Episode 13: “The Shark is BROKEN!”
In this episode, I’m covering a bit of everything! We’ll dive into how Stern continues to release exciting new modes for its games, with a focus on the latest "Shark is Broken" mode for JAWS. I'll also share my first impressions of Avatar after finally getting some playtime in. We’ll talk a little about tournament play, my refusal to quit even if I’m not the best, and I’ll respond to some of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast hot takes—let's just say, I don’t agree with all of them!
Kineticist’s take
Retro Ralph covers tournament pinball success, praises Stern's Jaws update, and critiques pinball content discourse.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph discusses his entry into tournament pinball, winning the IFPA Big Movers Award, and his plans to host tournaments in central Arizona. The episode covers Stern's new "Shark is Broken" code update for Jaws, his impressions of Jersey Jack's Avatar, and critiques of content creator discourse around toys/mechs as a value metric. Ralph also addresses his YouTube content strategy and dismisses unboxing videos as uninteresting filler.
Highlights
- Retro Ralph won the IFPA Big Movers Award for August for climbing the IFPA ranking ladder via tournament play.
- Stern added a new topper-only mode called 'The Shark is Broken' to Jaws that plays tribute to the original film's production issues.
- Jersey Jack's Avatar has noticeably different flipper feel compared to Stern machines, which Retro Ralph attributes to a step forward for JJP design.
- Retro Ralph plans to start a pinball tournament in central Arizona with help from organizers like Cale, Rachel (Electric Bat), and Ian (Nudge Magazine).
- Retro Ralph believes toys and mechs alone do not determine a game's quality; gameplay and overall experience matter more.
- Retro Ralph does not find unboxing videos interesting or valuable as content, and fast-forwards through them himself.
- Retro Ralph is planning a live stream of Uncanny X-Men upon its arrival next week.
- Retro Ralph has switched from using Boom Boom 3000 to Pinwoofer as his pinball machine accessory of choice due to dual voice coil features.
Entities
- Jersey Jack Pinball· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinball Expo· event
- Avatar· game
- Godzilla 70th· game
- Jaws (Shark is Broken)· game
- Uncanny X-Men· game
- Venom· game
- International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA)· organization
- The Flipside Pinball Podcast· organization
- Aaron· person
- Cale· person
- Dan· person
- Danny· person
- Ian· person
- Joel· person
- Kaneda· person
- Mason· person
- Rachel· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Rob· person
- Rudy· person
- Zach Sharpe· person
- Electric Bat· venue
- Game Room Goodies· venue