Indianapolis 500 (pinball)

Last updated

Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis500PinballFlyer.jpg
Manufacturer Midway
Release dateJune 1995
System Williams WPC Security (WPC-S)
DesignDennis Nordman
ProgrammingMike Boon, Craig Sylla
ArtworkDan Hughes, Paul Barker
Music Chris Granner
Production run2,249 units
Indianapolis 500 pinball game.jpg

Indianapolis 500 is a pinball machine designed by Dennis Nordman and produced by Midway (under the Bally brand name) released in June 1995. It is based on the sporting event of the same name.

Contents

Design

The designer initially had trouble deciding what features to include, but knew he wanted to emphasize speed. The turbo multi-ball and the spinning car evolved as ways to show this. [1]

The game includes a shaker motor. [2]

The game introduced an improved version of jumper bumpers. [3]

The three voices in the game are commentators Paul Page (longtime "Voice of the '500'"), and three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser, and the announcer Tom Carnegie, who was a legend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 50 years. [4]

Layout and gameplay

This game has no sink-holes and many targets and is one of the first pinball machines to feature light up targets. Such an object is a square plastic target, that is a little larger than one of the RIVER targets in White Water , or the REPAIR targets in Doctor Who and divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant can light up. The targets are completed if they are hit 4 times. [4] [5]

Reception

In a retrospective review of pinball machines released in 1995, Kineticist found it to be the 4th best machine of the year, and possibly Dennis Nordman's best game. [6]

Digital versions

Indianapolis 500 was available as a licensed table of The Pinball Arcade for several platforms from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. [7]

References

  1. Shalhoub, Michael (2012). The pinball compendium, 1982 to present (Rev. and expanded 2nd ed.). Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Pub. p. 207. ISBN   978-0-7643-4107-6.
  2. "INDIANAPOLIS 500 PUTS PLAYERS ON THE FAST TRACK FOR NON-STOP EXCITEMENT". Coin Cascade. December 1995. p. 11.
  3. "Indianapolis 500". Pinball Magazine. No. 2. 2013. pp. 73–77. ISBN   978-90-816266-2-0.
  4. 1 2 "Pinball Archive Rule Sheet: Indianapolis 500".
  5. US 5529294,Nordman, Dennis; Zuniga, Armando& Vornsand, Steven J,"Lighted stand-up target",published 1995-01-18,issued 1996-06-25
  6. Owen, Matt (October 7, 2025). "Every Pinball Machine of 1995, Ranked". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  7. Lawson, Aurich (2018-05-08). "The Pinball Arcade is losing its classic tables; grab them while you can". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-11-11.