No Good Gofers is a Williamspinball machine released in December 1997. It was Pat Lawlor's last released game for Williams, although he also designed Wizard Blocks.
The game involves completing a 9 hole golf course while two gophers try and thwart the players efforts. The artwork shows the title as No Good Golfers (with an explosion triggered by the gophers destroying the letter "L") showing the duality of the name - from the players perspective its "No Good Gophers", and from the gophers perspective its "No Good Golfers" as they are attempting to get the golfers to leave.
This game was referenced in a callout in Pat Lawlor's first game for Jersey Jack Pinball, Dialed In!.
Layout
The game include two in-lanes on the left, with a kickback mechanism in the left outlane. Above these in an elongated triangle formation are three bumpers and a kickout mechanism that can hit a target on the other side of the playfield. Unlike on some of Pat Lawlor's games there is no shot through these bumpers. On either side of the playfield is a lane with a spinner in it. Nearing the centre of the playfield is a captive ball, and just to the right of this is the slam ramp. This game is the first time a ramp of the type was used, and a patent was granted.[1] There is a very small elevated playfield with a sinkhole, and a difficult shot using this ramp is the only way to reach it. There are two adjacent ramps, the entrances to each which can pop up to reveal one of the gophers, Buzz and Bud; these can be used as targets.[2] On the right of the machine is an upper flipper which is used to hit the cross-ramp facing it. In the middle of the playfield, but towards the right side is a large spinning disc. Towards the back of the machine is the main sinkhole which often represents putting the golf ball. Just above the flippers are a series of square lights representing the bonus multiplier, and just above these are 9 more light indicating which hole is being played.[3]
Gameplay
The main objective in this game is to complete a 9 hole round of golf. The player achieves this by hitting a variety of lit shots, and then 'putting' the ball in the sinkhole; at times an alternative way to put the ball is by hitting the slam ramp when it is down and getting the ball in the hole-in-one sinkhole. Each time a hole is completed the award shown on the spinning disc is given. After the 7th hole, Buzz gnaws on wires of the machine starting the "short circuit" mode where the player needs to distract and then hit Buzz. After the 9th hole the "hole in one challenge" multiball wizard mode begins where an objective is to hit a hole in one using the slam ramp. After this the "back 9" holes can be played which are similar to the first 9 but require more shots to be hit.
Another feature is the main multiball which is started by hitting the two main ramps and the gophers that pop-up, followed by the holes behind them. There are also a variety of side modes,[4] one of these uses a version of the Chicken Dance.
Throughout the game the gophers taunt the player.
Reception
The game was shown at the Amusement Showcase International 98 distributors event in March 1998.[5] During a presentation by Williams at that event, operator demand for pinball was stated to be low, and this was described as a short term game to fill the gap until some innovative machines would be released, and to try and stimulate operator demand flyers were "sent to thousands of driving ranges and miniature golf courses" across the United States. These were different to the standard flyer for the machine, and titled "Pinball hits the links with No Good Gofers".[6] As a further sign of a declining market, it sold fewer games than another golf themed pinball table, Tee'd Off which was released 4 years earlier by Gottlieb.
The same developers released it for The Pinball Arcade from October 30, 2012,[7] but was delisted on June 30, 2018 due to the WMS license expiration.[8]
Zen Studios released it for Pinball FX3 as part of Williams volume 5 on December 10, 2019,[9] and included additional animations. A remastered version was released for Pinball FX in 2022.
Conversions
Mega Golf Ball Frenzy
Starting in 2004 three squirrels, Earl, Mearle, and Pearl were created for a series of online games to promote the EDSByron Nelson Championship golf tournament. In 2006 it was decided by Mike Minchew that the online game would be pinball, and once it was discovered how popular it was then there were 10 weeks to retheme an existing pinball machine. After talking to Gary Stern, it was decided to use No Good Gofers. The playfield remained essentially unchanged, but with new plastics. The cabinet and backbox art were all new and featured Earl, Mearle, and Pearl. Three machines were produced before the tournament, with sufficient decals and translites for another 10. The first of these Mega Golf Ball Frenzy machines had the translite signed by Byron Nelson and placed in the locker room for golfers to play it and sign it.[10] After it had 100 signatures it was auctioned on eBay to raise funds.[11]
The following year a single Ultimate Golf Ball Frenzy was produced with different artwork. This was signed by 130 PGA tour golfers and sold for $45,000.[12][13]
No Good Gofers: Battle for the Green
An upgrade kit was released by Cardona pinball in small quantities in 2023 which uses a new display, and computer with completely new software.[14] This involves playing an 18 hole golf course. Buzz is still a gopher, but unlike the original Bud is a wandering bear who has forgotten he is a bear who Buzz has convinced he is actually a gopher. The rest of the game involves Buzz's plan to get rid of the golfers and reclaim the course.[15]
References
↑ US 5992848,Krutsch, John&Lawlor, Patrick,"Vertically displaceable ramp",published 1998-06-12,issued 1999-11-30
↑ Shalhoub, Michael (2012). The pinball compendium, 1982 to present (2nd reviseded.). Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Pub. pp.237–238. ISBN978-0-7643-4107-6.
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