
121 episodes tracked since 2023 about →
Episode 117 - The UNDISPUTED Top Ten Games of All Time List
PodcastAnalysis updated yesterday57 min listen
Highlights
- Medieval Madness only sold 4,000 units originally (released 1997) but resale prices keep rising despite repeated remanufacturing by Chicago Gaming.
- The Addams Family sold 22,000 units and is the best-selling pinball machine of all time.
- Godzilla from Stern is on track to pass The Addams Family in total sales.
- Godzilla is the most common game on location and in home collections in 2026.
- Firepower was on the original top 10 list but was cut as the hardest decision; it would rank #11.
- The castle toy destruction in Medieval Madness creates a unique memorable impression that surpasses any other pinball mechanical moment.
- The Addams Family didn't perform as a major cultural event: it was the 12th biggest movie of 1991; Sleeping with the Enemy (24% on Rotten Tomatoes) earned more.
- The Addams Family established the blueprint for modern mode-based pinball design that all subsequent games copied.
- 8 Ball Deluxe represents the masterclass in drop target usage with three distinct drop mechanic types (in-lane, money drop, bank).
- The co-host Alan agrees Whitewater is excellent and the podcast has a full episode in agreement about why it's 'the fucking best.'
Notable quotes
“If you disagree with this list, it's probably because you're uneducated, which isn't your fault. You might be stupid, which isn't your fault, but you are wrong because this is the correct list.”
“If you've seen the castle blow up, even if it was just one single time, when you were eight years old, 25 years ago, you remember that for the rest of your life. It's unreal.”
“The pinball machine might play a part more than people would realize. I think it has helped solidify that The Addams Family is more of a cultural icon than this movie alone would have.”
“Mode start on scoops, dude. And but really, like it is the it is like what everything else started trying to copy from that moment forward.”
“You might not like this direction. You're looking right at me when you're saying this. I know you don't respect the facts. You might not like it, but this game is modern pinball.”
“There is so much shit to do in this machine. It doesn't matter what you're doing because you're close to the next thing.”
“I'd send them Attack from Mars just because I want to see if they thought it was funny. If they're Aliens, we're like, this is what we think of you.”
“It's like a bar. It's incredible. To me, this is like the pinnacle of games that are not embarrassing to have.”
“It's the The Addams Family of its time. It's the Medieval or the Godzilla of its time. People remember this game. These are icons, and I think that's not the only criteria for what puts them on this list, but they're icons for a reason.”
“Every game on here, I really think if you're into this genre of game, there shouldn't be a single thing you have bad to say about it unless you want to be a contrarian.”
Entities
- Bally/Williams· company
- Chicago Gaming Company· company
- Stern· company
- Attack from Mars· game
- Eight Ball Deluxe· game
- Firepower· game
- Frontier· game
- Godzilla· game
- Medieval Madness· game
- Mystic· game
- Sleeping with the Enemy· game
- The Addams Family· game
- White Water· game
- Pinside· organization
- Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
- AJ· person
- Alan· person
- Alex· person
- Brian Eddy· person
- George Gomez· person
- Joe Kaminkow· person
- Margaret Hudson· person


