Episode 8: "I suck at Pinball Tournaments, should I QUIT?"
In this episode we discuss my mental block when playing competitive pinball. We will also discuss my confusion around fellow Pinball podcaster Kaneda and his view on games that suck and why... Is it...
Highlights
- Ralph's tournament performance (usually 4th place out of 5 games per night) doesn't match his home play ability with games like Godzilla and John Wick
- Machine setup differences (waxing, pitch, tilt sensitivity) at the tournament venue affect ball behavior differently than home machines
- Kaneda acts like John Wick is 'the shittiest game that Stern has ever created' due to insufficient mechanical toys/devices
- Modern Stern games (Jaws, Jurassic Park, Godzilla) have sufficient mechanical innovation and don't lack toys
- Ralph recently purchased Godzilla 70th Anniversary edition and lost money on the transaction due to mods and trading costs
- Pinball game prices are higher than historical levels, particularly LE editions at $13,000+
- Game code ships incomplete on modern pinball machines across all manufacturers; games improve through updates
- Ralph's primary barrier to tournament success is mental/psychological (getting in his own head, competitive pressure) rather than skill or game knowledge
Notable quotes
“There is so much to these games and there are so many layers to these games that you wouldn't need to have every game.”
“I can't get my home play skills to translate to tournament play... What happens to me in that competitive element that I just can't repeat what I can do at home?”
“It ruined my whole night. My wife's like, you're not going to these anymore. If this is how you're going to come home.”
“I don't gauge how good a game is by how many toys or mechs are on it... I am actually really satisfied when I play a game and it has fun shots.”
“James Bond looks bare... And that is one of my favorite games. But it does not have a bunch of mechs and devices all over it... I loved it because it was fun to play.”
“I'm not a quitter. I'm not someone that gives up on something just because it's not going my way... I'm going to go back.”
“The rumors are heating up, man, as we're getting closer to Pinball Expo. Even this week, potentially we're getting something tomorrow from Stern. Some kind of X-Men nonsense.”
Entities
- Stern Pinball· company
- Pinball Expo· event
- Godzilla Pinball· game
- Godzilla Pinball (70th Anniversary)· game
- James Bond Pinball· game
- Jaws Pinball· game
- John Wick Pinball· game
- Jurassic Park Pinball· game
- Stranger Things Pinball· game
- Venom Pinball· game
- Player One Arcade· organization
- Kaneda· person
- Kevin· person
- Retro Ralph· person
- Rudy· person
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