Video Pinball (1981 video game)

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Video Pinball
Video-Pinball-(Atari-2600)---Box-Front.jpg
Developer(s) Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s) Atari, Inc.
Programmer(s) Bob Smith
Platform(s) Atari 2600
Release
Genre(s) Pinball
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Video Pinball is a 1981 pinball video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982). Sears re-released the game as Arcade Pinball. [2] [3]

Contents

Gameplay

A game in progress Arcade Pinball (Atari 2600) screenshot.jpg
A game in progress

Video Pinball is a loose simulation of an arcade pinball machine: ball launcher, flippers, bumpers, and spinners. Hitting the Atari logo on the playfield four times awards an extra ball. [4] [5]

Pulling down on the joystick pulls the pinball machine plunger back while pressing the joystick button shoots the ball into the playfield. The left and right flippers are activated by moving the joystick controller left or right. The ball can be nudged (as in nudging a table gently in real life) by holding down the joystick button and moving the controller in a particular direction. Nudging too much results in a tilt, forcing the ball to drain. [4] [6]

Development

Bob Smith applied to work for Atari, Inc. at the end of the 1970s and was hired on the spot. Smith shared an office Brad Stewart who had worked on the Atari VCS version of Asteroids . After a week in the office, Smith was offered a list of possible games to work on from his boss Dennis Koble and opted to work on Video Pinball. While he did play the original Video Pinball arcade game in Atari headquarters, he played the Superman pinball game by Atari for inspiration. [7]

Reception

Two million cartridges were sold, which earned Atari revenues of about $40million. The programmer received a bonus of $6,000. [7]

Retro Gamer described it more as Breakout with bumpers than pinball, but played well. [7]

See also

References

  1. "Atari VCS game release dates". Atari Archive.
  2. Atari 2600 Manual: Arcade Pinball (1981)(Sears). 1981.
  3. Atari Catalog: Sears Video Arcade Cartridges. Sears. September 1981.
  4. 1 2 "Atari 2600 Manuals (HTML) - Video Pinball (Atari)". Atari Age. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  5. "Video Pinballs". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 6. August 1982. p. 64.
  6. Lapetino, Tim (2016). Art Of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 118.
  7. 1 2 3 Drury, Paul (March 2017). "Bob Smith". Retro Gamer . No. 165. pp. 93–94. ISSN   1742-3155.