out. It's like what you said. Did we really want a Elton John penny? Did we really is that sales were low initially? Very low. But guess what? Slowly. It was a little spark. People cannot dislike this game. It's so good that you're like, "Well, shit." Yep. Like, and we continue to sell it and people continue to come in because it's just continuing to build because people are giving it a chance. This ain't a cheap game, dude. This is a great game. This ain't a cheap game. The topper had lasers that shoot onto your ceiling. It's got little Elton John playing a lady looking at you and [ __ ] It's got the dumbest toy and put my little tiny dancer. But I like the alligator rocket. It's cool though. You can stack uh crocodile rocket man.
    18:19
    I love it. It's so perfect. Oh, just it's a great game though. It's beautiful. Give it a chance. If you're out there, play it. It's worth the number one spot. We were talking about uh on the top stern games like Destroy the Rings, one of the greatest moments in pinball when you start the mini wizard mode, Pinball Wizard. Oh yeah. Oh, it it like we all hate that song as pinball people, but when when presented in that way, it feels good. It sends chills. Yes. Down your spine, down your arms cuz you're like and you just it cranks the light shows going, you feel like you're going to float away on that damn promotional video. Oh, that's Jersey Jack Pinball's top five greatest. Chicago Gaming Company. I guess we can do a top five because they've made five games. Even if they're not, they're still top five. Got to throw them in there. And we'll start with number five. The And people are going to be mad at us. It's great. They're going to say, "That's number three." Yep. The fifth greatest Chicago gaming company game, Pinball Machine, is Monster Bash Remake. Yeah, they've only made five and it's their last one. Hey, it's overrated, people. very much. It's overrated. Rules overrated. They're overrated. Yeah, there's not a lot of depth to it. No, it's fine. It's fun. It's beautiful. Gorgeous game, actually. Great theme. Sounds great. Looks great. Toys are cool. But there's just not a lot of replayability. I don't think so. Once you've done it, you done it. Exactly. It's like Braum Stroker's Dracula. I love that game. Yes. But if I had three games, Yeah. you want that in a large collection. And again, this is fine on a large collection. But there's better games. I own it, don't get me wrong. Yeah. I own it cuz it's pretty. Yeah, and it's fun to play every couple of times a year. Yeah, but yeah, don't shoot the messenger. Just number five. Number four, I think it's better. It's Cactus Canyon remake. Agreed. That's a It's a better game. They've redone the rules. They I like the rule set. It agree. And with this enhancement pack, it still looks cool. It's still beautiful. Might not be everybody's theme, but tweaked by Lyman in a way that I like modes and different stuff. And who doesn't like Sen Paulie? A I like Sen Paul. And I like the Wild West theme, too. You do too. That's a fun. It's just got a lot of cool toys. Everything Bart, everything is just neat in that game. Before it came out, like it was the last one of the last produced Valley Williams games. So, a lot of people didn't get a chance to play this game. Yeah. It it it didn't have that ability like Monster Bash or Medieval Madness or stuff. It didn't have it didn't have that ability cuz they Yeah. They never really got their It didn't have that built-in nostalgia. You're right. Agreed. But it had a cool topper. One that interacts and shoots shoots at you and you play the topper, too. Oh, that's a cool number three. The number three greatest Chicago gaming company game is not a Chicago gaming company game at all. We're cheating here. It's a play mechanic game. They built it and they kind of designed it to it's pulp fiction. Pulp fiction. It's Pulp Fiction. I don't know how you get better. We did a good review or upcoming review on that. It's just a single level game, but it's nostalgic and classic very to the best detailed degree. Very much so. And it's Pulp Fiction. Shoots amazing. The music, the call outs code's amazing. It looks like it's from the 70s, but it has all the innovation from 2024 when it was released. So, it's number three. Number two, though, these are these are tried and true. Number two and number one. It's just which which day is it going to be to to determine if it's going to be a number one or two? You're not wrong on that. I like it. I like number two better than I like number one. I agree. But I think number one's probably better than number two. I I know exactly what you're saying. That sounds complicated. The second best Chicago Gaming Company game is Attack for Mars Remake. Oh. I like it better than the number one, but it's just it's not I know. I know what you mean. The castle is still hard to beat and some of the things are still Medieval Madness number one. We'll talk we'll talk about it together. Yeah. Medieval Madness remakes number one. Attack for Marge number two. I like the rules better than Attack. I do too. I might even like the I like the way it a little better. Yeah, I do too. I do too. But there's just something about the special. Yeah. about the comedy, about the castle that gets defeated, about the Merlin, like there's just something that fits so well. The princess it just it it I agree. I agree. And it's like you were not wrong when you brought that up. Toys brought that up. It's like it depends on the catapults. Yeah. It's just got more going on even though I prefer number two with Attack from Mars. Like I know both of them are some of the greatest ever. That's why they're rated in the top three generally. Always rated in the top three. Those two games. Let us know which one's your number one. Yeah. What is your number one? Is it Cactus? Cactus. We're going to have some Monster Bashes on there. What are you talking about? Monster Bash. That's the top five greatest Chicago Gaming Company games of all time. Spooky Pinball. Our funnies over Spooky Pinball. They've got they've got like 10 games. They probably got more games. Cranking them out. It's hard to narrow it down to five. Yeah. But we're going to do it here. Uh the top five greatest spoiler number one's Halloween. I'm just telling you right now. Halloween number one. Number one spooky game ever made. Number five we argued about and because this is straight down the middle. Mhm. You know, they might not agree with us here, but controversy. I almost want to do number five last. Number just, you know, just to save that. But they they made a lot of games. I loved America's Most Haunted didn't make this list. No, you know, there's a lot of games that didn't make I have a special love for Rob Zombie even didn't make this list. Yeah. Uh even some of their ner stuff. They do make the list. We'll see. But number five is a Greg Bone special, ladies and gentlemen. Number five, greatest spooky pinball machine of all time is Halloween. It's Halloween. Still an advocate for number one, but I mean I have to be realistic and subjective. Barely made this list. Why? Why did it make this list? Because it's [ __ ] amazing. Listen to me. Listen to me. Do you want me to tell you what? I don't think a lot of these people. This is what he did before he started. I don't even think a lot of these people have played this game because I had a guy that came over my house. Yeah. Because I had a guy that I that I know who's a gigantic and he was I was like, "Oh, bro, you got a Halloween." He was like, "No, no." He comes over to my house, plays it, and he was like, "I'm sold." Yeah. I want to start looking for one. I'm like, "How are you going to [ __ ] on it? You haven't even played it. It's fantastic." The rules are fantastic. I had it for a long time. I really like it. Yeah, we wanted a different layout. It's an entirely different layout than what we're accustomed to. It's got two freaking play. You know what? I do enjoy this more in Scooby-Doo. I do too. 100%. I'm still I'm still going down with Halloween being my favorite. I know that it's probably not the best, but I love it. Really clever. I like I love everything about that game. It's like any spooky. It's loaded up with everything you could ask for. It's a good game, you know. Now, I do understand that sometimes uh you get some rejects out going up to that upper play field. Um that you know some people have scoop rejects. I don't really have any scoop rejects. Okay. Like I understand that there are some things that could turn some people off. The hedges. I like the My hes are fine. You know, I had to tinker on the one I had. Yeah. I didn't I've gotten Listen. I understand where some of the frustrations come from within. But it's fantastic. Sorry. Never even got the little hand. Number five, my ass. Yeah, it's a good game. It's a great game. It's a good game. The animations. Hey, I like them. I like some of the cut sequences from the film. Oh, freaking fantastic. The fourth greatest. There's boobs on there. Oh, is there? Yeah. Oh, [ __ ] When that one [ __ ] gets out of the bed. You must have that one little coat. Cheek. No, there's no cheat code. And then the dude is there in the What game was that? You did a little cheat code to have see titties. I forgot what the I thought. The fourth greatest spooky pinball machine of all time is Looney Tunes. Yeah. One of their newer games. So now, uh, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, same layout as Looney Tunes. Yes. But Looney Tunes just it looked better. Yes. I like the audio better. Yes. I mean, the audio in TCM was good, but man, it was too good. It's a little bit more uh it's a little bit more friendly. I would say even though they cancel some of them damn Looney Tunes. I know. And even Yose. Yeah. He's shooting too many guns. They could probably cancel every one of them. Honestly, I mean, look, Bunny Cross Dress, they were into some [ __ ] man. I love when Bugs Bunny Oh, I always love it. Turning on the dudes with the little I thought it was great, man. Looney Tunes is a damn solid. It's just good game. It's probably It's honestly uh rules are fun. It's probably Spook best shooting game. I think Well, maybe something might have something might have eclipsed it, right? But let's just say for the sake of up until that point. up to that point. It was those it was probably their best shooting on Looney Tunes. That's great game. It really is. It's a really And if you like combos and hitting ramps, it's shots galore. Number three, the third best spooky pinball machine is one that's near and dear to me. Might be my favorite. It's Rick and Morty. Great. God, I love the theme. I love how brutal and and impossible that game is. I love so much about in the call out. Maybe my favorite call outs in all of pinball ever. It shoots like a dog. Yes. It's a It's a turd of a shooter. I'm not even going to lie. But the everything else just is so great on it. The artwork is great. I love the rules. And I think most people that that have played Rick and Morning are not going to disagree with you. They're going to understand why it's where it's at. We see those rules again a little bit in Labyrinth from Barrels of Fun. And that's why I love Labyrinth, too. I just love the Mega Seed thing where I love that. And then I also love the stamping the modes you have to get. So, and you got [ __ ] get Swifty. Like, is it get Swifty or get Shifty? Shifty. Thank Shifty. All right. Sorry. I'm just a Swifty fan. Terrible. Watching too much. That's what I was going to say. Travis Kelsey fan. Oh, let's not go into your whole Tennessee. One thing that no one can ever deny about Spooky is their code. I don't give a [ __ ] what any of the other code is some of the best in pinball. Honestly, the rules when you really think about rules. Yes. Not code per se. Code can be a little glitchy. Yes, rules. I should revise it. It ain't no American pinball glitch. But rules. It's some of the best rules in pinball on any of their games. Truly. How many games have you played on Spooky? That [ __ ] locks up and you're like, [ __ ] Rules. Rules. Love it. That's number three. Number two is a newcomer that we don't have much time on, but damn it. I think it I think this is where it's going to land, if not higher. It's Evil Dead. This is like their Wizard of Oz. It's fully level everything. The most beautiful pinball machine they've ever done. Uh the most theme integrated pinball machine they've ever done. The best topper in all of pinball. Like it's so many best of this is this is what they said. This is their love letter to pinball. Yes. It's a wide body, a lower play field, a seller, a hand shotgun. It's got it all. Even though it's a wide body, I won't say that it's and I I I won't say that it doesn't feel like a wide body, but it doesn't feel like a wide body. It's more like that demo man where that you feel it like, you know, it doesn't feel like a standard, but you don't feel like a wide body. So, it's it just it's just got so much [ __ ] in there. And it's just so cool, man. Like when you get to shoot those deadites and you're shooting the drop targets for the hand, like I said, the ball lock on this just everything swinging and it's Evil Dead. It fits so perfectly. It's like the perfect spooky title. It's horror and comedy and it's just so much going on and it's just beautiful. Oh, dude. So many beautiful games. What's better than that? The number one, and this is just more an objective take. I think the greatest spooky pinball machine ever made is TNA, Total Nuclear Annihilation. I don't think a lot of people would disagree. It's critically acclaimed. It is. It brought so much to the industry in terms of sound and and lights. That game still almost give you cold chills when you turn it on with no budget. Yes. The reactors like Scott Denise did so well. He just killed it. He became a legend because of one game. One game. Because amazing. Amazing. Just walked off. And it's sort of a rinse and repeat, but it doesn't get old because it's almost like just it's like that Pulp Fiction where it's got that classic nostalgia, classic feel of what you loved back in earlier times. But they modernized it and it's a [ __ ] of a game. It's so mean. It's hard. But you just know you know your objective. Yes. It's so clear and you know that you should be able to get to like that Reactor 9 like maybe one of the best multiplayer games ever. Oh yeah. I agree. I agree. Just simplistic excellence is what that is. Um, so I I I'm here to tell you here in a year or two, we may be redoing this list because Spooky's Spooky's got some stuff, man. Cranking some [ __ ] up. Spooky got some stuff. That's the top five greatest spooky pinball machines ever made.
    31:43
    I know Bali Williams doesn't make pinball machines anymore. Damn it, Greg. That's some of people's favorite. That was a crown jewel. Yeah, like the '9s Ballet Williams. That's where it's at. And they've made so many. And they were some of the most popular pinball machines ever made. They set a standard. So, we need to tell these people what the top five are. We did this years ago, but we were wrong. Now, we're right. Coming in as the number five greatest Williams pinball machine is a hard one for us, cuz you you really pushed this one into it. I had Theater of Magic and it didn't make the list. It's not on the list. Mhm. It was usurped by the Adams family. Yeah. Hey, absolut It's like the bestselling pitball machine of all time. It's pure fun. It is good fun. Adam's Family is pure fun. It is. It sounds good. The call outs are really good. The modes are still fun. I'm not saying the house is the hardest thing to run through, but it's still just great. It's this great nostalgic fun that just feels good. Yeah. And then just Gomez and then just listening to, you know, the the Yeah. It it it it invigorates you. Yeah. Yeah. Where's Steve? I like it. I like it. That's what I'm saying. See, see, you're smiling right now talking about Look how clever because I love the There's no magnet use like this. I mean, the magnet I love that you did the curled. That's what it does, too. The magnet use, it can throw a ball up a ramp. It's just so cool. You got to get the fuses on there so it don't burn your playfield. But it's really cool. And then even like even when you hit it up the ramp like the little train thing it does the knock like Magic might have great toys but God then little phantom flipper the little flipper that kicks it in a swamp. Adam is just Adam Adams family's it's royalty. It is it's royalty up there with medieval man. So it deserves on the list of the top five greatest. Uh number four greatest Williams pinball machine of all time is Indiana Jones the pinball adventure. You're talking about a game that's loaded up and well-rounded. So crazy. Greatness in theme, greatness in toys, greatness in modes, even video mode. Artwork is even beautiful in its own way. One of our very few A-rated picture. Yeah. Near perfect machine. Agreed. And it's a widebody. Yes. And it kind of feels like a wide. It does. Like it does. Yeah. But I mean, it's still just got a lot going on. And it's the airplanes and the Yes. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The idol, dude. It's so much cool [ __ ] Indiana Jones may be one of the greatest themes for Pin. It's like It's like Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars. It's right there. I'd like to see them redo Indiana Jones. I would like I'd like a modern Raiders of the Lost. We need I agree. We need something. I would honestly like Listen, and people This might not be everybody's cup of tea, but those three movies are so starkly. I don't like green tea. Oh, you don't? No, I don't mind it. I chamomile. Oh, god. No, I'll drink a tea. I'm a coffee guy. Like a British tea. Oh, like that's dirty water. Like a What is that? An Earl Gray that they drink. Yeah, it's a little rough. I like a good old country sweet tea where it feels like my teeth are shrinking. Oh, no. I can't I drink I only drink unsweet tea. I can't do all that. Oh, no. I love it. [ __ ] Terrible. But I would I would do I would do all three movies. Imagine a Temple of Doom. Crusade. That's just Temple of Doom. Last Crusade. I did it. That's fine. You see what I'm saying? It works. I don't know if the third one's I mean I You didn't like the last one? Oh my god, I loved it. Well, then what are you bitching about? It's not It's not the first two. No, but I mean still we could you could there's a lot you could do with it. I like Back to the Future 3. I'm I do too. I mean I wouldn't make a pin of it, but Well, it's still fun. The third greatest valley Williams. You should rec rethe Cactus Canyon into a Back to the Future three. That would be great. And you just put the Delorean where the train is. Oh, that would be good. Or put a little Delorean with the train pushing it. That would be a good idea. I want to do that. Sorry. It's not a bad idea. No, it's not. And it's achievable. And I like that theme. I know. I'm trying to think what would be the topper instead of Bart. Oh, Biff. That'd be Biff's [ __ ] ass. It would be It'd be the cowboy Biff. Yeah, Cowboy Biff. Whatever his name is. I think I like cowboy Biff. What is this? This is Oh, more to come. The third greatest valley Williams pinball machine is the shadow. Oh, the underdog. The shadow. It is like it is greatness. It really is. It's so good. Even though the theme is weird. Uh if you look at the theme is more like early radio storytelling. No, it's kind of a terrible movie, but the movie is horrible. Yeah, it is. But it's still a great pen and honestly the theme lends itself very well to it. Yeah. Curry. I do. But it's so good, man. It's just not the toys, the ramp diverters, the vertebras that you can control. It is just I remember when we first got into pinball, it was like the uh the cult following. It was, you know, it was kind of that weird be Johnny Pneumonic. Yes, there were a few games that even surpassed Johnny Pneumonic, though. Yes, 100%. It has become one of the greatest of all. the Sanctum. God knows that we're a we are a dirty sanctum is originates here on straight down the middle and that's uh yeah where it takes the ball and so wonderfully integrated call outs. It's it's great. If you've never played the shadow, you you got to get on one of those. That's that's B Williams. And it's a wizard mode that's achievable. Like you work towards it, you will achieve that wizard mode. It's tough. And to complete it's tough, too. You got to hit every switch in. But it's perfect. It is. It's just perfect. The number two greatest valley Williams pinball machine of all time is what? Chicago game. It's the same thing with Chicago Game. It's It's attack from Mars. Yeah, it is. Yep. It's just greatness. How do you get around it? No, you can't get Wonderful. And it's the same thing as number one. They kind of go like two peas in a pot. We should have switched them around for this one. We should have. So then that way we can Number one is Medieval Madness. But I think you can own both. Some argue you can't. No, I think you can. I like the rules a little better on Attack from Mars, but there's more toys on Medieval. No, you can own both of those. The humor is maybe a little better in Medieval Madness, but it's great in Attack from Mars. Yeah. You know what's crazy? One, two, and three are Brian Eddie games. I know. That just says something. That says a lot. I think Brian's on a comeback though with Dn D. Okay. I think this is going to be a turnaround. Number one, Medieval Madness. Number two, Attack from Mars. God, I love those two games. a really and they give the best toys. Come on. The strobe multiball. Yeah, I love it. It's just nothing. It hits. You can't you cannot miss with any of those five games in the B Williams list for the top the best stuff. You can't talk about Bali Williams without talking about the love of Sega. Sega, you know, here straight down the middle, especially Greg Bone. He loves some Seagas. And I'm growing a a fond connection with these little with these little [ __ ] games that nobody loved. They're fantastic. Everybody hated these little Savage games. But I kind of am growing to love these things. They're great. I do really like them. Some great themes. They shoot great. There's a lot going on. They're underrated in a lot of ways. Very underrated. And they made a They made quite a few of them. They made 15 or so Sega games. There's a few Sega, but we're going to give you the top five. The number five greatest Sega pinball machine of all time is one that I don't even like, but it's one that most people do is Starship Troopers. Oh, it might be most people's favorite. A lot of people it is. It's It's a very unique rule set with the the killing of the bugs and what you do. Yeah. I'm not I'm not saying that it's the hardest game because a weird third flipper on a different button. I hate that. Oh, I don't mind, dude. That works so well. No, I love the movie though. And it's a Yeah, it's a very odd cult following behind the film, but dude, it's a Isn't that a Denise Richards name? Denise Richards. Carrie Carrie. Carrie. Carrie. Whatever. Carrie. I don't remember Carrie. Carrie something. She was big back in that time frame. Um Neil Patrick Harris. Neil Patrick. Neil Patrick Harris. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good movie. But dude, no. It's it's a fun it's it's just a unique game. It's very different from what like like I said, killing the bugs and hitting those stand up targets and stuff. It's a very different objective than a lot of pinball machines. Alpha numeric display in the play field. Yeah. For how many bugs and stuff for your bugs that you're killing, but dude, it's just And it's just it feels good. It's a good shooter. Yeah, it's a good shooter. People love that. They like the rules on that game and everything. So that's what I'm saying. It's different. Number four, you love even more and it's one that you had to you turned the entire world on to. I don't know if I turned them on to it, but I made it. They appreciate it more and they sell for a hell of a lot more than they used to. They sell for a lot more than Yeah, they sure do. Number four greatest Sega pinball machine of all time is the Lost World Jurassic Park. And listen, snag, you can sit there and anybody can knock that game. You know, the reason though I've bitched about this before is just there's so few good examples of that game that shoot right. But that game Borg, that is a flowy game. That game is a rocket ship, man. Those orbits are fast. The ramps are fast. Even though the ramps wiggle, it's a fast game. The code is just freaking It's so straightforward, but it's so hard. Not easy. Yeah. And you're having to hit stand up targets. It'll come back in. Those Sega standup targets will come back. Whenever a game or rule set is a little more shallow in what there's some Segas that it's it's more for commercial use. They're just trying to bring into the theme. They're trying to make money. So, they make them shallow, but if you make them difficult, Yes. the depth of it isn't as important. No. Because it's another one of those things. I've never beat it. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. I've never beat it. And that's the longest game I've ever There's what, five or six basic modes. Yes. A multiball. You're mainly chasing points. Like the wizard mode isn't a big pill. Multiball is built into one or two of the modes. Yeah. Everything is the repeat. It's shoot the ramps. Each ramp three times you go into a mode and you do this, you shoot the spinners, you know, but you got to get it all like it's hard to complete. It's hard to complete everything. It's so cool. It's kind of ugly, but pretty in its own way. It is. I agree. I agree. If you like tans and light greens, it's a very weird color scheme and it's very weird art. It's a great game. The egg, dude. It's so cool. the ugliest little baby toy in there. Dinosaur. But dude, it's so good. It's It's a rocket ship, but it's brutal. It's so good. If you if you juxtapose that to our number three on the greatest Sega pinball machines of all time, this is just pure fun. It's South Park. Yeah. Like there ain't nothing like hard about South Park. No. You hit the ball into the toilet, little p comes up. You got the cartman hole that's that big. Like it's just No. But it's fun. And it was something about that era of of Saga like and Kenny bashing him and then he falls down and dies. Yeah, it's fun. It's fun. The call out. And that was a that was a show that took the the world by storm. You know what? Like South Park still works today. Like they still make South Park. That's still a good show because they stayed relevant with, you know, politics guy kind of did for a while. Simpsons kind of does that, too. I think they could redo Simpsons again. I think they could redo South Park again. Oh yeah, family guy. I don't know. Family guy might be able. Rick and Morty wouldn't work again. No. But yeah, I agree. I agree. Good game. I just I fell in love in middle school. I fell in love with pinball for the second time. Yeah. Through South Park. Sixball multiball. It just was easy to achieve. I loved it. The number two is a game that I would love to have. I think you'd love to have it as well. It's fan favored by a lot of people for a Sega game. It's a wide body. It's pretty in my opinion. a great theme of sorts. Oh, it's a great theme. It's Batman Forever. Batman's a wonderful theme, but you know what I'd have to get? I would have to get I would have to get a freaking uh pin sound for that to be able to have Kiss from a dude. I'm sold. You sold on repeat. I want it right now on repeat. That's all I'd have to do. I wouldn't even have any call outs. It would just be Seal. That'd be crazy. Singing that song. before you plunge. You know, the whole time you would just want to be whimsically smack like you could I don't even know the words. [Laughter] So, oh my pleasure, my pain, baby, so good. God, he an ugly dude. They got Heidi Clue. God, I know he's still living off that one song. I know. I mean, damn. Big dick seal.
    44:28
    I love. But yes, it's a great game, dude. So cool. Great. A lot of toys. [ __ ] just [ __ ] is packed everywhere, man. I like the ramp diverters and the side ramp shots. It's all green. The bat cave. Yeah, just the powder coating of the ramps. There's a lot going on. The shooter, the little cannon, the batwing shooter. Yeah. Bucks. Bucks for days. I just like the theme. And it I do, too. So much fun. I'm going to get a pin set. I'm going to make it happen. Told you like oh but the greatest second pinball machine of all time is one that Greg loves and it didn't change from our last list. I think it's great but it's it's look I can't argue against it because it is that good but I that good. It's Baywatch. Happy birthday. See it's it's so iconic. You got David Hasselhoff on there. You got camel toes. You got camel toes on the side of the captain with faded red swimsuit. Oh man. But dude, it's such a Pam Anderson. Remember Pam Anderson? I do remember Pam. I still want to I still want a barb wire, but I know you do. Like I just Dude, the the rule set. It's again, it's that that ' 90s kind of nostalgic love set. It's got a It's got a funky layout. Yeah. The shark fin the flipper. It was a Joe Baller game. It might be a baller. I think it was. That might be a Ber game. I think it was a Joe Ballser game. You might be. And the little uh the little shark flipper. You got the kickback again. It was a cool game. You got the ball lock, the tower. Video modes are fun. It is. Yeah, it's a it's an I was saying it's it's cool. It's just a very well-rounded all-encompassing game. That's what gets you to number one on these lists. It is having the most well-rounded game. And nothing screams '90s nostalgia like Baywatch. No, it does not. It's just greatness. Put a color DMD in that thing with the extended one of the large. So, that's what I'm saying. I think it is an awesome game, but yeah, I mean, I know where you're coming from. They're expensive now. Baywatches are expensive. They are. They're four grand 4,500. That's the top five greatest Sega pinball machines of all time. And you cannot complete the best of without talking about Data East. Only second to my Segus. That's right. You talk about it last, but we still going to talk about it. The top five best Data East games of all time. is when we came up in pinball as kids, we were late ' 80s, early '90s kids for the most part. Um, these were the games that were on location. Yes. These are the games we seen at the laundromats or the bowling alley or the arcades cuz they were the newest games. We saw Ballet Williams stuff and we saw Daddy's stuff. Exactly. Um, so these are nostalgic for a lot of you who can afford to buy pinball machines now and they that's why they hold a near and dear spot to us especially right up there with SE maybe even more so for me than Sega. They are for me, too. But mine, I just fell in love with the way Sega's played. They're a little snappier. You know what I'm saying? I'm thinking about retro gaming cuz we like that stuff as well. They feel very akin to those times when Williams was the Nintendo, you know, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis was kind of the data east of its time and then it like
    47:37
    surprises to Super Nintendo and Yeah. I it just felt like around the same time. Yes. These console wars and you had these different pinball manufacturer wars. I just The only reason I prefer any Sega over a daddy is probably Sega. Sega is a Dreamcast. I'm sorry. Sega Sega is basically a Stern. I mean it is it's a it's the snappy flippers. Yeah. I mean it's it was a very different feel. Uh it did not feel like B Williams. It definitely didn't feel like a Daddy East cuz Daddy East are still they they're a little they're a little softer. But daddies were always still snappier than than Yeah. than like Bollywood. Yeah, I agree. And then got died. Got is like the Jaguar or the 3Dio. I swear I look at that the same way, too. You are you are spot on. You are completely spot on. All right. So, the top five. We love Data East games, but bang for your buck, man. There's some there's some there's some killers in this. The top five. The number five greatest data East pinball machine of all time is Last Action Hero. So much in it. Bang for your buck and it is loaded down. It was like they try to go up against attack or Adam's family. Yes. So they put the magnets under the playfield. They put the kickbacks in there. All the drop targets. The crane. Yes. The crane is so cool. It's a wide. They fully loaded this game down around an Arnold Schwarzenegger license. Yeah. Which the movie was just what it it was. That's why that pin doesn't get the love that it is. But it's still Arnold. It's still got a lot going. I mean, me and you fell in love with it because we played it at one of the at Louisville Expo one year and we couldn't get off it, man. We played so many games and it's not going to confuse you. No, it's on the modes and multiball. That's it. It's 90s. It just shoots well and it's got a lot going on. I would say that our number four we don't like as much as we like all wrestling list. But objectively, this would be most pinball players probably collectively their number one data east of all time. And it's the who's Tommy Pinball Wizard. A great game. What a great game. Good. Similar layout to Tales from the Crypt. Yes. Uh does some things differently. Wonderful. Wonderful layout. The theme is kind of weird to me. Yeah. I know. But I love the plane in the back. I love the blinders. Music. The modes are fun. Yes. Um put a color DMD in this as well. It's It's a great And it's a beautiful game. It really is. I mean, it really that's pretty. And that's the blinders, man. God, the blinders. That's the first pinball machine that I had that I recall playing. It was at a laundry mat by us and it was like one of my like one of my very first interactions with pinball that I would play. Love it. For me, it was the number three game. My first interactions was Lethal Weapon 3. And fittingly, it falls into number three at the greatest uh database pinball machine. I remember Okay. Okay. Okay. I remembered seeing that back glass all the time. It's just a great game. Lethal Weapon 3 is just again a solid game. It is solid. You're not going to get it's not crazy. Beyond simplistic, I always are. It's like whirlwind type of fun, but it's not easy, man. Like, like Chuck W is one of the people that kind of like I just fell in love with it anyways, but Chuck W was one of the only people that championed that game with me. And as good of a player as what Eric is, Eric will still tell you, "Hey, it's not an easy game. It's not an easy game to run through." And it really isn't. It's got like the sequences. Oh, yeah. Oh, it's fun. Simple cuz it Dude, it brings back the movie stuff. Exactly. It brings back the movie stuff. even doing the freaking, you know, the video mode at heart. It's fun and you're fighting rigs and you and you can pick the music at the begin beginning. Yes, you're going ZZ Top or you're CC Fun Factor or whatever it is. That's a cool game. Go out and if you haven't given it a real good chance. Yeah, that's a solid game. It's a good lineup filler, too. That's a good game to put in line. But the number two greatest data East pinball machine of all time was my first pinball machine ever that I owned as Jurassic Park. Mhm. It's your favorite theme of all time. It is. Uh you own one now. Yes, I do. I think it's under appreciated. It actually is. Some people get mad about the one ramp, single ramp. It's got to divert. It's Adam's family. That's divert. Million% agree. But the modes, the modes are fun. You know what? The modes are so hard because they time out so quick. And you've really And there's some shots you can't hit. Got to get in the pop bumper so many times cuz you can't really hit that T-Rex off of that that left. So, you got to be on that. Yes. And then you got to get it up into that dock to be able to hit the third flipper to make that work. I do like that. It's some tough stuff. I like how the modes differentiate themselves. Like a pop mode or you have like the kick back the egg mode. I like the little DNA. I just You got to hit the ramp for bone busters or whatever on there. And I love the wizard mode. Shut down. That's cool. You got a T-Rex eats the ball out of a sausage. He looked like a lizard. Like he looked like a scary ugly like T-Rex. Looks like a damn Bronos or whatever on there. Yeah. Like what? But it's cool and art's horrible. Art's definitely horrible. Fingers fingers. But there's just something about it. Dude, it's cool. It's got some of that nostalgia, too. Can't believe we didn't put Independence Day in the top five. It's a flowy great game. I know, but it's just it's a flowy great game, but the greatest data east pinball machine of all time. And we both agree on this. It's Tales from the Crypt. What an amazing layout. The Crypt Keeper. Yeah. Who? Borg. Borg did amazing on that. And it just fits to pinball. It does so so well. It's creepy and kooky. Just the ramps, the wire forms, everything you're shooting at. Reactive inks. Oh, the the the tombstone that you hit the big one, it comes down, it opens up another shot. The modes are good in that, too. Upper plate or the upper flipper feed. Yeah, the modes are there's a lot of modes. So, hard to get through. Yeah, pretty basic, but it's just again the number ones on these lists that we're making. They're just the most well-rounded. Yes, it's a very solid game. You know, it's a cool theme. You know, kind of creepy with the [ __ ] in it. Even to the plunger that is the door knob. The door knocker is amazing, dude. The tail doesn't have that. You need to add that. Yes. Oh, you got to add It doesn't have a shake. I think it might have a shaker motor in it, too. Ah, Lost World's got a shaker. Yeah. So, that probably does. It might have a shaker. Does Jurassic Park does? Yeah. Yeah, Jurassic Park's got a shaker. Yes. So, I bet it's last section here. Yeah, it's got a shake. I guarantee it's got a shaker. So good. Just a fun game. It really is. If you like that theme, too. But that like screams '9s and stuff. But just know even if you don't like the theme that much, just know that it's still a great game to play and run through. So, if you just never give it a chance because it's, you know, Tales from the Crypt and it's not really your thing, still play it, dude. It's still so much fun. Remember Tales from the Hood? I do remember. I love that movie. I did, too. God, I love that show. Was that the one with the little mannequin? Yeah, the little doll. Penny Hardway. Yeah, the little doll. We are 90s kids. So crazy, man. I love the 90s and I love daddy's pinball. That was your top five greatest data east pinball machines of all time. Oh man, that trip down memory lane, Greg. That was good stuff. It makes me want to go out and play some more Sega games, some more Data East games. I'll be playing some and even give more chance. I want to play some more spooky games, too. Yeah. And I'd play some more Sterns, but as you guys see, like it's it's loaded back there. My Sterns, baby Sterns. Is it Is there a better modern pinball machine than a Stern? I mean, not really. It's kind of hard to beat. I think there might be. I might like them better than Valley Williams. And speaking of really dirty plug here. What do you think about dirty plugs? Flipping out pinball if you want to buy a brand new Stern pinball machine or Jack pinball machine. Hell, Flipping Out Pinball is quickly becoming one of the biggest uh used pinball machine deals. You're dealing a lot. You want pre-owned, certified, pre-owned. What's it going to take to get you in this baby? We can ship them around the country. We pallet them things like they're a brand new game. Yes, you do. Timbo, shout out to Timbo that pal. You headed off with the bumper now. [Music] You had a fling with a slingshot. You're rolling out the [Applause]
    55:31
    Oh man, I'm stiff now. Feel like I got rigger mortise. That's the cold weather. It's [ __ ] 4° temps. You said in the hot tub. I was going to get a blowup hot tub for our garage. I don't know where you're going with that. Yeah, I really for your garage. Garage. Dude, you would have so much moisture [ __ ] You keep it covered. It retains all the moisture. And then I'll raise the garage door up when we're in it. Raise the roof. Yeah. And then leave the garage door up. I've already looked into it. No moisture issues. So if I drove by your house and saw I'm not doing like a one like you're Oh, I'm going even worse. I'm talking a $400. I know. That's what I'm saying. I see you in your garage with a stogy and a freaking like a Miller light. A Miller light. Chelsea going to be sitting over there with her glass of Chardonnay. Oh my. Hey, listen. Listen, dude. Please do. Please do. I'm telling you, I I almost want to pitch in for it. Listen. And when we first started talking about I still had the Jeep and I had some pins out there and gumball machines. Can you imagine rolling by a dress at park pinball machines and a [ __ ] hot tub? A blow up hot tub with I don't think anybody driving by would be surprised. They'd be like me. That checks. Yeah. Don't they know me? Yep. Cuz I make the best of life. There is nothing. There is nothing that is off limits. And all we need wait for it. He's yelling at his kids. He's screaming at him now. Okay. Yep. There's Greg. Get the [ __ ] back here. Or yelling at your dog. I'm here trying to live my life and enjoy myself. Get off there. Pring your [ __ ] problems on me. That would be great. But
    57:00
    always ask if somebody come over and stay the [ __ ] night. Always a hotel. I'm like, I didn't want No, that's right. I want nobody else's kids on my house. I got to clean up after you guys. Clean up somebody else's kids. I got to feed them. That makes me so mad. Baby, baby. Uh, and kids that come over always end up getting sick. Find a way for doing something. I remember we used to we still we having kids over all the time. The worst is when a kid starts throwing them and it's not your kid. Nicole's always like, "Get them. Get them, Zack." And I'm want to touch that kid. I don't want I'm always so sweet. I'm like, "It's okay, sweetie." Like, I nurture them and stuff, but man, and listen, we grew up in the '9s, so having kids over is just what you did. But I just don't feel like that. My kids, my parents didn't take care of us though whenever we like we survived. You turned make Yeah, we were doing everything. Baby's kids was amazing, bro. But my kids will bring friends over and then they want to set and they want to hang out with me and no. Go [ __ ] play. That's why we had two of you so you can play with each other and now they're on phones. Yeah. Oh, I don't get it. Sorry. We can important. We're so old.