I Played Fallout Pinball - Elwin’s Best Game Ever? Plus: Was Stern Media Day a Bust?
I Played Fallout Pinball - Elwin’s Best Game Ever? Plus: Was Stern Media Day a Bust?
The highly anticipated Fallout pinball machine from Stern Pinball is finally here, and I’ve played it! In this episode of The Flipside, we break down Keith Elwin’s latest creation and ask the big question: Could Fallout be his greatest pinball machine ever? Stern opened the wallet and gave the team the freedom to build one of its most ambitious and feature-packed games to date. Does that make Fallout worth the higher price? Could it also change what players expect from future Stern Pinball releases? More importantly, could this machine inspire pinball fans to explore the Fallout universe while bringing Fallout fans into pinball? We also need to have an honest conversation about Stern’s Media Day. A few things happened that made me question whether Stern should restructure the event, establish clearer expectations for attendees and do more to keep the focus on media access instead of allowing it to become someone’s personal pinball tournament. Was Stern Media Day a bust? Is Fallout Keith Elwin’s best game ever? Does this release set a new standard for Stern Pinball? Let me know what you think in the comments and whether you would choose the Fallout Pro, Premium or Limited Edition or if this one is a “pass” for you. LOOKING FOR A NEW OR USED PINBALL MACHINE? LEAVE ME A VOICEMAIL Your message might be played on a future episode: WATCH THE FLIP SIDE PINBALL PODCAST LISTEN ON SPOTIFY LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS RETRO RALPH MERCHANDISE FOLLOW RETRO RALPH X/Twitter: Instagram: For product reviews and other business inquiries: retroralph1980@gmail.com
Kineticist’s take
Fallout pinball praised as Elwin's best; media day logistics criticized.
Synopsis
Retro Ralph discusses his experience at Stern's Fallout pinball media day, covering the game's features, pricing strategy, and addressing tension with another player about fair access to limited machines. He praises the game's mechanical depth as a "studio game" with an open budget, explores the Pro vs. Premium tier decision, and critiques the media day's overcrowding and poor organization.
Highlights
- Stern gave Team Elwin an open/significantly larger budget for Fallout, treating it as a 'studio game' with increased bill of materials
- Fallout is a one-time price increase; future Cornerstone games will return to pre-Fallout pricing
- Stern collaborated deeply with Bethesda, Kilter Films, and Amazon, receiving 200,000+ assets spanning all five mainline Fallout games, both TV series, and Fallout Shelter
- Season three assets for Fallout are being discussed for future code updates but not promised
- Fallout leverages expression cabinet lights, a first for Keith Elwin games, and will become commonplace in future Spike 3 releases
- The mutated upper flipper is a backward-configured flipper not seen in pinball for 75 years
- The Pro model prioritizes Elwin's signature flow design and may be more enjoyable for players valuing that aesthetic than the Premium
Entities
- Amazon· company
- Bethesda· company
- Flip N Out Pinball· company
- Kilter Films· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Batman 66· game
- Dungeons & Dragons· game
- Fallout· game
- Godzilla· game
- Jaws· game
- Don's Pinball Podcast· organization
- The Flipside Pinball Podcast· organization
- Electric Bat· person
- George Gomez· person
- Keith Elwin· person
- Mason· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Steven Bowden· person
- Team Elwin· person
- Todd Howard· person