Firepower (pinball)

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Firepower
Firepower flyer.png
American arcade flyer for Firepower
Manufacturer Williams
Release dateFebruary 1980
SystemWilliams System 6
Design Steve Ritchie
Programming Eugene Jarvis
ArtworkConstantino Mitchell
MechanicsJohn Jung
Sound Eugene Jarvis
Voices Steve Ritchie
Production run17,410

Firepower (also known as Multi-Ball Firepower) is a 1980 pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams. The machine had a production run of 17,410 machines. [1]

Contents

Design and layout

Firepower was the first solid-state electronic pinball to feature 3-ball Multi-Ball, as well as "Lane Change." This allows the player to control the lamps of the topmost rollovers utilizing the right flipper button. [2]

The machine would "queue" scores and then catch up with rewarding points if necessary. [3]

The game includes 31 sounds, and 21 speech phrases. [4]

Gameplay

In multiplayer games the state of the machine for each player is retained between balls. [2] [5]

Reception

In a review for Play Meter , Roger Sharpe awarded the game 4/4. [5]

Due to the high interest in the game production was increased by July 1980. [6]

Digital versions

Raster Blaster was based on this table. [7]

Firepower was included in the arcade game UltraPin . [8]

Firepower released in some versions of Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection on several systems between 2008 and 2011. [9] It was released by the same developer for The Pinball Arcade, [10] and was available until June 30, 2018, when all Williams tables were removed due to licensing issues. [11]

References

  1. "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Williams 'Firepower'".
  2. 1 2 Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball Compendium 1970-1981 (1st ed.). Atglen: Schiffer Publishing. pp. 168–169. ISBN   978-0-7643-2074-3.
  3. "Ask Uncle Willy #8". www.planetarypinball.com. November 21, 1995. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  4. "Profit Power Pinball". Play Meter. Vol. 6, no. 7. April 1980. p. 82.
  5. 1 2 Sharpe, Roger C. (June 1980). "Critic's corner - Pinball strikes back with some heavyweights". Play Meter. Vol. 6, no. 11. pp. 81, 83–84.
  6. "Firepower". Play Meter. Vol. 6, no. 13. July 15, 1980. pp. 34, 8.
  7. "Pinball Wizard - Bill Budge on the Apple II and Raster Blaster". Retro Gamer. No. 165. March 2017. p. 59.
  8. Gerson, Mitch (September 2008). "GameRoom News". Game Room. No. 20. p. 9.
  9. Harris, Craig (2008-03-14). "Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Review [Wii]". IGN. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  10. Broida, Rick (March 25, 2013). "The most fun I had all weekend: Pinball Arcade". CNET. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  11. Lawson, Aurich (2018-05-08). "The Pinball Arcade is losing its classic tables; grab them while you can". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-09-19.