
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...
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.
Notable quotes
“So first thing I want to talk to you guys about, I'm pretty proud of this. So you know I've been kind of exploring tournament pinball, and it's been a rough road. I'm not going to lie.”
“So I'm pretty proud of that, even though really, like, it's kind of one of those things. It's sort of a participation award, so I shouldn't be too proud of it.”
“The Shark is Broken. Super cool, guys. If you have not checked it out, please check it out. It's so neat... It's like this creepy thing.”
“And this is the kind of stuff that it kind of goes up my ass when someone's like, oh, Stern's not innovating. They're not doing anything interesting. I'm like, dude, this is so interesting.”
“I do not understand... this talk track around that is very much about the amount of money you spend and like popping the play field and observing what's underneath it. And then like, if there aren't a lot of mechs, that means you're not getting the value out of it. I don't really agree with that.”
“I just don't get unboxings. I don't even really get putting the machine together on, like, because a lot of times with pinball there's a couple of tweak things you have to do before it's playing the way you want it to anyway.”
“So I tend to kind of move the channel to the things that I'm most interested in, right? It doesn't mean I don't like those things anymore... Doesn't mean I don't like arcades it's just or arcade gaming it just means i'm more interested in pinball right now.”
“I can come to him with like a vision. Hey, I kind of want this. And he, now that we've been working together for so long, he gets me.”
“I really enjoy Venom. So I guess, but then you go on the other side of it and go, man, Godzilla's got so much stuff on it. Would I like Godzilla as much if all that stuff wasn't on that? Well, I don't know.”
“I love that game. Venom, probably a little light on things, right? It's a fan layout. I like it... The Pro on Venom is absolute trash, though. It's just not good.”
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
More from The Flipside Pinball Podcast
→ All content from The Flipside Pinball PodcastIs There REALLY a Problem With Transformers Pinball?
The new Transformers pinball machine from Stern Pinball is finally here… but so is the controversy surrounding it. In this episode, we dive deep into the rumor that Optimus Prime was originally...
Stern Accidentally Leaked Transformers Pinball… Autobots, Roll Out!
On this episode of The Flipside, we’re talking about the leak that lit up the pinball community — Stern accidentally showing images of the Transformers playfield and cabinet through the Insider...
Pokemon Pinball Livestream! Ralph vs Rudy Round 2 + Birthday Stream + Wizard Mode?!
Get ready for round two on Pokémon Premium Pinball as Ralph vs. Rudy goes live once again! This is only our second time streaming the game, so the big question is… can we make a run at the wizard...


