 | |
| Manufacturer | Williams Electronics |
|---|---|
| Release date | August 1988 |
| System | Williams System 11B |
| Design | Mark Ritchie, Python Anghelo |
| Programming | Ed Boon |
| Artwork | Python Anghelo |
| Mechanics | Craig Fitpold, Tony Kraemer, Mark Kim |
| Music | Chris Granner |
| Sound | Chris Granner |
Taxi is a pinball machine designed by Mark Ritchie and Python Anghelo. It was released in 1988 by Williams Electronics. [1]
The goal of the game is to pick up five passengers: Pinbot, Gorbie, Lola (or Marilyn Monroe in the original version), Dracula, and Santa. The passengers are represented by lighted illustrations in the center of the lower end of the playfield and are also featured on the backglass. If Carry Passengers is not lit, all passengers are lost when the ball drains. The original game featured Marilyn Monroe with her recognizable blonde hair on the backglass. Collecting all five passengers lights the Jackpot, which is available for about ten seconds.
A score award is given for each extra ball awarded beyond five.
This was the first Williams game to display four player scores using only two alpha-numeric 16 character displays.
Originally the machine featured a passenger named Marilyn, a blonde character in a red dress bearing a resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. Williams replaced the Marilyn passenger with a new passenger named Lola due to legal problems with Marilyn Monroe likeness. Lola appears identical to Marilyn, with the exception of her hair; the Lola passenger was pictured brunette and later with red hair where the Marilyn character was blonde. At least 200 sample games were shipped with 'Marilyn' before the change was made. Mark Ritchie explained also in the book The Pinball Compendium 1982 to Present, that the name 'Lola' was taken from the 1970s song "Lola" about a transvestite, that fits also to her muscular arms on the backglass. [2]
"Get ready for the taxi everyone's going to be lining up for!"
"The one taxi Lola, Gorbie, Santa, Dracula... and operators everywhere are hailing!"
"The one taxi Marilyn, Gorbie, Santa, Dracula... and operators everywhere are hailing!"
Taxi was formerly available simulated in The Pinball Arcade on any platform until WMS license expired on June 30, 2018, thus making this table taken down from every digital store. Taxi is also featured in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection . Unauthorized reproductions of this table are available for Visual Pinball that runs on Windows.
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.
A glossary of terms, commonly used in discussing pinball machines.
Pin-Bot is a pinball machine released by Williams in October 1986. It was designed by Python Anghelo and Barry Oursler.
Black Hole is a pinball game released in 1981 by Gottlieb. It is notable for having two playfields: one on top with a conventional slope, and one mounted underneath, sloping away from the player. It has no connection with the 1979 film of the same name.
Steven Scott Ritchie is an American pinball and video game designer. His career began in the 1970s, Ritchie holds the record for best-selling pinball designer in history. He has been called "The Master of Flow" due to the emphasis in his designs on ball speed, loops, and long smooth shots. Ritchie was also the original voice of Shao Kahn in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, serving as the announcer of Mortal Kombat II (1993), Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), and the updates to Mortal Kombat 3. He is the older brother of fellow pinball designer Mark Ritchie.
Black Knight is a 1980 pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics. Ritchie designed two sequels: Black Knight 2000, released by Williams in 1989, and Black Knight: Sword of Rage, released by Stern Pinball in 2019.
Firepower is a 1980 pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams. The machine had a production run of 17,410 machines.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics. It is based on the motion picture of the same name.
Gilligan's Island is a Midway pinball machine released in May 1991. It is based on the television series of the same name and the first Williams WPC machine that was released with a high resolution (128x32) dot matrix display. Bob Denver supplied original speech for the game which also featured the theme song from the television show. Tina Louise's likeness is not featured in the game and an alternate blonde character appears on the backglass of the machine.
Fish Tales is a fishing-themed pinball game released by Williams in 1992. It is one of the top 20 most produced pinball machines of all time, selling more than 13,000 units.
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1993 pinball machine released by Williams. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name.
World Cup Soccer is a 1994 pinball machine designed by John Popadiuk and Larry DeMar and released by Midway. It is based on the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Monster Bash is a pinball machine produced by Williams. The game features some Universal Monsters including The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy.
Jive Time is a pinball machine released on April 23, 1970 and made by the Williams Manufacturing Company. This table is nearly exactly the same as a pinball machine called Rock 'n Roll which was released on the same day as Jive Time. The only differences are that Jive Time has a replay feature and Rock 'n Roll has an Add a Ball feature. The designer of the two tables is Norm Clark and the art of the two tables was made by Christian Marche.
The Party Zone is a crossover solid-state pinball machine released in 1991 by Midway designed by Dennis Nordman and programmed by Jim Strompolis. It is in a single playfield format and collaborates characters from previous pinball machines. It is the second pinball machine released after the Bally-Midway division was sold, yet still operated under the "Bally" name.
El Dorado City of Gold is a pinball machine designed by Ed Krynski and released in 1984 by Gottlieb. The game features an El Dorado adventure theme.
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.
Cyclone is a pinball machine released by Williams Electronics in 1988. It features an amusement park theme, Coney Island, and was advertised with the slogan "It'll blow you away!". Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan both appear in the backglass shown riding the rollercoaster.
Sorcerer is a 1985 pinball machine designed by Mark Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics. The table is placed in the "Internet Pinball Data Base Top 100 Rated Electronic Pinball Machines" chart.
Eight Ball Deluxe is a pinball machine designed by George Christian and released by Bally in 1981. The game features a cue sports theme and was so popular that it was produced again in 1984.
