FREE SHOW: Episode 1209: "Kaneda's Best Rant Show This Year...Pokemon Haters Be Warned!"

PodcastAnalysis updated 5d agoApr 10, 202625 min listen

TL;DR

Kaneda defends Pokémon Pinball against competitive-player criticism, attacks elitism, announces Beetlejuice drawing.

From the creator

I'm breaking translites this year!

Listen on Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast

Synopsis

Kaneda delivers an impassioned defense of Pokémon Pinball against harsh criticism from competitive players and industry figures like Crazy Levy, arguing that the game's simplicity and accessibility make it valuable for home collectors and casual players. He critiques the elitist tournament community for gatekeeping and discouraging newcomers, advocates for balanced perspectives in pinball enjoyment, and announces a Beetlejuice drawing for Canada Club members; personal context includes his mother's recent cancer diagnosis, which frames his broader meditation on life priorities and perspective.

Highlights

Pokémon Pinball is simple and accessible: four characters, four shots, two shots per character with clear story mode mechanics.
Approximately 80% of the pinball buying community are homeowners, not tournament players.
Pokémon Pinball looks and plays like a $7,000 game but costs $13,000+, creating a pricing mismatch.
Pokémon Pinball has perfect balance between easy-to-understand and difficult-to-master gameplay.
Winchester Mystery House is in production at unit numbers in the 80s or 90s out of a total run of 525.
Yukon Yeti buyers who lock in deposits now will face ~18 new game releases before final payment is due.
Mountain Dew is getting a limited commission game from Stern, similar to their historical practice with brand partners.
Transformers pinball will release in May, featuring Pat Lee artwork with anime-manga style that may not appeal to G1 Transformer fans.
Beetlejuice machines are around unit 200-something in production and expected to ship to winners in July.
Crazy Levy called Pokémon Pinball 'one of the worst games ever' and said he's embarrassed by the design.

Notable quotes

“I don't give a pinball rat's butt if you think Pokemon sucks. I'm enjoying the game. I'm waking up and I love playing it.”

Kaneda

“Pinball was never meant to be a game that you would walk up to and need a Bible sized rule book to know what to do.”

Kaneda

“We are actually too busy out in the world enjoying life, enjoying the sunshine, going on vacations, having intimate moments with people. We are enjoying other stuff.”

Kaneda

“The cool kids were playing Street Fighter 2... I would love to challenge every single top 100 IFPA pinball player in a game of Street Fighter 2.”

Kaneda

“You ever go to a pinball show? Who is having fun? Everyone who's not in the tournament room.”

Kaneda

“My mother got some bad news this week and it was really tough... they found some cancer... it puts a lot of stuff in perspective.”

Kaneda

“For the first time ever, I come upstairs and Brenda's playing. She now knows how to play.”

Kaneda

“If people are in an owner's thread, I'm not going to march in there and crap on their enjoyment. That's lame.”

Kaneda

“Do not throw your name into the hat if you want to scalp this machine. You're not going to be able to sell your spot.”

Kaneda

“I'm going to pay someone a dollar more than the winner of that tournament gets... all they got to do is come up to a machine, 30 seconds, no glass on the machine, use your index finger and score as high as you can.”

Kaneda