Episode 1216: "Didn't See That Coming"
Stern code delays frustrate owners; Dutch Pinball's BTTF exclusive revealed with large screen tech.
Happy to give my club members exclusive news like this. Peace and love.
Synopsis
Kaneda discusses Stern Pinball chronic code update delays, particularly for Pokemon and Walking Dead Remastered, criticizing the company's "shotgun approach" of releasing 5-6 games annually in unfinished states. He also reveals exclusive intel that Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future will feature a 27-inch screen (Jersey Jack platform) with Jean-Paul de Win's animations, and addresses manufacturing quality control issues with machines like Dune.
Highlights
- Walking Dead Remastered has been out for six months with buggy, broken code despite being a port of an existing game
- Pokemon Pinball will have been revealed for four months by the time Transformers launches at end of May
- Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future will use a 27-inch screen on a Jersey Jack platform with Jean-Paul de Win handling animations
- Sonic the Hedgehog will ship June 21st with the game essentially complete, unlike Pokemon
- A Dune machine shipped with two screws on the left ramp protruding from the playfield that won't seat flush
- Games like Guns N' Roses, Harry Potter, and Metallica Remastered shipped essentially code-complete, unlike Pokemon
- Stern Pinball prioritizes volume (5-6 games/year) over quality, accepting early sales on unfinished products
- Back to the Future is coming from Dutch Pinball (Barry's company), not Stern
Notable quotes
“Where is the code? Those four words. Where is the code?”
“It's like watching a movie without the special effects put in. It's very barren, like the foundation is there, but the actual experience of playing it gets really old really fast.”
“By the time they are code complete, your game might lose like three to five thousand dollars depending on the popularity of the game.”
“I spent $14,200 on a toy that after a few months is still incomplete. That may still be incomplete a year from now.”
“It's a shotgun approach. Let's just keep throwing games at the wall. And if just one or two sticks a year, we're good.”
“Dutch Pinball's Back to the Future will be delivered to the world with a 27-inch screen that will look exactly like a Jersey Jack game.”
“These are people that aren't skilled in making pinball machines. They're just taking a job to stand on a line at a pinball company making very little money.”
“If you have an issue, call up the company. They will help you. I have never met a pinball company that when you have an issue like this, they won't help you.”
Entities
- Dutch Pinball· company
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Alice· game
- Back to the Future· game
- Dune· game
- Guns N' Roses· game
- Harry Potter· game
- Metallica Remastered· game
- Pokemon Pinball· game
- Sonic the Hedgehog· game
- Star Wars· game
- Transformers· game
- Walking Dead Remastered· game
- Barry· person
- Christopher Franchi· person
- Jean-Paul de Win· person
- Kaneda· person
- Keith Elwin· person
- Ray Day· person
More from Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast
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Episode 1229: "Something We Can All Agree On"
Kaneda condemns Stern's incomplete game launches and urges community to withhold support until quality improves.
Everyone wants the same thing, but we won't get there if we keep buying right away.
Episode 1228: "The Shills Coming for Kaneda & Everything Happening in Pinball Right Now!"
FRIDAY SHOW SPECTACULAR!