Kiss-themed pinball machines were produced by Bally in 1979 [1] and Stern in 2015. [2] There are also some pinball machine conversion kits, [3] [4] a Kiss pinball machine prototype [5] and a Kiss pinball video game .
Kiss-themed pinball machines were produced by Bally in 1979 [1] and Stern in 2015. [2] There are also some pinball machine conversion kits, [3] [4] a Kiss pinball machine prototype [5] and a Kiss pinball video game .
In 1979 the first Kiss arcade pinball machine was produced by Bally, and stayed in circulation well into the 1980s. [6] In 1978, Barry Imhoff declared, "there will be 20,000 Kiss machines." [7] 17,000 produced Kiss pinball machines are confirmed. [1]
John Popadiuk produced a Kiss pinball machine prototype in 2014 but the game never went in production. [5]
A Kiss pinball machine can be seen in the bar scene of the 1981 slasher film Friday the 13th Part 2 , in 1986's Psycho III, in the Swedish film Strul (1988), as well as in the television show Dallas as a part of the 20th episode of season 6 entitled "Brothers and Sisters" during a bar scene with J.R. Ewing and Walt Driscoll. In “Detroit Rock City” filmed in 1999 then later seen in “Role Models” with Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd in 2008.
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.
Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 until 1985, and was best known for Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1986 as Data East Pinball, is a manufacturer of pinball machines in North America.
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1993 pinball machine released by Williams. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name.
Checkpoint is a 1991 pinball machine released by Data East. It featured the first dot matrix display (DMD) ever incorporated into a pinball game. For Checkpoint, Data East used a "half-height" DMD. By way of comparison, Williams later produced machines with standard DMDs that were twice the height. Checkpoint also features video mode minigames on its display.
Dracula is a 1979 pinball machine released by Stern Electronics. The game is based on the popular character Dracula.
Star Trek is a 1979 pinball game developed by Bally. It was the first pinball machine based on the franchise of the same name. A second pinball machine of the same name was released in 1991 by Data East. A third pinball machine of the same name was released by Stern Pinball in 2013.
George Gomez is an industrial designer, video game designer, and pinball designer who has worked for Bally, Williams, and Stern Pinball, among other companies. He worked on the team that created the Tron video game, and headed the team that created Spy Hunter. In 1984, after the 1983 video game crash, he left Midway to invent toys at the consulting firm Marvin Glass & Associates.
Game Plan was a pinball manufacturer that produced pinball tables from 1978 to 1985. Game Plan was a subsidiary of AES Technology Systems and was located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Game Plan's president was former Chicago Coin table designer Wendell McAdams.
Zaccaria, was an Italian company of pinball and arcade machines that existed in Bologna from 1974 until 1990. The factory was sold to tecnoplay.
Harley-Davidson was a pinball machine arcade game manufactured by Midway and released under the Bally label in February 1991. Barry Oursler and Mark Sprenger designed the pinball game utilizing the Williams Pinball Controller arcade system board platform. This was the first pinball game sold under the Bally label to use the Williams WPC system and their last to use an Alphanumeric Display.
John A. Popadiuk Jr. is a Canadian pinball machine designer. He started work in the business at 19 for Bally in 1980, and later at WMS Gaming from 1989 to 2000. He now works for deeproot Tech as Exclusive Game Designer.
The Champion Pub is a pinball game released by Williams Electronics Games in 1998. The theme of the game revolves around boxing in a 1920s pub.
Flight 2000 is a 1980 Stern widebody pinball machine. It was the first table by this company with speech. The theme of the game revolves around futuristic space flight.
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!".
The Phantom of the Opera is a pinball machine released by Data East in 1990. The game is based on the 1910 French novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, but not based on the 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber or movie of the same name, although released around the same time. The game was designed by Joe Kaminkow and Ed Cebula.
Knock Out is a pinball machine designed by Harry Mabs and released by Gottlieb on March 19, 1950. The game was marketed with the slogan: "Uproarious Slam-Bang Animation in a Real Ring on the Playfield". It should not be confused with Knockout by Bally from 1974.
Play-Boy is a pinball machine released by Gottlieb in 1932. The game features a card gambling theme. It should not be confused with several other pinball machines with the name Playboy as from Rally Play Company, Bally, Data East and Stern.
Lost World is a pinball machine released by Bally in 1977. The game features a fantasy theme. It should not to be confused with the pinball machine Escape from the Lost World from 1987.
Lyman F. Sheats Jr. was an American pinball champion, game designer and coin-operated game operating system software engineer who had worked for Bally, Williams, and Stern Pinball, among other companies.
