Star Wars (1992 pinball)

Last updated
Star Wars
SW pinball flyer.jpg
Manufacturer Data East
Release dateDecember 1992
SystemDataEast/Sega Version 3
DesignJohn Borg
ProgrammingNeil Falconer, Lonnie D. Ropp
ArtworkMarkus Rothkranz
Music Brian L. Schmidt
Sound Brian L. Schmidt
Production run10,400 units

Star Wars is a 1992 pinball machine released by Data East. It is based on the Star Wars original trilogy of films. [1] [2]

Contents

Design and layout

With a production run of 10,400 machines this was Data East's most successful pinball game. It features the voice of Darth Vader, a video mode, and a rotating silver globe representing the Death Star. [3] On the left, above the 4 pop bumpers, is R2-D2 who can rotate and move up and down. [4] The plunger is controlled by a button on a handle which can move up or down. [5]

Gameplay

The game begins with a skillshot where the player presses the plunger button to time shooting a fighter shown on the dot matrix display (DMD). The player attempts to start multiball by hitting the Death Star a number of times, or using the plunger handle to open it and hit a ball in it to start a mode where jackpots may be scored. [5]

Other game features include spelling Star Wars with orbit or ramp shots, hitting the Sarlacc pit right scoop, which can also give Jabba the Hutt rewards. The force and dark side awards, and X-wing millions can be awarded from the left scoop. There are also hurry-ups involving C3PO, and the spinning R2D2. [6] [5]

Reception

In a brief review CVG rated the machine at 89%. [7]

An article in The Flipside appreciated the music but found the voices hard to understand. The rule of the ballsaver turning off after two switches are hit was found to be unfair. While rule development had improved over earlier Data East games, the main objective was still to get jackpots in triball (i.e. multiball). [5]

A semi-official update, tweaking and refining the gameplay rules was released 20 years later. [8]

References

  1. ↑ Electronic Games 1993-01. Decker Publications. January 1993. p. 16.
  2. ↑ Amiga Joker (1993-02)(Joker Verlag)(DE). February 1993. p. 122.
  3. ↑ Shalhoub, Michael (2012). The pinball compendium: 1982 to present (2nd revised ed.). Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Publishing. pp. 149–150. ISBN   978-0-7643-4107-6.
  4. ↑ "The force is with them". RePlay. Vol. 18, no. 2. November 1992. p. 118.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Benditt, Aaron (1992). "Playing the field - Star Wars" (PDF). The Flipside. Vol. 2, no. 1. pp. 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ Star Wars manual (PDF). Data East Pinball. 1992.
  7. ↑ Keen, Steve (December 1992). "CVG - Arcade Action! [p.98-99]" (PDF). retrocdn.net. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "STAR WARS Unofficial v.1.07". www.pinballcode.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023.
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