Episode 242 - Texas Pinball Festival 2025 Recap
TPF 2025: Portal and Evil Dead excel; Avatar disappoints; Merlin's Arcade layout clashes with rules.
1 hr 21 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Mar 30, 2025

Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski
Pinball and video games. We’re a mixed gaming podcast, but pinball and video games are our bread and butter, and our two permanent segments. Pinball generally receives the most attention of the two. We also, on occasion, cover other types of gaming (namely tabletop games such as RPGs and card games). We aren’t known as eclectic for nothing!
"Dennis and Tony are different. Not just in their content covered but in their principles. They avoid conflict of interest, they reject mainstream opinions and they back up those stances with straightforward ideals that enthusiasts would benefit from. They admit mistakes, and their humble approach to their relevance makes them that much more endearing. None of this matters if hosts lack the knowledge of the covered hobby or a desire to investigate the subjects they cover. Thankfully, this may be their strongest asset. Listen, learn and be entertained. It's a great show and one that deserves a following."
Podcast5 new in 90 days · latest Oct 25Rated 4.9 (14 ratings)
Pinball and video games. We're a mixed gaming podcast, but pinball and video games are our bread and butter.
TPF 2025: Portal and Evil Dead excel; Avatar disappoints; Merlin's Arcade layout clashes with rules.
1 hr 21 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Mar 30, 2025
Multimorphic confirms Portal pinball; hosts discuss TPF prep and broader gaming industry news.
40 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Mar 15, 2025
Listener emails prompt discussion of pinball vernacular, Stern remasters, Spike 3 timeline, and manufacturer viability rankings.
1 hr 9 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Mar 2, 2025
Western movies discussion and D&D pinball Dragon wiring issue coverage.
56 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Feb 16, 2025
Eclectic Gamers discusses D&D theme criticism, Wonderland Amusements' budget Alice machine, and pinball code-naming practices.
56 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Feb 1, 2025
David Fix out at American Pinball; hosts debut 'Theme Judge' segment evaluating pinball themes 2020-2024.
1 hr 6 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Jan 19, 2025
Stern announces D&D Tyrant's Eye with premium voice/creative talent and deep RPG mechanics at established pricing.
54 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Jan 5, 2025
American Pinball faces likely 2025 collapse after staff layoffs, litigation, and Barry O's commercial failure.
1 hr 59 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Dec 22, 2024
2024 pinball year-end review highlights Evil Dead success, John Wick failure, and Barry O's Barbecue as worst theme execution.
51 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Dec 8, 2024
Spooky's Evil Dead pinball impresses with theme immersion; market analysis suggests 45-50% of pandemic peak demand.
55 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Nov 23, 2024
Pinball news: Barrels hires veteran designer; American Pinball discontinues three games; Spooky rumor shared.
42 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Nov 9, 2024
Metallica Remastered announcement sparks debate over LE devaluation and Stern's market dominance.
54 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Oct 27, 2024
Dutch Pinball's Alice in Wonderland draw harsh criticism for resurrecting failed Zidware IP with poor design and inappropriate art at $12.5K.
1 hr 15 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Oct 13, 2024
Pinball market shows signs of malaise as pricing, saturation, and lost speculation economics dampen enthusiasm.
1 hr 7 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Sep 29, 2024
Hosts analyze Stern X-Men and JJP Avatar reveals; X-Men praised for geometry, Avatar's art impressive but feature questions raised.
1 hr 6 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Sep 15, 2024
JJP teases Avatar, Stern reveals Uncanny X-Men; hosts critique theming and Costco pricing.
1 hr 29 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Sep 1, 2024
Pinball pricing crisis and complexity concerns dominate as John Wick plays frustrate despite solid layout.
42 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Aug 18, 2024
Haggis Pinball liquidation details emerge; industry discusses contract manufacturing and failed game concepts.
59 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Aug 4, 2024
Haggis Pinball collapses into liquidation; Godzilla gets monochrome art variant.
1 hr 26 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Jul 21, 2024
Stern revives Rush; Haggis Pinball in critical condition with 3-person crew, no Centaur builds.
1 hr 16 min listen · By Dennis Kriesel & Tony Kurkowski · Jul 7, 2024