The History of Pinball Part 4: Pinball in the Modern Era

[@SirenBandUS]

Dude! I just have to say that this series was absolutely fantastic! People have no idea the amount of work that you must have put into these videos with all of the research, image gathering, graphic design, animation and editing. I guarantee it could be quantified as a "sh*t ton" of work. These videos were both informative and very entertaining. Thank you for taking the time to create this series for us pinheads who enjoy the past, present and future of the games.

[@curtisc8233]

About time for part 5?

[@yanickpilon88]

I started here and then 30 seconds in I was like ohh this is gooood 😁 so I watched parts 1-3 and now im back for the finale Great job

[@hansgutentag7637]

Thank you for this awesome series! Pinball is about to make a huge comeback........again......

[@bralex2670]

Damn i might have to make a part 5 if it blows up again lol

[@curtis4948]

I needed this when I started archiving pinball history.. best documentary/history of I’ve ever seen.. after collecting all the great tables, I realized mid 70s EMS are unmatched, and in the modern era, noone is on John papadiuks level like it’s not close.. thankyou

[@soluniverse8]

simply amazing my friend. Thank you so so much for everything that you have done with this four part series. Thoroughly enjoyed it. ❤️ ☮ ♾ 💡

[@SpinningBalls]

just caught the whole series today, so good! And so true! I didn’t really “get” pinball until I stumbled across FX3. Once I realized what pinball encapsulates I was hooked. When I first played the Williams tables irl that I played in FX3 it was like “omg!!! It’s Party Zone! White Water!” my dream is to play a Cirqus Voltaire, favorite table. Beating Wizard Mode and joining the cirqus in FX 3 is one of my favorite moments

[@bralex2670]

Cirqus Voltaire is a certified banger. I'd check out vpx if you wanna play some more tables

[@Bigalpin]

My goal, own a circus voltaire, use it to provide inspiration for my children so that my children and I (family) start making our own PB machines using the OPP platform similar to ‘Barrels of Fun‘S’ Labyrinth! In other words, start thinking bigger, as all it takes is 1% inspiration and 109% perspiration to become ‘SO EPIC’ that even the inventors of Bagatelle will be turning over in their graves!!😅🎉

[@paulsolfelt8452]

I've joined the circus a few times on vpx up to level 3 or something like that, fun game for sure !

[@hugolaviada8816]

This was an amazing series, fun and informative. Thanks! I'll rewatch it for sure after some time.

[@andrewpowell1734]

I'm glad that you mentioned RUSH pinball. You said that one company moved to Taiwan and I never see pinball here. 😢

[@leanderquest]

Thanks for your 4 parts! Had to download even more VPX tables although I have everything from Zen Studios, Zaccharia and The Pinball Arcade.

[@paulsolfelt8452]

Why would you pay the ripoff tpa enything to begin with? ,lol !

[@ThyYeagerBomb]

Thank you very much for this entire series

[@TampaTec]

I really enjoyed this video, great job 👍 I hope you make more like this.

[@dundy212]

Binged the whole series in a few hours- this is honestly top tier stuff. I got "into" pinball like a year ago through vpx where I developed an addiction to just downloading a billion tables onto my computer. The history aspect probably interested me more than the game itself looking back haha. Anyway, awesome stuff, looking forward to whatever you do next/are doing now :)

[@sparxies]

Yes! Watched all 3 previous parts in one binge, then was left on a cliffhanger. It was definitely worth the wait. Love this series, but was over all too quickly. I'm going back for a re-watch of parts 1 to 3, now I'm more familiar with pinball in general - been playing a load of tables on VPX, it's the closest I'll get.... for now. Not sure why there's geese everywhere, but I like it! Great work.

[@bralex2670]

Goose arc

[@licoricewhip]

Well that clears it up.

[@PaulYounis]

Loved this series, I would watch the hell out of you doing table reviews. hint hint.

[@TheProZink]

I’m fairly new to pinball but successfully obsessing enough where I can put up a few high score :) Thanks to you I can look at ems to virtual and appreciate them all! I am addicted to Surfer by Gottlieb…. Without this series I will have no appreciation or understanding the complexity and seriousness that goes into pinball. I’m now starting to go to local leagues , talking to pro players , and truly becoming friends with people who love the same thing I do . Cheers to you for opening a new door and new chapter in my life !😎💙

[@davidfrischknecht8261]

The good thing about Pinball Arcade losing the rights to the Bally/Williams tables is that if you had already purchased them for a specific platform, you could keep them, even after reinstalling the game on a new device using the same platform.

[@turrican4d599]

I missed the boat.

[@SparkpadArt]

Another good thing is that Zen does the tables way better justice. Better sound effects, better ball physics, better atmosphere. I'll still go back to The Pinball Arcade for the rest of them, but if it's on Pinball FX, there's no contest.

[@casedistorted]

Not good for most of us though who didn't get them lol. Though the nice thing I wrote about in my review for the game on Steam (which got banned by their steam moderator, didn't even know you could ban a steam review, seems like censorship to me), but if you just get the tables online for free elsewhere *cough*, you can play the tables, log into the proper game on Steam, and your scores will auto upload.

[@casedistorted]

@@SparkpadArt I just wish Pinball FX had the Ghostbusters + Star Trek Vengeance + Walking Dead tables and a few others that I can't find on Pinball FX.

[@SNKFreak86]

@@casedistorted Prepare your Wallet, because Star Trek: TNG is around the Corner to get bought for Pinball FX.

[@samanthakohn5857]

These make me so happy. Your voice is so soothing and your videos are great for quick references and feeding my curiosity to know more. I'm glad you're so passionate. 😄

[@powerstone05]

Popping in to say this was a very fun series to watch and I loved the rapid fire presentation of it. Awesome job my dude!

[@gggvvvnnn]

Absolutely loved this series. Thank you for the hard work and infotainment!!

[@darrellludlow]

This whole series must have been a labor of love on your part. Top quality content. Kudos.

[@zdavisgenki243]

I'm a 28 year old lapsed pinball fan from Ohio. I mention this because there are few young people like you making quality pinball content on KZbin. I have been trying to get back into the hobby recently, and this series is just what I needed. You made me laugh so much, thank you for such an educational and entertaining series. Your voice and humor remind me of Scott the Woz, and your editing reminds me a bit of Bill Wurtz. Both of those are big compliments. Instant sub :') Also loved your weird goose anime music video, wth

[@bralex2670]

Goose arc is probably the best video I'll ever make

[@epicness877]

Gotta concur as a 24 year old really getting into pinball, its a little hard to sell the youngins on pinball when they can just swipe they phone

[@kevinwoalter]

Gawd Dayumn! I sure enjoyed that series and it definitely helps me writing my Bachelor Thesis about the history of Pinball 🙂Thanks a lot!!! Awesome Work!

[@123mathtutorabc4]

I love LOTR pinball! It was the table that got me addicted to pinball for life.

[@grouuter]

Nice work man. I used one of my days of vacation to watch all of this serie. And it was awesome. Thankyou!!

[@sebastianbrock4713]

Thank you so much for putting so much effort, love and personality into this series, which ultimately currently only serves a pretty niche community. Stuff like this is exactly what is needed to introduce pinball to a new generation of players!

[@jayducharme]

I was really impressed with Virtual Pinball, with the number of fans who meticulously recreated classic machines and gave them away for free. While it could be a chore to install, once it was up and running it was fantastic.

[@bralex2670]

100% agree

[@ashleymckeown8510]

Great video series bud. Fantastic layout / editing and information. Thanks for putting in the work. Much appreciated

[@mental3370]

You've easily become one of my favorite youtube channels

[@ExpressoMechanicTV]

Fab series. The perfect combination of lightheartedness and well researched information.

[@shealee4545]

i just got into pinball recently and my favorite is Cactus Canyon. i’m so happy when i heard you say they are remaking it.

[@bralex2670]

Me too the remake looks so clean

[@kyrrawarren5741]

This is one of my favorite KZbin series ever! Amazing job man! You deserve more views for sure

[@random40s]

Dude.. SUCH A GREAT SERIES! 👍 👍 Really love all the history, and the awesome humor. Pinball should never be allowed to die.

[@wildernessgames]

Watched them all, thanks for making them, goodstuff.

[@MRNBricks]

Love this series. Well done

[@darronsmith5544]

Wow just did the lot in one go. I learned so much I didn’t know about a hobby I love. The way you deliver and the fun you made it was fantastic. Will have to re watch as I am sure I missed somethings as you go through a lot at speed. You deserve more views come on everyone let’s spread the word😂.

[@mantra3000]

What a FANTASTIC series 😍

[@nicktw8688]

What an awesome series. Well done dude. 👏

[@briggsabol]

I have absolutly loved this series! Informative as it witty, and a real fun since of humor. Well done! Can't wait to see what you do next.

[@bralex2670]

Thx :) it means a lot. Im happy to be finished with this project and am ecxited to move on to the next project.

[@Bluesky-bx2ig]

Most entertaining and informative history of pinball I've ever watched! You should do an expanded one on visual pinball! Thanks! ⚪

[@Eve619]

Absolutely amazing series, I learned a ton and had a good time. Thanks :3

[@philwid9338]

Great series, I hope you do part 5 one day.

[@ANTheWhizkid]

In my eyes the game that brought me fun that’s closest to real pinballs was the pro pinball series. The first part was called „the web“ the second and best „timeshock“ and I think there are one or two more. Ty for putting so much effort into to this dope documentary.

[@OVERKILL_PINBALL]

This was an amazing series, wow well done!

[@EpikYeti]

Loved the whole series. I was a little sad to see a few missed games mentioned in the new era, but all in all, awesome work, funny and informative in a great story telling kind of way. Great job!

[@AlphaGator9]

Thank you for the walk through memory lane... i first fell in love with Pinball with a machine in a local pizza place. It was "Tombstone" - i think. It was a simple table. 3 Flippers. The single upper flipper was used to shot down the tombstones. 7 of them i think. My all time favorite was Black Knight. My most played was .... man, i can't remember the name! I remember oit being bright orange and had a habit of flashing VERY brightly when you got a good combination. I played it so much because it was at my mom's favorite bar (The Olney Pub), and she would keep me busy by feeding me quarters.

[@roadiethegamecat4124]

Well done. The whole series was great. Good timing too, barcades and old style arcades are popping up everywhere, and many of them are back to a quarter a game! Dropped you a sub.

[@murfburffle]

that was a great series! thanks!

[@epicness877]

Didnt think Id see the pinball collection games mentioned! I really didnt know how monumental or forgettable they were for the hobby or in general, but they had some serious love packed into them. Worth noting that the gottlieb collection actually came prepackaged with my PS2 at launch! You may be on to something there!

[@Torchl146]

thank you for telling me about pinball arcade I just started my steam download to see if i can try some of the iconics you mentioned in your series :D

[@renaudabbadie8154]

Excellent series! Informative and entertaining! MULTILIKES MADNESS!!!

[@churchofsolipsism2716]

Enjoyed every part of the serious, well done!

[@henrypile2385]

What a great 4-part series this was! Stuffing that much information into each episode is really awesome, although at some points I would have wanted a little more time to read some text or admire the graphics… never mind, I just halted the video. I am a pinball addict since around 60 years, already watched many videos on pinball history, and yours are top notch! Thumbs up!

[@bralex2670]

Thank you :) looking back on it, there are definitely plenty of things I failed to mention. I'll try my best to clean those topics up in further videos

[@BootsORiley]

Thanks for these! I loved em.

[@shanesrandompinballunivers6180]

Really enjoyed all four vids, nicely done!!

[@skeven0]

Lovely series, i love the editing and your quirky style! i guess you missed the news while making this but Stern just announced a James Bond Theme. and Spooky is doing a TNA rebooted/reworked

[@bralex2670]

Yeah lol I literally heard about that last night as I was finishing up. Oh well.

[@Bearcade]

Great series of videos.

[@idkjustleavemebeplease]

Stern's Foo Fighter machine is what got me interested in starting a collection. Hence how I ended up here. Amazing videos.

[@bralex2670]

How is it?

[@idkjustleavemebeplease]

@@bralex2670 as a pinball newbie, it felt a little challenging, but it was crazy fun. Foo Fighters is easily in my top 3 bands, and being able to select your song before play is pretty slick. There may be a bias there, but the art and atmosphere of the game is undeniably awesome!

[@bralex2670]

As someone who is yet to play the game, I can at least agree that the art is epic Looks like a great table tho

[@stefku76]

Thanks to that series, I think I've got a pretty good overview of history of pinball. Thanks a lot!

[@EFreD-ed4ds]

Wow, loved this series. One of the few KZbin series I ever watched from start to end. Like, really few. Really, really few. Okay, this was the first.

[@SuperFromND]

this was a really fun series to watch, good stuff!! i'm surprised you didn't really mention visual pinball much; that's definitely the reason i've been able to get into the hobby since real tables are a pain to find IRL and the stuff people have made for it (conversions or homebrew/original tables) is frankly *astonishing* given its all freeware/FOSS i cant help but feel bad for popadiuk, dude just wanted to make cool pins and ended up becoming pinball's equivalent of keiji inafune due to (what im guessing was) poor planning and overambition :

[@bralex2670]

Yeah vpx is probably the best way to really get into the hobby. Having pretty much any table right at your fingertips is way is epic. I really wish popadiuk just went to one of the other companies like all the other legacy designers. Making the most insane table as a first in a company he's spearheading was just way too tall an order. It was never gonna happen and, yeah he should've known how it was gonna turn out, but idk I just wish he was given more of a fighting chance

[@andrewlee88]

This was well done and more entertaining than playing a gottlieb em.

[@licoricewhip]

Man, I've waited SO long for this!

[@licoricewhip]

thx

[@CrimsonFox36]

Watching your series makes me want to care about pinball. Very nice editing.

[@bralex2670]

You should get into it if youre interested. There's a ton of good resources like vpx and pinball fx for new players to get into without spending like a billion dollars

[@GonzosPinballFlipperama]

Just finished this enjoyable series. Very well done and thanks for the credit/mention.

[@bralex2670]

No, thank you for the high quality gameplay. You have no idea how hard that can be to find

[@molarmedic]

Would love to see this series in one big episode. This is definitely worthy of a documentary to be picked up by a major network (NetFlix hint hint). Fantastic production and very well done!!!

[@JackCabbit20]

I love watching the slo-motion slo mo guys did for jersy jacks wonka table but cool to see they did many others

[@relC0R3]

Amazing! Thanks for bringing it out so soon! I needed it!

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

great series!

[@TampaTec]

Please make part 5... Scooby-Doo, Foo fighters, Godfather, battle galactic, pulp fiction and new pinball company TiltBob Pinball by 2022 texas pinball homebrew pinball designer of the year Bob Nies, He made Elf pin. 2023 I'm actually helping build pins with him. Bob is an engineer, a coder, carpenter, and technician a Very smart guy. We are taking new pins to Texas March 2024.

[@rickc303]

The local retro arcade in downtown Macon, GA has a Striker Xtreme, and for being someone not into soccer at all, it's actually pretty fun

[@martymarty]

ty for this series. very engaging & informative watch :)

[@jexthegamer]

I was fortunate enough to play the big lebowski pin at a pinball fest in Dallas back in 2018. Loved it! I really hope they succeed in a public release someday.

[@Halman2112]

Had a chance to play it last year in Edmonton. Played too much RUSH.

[@MadMaxBLD]

Yaaaay it's here! Great work!

[@pfredflyer]

Absolutely loved this video. As a side note Steve Richie kind of had a falling out with Stern and he's working at Jersey Jack's right now.

[@Glacier_Nester]

I've played the rush table, it's great, imho! Loved watching this series after youtube dropped the 4th episode in my lap, this is a really well-researched, in depth look at the ins and outs of the pinball industry. Also, firm agree, black knight 2000's music is ICONIC and I've got a lot of fond memories of it blasting over my shoulder while I try to finally get a score above 6th place in tetris, haha

[@BootsORiley]

I really enjoy Rush as well

[@toonman361]

Did you mention "At Games?" I have one of their mini-pinball machines and really enjoy it.

[@bralex2670]

No but I'll probably make a video at some point talking about those types of tables. They are pretty interesting

[@nerdloftgaming]

Enjoyed watching your other uploads, and immediately clicked when I saw a new one! Made sure to sub, too 👍

[@rachelwindsor850]

The Pinball Arcade thing just makes me sad since most of the classic tables on there got yeeted...

[@bcordone]

Same, but I think it's better in Zen's hands. Zen arguably has better physics for the Williams tables compared to TPA. Zen has been releasing tables at a slower pace, though, and the overall "roster" of tables is smaller. Maybe they'll add all the tables that were in TPA with enough time. My biggest gripes though with Zen is lack of lighting customization and the rather weak nudge. Yes, TPA's nudging was broken OP but the nudge in FX is a little too weak. (I know that IRL death saves, bangbacks, etc. are banned in competitive/tournament play on a real machine, at least, but if we're playing a virtual pin I don't see anything wrong with it. Maybe keep the weak nudge in classic mode, but on Arcade mode, the power of nudging is increased somewhat so you can do things you could do on a real table)

[@bralex2670]

I do agree that zen is overall better quality. Losing so many tables sucks tho. I guess it doesnt really matter tho cause you can just get vpx

[@cpi23]

wonderful series

[@mauricemorris675]

hello Bralex, I saw your pinball videos parts 1-4 with a friend today. I think the way you make your videos is really great, and you're also doing something for the pinball scene, which I also think is really great. Do you plan on making more pinball videos? if necessary about the individual artists (phyton anghelo etc)? I would be very happy I hope you're doing well, please keep making videos! :) Best regards from Germany

[@bralex2670]

Glad you enjoyed :) I'm still making pinball videos, Python actually featured very prominently in my Kingpin video if you wanna check that one out too

[@ExNihiloComesNothing]

Part 5 Wheeeooohh wait. We are caught up. Well, thanks for the ride.

[@kruks]

Really great series with a ton of info, this couldn't have been easy to research. I would have appreciated a LITTLE more detail on some tables (you mention the giant head of Fun House but not the cartoony destruction of the castle in Medieval Madness), but you covered a ton of ground so I can't complain much. I could see Godzilla staying on top until something new dethrones it, as it really does have better gameplay than the 90's kings and queens. Nostalgia is hard to beat though and the castle in Medieval Madness IS pretty damn cool.

[@bralex2670]

I definitely get that. Looking back I could've mentioned a lot more about individual tables, like I somehow forgot to mention either of the star treks. Idk I was just at the point in the script where I was having trouble finding new things to say about even Indiana Jones. If there's one thing I could go back and change. I definitely would've given myself more time to flesh out the script more for the last 2 parts

[@kruks]

@@bralex2670 - You got my subscription all the same. If you ever feel like doing a "bonus" video, it would be cool to show why the top tables are the top tables and how that lead to the evolution of tables in the 90's and led up to the modern resurgence of machines like Deadpool and Godzilla (and I think Elvira's third game deserves some props, because it's a surprisingly high quality game). Like you mention how Adams Family changed pinball, but it would be cool to detail exactly how it did that (the scoring options it had and the progression that would lead to wizard mode, and how later pins improved upon the template it laid).

[@tristanwegner]

SO MANY COMPANIES! I had no idea

[@Winter-mh3lb]

Digital pinball is such a great gateway because it’s super accessible and because you can play infinitely you can learn the rules without spending $100. Only problem is it leads to a real pinball addiction which costs far more

[@alejandroramirez4470]

I do wish I could find more new pins like that oktoberfest one. Most places have stern ones or old bally/williams machines.

[@thuganomics420]

sick video(s). I own 3 original cabinets (Theatre of Magic, Attack from Mars, and Stern's Foo Fighters) now and knew nothing about the history

[@antonvlasjuk3079]

Great video!! Keith Elwin might become a legendary designer soon! He made 4 titles, 3 of which are amazing!! Godzilla is his best( specially the Premium/LE)!!

[@ajgulisano7353]

Love Taxi music at the end.

[@AceofSpades-6728]

Wish that you mentioned the spike system, as its whats detering me from buying any new stern machines, due to its costs for repair and just simple LED's going out can't be fixed depending on the machine.

[@Sir-FryDaddy]

Steve Ritchie (pinball designer) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jersey Jack years In August 2021, Ritchie left Stern Pinball and joined Jersey Jack Pinball.[9][10] In an April 2022 PinCast interview with Pinball Magazine and Pinball News, Ritchie said that he was actively working on a game for Jersey Jack and that it would likely be produced in the second half of 2022.[11]

[@FairPlay137]

Another thing Stern began doing was producing cheaper tables (around the $4,000 to $5,000 range), with cheaper licenses, simpler gameplay, and a few cut corners. They've been calling it the Home Pin tier, and everything in that tier wasn't too interesting, though Jurassic Park Home Edition looks pretty interesting...

[@Mynortherndiary]

Awesome little documentary series, many thanks for the hard work you put on these videos! Did I sense correctly, were the companies in the EM era such as the Gottlieb able to push more machines in a time frame into the markets than during the modern digital era? And were the businesses longer lasting? Did the pace decrease when the companies turned into digital pinball? If my sense is right, what do you think were the biggest reasons for the change? Were there something special in the company management and culture in the earlier days, or are the modern machines so complex and digital devices buggy that the development and delivery slowed down. Thanks.

[@bralex2670]

I think that pinball machines just got way more complicated to make and work out the kinks. Also the price to make a table skyrocketted, making a line of EM's was way faster and cheaper than putting together one modern solid state table

[@bogardsfoxhole]

Part 5 when?

[@Notester82]

Yessss, digital pinball really do be pulling peeps into the hobby.. Besides 3D Space Cadet Pinball, I also played a bunch of the Plants Vs. Zombies table in Pinball FX 2 back when I used my brother's Xbox 360 (wish it was on Steam, aaaaaaaaaaaa). Also, thank you for making this series, it was a fun and informative watch! OUO

[@bralex2670]

The plants v zombies table kinda went off ngl. Thats one of their only original tables i played lmao

[@brothergregory3354]

The only physical pinball machine I've ever played was the Simpsons' Pinball Party, back when I was a kid over ten years ago at Chuckies. Even so, I've always loved pinball and I long to build my own machine.

[@aaronwadzinski5761]

Thanks for the extended history lesson. You need more subs, count me as one of 'em.

[@AngelDani7697]

"...still no harry potter theme though! (thank god)" YOU TAKE THAT BACK 😭😔

[@brianwilkinson4207]

Thank you!!

[@blackdaan]

ahhhh to bad you can not see the future.. i was hoping for a part 5