The BEST and WORST Of Texas Pinball Festival 2024

[@cooltoy]

What was your favorite thing you saw or played at Texas Pinball Festival this year? Let me know in the comments below!

[@timothystump1237]

Looney Tunes. I loved seeing Spooky be so busy and Motorhead!

[@GOTCHAPARK]

Dude I really likes Jaws !

[@joewozniak2231]

Jaws grows on you the more you play but I agree. It’s no Godzilla that’s for sure. Also I have seen that fin target broken at my local arcade as well.

[@cooltoy]

Hopefully Stern figures out a way to better support that target, because it's a very cool feature on the game.

[@dangerdonk6670]

@@cooltoyI heard on one of the pinball podcasts that Elwin and team originally had the shark fin as just a fin cutout (instead of a square target w/fin sticker) and that they had to pivot to a square target because they had problems with the fin breaking. This I think was from Elwin directly, perhaps on Loserkid's podcast a couple of months back. Anyways, if they had breakage issues then, and then pivoted to this and these break.. yikes. I'm sure Stern will work this out but probably just sucks for early adopters.

[@NeonNijahn]

At the launch party I went to at rock fantasy the table broke so much we took it out of play for some rounds, it also had an issue where the sound stopped working so we played rounds with the game silent. It was so ridiculous. Brand new machine that has that many issues is not a good omen for stern.

[@wayofthewrench]

I really need to go to this next year, it looks like a blast! Thanks for the video tour!

[@cooltoy]

You should! It’s such a fun event

[@richardabkstorm9009]

Nice one Doug, thanks for such detail especially with the homebrews...Can't wait to meet you when you come to expo! 👍🙏

[@cooltoy]

Looking forward to it as well 👍

[@geneg136]

Great recap! Motörhead was the game of the show for me - it’s a dream theme and it played so well! Awesome time at TPF!

[@cooltoy]

Glad you enjoyed it too, that Motörhead game was something really special. I’d love to see it get a public release

[@TiltingT]

"Cant wait to own one!" Does that mean you have a Labyrinth on order?! Had a blast playing it with you at Ecpo and cant wait to play it again!.... I think Labyrinth is still the coolest game to come out recently. Would love to gwt some real time on one

[@cooltoy]

I still haven’t put one on order. I wanted to wait a while and see if they had any manufacturing issues or bugs along the way during their initial batches. But so far I haven’t really seen anything concerning reported from the early owners to date. So I may bite the bullet and get one on order here soon so maybe I can have it come summer time

[@TiltingT]

@@cooltoy That would be awesome. I haven't heard anything negative from owners at this point and everyone seems pretty happy

[@PropGuru702]

Thanks for sharing! I am the one who fabricated the functional reverse bear trap topper as well as the laughing Billy head 🧩

[@cooltoy]

Amazing work 👏

[@PropGuru702]

@@cooltoy thank you!

[@retropug]

Dude as someone who has never been to TPF I really enjoyed your take on everything. I am one of the people waiting on Pulp Fiction...lol. Always great content!

[@cooltoy]

Thank you very much, fingers crossed they can get you your pulp fiction machine sooner than later. I’m still amazed that they are so far behind schedule with those machines

[@gwildor8543]

I was under “my personal” impression that the next AP machine would need to be a hit to keep the company afloat. This would have definitely been the time to bring out a big licensed game to get people interested. I’m one of the “few” that LOVE GTF and was close to buying one, but the model they had on loan at Enterrium (AP owns the machine) kept on breaking down or just having issues. Then on pinside (which is always negative) I heard a lot of complaints about customer service not being around. Now I’ve come to the realization that pinball owners are a very “passionate” group of people. By passionate I mean fight/defend their favorite company or crap on the team they don’t like. I just love ALL pinball, but I know my comment not being favorable to AP will bring out the Autists. So please understand that I want to see AP succeed, but believe they’ve shot themselves in the foot with this offering.

[@cooltoy]

I’m like you, I kind of got the feeling that AP was struggling financially so they need to sell some games. Which is why I was so perplexed with this Barry O BBQ choice, as I just can’t fathom a market where this machine does the sales numbers AP likely needs it to do

[@ScottParisi]

Great overview. Hoping to see Motor head at Pintastic next month. I played most of the home brew games at Expo last year. Glad they're still on the circuit. It's a great time for the hobby. If CGC would only build and deliver my Pulp Fiction LE.

[@cooltoy]

CGC has been really quiet as of late with their communications too, which makes that 1 year manufacturing hold up on Pulp Fiction even more frustrating I’m sure.

[@fretburner89]

Another great video by Cooltoy. Amazing show and you really captured the highs - and lows - of it all. Also, you always use the best music in your intros, outros and anywhere in between.

[@cooltoy]

Wow, thank you!

[@IRgEEK]

Thanks for the coverage and straight up honest take on everything.

[@cooltoy]

My pleasure!

[@roadrunnerpinball2969]

Hey! That's my controller! So glad you found it there! :D

[@cooltoy]

it was super fun to play!

[@roadrunnerpinball2969]

I'll be working with some good people to bring more things like this into the world. @@cooltoy

[@Evergreen085]

Texas Chainsaw Masacare is going to be amazing. I can't wait to play it.

[@cooltoy]

It’s quite a good looking machine, really neat shots

[@gardengangTX]

Not a horror guy but wearing the Goosebumps shirt 🤔 Great video! Thank you for the content

[@cooltoy]

Goosebumps was horror for 10 year olds though 😆 it was one of the only things I would read as a kid

[@vpinhub]

Well done on the recap Doug! It was good to see you at the show.

[@cooltoy]

The show was a blast to attend, I really enjoyed it!

[@Sa-Shogunn]

Thumbs up, one day I got go. Enjoyed the content.

[@cooltoy]

You should! It was so much fun to attend

[@videogamevegas]

CoolToy, The thing that kept popping in my mind when you were talking about Barry O's Barbecue, was one of the greatest wrestling jobbers of all time, Barry O. He would always make an O shape with his arms when he was announced. I also liked the jobber, Mr. X. Great times! vgv

[@cooltoy]

Ha Ha I completely forgot about him

[@BlackArroToons]

Cool selection. Labyrinth Pinball machine looks cool too. Thanks.

[@cooltoy]

It really is!

[@SkitzoFPV]

You’re not gonna get a BBQ pinball machine?! :)

[@cooltoy]

yeah....that's gonna be a hard no for me, even if the price was a few thousand lower, I'd still have to pass.

[@SkitzoFPV]

@@cooltoy I do agree.. it’s frustrating because American pinball could do very well if they just grabbed a couple good designers or perhaps better management.. I can’t believe this game made it into development. Who agreed to this at the round table? Lol

[@timothystump1237]

No. It sucks.

[@MichaelBtheGameGenie]

Thanks for posting this Doug. I am a big horror movie guy and that was the first time I saw the Friday the 13th Homebrew that thing looks incredible. I’m glad to hear Spooky’s new games are good. I want them to succeed. Still have my heart set on a Halloween someday. It was sad hearing your take on BarryO’s. I liked GTF and want American to do well but it doesn’t look that inspiring

[@cooltoy]

Yeah I want AP to succeed and do well also, but I can’t imagine financially they are doing the best right now with these recent releases

[@HitnRunTony]

I gotta try that guitar Foo Fighters table! 😮

[@Bearcade]

Hopefully I'll get hands on time with Barry O's at MGC. It is sad to see such a great designer make something that is not top tier. See how how this thing plays.

[@cooltoy]

Yeah it was sad to me that this machine would be the last thing he would be attached to game design wise.

[@JeffYPbPr]

Glad you talked about looney tunes. It looks awesome! Love looney tunes. Shame no big pinball ytbers really talked about it

[@cooltoy]

I can’t imagine someone being a pinball KZbinr and not covering the game. Good or bad, that’s kind of the job of a channel that focuses on pinball, cover all the games out there

[@afattori316]

Jaws was a miss for my wife and I. We are huge Jaws fans and I saw the movie when it came out in 1975. I was 4 years old, only movie my dad ever took me to. Looney Tunes looks great and will get one at some point used. Glad you’re loving pinball. Crazy to see you start with arcade 1up to now. Nice you see you and your channel grow. Welcome to the the pinball bug.

[@joelreeves]

wow, that's a coincidence. my Dad took me to Jaws when i was 5 and it became one of my favorite films as well. Still need to play the premium to decide if i need one or not. I've been wanting them to make a Jaws pin for 10 years or so now. Wish it was a must buy for me.

[@afattori316]

@@joelreevesthat’s cool you saw it when it came out. Shame it is just not a must have at all. Godzilla is still king. I don’t think the premium will change my mind much. Just not enough there to justify the near $3k price tag. May pick one up for a good price used, but definitely low on my want list. Only so much space and money. Stern is just going way downhill. Charging more and getting less. I knew it was going to be bad news when they hired that guy from Disney.

[@cooltoy]

@afattori316 the pinball bug is definitely real. Fortunately for me it’s one of the few things my wife actually enjoys as well, so it’s nice to share one of my hobbies with her for a change.

[@TurnerPinball]

Thanks for the shout out in your video!

[@cooltoy]

Keep up the good work 👍

[@T88-fh9ci]

nice job great recap did you hear any new rumours on future releases

[@cooltoy]

unfortunately I didn't pick up or hear anything new regarding rumors from what's to come from the manufacturers which was odd. Stern is due for a new game in about a month so I figured they would have somehow let something slip, but no one was talking.

[@dangerdonk6670]

A couple of loose rumors are that JJP's next is potentially The Matrix (w/Harry Potter behind it after). Stern's next is either John Wick, or Metallica Anniversary with potentially Xmen 97 (Elwin) on the horizon. Stern may launch Spike3 this year with one of those games. Rumors that Barrels of Fun's next game is Fifth Element

[@T88-fh9ci]

Ok had heard of some rumours but this is terrific thank you, hard list to resist@@dangerdonk6670

[@kjhoskins]

Good reviews. Thanks for the video.

[@cooltoy]

Thanks for watching!

[@TexasSteele67]

Dude, u went- I skipped this year due to the rain- Imma biker from Austin - Damn it

[@cooltoy]

Yeah the weather wasn’t great this year. Luckily it wasn’t raining much until Saturday afternoon so at least the annual parking lot swap meet was still good to walk through

[@TexasSteele67]

I did the Spooky Scooby Doo pre-order last year so it was mandatory - I rotate new pins every other year but I knew Jaws target was gonna be a problemO'@@cooltoy

[@DarrinsDen2023]

When i heard about the BBQ challenge pinball coming out I was at a loss for why. It's an odd theme and i don't see too many people wanting one. A better theme that I am surprised hasn't been done yet would be the movie "Christine" from 1981. The pinball could represent Christine and the modes would be trying to get rid of Arnie's enemies without getting crushed in the car crusher..

[@tmiller5969]

Sad I missed you there brother. It was another great year!

[@cooltoy]

Yes it was!

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

Nice review ❤ I chuckled at your initial thoughts on Barry O BBQ. I'm sure I'll agree with you if I get a chance to play it.

[@cooltoy]

I really hate to be negative about the game, but it’s just such a meh experience

[@timborski1210]

Ill buy all the Foo accessories BUT that topper....$2k is nuts. I have a premium so the light kit, armor and shooter knob is a must for me. I love the machine.

[@cooltoy]

Yeah when a topper costs 1/3 of what the game itself does prices have gone a little crazy I think

[@joeyjojojunior4886]

I really need to make an effort and hit one of these pinball conventions.

[@cooltoy]

It’s a fantastic way to play some games you’d likely never encounter in a public setting otherwise

[@pinballtime]

Barry O (Oursler) created some of the coolest pinball machines in history and I proudly own at least 4 of them. This was his last design I think before his departure. I would have liked a way interesting theme attached to it. What a waste IMHO. But I guess there is also apparently a market for that.

[@cooltoy]

Yeah I hate that this will be the finally game I. Barry’s pinball legacy, he had an amazing career

[@glotrim]

Getting excited for MGC!

[@cooltoy]

Should be a great show

[@glotrim]

@@cooltoyyou’ll probably appreciate this my company @glotrim imports the rare glass fiber optic light pipe that is used in luxury automotive programs it’s the best in the world for ambient lighting but years ago when it just came over from Germany the first sale of this automotive material was to stern pinball for tron legacy premium playfield ;) check out what I do with it integrate via sewing

[@evh347]

You nailed the AP and CGC comparison.

[@cooltoy]

I really wish those two companies would get their houses more in order, as they are both quite capable of making a good game but they both for various reasons are really struggling right now

[@hyperboreen4854]

"I'm not really a horror guy" Also: Goosebumps T-shirt.

[@cooltoy]

Goosebumps was “horror” for 10 year olds, not exactly the same as the “torture porn” that happens in movie theaters these days. Surely you can distinguish between the two and see how that’s not an apples to apples comparison by any means

[@hyperboreen4854]

@@cooltoy I just found the contrast funny, I didn't mean to be offensive. Of course Goosebumps is very light, but it's still 100% horror. JAWS is 100% horror too by the way. Torture porn is only a subgenre of horror, and that trend is behind us now (not saying it won't come back at some point), all the latest big horror hits I can think of are not part of that subgenre.

[@MRNBricks]

I watched the panel about the bbq game. The theme was made for a guy at their company that died and liked bbq. I was thinking, “that’s a cool send off, but why would the general public care?” Odd choice from a commercial venture. I’m sure the dude was a good guy, but still.

[@jdteney]

Cool video. In your opinion how does the Texas show compare to the Chicago one? Which one do you think is better?

[@cooltoy]

Chicago is slightly bigger in both games and show room floor space. You can definitely tell some manufacturers and vendors prefer one over the other as some how huge displays at one show and small toned down displays at the other. Honestly I think a first timer can’t go wrong with either show.

[@jdteney]

@@cooltoy thanks for the reply. Ya, we are going to Chicago this year. Can't wait.

[@dangerdonk6670]

Hoping to get invoiced on my Labyrinth any day now!

[@cooltoy]

When did you place your order?

[@adamleblanc6263]

Great video! Always good honest opinions on pins. Surprised not more content on the non-pinball cabs brought (Appreciated the B roll) but understandable being a pinball fan myself. I always tend to skip TPF because a lot friends say it's very strict on their floor hours, strict on the BYOB, and the price of rooms onsite for the convention can be high. Should check out the Houston Arcade Expo, convention floor never closes it seems(Even has that nice soft carpet), great price on rooms, and some really good food places in the surrounding area. Also a parking lot swap meet of people selling retro games and arcade parts.

[@cooltoy]

There was a parking lot swap meet this year at TPF on Saturday morning that I attended, but it seemed rather baron and not well attended by vendors. I've got family in Houston so I would love to at some point come to the Houston Arcade Expo, visit family and get some quality gaming in, it's definitely on my list of events to attend in the future.

[@irod20000]

Another great video man! Hopefully one day you’ll get to be a Jersey Jack Pinball Machine :)

[@cooltoy]

Yeah I meant to say “never been a jersey jack pinball fan” but apparently forgot a word lol 😆 oh well

[@Mechulus]

Your opinions mirror mine, so, like me, you're obviously a good looking man of high intelligence. You've earned a subscriber as long as you perfectly mirror my opinions. Well done.

[@cooltoy]

Welcome aboard!

[@RojerLockless]

I completely agree, the BBQ game was suuuuuper boring. There wasn't a line to it all weekend.

[@cooltoy]

it's a really bad sign when a bunch of pinball fans aren't interested in playing a brand new game

[@michaelbrazda9531]

We have completely different options as I find the P3 lacking. I love the concept but I find myself wanting more. I just not a fan of lobbing the ball to the back of the playfield where all your targets are. As for BBQ I liked it. It definitely could use some cooking of the code but it did have some nice shots. That and being from Texas a BBQ theme fits 😂 I think my favorite new game is Elton John and Foo fighters even that I am not a fan of either. The play was fun and the shots where smooth and left you wanting to play more.

[@cooltoy]

I do wish that the P3 modules were more of a 50/50 split instead of their 70/30 split because that back third of the playfield can definitely feel a little cramped

[@crtcustoms6140]

Do you have a recommendation for specific a distributor on labyrinth? I live in utah if that matters for area.

[@cooltoy]

Flip N Out pinball

[@crtcustoms6140]

@@cooltoythanks dude.

[@M-NX]

what was thIs TRON/ENCOM 4 Player Machine ? cant find anything about it. But it looks so cool 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘...

[@cooltoy]

it was fun to play, but I never did find who brought it to the show, so I couldn't ever learn more about it.

[@M-NX]

​@cooltoy what was it?? Light Cycle??

[@MonstaKoreArkade]

Probably a custom. Stern should remake Tron arcade of pinball. That would be sweet! 🕹️💪

[@cooltoy]

yeah light cycle game

[@robertmachen4364]

Totally agree with your assessment. Why can't American Pinball make a fun game? They all seem to be mediocre to just bad and they aren't getting better. I'm going to Expo and I'll try out Labyrinth there. Thanks for the video.

[@cooltoy]

You’ll really enjoy Labyrinth, very good game that’s well made

[@cwafflestx]

Thanks Doug for the recap. Always like watching pinball content. While I love real pinball (and always will) for me, at home, virtual is what I have. Was there any virtual pinball machines there? I saw a couple last time I went, but they were sort of off to the side.

[@cooltoy]

I think I honestly only saw 1 virtua machine total here at TPF this year. Definitely not much to showcase

[@mikebangnaiceakamike637]

Hi from Germany, like to hear your opinion on that: I am a big WILLIAMS fan. I own them all.... digital on my DIY Williams wide body T2 Virtual Pinball. If I watch your clips about all that new manufacturing companies, do you see any chance that one will be able to get the WILIAMS rights for the classic tables ? I mean I do respect peoples work on new designs and new ideas into pinball games. Just for me whatever I play, especially those STERN tables, they do not work for me at all. I am a Mandalorian Cosplayer #BangnoFett bit when I played The Mandalorian Stern table, the cabinet was for me worse than the digital version. Totally disappointed from the force feedback, the ball Controll, the flippers. Nothing turned me on. I get this feeling on almost all modern machines. One Williams Monster Bash, Fishtails or machines like Attack from Mars and almost all tables from that area feel so much better for me. Medieval Madness.... man this machines are getting so expensive here in Europe. If you even can buy one. How great would it be if someone would produce them again. Not with extras and big screens, just the way the support to be played. Would that dream of mine ever come true ? What you or all your guys think about that ? Regards Mike aka Bangno Fett

[@cooltoy]

So there are two companies that currently share the licenses of those classic Bally/Williams pinball games like the ones you mentioned. Chicago Gaming Company is one, and they already currently reproduce classic games like Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness, Monster Bash. Pedretti Gaming is the other company and they just released their remake of the classic Funhouse machine.

[@RojerLockless]

As a huge fan of PinBot, I was sad that Barry O's last game was so.... Forgettable.

[@cooltoy]

Me too, this BBQ games does more to tarnish his legacy that keep it alive

[@chrislaustin]

I'm a HUGE fan of Jaws the movie(my personal GOAT), and not having Brody on the machine is blasphemy. I get there must have been a licensing issue, but that means it shouldn't have been made. For what it is, it's OK I guess? As there is enough there to make fans of the movie oooh and ahhh when seeing it, but that appears to be as far as it goes. And I also saw an issue with that fin section the other day, as the plate in front of the fin has "give" to it, and can become out of level with the rest of the field. The video I saw the person had made a rubber piece that went under it to fix the problem.

[@cooltoy]

From what I understand sweat and his family just doesn’t want to license his likeness. There have been several toy manufacturers trying to make jaws figures over the years and they can’t ever get a deal signed for Brody either.

[@alkohallick2901]

Cyclone II

[@jemswrestlingchannel1731]

Did you ever try The Munsters pinball machine?

[@cooltoy]

Yeah, I’m not really a fan of that one

[@720erik2]

Can’t believe he dogged Jaws pinball I played it a few times it’s awesome as hell with no complaints

[@cooltoy]

You didn’t listen very closely to what I said in the video if you think I “dogged Jaws pinball”

[@ryrysonic9]

l don't understand the appeal of the texas chainsaw massacre pinball! i know its liked,,but just compare it to something like the nightmare on elm street pinball machine that game is way fun!

[@mcnillerandsons7906]

Played Barry Os at my local barcade and it was trash unfortunately. I want to love American Pinball but it’s been continuous let down. The only game I’ve enjoyed from them is Valhalla. Also, why are there rubbers bouncier than flubber from the Robin Williams movie?

[@cooltoy]

Really hoping that this Barry O game doesn’t sink AP

[@RichieCavsRetrocade]

I really can't understand why someone would spend a lot of money to design and manufacture a Barry O's BBQ Challenge pinball machine. You just put out Galactic Tank Force and you decide this is your next machine? No offense to those who worked on it, those folks can do things I'll never be able to do, but I just can't understand the process for choosing a BBQ Challenge pinball. At the very least, put a Barry's O-Face shot in the playfield....O!.....O!.....O!...You know what I'm talkin bout....O! :)

[@cooltoy]

It’s dumbfounding for sure

[@corycardwell]

I felt the same about princess bride. As much as I like the mechs in the p3 table, the hybrid just doesnt do the movie justice. I made a virtual table on vpx a couple years ago and was hoping for someone to launch a full standard table for the movie. Mayne if they could get their prices down more people would look positively on them.

[@randymartius2999]

Kid in a candy store

[@cooltoy]

Absolutely! It’s heaven for a arcade and pinball gaming nerd for sure

[@touchingevil2302]

Where is American pinballs Masters of the universe pinball table ?

[@cooltoy]

It doesn’t exist

[@touchingevil2302]

@@cooltoy Its the next pin from them say the rumors

[@BhramaBull]

Yeah jaws is wack