Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails called 'pins' and had hollows or pockets which scored points if the ball came to rest in them. Today, pinball is most commonly an arcade game in which the ball is fired into a specially designed cabinet known as a pinball machine, hitting various lights, bumpers, ramps, and other targets depending on its design. The game's object is generally to score as many points as possible by hitting these targets and making various shots with flippers before the ball is lost. Most pinball machines use one ball per turn, and the game ends when the ball(s) from the last turn are lost. The biggest pinball machine manufacturers historically include Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics and Stern Pinball.
Gottlieb was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is best known for creating a vast line of pinball machines throughout much of the 20th century. but it also developed arcade games including Q*bert and others.
Haunted House is a pinball game released in October 31 1982 by Gottlieb. It was the first game with three playfields that the ball can move between, including one below the main playing surface. Haunted House was designed by John Osborne, with artwork by Terry Doerzaph. It is part of Gottlieb’s “System 80” series of pinball machines.
Edward Paul Krynski was a pinball game designer and innovator who worked for D. Gottlieb & Co between 1965 and 1984. During this time Krynski designed more than 200 games and innovated new pinball standards such as the laneways to the flipper, carousel targets, vari-targets, multiple drop targets, and the first solid state pinball machine with the speaker in the backbox instead of the bottom cabinet. Krynski is a member of the Pinball Hall of Fame.
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection is a pinball video game developed by FarSight Studios and published by Crave Entertainment. The tables featured in the game are recreations of real tables. A revised edition of the PlayStation 2 version of the game was later released as Gottlieb Pinball Classics in Europe and Australia by System 3 under their Play It label. This expanded version featured three additional tables, and was subsequently released in North America on the Wii and PlayStation Portable under its original title.
"300" is a pinball machine designed by Ed Krynski and produced by Gottlieb with a bowling theme. The title is a reference to a perfect game in the sport, in which a bowler scores 300 points. A two-player version of this four-player game was released as Top Score.
Central Park is a pinball machine that was released by Gottlieb in 1966. The game was sold in 3,100 units. It was designed by Ed Krynski and the art was done by Roy Parker.
Victory is a John Trudeau designed 1987 solid state pinball machine by Premier and licensed under Gottlieb.
Big Shot is a pinball machine designed by Ed Krynski and produced by Gottlieb in 1973. It was created as a two player version of their 1973 game, Hot Shot. The table is pool themed and is very popular among skilled players and collectors, because of the skill required to hit all 14 drop targets in the game. 2,900 units were manufactured.
Judge Dredd is a four-player pinball game produced by Bally Manufacturing in 1993, based on the British comic strip Judge Dredd in 2000 AD. Nearly 7,000 were made.
Tee'd Off is a pinball machine designed by Ray Tanzer and Jon Norris and released by Gottlieb in May 1993.
Mata Hari is a pinball machine created by Bally Manufacturing in 1977 and released in 1978. The theme of the game is based on Dutch exotic dancer, Mata Hari. It was mainly produced using solid-state electronics but also 170 electro-mechanical versions were released. It was the last model manufactured by Bally in two such versions. Approximately 20 sample games were produced with a plastic playfield, instead of the traditional wooden playfield.
Harley-Davidson is a Sega Pinball pinball machine released in September 1999 and was the last machine released by this company. It was designed by Jon Borg and Lonnie D. Ropp.
Genie is a widebody pinball machine designed by Ed Krynski and released in 1979 by Gottlieb. It features a jinn theme and was advertised with the slogans "Gottlieb's WIDE and Beautiful BODY" and "A Wide-Body Pinball absolutely bulging with player appeal and proven massive profit earning capacity!".
Spirit of 76 is a pinball game designed by Ed Krynski and Wayne Neyens and released in 1975 by Gottlieb. The pinball machine should not be confused with the pinball machine The Spirit of '76 by Mirco Games, Inc.
Cue Ball Wizard is a pinball machine designed by Jon Norris and released in December 18 1992 by Gottlieb. It features a cue sports theme and was advertised with the slogan "Gottlieb Presents CUE BALL WIZARD!".
Cyclone is a pinball machine released by Williams Electronics in 1988. It features an amusement park theme, Coney Island, and was advertised with the slogan "It'll blow you away!". Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan both appear in the backglass shown riding the rollercoaster.
Slick Chick is a single player wedge head pinball machine designed by Wayne Neyens and released by Gottlieb in January 27, 1963. It features a Playboy influenced theme.
Eight Ball Deluxe is a pinball machine designed by George Christian and released by Bally in 1981. The game features a cue sports theme and was so popular that it was produced again in 1984.
Frank Thomas' Big Hurt is a pinball machine designed by Bill Parker and released by Gottlieb in 1995. The game features a baseball theme and is named after Frank Thomas.
