Eclectic Gamers Podcast - Pinball & Video Games

No heavy topics this time, just enjoyable discussions! Pinball: We launch our 2017 System 11 Tournament. Vote for your favorite System 11 pinball games (see link below). Then, we have a discussion about licenses in pinball during the 1990s, comparing the efforts of Premier/Gottlieb, Bally/Williams, and Data East/Sega. Video Games: We mention Destiny 2 (really, we do hardly anything else regarding it). Then, Tony spends a lot of time on Battlestar Galactica Deadlock. Finally, we catch everyone up on Overwatch updates. Links: 2017 System 11 Tournament-Round 1: https://goo.gl/forms/efhsZf77Od4T90z92 Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: http://store.steampowered.com/app/544610/

Don (formerly of The Pinball Podcast and The Link Cable Podcast) joins Tony and Dennis once more, to talk all about pinball and video games. Pinball: The segment opens with an interview Dennis conducted with Terry of Pinball Life (mostly on Pinball Life as a company, but there is a bit about Terry's efforts on the ScoreGasm Master project). From there, Don, Dennis, and Tony turn to the somber topic of famed pinball designer John Trudeau's arrest on child pornography charges. The pinball segment ends with a follow-up on last episode's "Is Pinball Too Expensive" topic, due to listener feedback, with a focus on new machines at lower price points from Homepin and Multimorphic's P3 platform. Video Games: No Overwatch (there's a lot of upcoming news, but Don forbids Overwatch talk!). Instead, the guys tackle Mass Effect: Andromeda, Iron Cast, Cold Waters, Sonic Mania, Agents of Mayhem, Sniper Elite 4, Miracle Merchant, and No Man's Sky. Links: Pinball Life: http://www.pinballlife.com/ Information on the ScoreGa

Pinball: Tony and Dennis start off with the results of their ranking poll on best modern era billiards-themed pinball machines. From there, it's some rapid fire news from Stern Pinball (an update on their manuals' ghosting clause, a KISS code update, and a new Marketing Director). After that, a brief discussion of Stern's Star Wars Premium pinball, as streamed by DEAD FLIP. The segment closes with a deep thoughts level of discussion on a major question coming up lately, "Is pinball too expensive?" Video Games: Discussion starts off with the controversial decision to embed loot boxes into the upcoming Middle Earth: Shadow of War. From there, a discussion of Overwatch's Summer Games, with a specific focus on Lucioball. Tony then rigs for silent running in a discussion of the finally-acquired Cold Waters. Dennis and Tony then share their experiences with The Jackbox Party Pack 2 (in which they played all the games in a group setting full of crazy nonsense!). Links: Coast 2 Coast Pinball: http://www.coast2coast

So many games, so many discussions! Pinball: Dennis and Tony cover Stern Pinball's manual indicating ghosting on inserts is normal, the finalized details of Spooky Pinball's Total Nuclear Annihilation, Dennis' acquisition of Sharkey's Shootout, a ranking poll the guys are running on the best billiards-themed pinball machine (solid state and later only), and they end the segment with more thoughts on Star Wars. Video Games: A few games are up for discussion this time. Tony starts off with Navalia. After that, there's a bit more on Overwatch's new character Doomfist, followed by Dishonored 2, Reigns, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and Jotun. Tony also brings up Battlestar Galactica Deadlock and Cold Waters. Tabletop: Tony and Dennis got a chance to play the Munchkin card game, and so now they talk about it (amazing)! Tony also provides an update on Planet Mercenaries and Threadbare RPG. Links: Spooky Pinball's Total Nuclear Annihilation Announcement on Facebook (7/28/2017): https://www.facebook.com/SpookyPinball

We've got three topic categories this time, though KantCon 2017 (a tabletop convention we helped sponsor) is the highlight. Pinball: We open with a very brief Dutch Pinball update. Then, it's on to the gameplay footage of Star Wars as presented by Dead Flip. Finally, we dedicate a sizable chunk of time on the recently concluded Pinball Done Quick and the announcement that the donations made to benefit Doctors Without Borders would be refunded due to a conflict between the official rules and the announced plans for the prize drawing. Video Games: There's just one topic, Overwatch's new character: Doomfist. Tabletop: It's all KanCon 2017. Dennis and Tony played four games which get attention: a World War II miniatures game, Call of Cthulhu, Dungeons & Dragons 5e, and Z Gate Crashers. Links: Dead Flip's 7/5/2017 gameplay footage of Star Wars Pinball: https://youtu.be/Gap7MqXQKnY Major League Pinball's 7/15/2017 explanation on Facebook regarding the refunding of Pinball Done Quick (at SGDQ 2017) donations: h

While post-E3 exhaustion may reign, this is another longer-than-typical episode! In pinball, Tony and Dennis briefly attempt to describe the Stern Pro Circuit (launching in 2018). From there, they dive into Dutch Pinball, summarizing a webinar the company hosted and also the latest newsletter's contract manufacturer update. To wrap up pinball, there is a length update about Skit-B and the Predator Pinball fiasco (three hearings plus several legal documents are digested and reviewed and translated into human!). In video games, the guys hit on a few news items, specifically the SNES Classic console, Pinball FX3's announcement, and IO Interactive going independent from Square Enix. Tony then talks about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Tyranny as games he's currently playing, and Dennis talks about his playing of Dishonored 2, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, and a bunch of sale games he's recently grabbed. Links: Stern Pro Circuit: https://www.ifpapinball.com/circuit/ Dutch Pinball's 6/19/2017 Webinar: https:/

After a brief pinball segment (minor news updates regarding Heighway Pinball and Dutch Pinball), Dennis and Tony are joined by a roundtable (Mike, Eric, and Jake) to talk all about E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017). The roundtable tackles the major presentations (EA, Microsoft, The PC Gaming Show, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo), plus anything else that caught their eyes and ears. Prepare for this year's deepest, darkest video game dive! Links: EA’s E3 highlights: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/game/ea-play-2017-biggest-announcements-e3-3641723/ Microsoft’s E3 highlights: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-x-and-everything-else-microsoft-showed-at-e3-2-1796000762 The PC Gaming Show’s E3 highlights: https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/12/15782226/pc-gaming-e3-2017-announcements Bethesda’s E3 highlights: https://www.cnet.com/news/bethesda-e3-2017-press-conference-watch-it-live-here/ Ubisoft’s E3 highlights: http://bgr.com/2017/06/12/ubisoft-e3-2017-games-announcements-trailers/ Sony’s E3 highlights

Pinball: Dennis talks about the an interesting variant to Playmatic's Space Gambler called Flash Baseball out of Portugal. From there, it is pinball news time! Tony and Dennis cover the investor group takeover of Heighway Pinball, the decision by Dutch Pinball to reject Nivoge's offer, and Stern Pinball's latest announced pin: Star Wars! Video Games: Tony and Dennis talk XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Civilization Revolution in the context of mobile games. After that, Dennis goes into a bit about Nidhogg, a fighting game he recently acquired. Tony and Dennis then finally get back to talking Overwatch, specifically some character updates currently in test. Finally, Tony speaks on his experiences with the Battletech backer's beta, which launched recently. Links: Big Daddy Enterprises: http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/ Heighway Pinball Takeover Announcement: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rebirth-of-heighway-pinball#post-3800176 Dutch Pinball's Announcement of Rejecting the Nivoge deal (second-hand post

Pinball: Tony and Dennis cover the latest Skit-B legal news, provide an update on Dutch Pinball's most current update, talk about the Total Nuclear Annihilation translite, cover Stern Pinball's encore edition of AC/DC, and have an interview with Gerry Stellenberg (the founder of Multimorphic, Inc.) who explains the P3 Pinball Platform. Video Games: Tony talks NieR: Automata. Dennis covers XCOM 2, a game he recently started (and one Tony played quite a while ago!). Then, Tony supplies an update on the Battletech Backer Beta. Links: KantCon 2017 sponsors: http://www.kantcon.com/sponsors Project Pinball Charity sponsors: http://projectpinball.org/sponsors Skit-B Hearing - Kathy Kulek (5/4/2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2017-02000-20170504-142930 Skit-B Research Folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWNDFZQXJYUUhhSm8 Multimorphric, Inc.: http://www.multimorphic.com/ Teen Titans GO! - Night Begins to Shine: https://youtu.be/gCY-Npnh0FY Battletech Multiplayer Demo Gameplay Foo

With special guest host Bowen Kerins, this episode is heavy on the pinball (and math!). In pinball news, we cover two more Skit-B related hearings, the latest on Dutch Pinball, the IFPA's announced Challenge Matches coming in 2018, and Total Annihilation being renamed Total Nuclear Annihilation. From there, we get into the more theoretical pinball topics. We discuss what people can do to increase local competitive pinball's popularity. We talk about what makes a good/bad pin for competition. We also talk about location pinball and what makes for a good, unique location. We also do a bit of a round-up with Bowen on recently released/now releasing pins and how good they are. As a final pinball topic, we explore some ideas for Bowen and upcoming tutorials. In our special one-off math segment, we've got a number of exciting numbers topics! We cover the use of math in game shows. We discuss geometry and what it means for widebody pinball machines. In a nod to video games, we discuss the TrueAchievements website

Pinball: Tony and Dennis issue a correction about the P3 game Heads Up, talk about Spooky Pinball making Total Annihilation, and dive into more Skit-B legal happenings. From there they go over two Pinside specific topics: revisions to the Top 100 ranking system and the initiation of "The Purge" to clean up trolling and bad behavior on the forum. Video Games: The guys talk about Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, ReCore, Hard West, and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Tabletop: Tony talks a bit about an upcoming tabletop game based on the popular video game franchise Fallout. Links: International Tabletop Day (4-29-17): https://www.tabletopday.com Skit-B Related Court Hearing (4/13/2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2016-02073-20170413-154917 Pinball Prison Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bfPwtUTP4k Fallout Tabletop Game: http://www.modiphius.com/fallout.html

Pinball: Tony and Dennis didn't talk about P3 in their 2017 TPF recap, and so hit upon the cutting-edge in pinball technology this go-around. Dennis then gives some thoughts on Batman 66 now that he's been able to play it. After that, an update regarding Dutch Pinball and ARA provides some additional information on the status of The Big Lebowski. From there, Dennis provides an interview with Keri Wing, second place finisher of the IFPA's 2017 World Women's Pinball Championship. Dennis has a small update on the Skit-B (Predator Pinball) happenings, and to wrap up the segment the guys talk about the IFPA's plan to introduce tournament fees in 2018. Video Games: Dennis talks about Battle Group 2 and Far Cry Primal. Tony talks about Renowned Explorers: International Society. Tabletop: Tony and Dennis announce they will be at KantCon in 2017 and that the podcast is also one of the event's sponsors. Links: Skit-B Research Folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWNDFZQXJYUUhhSm8

A most straightfoward episode. Besides announcing the final results of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament, Tony and Dennis give a massive trip report of the National Videogame Museum and the 2017 Texas Pinball Festival. Fun times!

Pinball: We set up the final round of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament. We talk about Alien Pinball gameplay. And finally Dennis sets off to bore everyone with a regression analysis of Pinside's solid-state game ratings. Video Games: We of course cover Overwatch, both ongoing PTR tests and the new character (Orisa). Dennis hits on some 2017 GDC (Game Developers Conference) highlights. Tony tries to resist diving too deep into Aurora 4X (aka Spreadsheets in Space... ace... ce... e...). Tabletop: Tony talks a bit about International Tabletop Day. Links: 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Final Round Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/laVwA51PnaGbu8L03 The Link Cable Podcast (Episode 15 - TLOZBOTWOMG): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ggqss-6864ee Space Gambler (Playmatic 1978) Gameplay (no commentary): https://youtu.be/Q8Xe2nJMTT8 Pinside Thread on Regression Analysis of Pinside SS Ratings: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/regression-analysis-pinside-rating-and-game-details#post-3642419 Aurora 4X:

A metric ton of pinball happenings dominates our discussion, with a small video game segment thrown in (no tabletop this time). Pinball: We set up Round 4 of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament. We talk about Aerosmith gameplay. We talk about Alien Pinball shipping. We talk about the death of Super League. We discuss the latest involving Skit-B legally. We cover the problems facing The Big Lebowski's production. And finally, we talk about Magic Girls shipping. As you can see, we talk a lot. Video Games: We cover the future of Call of Duty, the upcoming Destiny 2, and the upcoming Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Links: 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 4 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/F221K0Zuro5LsglT2 Superman (Atari 1979) Pinball Gameplay (with commentary): https://youtu.be/nzrj5_ajSN0 Dead Flip's Aerosmith Gameplay Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oej9gql5OTU Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) Hearing #3 on 2-17-2017: https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170217-090555 Skit-B Research (

Hey look, Episode 28 actually has a solid balance across pinball, video games, and tabletop gaming for once! Pinball: Discussion revolves around the Kansas State Pinball Championship, move into Round 3 of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament, and name some games we think have a solid layout but are stinkers because the rules are poor. Tony and Dennis also spend a lot of time discussing what they are looking forward to at the 2017 Texas Pinball Festival. Video Games: The topics here include ZeniMax's legal "victory" over Facebook involving the Oculus, the opening of E3 to the public, and the latest Overwatch PTR update (involving Mercy and Bastion). Tony also spends a lot of time on the BATTLETECH beta and his live-stream intentions. Tabletop: Thanks to an in-depth Game Night, Tony and Dennis get to provide hands-on discussions of Potion Explosion, Noisy Person Cards, and Codenames. Links: 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 3 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/fGd0BcDT5SZ0CfbR2 Texas Pinball Festival: http://

Pinball: Another large pinball section this episode. We cover the just-announced Jetsons Pinball. We wrap up round 1 of the 2017 Modern Era Widebody Tournament and discuss the match-ups in round 2. We discuss the legal happenings around Skit-B and the failed Predator pinball project. We talk about the P3 system going into production. And (finally!) we cover the Attack from Mars Remake that was announced. Video Games: Discussion revolves mostly around the Evo Championship Series game line-up that was just announced. Tabletop: The focus is on a new tabletop convention, PAX Unplugged. Links: 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 2 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/UOjCljoy416jpANt2 Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) legal recording when presented to the court by U.S. Marshals (1-20-2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170120-111818 Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) legal recording of hearing where bankruptcy case dismissed (1-27-2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170127-091530 PAX Unplugg

Whoa, there is a lot of news to cover in this episode! Pinball: The 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament is explained and the first round's match-ups announced. From there, the guys talk about the Aerosmith reveal and their initial thoughts. Dennis then transitions to Zidware and the legal happenings on the JPOP front. Tony and Dennis then give their impressions of the Batman 66 gameplay shown on the DeadFlip Twitch channel. They spend some time talking about Keith Elwin joining Stern Pinball as a pinball designer, and finally the pinball segment concludes with yet another discussion around American Pinball (this time focusing on their recent social media activity). Video Games: Most of the discussion centers on the Nintendo Switch, the revealed specifics on what the console is, and thoughts about it as a next step by Nintendo. The guys also spend a bit of time on Scalebound's cancellation (which sort of spirals into a discussion on exclusives and the state of developing such games). Tabletop: There is some dis

It's a new year and time for a new podcast! In pinball, Dennis and Tony wrap up the 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament. They talk about American Pinball and their advertising flyer Dennis received in a Pinball Life order, and then talk about their 2017 pinball hopes. In video games, Dennis and Tony give some opinions about games they are currently playing (not Overwatch!). And, in an emerging pattern, talk about their hopes for 2017. Tabletop is all about hope and dreams, and not about currently played games. But rebellions and tabletops are built on hope, so that's okay. Links: Critical Role, Episode 1: https://youtu.be/i-p9lWIhcLQ

Besides prepping the final round of the 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament, this episode is dedicated to talking about the most interesting of things in the pinball, video game, and tabletop realms for 2016! Links: 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament-Final Round: https://goo.gl/forms/05Yg8iM68KS5mGiC2 Episode 41 of the Skill Shot Pincast ("IFPA Statstravaganza!"): https://soundcloud.com/skillshotseattle/41-ifpa-statstravaganza Episode 11 of the Little Kings Pinball Podcast ("BIAS AFM"): https://soundcloud.com/user-859738069/ep-11-bias-afm