IFPA 21: “The Dog Fight at De Pere!” Jason Zahler vs. Eric Stone
We had “The Rumble in the Jungle” and “The Thrilla in Manila.” Now we have “The Match at District 82.”
Summer Games Done Quick: Total Nuclear Annihilation by Ryan McSquid in 18:45
A genre-crossing milestone in pinball has been reached: The first ever speedrun of an arcade pinball game on the main stage!
Ryan McQuaid (McSquid) went to Game Done Quick in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and absolutely CRUSHED the speedrun of Total Nuclear Annihilation (TNA)!
LIVE, in front of an auditorium audience and with 35,000 livestream viewers watching, he posted a time of 18:45 for destroying all nine reactors.
Stern Pokémon Gameplay Tutorial Demonstration at Texas Pinball Festival
I had the privilege of playing a live tutorial of Pokémon by Stern Pinball, with Software Developer Tanio Klyce and Game Designer Jack Danger, in front of an audience at Texas Pinball Festival.
While Tanio and Jack were representing Stern, I was an independent representative of … well … myself. So, like the seminar attendees, I wanted to know what updates were being planned for this game.
A Pin-Masters conversation with Roger Sharpe
IFPA Pin-Masters – a tradition unlike any other. This year, the tradition was held at ORD Pinball near Chicago, Illinois. A site where many pinball Players, including State Pinball Champions, dared to navigate the most sensitive slingshots known to mankind and the toughest PinGolf target scores.
As Roger was making quick work of the electromechanical game Wild Card, it malfunctioned. That gave us the opportunity to have a conversation with him about Pin-Masters and competitive pinball in general while the game was being repaired.
“My First Games” at Texas Pinball Festival
“My first game” is an experiment where I try to avoid as many spoilers or marketing material as I can, when a manufacturer releases a new pinball game, before I get to play it myself.
![5-7-3 Take Highest Score! [Police Force]](https://funwithbonus.com/wp-content/uploads/PoliceForce-TakeTheHighestScore.png)
5-7-3 Take Highest Score! [Police Force]
Here is a time when I could definitely say I was “LOCKED IN” or “IN THE ZONE” while playing pinball. At District 82 Arcade, it’s me vs. Police Force with the “TAKE HIGHEST SCORE” challenge set to 8 ramps in a row. Also, JACKPOT is lit. 8 consecutive ramps needed to win the game.
Retro Ralph reviews Stern Pinball Pokémon Media Day
(Who’s that guy on the far right side?!)
See what happened at the event and how the game was revealed to us. Scan the differences among the trim levels of the Pro, Premium, and Limited Editions. (Insert Pokémon pun here.)
Homebrew Showcase: Contra Special Forces
Throwing it back to the most recent Pinball Expo which had its largest Homebrew / Custom Game maker space to date, viewable from anywhere in the convention area.
Aces: The Quintessential Ace – The 2023 Open World Championship Final Ball
This Ace (a difference of 0.364%) was livestreamed on one of pinball’s biggest stages, The Open World Pinball Championship.
The Best Competitive Pinball Moments of 2025
See the close calls, the skillful saves, the simuldraineous events, the cash-ins, the scissors (me), the Commentators Curses (me again), the Lazarus bounce backs and much more exciting tournament action. Use this video to introduce someone to competitive pinball.