By Todd Russell
This past weekend, we checked out for the first time Dallas and the surrounding area, as well as attended The Texas Pinball Festival 2025. Am working on more detailed write-ups of some things encountered and played there but planning to hit on some key takeaways here this Hump Day Wednesday in sort of a relaxed summary.
Also met for the first time in person a couple PGM members: PiratePwnsNinja and RBwings and their wives. RBwings was kind enough to lose to me several times at several games, but beat me at a few as well. He did not prevail in Robotron, for the record 😉 I gave him one of the uber rare PGM shirts, of which only a small few were made for the TPF 2025 and he gave me a “rusty balls” shirt lol.
Was live on Pirate’s Twitch stream for a few on Saturday 3/22/25 just before I played Portal for the first time. Pirate owns a P3 and likes it.
If you caught the (NO) Blue Show #15 on Monday 3/21/25, then you received the audio version of (most of) these thoughts. Consider this, hopefully, the more polished, albeit less interactive and non-live, version.
Got to play lots of pinball machines I haven’t played, here’s a list of which most, if not all, will get the Detailed First Thoughts After Playing PGM treatment in the future:
- Spooky
- Evil Dead
This is the most gorgeous Spooky pin in both art and presentation to be released to date. The topper is sick, second to none, really. In the time we were at the show, I only played one game of it. It’s a wide body and I’m mixed on that decision. Seemed like it didn’t need to be a wide body. There was some strangeness with the plunger skill shot where you would end up back in the outlane. I will have more to say on this game that sold out pretty fast in my detailed first thoughts (to be published in the future), but you can’t even buy one if desired so going to be an on location situation most llikely. Like most Spooky pins, and similar to JJP, this seemed more style than substance to me, but you can’t really judge very well a game with only one play. I didn’t find myself eager to play more games, even when given the opportunity, which is a bit telling.
- Pinball Brothers
- Abba
Unfortunately, the left flipper had a sticking issue and the ambient sound for a music pin inside the TPF main area was so loud, you just could barely hear any sound. Some of the shots were difficult to make with weak flippers, even when the left one wasn’t sticking. This play experience was miserable and just didn’t seem like a fair environment to play Abba. I did get enough out of it to realize it’s not nearly the game like Alien play-wise, so maybe this experience was blessing in disguise.
- P3 Multimorphic
- Portal (both extended ramp version and non-ramp version)
- The Princess Bride
- Final Resistance – Scott Danesi’s follow-up to TNA
- Heist
- Drained – has sort of a black and white Elvira Blood Red Kiss edition, only more of a homebrew feel. And seems like I have played this somewhere before, maybe at one of the other shows in the past.
- Lexy Lightspeed Escape from Earth
Played both versions of Portal, the extended ramp version and the one without the ramp and they both were the best P3 games (P3 Multimorphic Pinball = 2/3 Virtual, 1/3 Physical Pin – Swappable Games) I’ve played to date. There are some cool modes. This was the shining star for me at TFP, it surprised and impressed me more than any of the other games played. I’m warming up to P3 … a little more.
Another P3 I’ve been wanting to play was The Princess Bride. This one didn’t impress me play-wise as much as Portal, but was still more fun to me than the only P3 I’ve played to date: Weird Al.
I had a really good first game score-wise and progression through modes playing Lexy Lightspeed: Escape from Earth. So much that it made me think about wanting to play these P3 more. It’s odd how one good game can turn you onto a system and company, but it can. This one is fun to play, I just wish more operators would have these P3 to play, because I don’t see myself buying one any time soon.
Final Resistance, the follow-up to TNA seems like a game with more to do than TNA — and not nearly as brutal — after playing it. This is another shining, yet rare star in the P3 lineup. The problem with most these P3 is unless you play them at shows, find at a friend’s house or buy one for home, you likely aren’t going to have the chance to play.
Heist, another fun P3 game reminded me a little bit of Batman ’66 with the boom arm that grabs the ball and then drops it in front of the flipper for a special shot. Some cool animations and nice interactions on the 2/3rd underneath screen telling you what to do.
Drained is my least favorite P3 game played to date. The playfield is just too wide open with not much to do. The shots and layout are largely boring. It’s also lacks color and depth. Am not a fan. I only played it once, but it didn’t have nearly the first impression of the other P3s I’ve played.
Not sure why this didn’t click with me sooner, but the top-most section with the targets is where the swappable game modules are changed out. This leaves the bottom 2/3 of the playfield with the video screen beneath that changes to provide the rest of the game immersion. It’s always been an idea I’m intrigued by, but I just do not like the pricing at all. If the base system was half the price, these P3s would make more sense to me. I realize these companies have to make a profit to be a business, but it’s obious to me where the profit is at and just can’t get past it with these P3. If I could catch one used with multiple modules for under/around $7k, I might be a customer, but alas, I think this is an idea, however cool it is, that probably passes me by except if I see them on location to play. Never say never
- Stern
- Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye [premium] – we’ve already played the pro 30 or so times before checking out the premium for the first time. I also observed, although didn’t participate in the co-op shared scored mode with four players. An interesting way to play!
Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye premium edition includes the dragon that moves even more directions and spits out balls. It’s also an 8-ball game vs. 6-ball and honestly, none of us that played it felt like the premium added cost and changes were necessary. We all like playing the pro better. Add to that the balls getting jammed in the plunge eject during the dragon multiball wasn’t a good experience. With code and adjustments these things will be fixed, but if I was buying a D&D game, I would lean pro all the way right now. Maybe once the code is complete and bugs are ironed out, the premium will shine more. I do love the look of the LE, btw. I still believe D&D is going to be a sleeper hit or cult classic of the newer Sterns. It has way too much potential not to shine over time. The big question mark remains what it all will be like when the code is done.
I did encounter probably the most excitement from others playing D&D and Portal, so those two games stood out to me more than others. Yes, lots of people were playing Evil Dead from Spooky, but I didn’t see the same level of enthusiasm from other attendees playing. Everybody seemed to universally praise Evil Dead art and theme integration.
Spotty Insider Connected coverage at TPF on some games
Need to interrupt the flow here a bit to talk about the Insider Connected situation at TPF. We immediately noticed several Stern Insider Connected games were not connected to the network. The D&D section all seemed to work, but across the way a Jaws pro couldn’t connect to the network.
Add to that no single leaderboard for all the Stern IC games. They did have this side quest section (https://insider.sternpinball.com/ic/leaderboards/jHd-BwaBb-PpNDX?location=31990&isPast=true) – but it wasn’t clear to any of us how to get involved with that.
This was a miss to other shows that run a tournament during the event with all players. I won a small red toy car for my score on Jaws last year at the NW Pinball & Arcade Show. Would have been cool to have something like this at TPF, but nothing seemed to be happening in this area.
The Avatar lines
Avatar from JJP has some of the most consistent lines, so that game definitely has its fans. I didn’t play any Avatar, it just isn’t a game I’m very interested in (see: Avatar (Jersey Jack Pinball 2024) Limited Edition Detailed Thoughts after Flipping On Location)
We also got to see and play some older games:
Those finishing nails as ball guides crack me up. Check this wood trim Williams 1959 Tic-Tac-Toe:
The wood trim for the 50s and 60s games are cool, no doubt. Would be expensive to do that in 2025, but it’s definitely something that sticks out on the older games and the feel of the wood is softer compared to modern metal.
Turner Pinball announced a new game, Merlin’s Arcade (https://turnerpinball.com/merlins-arcade/) as a follow-up to their limited first game (Ninja Eclipse (Turner Pinball 2024) Detailed First Thoughts after Flipping on Location). I didn’t play this game or even visit the booth at TPF, it was a miss on my part. Should have checked this out, because I generally enjoyed playing Ninja Eclipse.
Turner are making two editions of this more family-oriented D&D-like original theme, a legendary edition ($8,995) limited to 500 games max that is essentially their version of a premium and the less expensive and unlimited arcade version ($6,995). A $1,000 deposit is required that Turner will refund if they can’t ship your game within 2 years from the deposit. Turner says they plan to start producing Merlin’s Arcade in summer 2025, starting with the first 100 Legendary Editions and then moving onto Arcade Editions.
Ramp’s Road Show MIA at TPF?
The one game I wanted to check out and didn’t was see was Ramp’s Road Show. They were supposed to have several machines to play at TPF but if this game was there, I didn’t see it. Was listed in the TPF games section, but it’s no longer listed there and it’s on the manufacturer’s website under the “Events” page (https://www.rampspinball.com/events)
It’s possible I missed the display somewhere, because there were some areas we didn’t view. Anyway, hoping to check this one out on one of the west coast shows, Portland Retrogaming Show or the Northwest Pinball & Arcade show in June. If it’s there, anyway, because as it looks above, they won’t be coming to the west coast.
Jersey Jack Pinball – Jack confirms Harry Potter is next
Some (many?) are saying this was a mistake, but Jersey Jack Pinball founder Jack Guinari said during a panel in response to a question that Harry Potter is next and “save your money.” I also heard the number of $4 million to secure the licensing, but consider that completely unconfirmed.
I’m sure a lot of folks will go wild over Harry Potter. It’s an IP I do not have much interest in, but appreciate the massive fan following it has. This should be JJP’s best theme to date.
Homebrew pins
I was asked about these during the livestream on Monday and didn’t spend any time playing or even checking out any of the homebrew pins brought to TPF. This is an area personally I’m not that interested in as part of the hobby. Sure, I love playing all different types of pinball, but it seems like a number of these games are one-offs, made with great care and love, no doubt, but not games I’ll likely ever see to play anywhere beyond at a show. This is a side to the hobby that I think is very cool, but it’s not really something I’m that into at the present time. I do plan to check out more of the homebrew scene at the other two shows we’re going to in 2025 and will have more coverage to share.
Vendors
Spent less time than I hoped for talking with vendors at TPF. We did buy a couple of these magnetic drink holders called Pin Cooz ($10 each) we bought Dungeons & Dragons themed ones.
While I like the idea in demonstration, I haven’t tried it out to see how practical it is. I realize they sell plenty of drink holders that mount to the leg bolts but my problem with those is they awkwardly stick out. Nothing worse than walking by and hitting one of those. Will the Pin Cooz stick out as well and be easy to knock off with liquid and spill onto the game? Yeah, that’s something to be concerned about, definitely. Will have to report back on how — and if — these work out in real world use.
I also spoke to Warped Pinball (https://warpedpinball.com/) and their System 11 chip that will enable these machines to capture high scores and create leaderboards for both home and tournaments. The chip slots where the CPU is at and the CPU sits atop. A list of compatible Williams System 11 games is available via Pinside.
At their booth they were demoing connectivity with Diner and Pinbot.
As far as show merch goes, we picked up shirts and hats for TPF. They were selling out of that stuff fast. I did spend a little time perusing the Marco booth and would have bought art blades for James Bond, but that seemed to be one of the few games they did not bring inventory to the show (or sold out quickly if they did). I thought about buying Iron Maiden blades, as they were there, but held off. Will pick those up another time, I think. I like the idea of the art blades on the pins vs. the default (boring) black on the pro and premium.
We also got to see up close and direct the new Venom accessories, including the topper — that looks very much like Mando to me.
Cool that you can play as Ghost Rider if you have that topper, but the price, ouch. Most of the toppers are overpriced IMO, but I do like the ones that add additional/custom gameplay modes like the “Shark is Broken” Topper for Jaws.
The Stern Infinity Mirror Sign/Topper for $200 is priced more reasonably and looks pretty sharp.
I could see using this as a single topper between the machines. It looks cool in person, although it appears to be very cheap plastic construction, so no idea of the durability. At least to designate a Stern Pinball section of pins for those of us that don’t have toppers on our games, this might be a less expensive option.
Overall thoughts on TPF 2025
Kinda wish we’d spent more time there than we did, but think we hit the high points in the short time we spent there on Saturday (roughly 6 hours). The mood of the show was on the quiet side from an energy standpoint. I didn’t see a lot of enthusiasm from attendees or vendors we passed by, which was a bit different than my experience at other shows.
The lines were reasonable. I’d heard rumors of long lines from prior years, but I’d say that was a non-issue really when we were there on Saturday. Yes, there were lines, probably the most for Avatar, Evil Dead and Portal, but you could get in on the games after a relatively short wait. I can’t say the same for the one and only Labyrinth at last year’s NW Pinball & Arcade show. That line was always too long to get in.
It’s unlikely we’ll be attending again, at least not very soon, not because the show itself was done poorly or was any kind of negative experience — it was a good time — it’s located a bit far away and we have local shows like the Northwest Pinball & Arcade and the Portland Retrogaming Expo that are much closer. If we lived in/near Texas, we’d most certainly attend again. We did enjoy vacationing in the surrounding Texas area including visiting an arcade, Dealey Plaza for the 6th Floor Museum, the National Videogame Museum (also located in Frisco, TX) and multiple casinos in Oklahoma, including the world’s largest: Winstar Casino. We’ll probably provide separate write-ups on those places, but for TPF itself, it is a solid show that is put together well.
We like the idea of exploring other shows in other areas we’ve not been to, with the show providing an anchor event of sorts, but our focus as a vacation spot to do other things in/around where the show is at. They have other bigger shows in other areas of the country that we need to research more. This is something I’d like to do again.
Confirmation of Stern Pinball Kong from Team Elwin to be announced in May 2025?
Speaking of the NW Pinball & Arcade show the first week in May, take a look at who they are showing on their speakers page (https://www.nwpinballshow.com/speakers) as confirmed for June 2025 and what it says (“talking about the newest pinball game he designed for Stern, which isn’t yet announced, but will be at the show!”):
Just before last year’s show on May 7, 2024 John Wick was announced by Stern and they had a bunch of John Wicks available to play at the show. This year the most hot rumor is that Team Elwin is working on a Kong pinball. It seems all but certain by this show speaker confirmation that something new from Elwin’s team is coming and will be available to play at the show and presumably that will be the new Kong pinball. My guess is the timing of the announcement for the new game will be around the same time as John Wick, first week in May and a month later they’ll have these games at the show.
Since 2 of the 3 games we own (Jaws Premium, Iron Maiden) are team Elwin games, I’m going to definitely be checking out this panel and maybe I can get something signed for our games by Elwin’s team afterwards. Stay tuned for future coverage on this.
More shows in 2025
As mentioned, we’re planning to attend at least two more game shows in 2025. The NW Pinball & Arcade Show (https://www.nwpinballshow.com/) from June 26 – 28, 2025. We’re attending all three days, so expect more comprehensive coverage. We also want to attend multiple days of the Portland Retrogaming Expo (https://www.retrogamingexpo.com/) October 17-19, 2025.
We’re planning on staying at/near the hotel where this event is held.
Zaccaria Pinball – score chase for the week
PGM Skullbox686 has moved into weekly tables to score chase, with this week’s being Combat EM. Play a game, join us, register a score!
Your turn
Any questions about TPF or any other pinball news this past week from you? Happy to share in the comments more if something wasn’t covered.