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episodes

BlahCade 280: The 2024 State of Zen with Mel Kirk

Our annual discussion with Zen Studios COO Mel Kirk is here to talk all things pinball that happened in 2024 and a sneak peak at what to expect in 2025.

In episodes, interviews, Nov 11, 2024

BlahCade 281: Mel Kirk talks Zen and Goings On with AtGames

This is an excerpt from our interview (episode 280) with Zen Studios COO coming out next week.

In episodes, interviews, Nov 04, 2024

BlahCade 279: The Jurassic Park Home Edition $4900 Question

This go around Chris got his hands on Stern’s Jurassic Park Home Edition at his local Costco and is here to address that price point.

In episodes, Oct 14, 2024

BlahCade 278: The Princess Bride Pinball: As You Wish

Two new Zen tables to discuss in this episode:

In episodes, Sep 13, 2024

BlahCade 277: What's your favourite gimmick?

What would you put into a pinball machine if you could design your own from the ground up?Chris and Jared debate over a list of things you normally find in pinball machines and build ...

In episodes, Aug 06, 2024

BlahCade 276: The pros and cons of real and digital pinball cab ownership

In this episode, Chris and Jared break down all the advantages and disadvantages of owning a real pinball machine versus a digital pinball cabinet.

In episodes, Jun 24, 2024

BlahCade 275: So many new Pinball FX tables to play

Since the last episode, seven tables have dropped on Pinball FX!Chris and Jared take a look at them through an abbreviated play-through.

In episodes, May 27, 2024

BlahCade 274: Gottlieb Packs 1 and 2 review PLUS PinFX Universal TV Tables!

Chris explains why the Gottlieb packs for the AtGames Legends Pinball 4K might leave you wondering if FarSight even tried.

In episodes, Apr 15, 2024

BlahCade 273: AtGames Legends Pinbal 4K Hands On Discussion

The boys dig into some initial impressions of the ALP 4K now that Chris has had some time to experience both the Zen Studios tables and the Magic Pixel tables exclusive to ALP 4K.

In episodes, Mar 18, 2024

BlahCade 272: Netflix and Zen?

Zen Studios has partnered with Netflix for a free with subscription game called Zen Pinball Masters.

In episodes, Feb 19, 2024

BlahCade 271: Top 10 Zen Originals We Always Play

They may not be the best, and they may not be our favorites, but these are the top 10 Zen Originals we always have a game or two on when booting up Pinball FX.

In episodes, Jan 21, 2024

BlahCade 270: Target Alpha, New Toys for 2024!

Chris became an EM owner since the last episode with a Gottlieb Target Alpha, and it was as close to a barn find to be had without the actual barn!

In episodes, Jan 08, 2024

BlahCade 269: End of 2023 Interview with Zen's Mel Kirk

It’s an annual tradition of having Zen COO Mel Kirk join us to discuss everything happening with Zen Studios and reflect upon what was a massive year for the studio.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 18, 2023

BlahCade 268: Pinball FX has 14 new tables!

Zen Studios just announced 14 new tables coming to Pinball FX within 1 week of each other!What??

In episodes, Nov 26, 2023

BlahCade 267: Unboxing AtGames Legends Pinball Arcade Control Panel, and South Park

We unbox the AtGames Legends Pinball Arcade Control Panel, look at the Pinball M demo, and show some differences with South Park in Pinball FX compared with Pinball FX2.

In episodes, Oct 16, 2023

BlahCade 266: Hastily thrown together reaction to AtGames Legends 4K

The announcement about the partnership between AtGames and Zen Studios came out of the blue, so here we are reacting to it!

In episodes, Sep 17, 2023

BlahCade 264: Top 5 Pinball Arcade Bally Wiliams Tables We Want Next in Pinball FX

Join us as we discuss which of the 34 remaining tables from The Pinball Arcade we’d like most to see next come to Pinball FX.

In episodes, Aug 24, 2023

BlahCade 263: Is This Zen After Dark (Pinball M)?

Our favorite sort of episode: one filled with speculation!

In episodes, Jul 23, 2023

BlahCade 262: Poll Results for the Best of New in Pinball FX

Get comfy, because this is probably our longest show yet!

In episodes, Jul 07, 2023

BlahCade 260: Diving DEEP with Pinball FX's Peter Grafl

We had the opportunity to send several questions to Peter 'Deep' Grafl, the lead pinball designer at Zen.

In episodes, May 15, 2023

BlahCade 258: Table Speculation Time

Here we go again, our favorite thing to do: speculation!Zen’s latest Pinball Show gave us lots to chew on, and chew we do.

In episodes, Apr 03, 2023

BlahCade 257: What? Pulp Fiction Pinball!

In a change of pace for us, we discuss actual pinball machines!Three new machines have all been announced in the last few weeks, with Play Mechanix’s Pulp Fiction grabbing Chris...

In episodes, Mar 20, 2023

BlahCade 256: Let's Play Garfield and Snoopy

We’re taking a spin on Peanuts Snoopy Pinball and Garfield Pinball, the last two carry overs from the Zen Pinball Party mobile app into Pinball FX.

In episodes, playthrough, Mar 06, 2023

BlahCade 255: Let's Play Pinball FX and Look At Some Festering

Whelp, PinFX is here!We look at how Zen went about their "festering" of Bally’s The Addams Family and discuss some of the tweaks made from Early Access.Then we play a bit of pin...

In episodes, playthrough, Feb 20, 2023

BlahCade 254: Pinball FX Feb 16 Launch Details

Zen’s Pinball FX platform is officially coming out of Early Access and onto PlayStation and Xbox consoles on February 16!Chris and Jared take a look at 80+ titles available at l...

In episodes, Feb 06, 2023

BlahCade 253: Let's Play Plants vs Zombies and Ms. Splosion Man pinball

Before we play, we first discuss what was curiously missing from Arcade 1Up’s CES announcement: pinball cabinets.Who could Zen have partnered with to produce the next generation...

In episodes, playthrough, Jan 09, 2023

BlahCade 252: Winter 2022 Chat with Mel Kirk

It’s that time of year again when Zen Chief Operations Officer Mel Kirk visits the show and talks all things Zen pinball.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 18, 2022

BlahCade 251: Wrath of the Elder Gods

It’s not just us playing Wrath of the Elder Gods; it’s Chris playing it essentially for the very first time!This is the first "reaction video" we’ve done for a Zen r...

In episodes, playthrough, Dec 12, 2022

BlahCade 250: Let's Play Super League Pinball

In honor of the World Cup, we decided to look at an old Zen table that we hope will come to Pinball FX in the future: Super League Football.

In episodes, playthrough, Nov 28, 2022

BlahCade 249: GOOAAALLL! WCS '94

We do a play-through of the indie game The Pinball Wizard by Frosty Pop and then do the same for Zen’s latest Bally recreation World Cup Soccer '94.

In episodes, playthrough, Oct 31, 2022

BlahCade 248: My Little Star Inks

In this episode, we talk about the game Inks and how it is now available on Android.We do a Let’s Play of this title and talk through the chilled-out elements of the gameplay.

In episodes, playthrough, Oct 03, 2022

BlahCade 246: Homeworld Pinball Let's Play

We speculate a bit about what is coming up from Zen in Pinball FX for September, October, and November.

In episodes, playthrough, Sep 05, 2022

BlahCade 245: The rest of 2022 as we see it

It has been a bit of a quiet year regarding commercial digital pinball.

In episodes, Aug 22, 2022

BlahCade 244: Grimm Tales and RetroPlay Aftermath

Well, people sure did have things to say about our previous episode featuring RetroPlay!We try not to kick the hornet’s nest once more and probably fail.You decide.But we start ...

In episodes, playthrough, Jul 25, 2022

BlahCade 243: Retroplay Gets Us Talking About VPX

We usually stay clear of VPX discussions.

In episodes, interviews, Jul 11, 2022

BlahCade 242: RIP Digital Pinball Fans

It’s the end of an era! The digitalpinballfans.com forum is closing at the end of July 2022.We go down memory lane and talk about how the site hugely impacted digital pinball...

In episodes, Jun 27, 2022

BlahCade 241: Swords, Monsters, and Cab Mode

This week, we discuss Pinball FX’s latest new table Swords of Fury.

In episodes, May 30, 2022

BlahCade 240: Spring 2022 Chat with Mel Kirk

A must-watch episode as Zen’s very own Mel Kirk joins us once more on the show to talk about the current state of Pinball FX, where the platform is heading, and how your feedbac...

In episodes, interviews, May 02, 2022

BlahCade 239: More Williams and More Originals

Join us as we look at Zen’s roadmap of future tables.

In episodes, Apr 17, 2022

BlahCade 238: Pinball FX Early Access Gut Reactions

Buckle up, folks, and grab a hefty snack because this episode will be a long one!

In episodes, Apr 04, 2022

BlahCade 237: Indiana Jones and the Costs of Licensing

It’s here! Indiana Jones was released this week on every platform that carries Pinball FX3.

In episodes, Mar 14, 2022

BlahCade 236: Rollers of the Realm Reunion interview with Tony Walsh

Tony Walsh, Company Director and Founder of indie game studio Phantom Compass, joins us to chat about their sequel to the award-winning Rollers of the Realm Pinball RPG.

In episodes, interviews, Feb 14, 2022

BlahCade 235: We like what we see so far, PinFX

We take a look at the new visuals dropped for PinballFX, mainly those of Indiana Jones.We also react to features and purchasing options that were announced.

In episodes, Feb 07, 2022

BlahCade 234: Recap of Mel Interview and More

We’re starting off 2022 with Jared sharing an update about his Gottlieb pinball machine restorations.

In episodes, interviews, Jan 17, 2022

BlahCade 233: Indiana Jones and the Mel Kirk Interview

Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios, joins us for an in-depth talk that covers all things Indiana Jones, Zen Pinball Party, PinFX, and much much more.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 20, 2021

BlahCade 232: Xmas 2021 A Pinball Bust

About this time last year, we predicted what we would see released about now (December 2021).Naturally, things didn’t go exactly to plan, but some predictions aren’t too w...

In episodes, Nov 29, 2021

BlahCade 231: Not Salty About Peanuts (new Zen table)

We are back with another episode that, this time, features the gameplay of Zen’s newest Pinball Party title, Peanuts.

In episodes, Nov 01, 2021

BlahCade 230: Pinball FX delayed until 2022

That’s right, Pinball FX has been delayed according to the latest episode of The Pinball Show.That, however, is not the only news…​

In episodes, Oct 04, 2021

BlahCade 229: Lights, camera, auction?

It’s a mish-mash of topics that concludes with the outrageous auction prices of a huge pinball collection.First, though, we catch up on Zen and Stern news as well as a rather od...

In episodes, Sep 20, 2021

BlahCade 228: Zen Pinball Party Playthrough

This is a special walkthrough episode where Chris and I play the Zen Pinball Party app on Apple Arcade.

In episodes, playthrough, Sep 06, 2021

BlahCade 227: Zen brings Apple to a Pinball Party

We’re back after an extended break!We talk about what has gone on in the month we were away and deep dive into Zen’s announcement of Zen Pinball Party on Apple Arcade.

In episodes, Aug 24, 2021

BlahCade 226: Lost in the Woods with Arcooda Pinball Forest

This episode’s main event is a curious development with arcade machine producer Arcooda and a tweet stream leaking out over the last few weeks.There are some interesting revelat...

In episodes, Jul 06, 2021

BlahCade 225: AtGames Taito Pinball Reaction

With this podcast, we can officially say that Farsight Studios is no longer in the pinball business.It turns out that AtGames did not contract Farsight Studios to produce the announce...

In episodes, Jun 23, 2021

BlahCade 224: Zen Original Sneak Peek

Zen Studios dropped a pleasant surprise on their VR customers recently with a free table: Han Solo.

In episodes, Jun 07, 2021

BlahCade 223: Mando vs. Mando

Stern announced that they will release a Mandalorian pinball machine.This is interesting because both tables from Zen and Stern were in development concurrently.We start by comparing ...

In episodes, May 26, 2021

BlahCade 222: Star Wars Pinball VR analysis

Now that Chris and I have both played Star Wars Pinball VR (SWPVR) extensively, we wanted to provide a different perspective on the game for people who are on the fence about getting ...

In episodes, May 10, 2021

BlahCade 221: Speculation a-go-go

Mel Kirk gave us a lot to think about in the interview he did in Episode 220.As is tradition on the show, we go into deep speculation mode and try to work out what games might be rele...

In episodes, Apr 26, 2021

BlahCade 220: Mel Kirk interview for Spring 2021

This episode is a massive interview with Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 28, 2021

BlahCade 219: Reacting to Epic Pinball FX News

It’s time to get down and give our take on the pretty controversial news that Mel shared with everyone on The Pinball Show No. 3.

In episodes, Mar 28, 2021

BlahCade 218: Star Wars Pinball VR

We get to go to a virtual pinball galaxy far, far away in April 2021.

In episodes, Mar 04, 2021

BlahCade 217: AtGames, hear us out

We are seeing a lot of chatter about AtGames as they begin shipping cabinets out. But there are some things that no one is talking about.

In episodes, Feb 25, 2021

BlahCade 216: Zen Pinball FX News Unpacked

Zen Studios announced that they will be releasing a brand new Pinball FX app this year.

In episodes, Feb 17, 2021

BlahCade 215: Pinball in VR

It has taken us way too many years to be able to do this episode, but good things come to those who (patiently) wait.

In episodes, Jan 30, 2021

BlahCade 214: We can’t just push reset?

This year has already started out a bit dodgy, but surely it can only get better starting from now.

In episodes, Jan 13, 2021

BlahCade 213: End of year free-for-all

It’s the end of 2020 so it’s time to have a break-up party episode.

In episodes, Jan 03, 2021

BlahCade 212: Let’s predict 2021

What is in store for us in 2021? Let’s do some guessing.

In episodes, Dec 21, 2020

BlahCade 211: 105 Reasons Why

Zaccaria Pinball is coming to AtGames.

In episodes, Dec 06, 2020

BlahCade 210: Acquisitions and Redesigns

Zen has been acquired, and AtGames has done a cabinet revamp.

In episodes, Nov 28, 2020

BlahCade 209: Pre-order This!

Mandalorian and more digital pin-cab news.

In episodes, Nov 09, 2020

BlahCade 208: Zen’s Mel Kirk Holiday 2020 Q and A

Mel Kirk joins us for a retrospective on 2020 and a tantalizing preview of what’s coming up next

In episodes, interviews, Nov 01, 2020

BlahCade 207: Pinball cabinet wars 2020

The heat is on in the lead up to Christmas when it comes to virtual pinball cabinets!

In episodes, Oct 30, 2020

BlahCade 206: New content bonanza!

The wait for new digital pinball content is over!

In episodes, Oct 25, 2020

BlahCade 205: Same sh*t, different day

The wait for new digital pinball content is starting to wear many pinball fans out and this is leading to conspiracy theories.

In episodes, Sep 20, 2020

BlahCade 204: The Other Pin Cabs

While the hype for Arcade 1UP is high, Toyshock is pumping out products you can buy now!

In episodes, Aug 23, 2020

BlahCade 203: Williams Pinball Volume 6 Reveal

After nearly half a year’s wait, it’s time for new pinball from Zen Studios!

In episodes, Aug 08, 2020

BlahCade 202: Let’s ride bikes!

In anticipation of California Extreme 2020, we go off on tangents.

In episodes, Jul 28, 2020

BlahCade 201: Arcade 1UP Interview Thoughts

It’s time to reflect on the news we are privy to from the interview.

In episodes, Jul 07, 2020

BlahCade 200: Arcade 1UP Interview

Look, everyone! We have guests! A party isn’t a party without friends to help us celebrate our 200th episode in style.

In episodes, interviews, Jun 29, 2020

BlahCade 196: Zen about quarantine with Mel Kirk

Chris and I sit down with Mel Kirk of Zen Studios for a huge unpack of news about what’s happening now and in the future for Zen in 2020.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 29, 2020

BlahCade 175: Williams Pinball Vol. 4 announcement with Mel Kirk

It’s time to reveal the latest three tables that will arrive in Williams Pinball on May 28th 2019!

In episodes, interviews, May 19, 2019

BlahCade 166: Williams Pinball Vol. 3 announcement with Mel Kirk and Thomas Crofts

Zen Studios have joined the show to announce what will be in the Williams Pinball Volume 3 release coming out very soon.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 06, 2019

BlahCade 164: Zen Studios design interview

Zen Studios has lent us some time to chat about Williams Pinball and other Zen questions.

In episodes, interviews, Feb 18, 2019

BlahCade 155: Williams Pinball Vol. 2 announcement with Mel Kirk

Mel Kirk joins us again for a retrospective on Volume One and drops some terrific news about Volume Two!

In episodes, interviews, Nov 16, 2018

BlahCade 149: Williams Pinball Vol. 1 announcement with Mel Kirk

We have unlimited access to Mel Kirk from Zen Studios where we talk about the new Remastered mode in Williams Pinball and a pile of other stuff.

In episodes, interviews, Oct 18, 2018

BlahCade 146: Interview with Mart from Magic Pixel

We have a great chat with Mart, the Community Manager for Magic Pixel.

In episodes, interviews, Aug 22, 2018

interviews

BlahCade 280: The 2024 State of Zen with Mel Kirk

Our annual discussion with Zen Studios COO Mel Kirk is here to talk all things pinball that happened in 2024 and a sneak peak at what to expect in 2025.

In episodes, interviews, Nov 11, 2024

BlahCade 281: Mel Kirk talks Zen and Goings On with AtGames

This is an excerpt from our interview (episode 280) with Zen Studios COO coming out next week.

In episodes, interviews, Nov 04, 2024

BlahCade 269: End of 2023 Interview with Zen's Mel Kirk

It’s an annual tradition of having Zen COO Mel Kirk join us to discuss everything happening with Zen Studios and reflect upon what was a massive year for the studio.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 18, 2023

BlahCade 252: Winter 2022 Chat with Mel Kirk

It’s that time of year again when Zen Chief Operations Officer Mel Kirk visits the show and talks all things Zen pinball.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 18, 2022

BlahCade 243: Retroplay Gets Us Talking About VPX

We usually stay clear of VPX discussions.

In episodes, interviews, Jul 11, 2022

BlahCade 240: Spring 2022 Chat with Mel Kirk

A must-watch episode as Zen’s very own Mel Kirk joins us once more on the show to talk about the current state of Pinball FX, where the platform is heading, and how your feedbac...

In episodes, interviews, May 02, 2022

BlahCade 236: Rollers of the Realm Reunion interview with Tony Walsh

Tony Walsh, Company Director and Founder of indie game studio Phantom Compass, joins us to chat about their sequel to the award-winning Rollers of the Realm Pinball RPG.

In episodes, interviews, Feb 14, 2022

BlahCade 234: Recap of Mel Interview and More

We’re starting off 2022 with Jared sharing an update about his Gottlieb pinball machine restorations.

In episodes, interviews, Jan 17, 2022

BlahCade 233: Indiana Jones and the Mel Kirk Interview

Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios, joins us for an in-depth talk that covers all things Indiana Jones, Zen Pinball Party, PinFX, and much much more.

In episodes, interviews, Dec 20, 2021

BlahCade 220: Mel Kirk interview for Spring 2021

This episode is a massive interview with Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 28, 2021

BlahCade 208: Zen’s Mel Kirk Holiday 2020 Q and A

Mel Kirk joins us for a retrospective on 2020 and a tantalizing preview of what’s coming up next

In episodes, interviews, Nov 01, 2020

BlahCade 200: Arcade 1UP Interview

Look, everyone! We have guests! A party isn’t a party without friends to help us celebrate our 200th episode in style.

In episodes, interviews, Jun 29, 2020

BlahCade 196: Zen about quarantine with Mel Kirk

Chris and I sit down with Mel Kirk of Zen Studios for a huge unpack of news about what’s happening now and in the future for Zen in 2020.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 29, 2020

BlahCade 175: Williams Pinball Vol. 4 announcement with Mel Kirk

It’s time to reveal the latest three tables that will arrive in Williams Pinball on May 28th 2019!

In episodes, interviews, May 19, 2019

BlahCade 166: Williams Pinball Vol. 3 announcement with Mel Kirk and Thomas Crofts

Zen Studios have joined the show to announce what will be in the Williams Pinball Volume 3 release coming out very soon.

In episodes, interviews, Mar 06, 2019

BlahCade 164: Zen Studios design interview

Zen Studios has lent us some time to chat about Williams Pinball and other Zen questions.

In episodes, interviews, Feb 18, 2019

BlahCade 155: Williams Pinball Vol. 2 announcement with Mel Kirk

Mel Kirk joins us again for a retrospective on Volume One and drops some terrific news about Volume Two!

In episodes, interviews, Nov 16, 2018

BlahCade 149: Williams Pinball Vol. 1 announcement with Mel Kirk

We have unlimited access to Mel Kirk from Zen Studios where we talk about the new Remastered mode in Williams Pinball and a pile of other stuff.

In episodes, interviews, Oct 18, 2018

BlahCade 146: Interview with Mart from Magic Pixel

We have a great chat with Mart, the Community Manager for Magic Pixel.

In episodes, interviews, Aug 22, 2018

playthrough

BlahCade 256: Let's Play Garfield and Snoopy

We’re taking a spin on Peanuts Snoopy Pinball and Garfield Pinball, the last two carry overs from the Zen Pinball Party mobile app into Pinball FX.

In episodes, playthrough, Mar 06, 2023

BlahCade 255: Let's Play Pinball FX and Look At Some Festering

Whelp, PinFX is here!We look at how Zen went about their "festering" of Bally’s The Addams Family and discuss some of the tweaks made from Early Access.Then we play a bit of pin...

In episodes, playthrough, Feb 20, 2023

BlahCade 253: Let's Play Plants vs Zombies and Ms. Splosion Man pinball

Before we play, we first discuss what was curiously missing from Arcade 1Up’s CES announcement: pinball cabinets.Who could Zen have partnered with to produce the next generation...

In episodes, playthrough, Jan 09, 2023

BlahCade 251: Wrath of the Elder Gods

It’s not just us playing Wrath of the Elder Gods; it’s Chris playing it essentially for the very first time!This is the first "reaction video" we’ve done for a Zen r...

In episodes, playthrough, Dec 12, 2022

BlahCade 250: Let's Play Super League Pinball

In honor of the World Cup, we decided to look at an old Zen table that we hope will come to Pinball FX in the future: Super League Football.

In episodes, playthrough, Nov 28, 2022

BlahCade 249: GOOAAALLL! WCS '94

We do a play-through of the indie game The Pinball Wizard by Frosty Pop and then do the same for Zen’s latest Bally recreation World Cup Soccer '94.

In episodes, playthrough, Oct 31, 2022

BlahCade 248: My Little Star Inks

In this episode, we talk about the game Inks and how it is now available on Android.We do a Let’s Play of this title and talk through the chilled-out elements of the gameplay.

In episodes, playthrough, Oct 03, 2022

BlahCade 246: Homeworld Pinball Let's Play

We speculate a bit about what is coming up from Zen in Pinball FX for September, October, and November.

In episodes, playthrough, Sep 05, 2022

BlahCade 244: Grimm Tales and RetroPlay Aftermath

Well, people sure did have things to say about our previous episode featuring RetroPlay!We try not to kick the hornet’s nest once more and probably fail.You decide.But we start ...

In episodes, playthrough, Jul 25, 2022

BlahCade 228: Zen Pinball Party Playthrough

This is a special walkthrough episode where Chris and I play the Zen Pinball Party app on Apple Arcade.

In episodes, playthrough, Sep 06, 2021