Episode 52 - Gateway Games

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d agoOct 14, 202455 min listen

Highlights

Attack from Mars was the game that first hooked Alan into pinball
Theater of Magic was the gateway game for Alan's wife Casey
Lord of the Rings was Alex's wife Megan's gateway game
Good gateway games need easy-to-hit shots, especially ramps
Star Wars has a dangerous plunge that turns people away from pinball
Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness cannot be overrated because they get thousands of people into pinball
Lord of the Rings is impossible to lose the ball as a skilled player on factory settings
About 20-25 Sopranos machines ended up in Portland, Oregon

“Ramps are the most satisfying single thing in a pinball machine to hit when you're first starting out.”

Alan

“You're not going to like my favorite games. Like, my favorite games... you're not going to like Iron Man. It's brutal.”

Alan

“It's telling a story... you're defending these cities... it's just a great game.”

Alan

“All a new beginner is going to be doing is trying to blow up castles and that is fucking that is more than enough on that thing.”

Alex

“They call it out. Oh, do you know where I can go play this dog, this soccer game that has a dog on the back lot?”

Alex

“It's impossible to lose the ball as a skilled player on this game... it is probably the easiest game to keep hold of the ball of any game ever.”

Alan

“You get into modes and you just shoot the red shots. You kind of just fall into stuff when you don't know what you're doing.”

Alan

“I'm not gonna lie for your stupid podcast so lord of the rings was the one.”

Megan (Alex's wife)