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This four-player machine is almost always considered to be in the top five best solid-state games of its genre. Brian Eddy designed this machine with art by Doug Watson. 3,450 examples of it were made. This fast-paced game is not based on the “Mars Attacks” movie but ironically came out the same time as the movie’s release. A sequel to this game is also in the museum by the name “Revenge From Mars.” The main theme of this amusing game is to complete the five attack waves activated by hitting the three drop targets in front of the saucer. Doing so drops the targets and allows shots to the saucer. After so many saucer hits, the saucer explodes into a flurry of strobe lights (first time used on a pinball machine) and sounds. If you make it to Mars Attacks, the game goes into hyper mode with a flurry of options and actions. Total annihilation of Mars is the ultimate goal. Many more feats and multi-balls are also present.This machine is based on the ’30s radio series then turned into a movie. Design accolades go to Brian Eddy with art scripted by Doug Watson. 4,247 of these machines were made. The interesting feature in this machine is the elevated upper-left playfield. This playfield is gained access to once the drop target is hit. Once this challenge is complete, another shot to this ramp shoots the ball upstairs to this feature. Pressing the flipper buttons moves the paddle left or right. The kicker is activated by an optic sensor automatically to hit all the targets if your aim is sure. This game also has a thrust magnet which grabs the ball in action and shoots it up the playfield into the next feature. No pop bumpers are on the playfield, which is a rare event. Another first incorporated into this playfield are two ramp diverters which are player adjustable. Completing the six scenes of the story award you with the final battle sequence of good against evil.This wide-body mouthful of a game incorporates not one talking head (like in the game “Funhouse”) but two…and they talk to each other during game play. Williams made around six wide-body machines such as this so as to incorporate more real estate space for playfield action and toys. They went by the moniker of the “Super Pin.” This machine was designed by Pat Lawlor and inked by John Youssi. 6,259 were made. In a nutshell, the object of this machine is to cross the US to achieve the ultimate jackpot round. Each time you hit Ted, the day of the week advances in front of him. When you reach Friday, it’s payday. This starts the three-ball multiball series. The jackpot is achieved when you shoot a ball into sleeping Ted’s mouth! Much mayhem, a vibrating motor, two plunger shots, and a lot of characters pop up to taunt you on your way across the country. Country singer Carlene Carter is the voice of Red.Demolition Man is a Williams pinball machine released in February 1994. It is based on the motion picture of the same name. It is part of WMS’ SuperPin line of widebody games. Sylvester Stallone (John Spartan) and Wesley Snipes (Simon Phoenix) provided custom speech for this game during ADR sessions at Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles under the direction of Jon Hey. Hey scored the music of the pinball game in part based upon the movie score by Academy Award winner Elliot Goldenthal, but including new music. Multiball modes This game is centered on multiball modes. The player has to shoot the left ramp when the “freeze” light is lit (lit by the right inlane) to “lock” a ball. When the required amount of locks are made, the player has to shoot the left loop to start multiball. Fortress Multiball (2 balls required) – A normal multiball mode with 3 jackpots and the “Super Jackpot”. 1-4 balls can be shot up. Museum Multiball (3 balls required) – Jackpots everywhere, except the standups. After the “Super Jackpot” the Multiball starts over. 3-6 balls can be shot up. Wasteland Multiball (4 balls required) – Same as “Fortress Multiball”. If not getting the lighting jackpots, the next jackpot will appear and the previous jackpot will stay. 4-8 balls can be shot up. Cryoprison Multiball (5 balls required) – The “Super Jackpot” is lit, from the beginning of the multiball. After getting the “Super Jackpot” it will lit again after hitting an arrow or more. Completing all four multiball modes lights the right ramp for the wizard award, Demolition Jackpot, which is the total amount of all the jackpots collected during the game. The Demolition Jackpot is lost if the ball drains. If you hit all jackpots in a multiball, the “Super Jackpot” light will lit. Getting the ball up to the “Cryo-Claw” whilst, you will get it. The “Super Jackpot” light turns off, if all the balls drain and the Multiball is over, the “Super Jackpot” is lost.This “special edition” game was produced to recognize the fact that this game, when initially released two years earlier, was the biggest number production game ever made in the contemporary era, with a total production run of 20,270. This game was produced in 1,000 examples. Pat Lawlor designed the machine with John Youssi getting accolades for the artwork. Gadgets abound in this machine, which is augmented by the gold detailing over the standard unit. The main theme here is to complete all 12 parts of the house panel. Doing so brings you to the ultimate level of excitement. Multi-ball options abound as well as “Thing”, consisting of just a hand, grabbing the ball in the upper-right corner of the machine. A magnet under the play field provides strange ball play as well as Thing “flipping” the ball remotely if hit. The sounds and art are fantastic representations from the movie of the same name. This game is #3!White Water is a 1993 pinball game designed by Dennis Nordman and released by Williams. The theme is based on White water rafting, which is reflected in the game’s ‘wild’ ramps and very fast gameplay. Overview White Water is a non-licensed pinball machine with a primary objective of moving your raft down the river to “Wet Willy’s” in order to get the “Vacation Jackpot.” You move your raft down the river by shooting the flashing “Hazard” shots, each with a unique rafting theme name. Each time you complete a raft, the number of “Hazard” shots you must hit successfully to complete the next raft increases. It takes eight completed rafts to advance to “Wet Willy’s.” Successfully completing “Wet Willy’s” enables the player to attempt the collection of the “Vacation Jackpot.” There are subsequent objectives in the game, which include: Multiball: To start multiball, light the lock ball shot by hitting the “Lite” and “Lock” targets and then successfully shooting the ball in the ball lock, also called the “No Way Out” Hazard; doing this 3 times will start multiball. Whirlpool: Completing the “Whirlpool” shot will activate one of six awards or modes, which is determined by what is lit when the “Whirlpool” shot is hit. To light the “Whirlpool”, thus making the shot active, successfully hit the “Insanity Falls” shot. After hitting the “Insanity Falls” shot, you will know the “Whirlpool” is active when the red light above the shot is lit. One of the six awards or modes starts when the Whirlpool shot, also called “Bigfoot Bluff”, is successfully competed. Big Foot Hotfoot: There are two “Hotfoot” targets in the middle of the playfield. Hitting both targets comprises a complete “Hotfoot”, and the “Hotfoot” targets are reset. Depending on the machine settings, successfully completing the specified number of “Hotfoot” targets starts the “Bigfoot Hotfoot” mode which allows the player to get successive “Bigfoot Jackpots.” Lost Mine: Hitting the ball in the “Lost Mine” shot awards an item needed to start the “Gold Rush” multiball. There are three items that must be collected to start this multiball, a flashlight, a map, and a key; and these items can be collected through either the “Lost Mine” or the “Bigfoot Hotfoot.” Once all three items have been collected, successfully hitting the “Lost Mine” shot starts the “Gold Rush” multiball.This game is the most complicated solid-state pinball machine for complexity and gadgetry ever made. 15,235 of these were made and design credits go to Pat Lawlor with art by John Youssi. Multiple multi-ball options, magnets, a porcelain power ball a gumball machine and an extra-wide play field are only part of what’s before you. The main object of the game is to complete all the segments of the door in the bottom of the play field. These segments illuminate a light in the door. If by rare chance you complete the feat (you can “buy in” extra balls at the end of your game), all heck breaks loose in the form of a “lost in the zone” ultimate stage in the game. All six balls pop out, every option special, and bonus is lit all at once, and then, as if by magic, the flippers stop working (as this is a timed event) and your bonus is totaled. The battle in the zone magnet-controlled play field and power ball are neat!Star Trek: The Next Generation is a widebody pinball game, designed by Steve Ritchie and released in November 1993 by Williams Electronics. It was part of WMS’ SuperPin series (see also The Twilight Zone and Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure), and was based on the TV series. It is the only pinball machine that features three separate highscore-lists. Apart from the regular highscore-list and the buy-in-list, it also features a reminiscence to The Machine: Bride of Pin*Bot billionaires club. It is also the third pinball game overall based on the Star Trek franchise, following the 1979 pinball game by Bally, and the 1991 game by Data East (both based on the original series). Launch options When a new ball is launched into the plunger, the player is given one of five launch awards, which is selected when the ball is fired. Unless otherwise noted, the ball is launched through the spiral ramp and into the lock hole (above the pop bumpers). Another ball is popped from the left scoop and onto the left inlanes. Start Mission: Starts lit mission. Flipper Skill Shot: The player has to shoot the ball up the right ramp (the Beta Quadrant) for a random award. Launch Probe: The ball will be loaded into one of the two cannons, located on top of the slings. Shoot the lit target for a random award. If the player misses, Data will say, “The probe has discovered nothing, sir”. Light Lock / Light Holodeck: Lights the ball lock, and the ball gets locked for multiball. When this option is selected twice, “Light Lock” changes to “Light Holodeck”. Warp Factor: Starts the ball at Warp Factor 4. After the player reaches Warp 9, (depending on the ROM version), the award changes to Warp 9.1, up to 9.9 (the player has only a limited amount of time to make either the left circle or Delta ramp for each point), then changes to “Warp Factor 2″. The ball is sent to the pop bumpers. Scoring and Game Modes There are several ways to score points outside of the missions as well as unlocking certain game modes. The following modes are available: Explosive Millions – Shooting the Alpha Quadrant or Beta Quadrant ramps unlocks Explosive Millions. Shooting the same or opposite ramp awards 5 million points, followed by 10 million for another shot, which cumuliates by 10 million every shot. The player has ten seconds to hit the ramp to score or the mode ends. Bonus Multipliers – Hitting all three rollover lanes above the bumpers will increase the bonus multiplier for that ball. The first completion raises it to 2X, and subsequent steps raise it 2X at a time to a maximum of 10X. When the 8X is achieved, the Extra Ball light is lit in the “Start Mission” pocket. When the multiplier is maxed, completing the rollovers again awards 10 million, with the value increasing by 10 million every time afterward Holodeck – The player has two choices. Score 25 million points, or play the “video mode” shuttle cavern. If the player selects the video mode, the player has to go through the caverns in a shuttle, picking up 10 million point cards while avoiding mines and cavern walls. There is an extra ball card somewhere in the caverns, as well as artifact (see below). Reaching the Extra Ball is achieved by alternating Left, Left, Right, Right turns until cavern 7. Depending on how many Extra Balls have already been earned and the games Extra Ball probability configuration it may end up either an Extra Ball or a 10 million point card. Once an Extra Ball has been earned in the Holodeck all subsequent Holodeck runs will not award any Extra Balls, regardless of the path chosen. Collecting the artifact, clearing all caverns, or crashing into a mine or wall immediately ends the video mode scoring the points collected in the mode. A maximum score of 159 million points is possible for a flawless run. At the start of the Holodeck mode, pressing a flipper button along with pulling the launch trigger starts a “Riker’s Poker Night” video mode. Kickback – Shooting the three left yellow targets lights Kickback, which saves the ball from draining from the left outlane. If the game is in tournament mode this must initially be earned. Otherwise the game starts out with the Kickback lit. The Kickback can be recharged unlimited times by hitting the appropriate targets after it had been depleted. Shuttle Ramp – Each shot at the Beta Quadrant Ramp launches a shuttle which a certain number of launched shuttles can reward a player. Rewards could be Light Holodeck, Command Decision, or Extra Balls. Between the ramps are two small targets when hit, adds two times the shuttle to the counter.12,716 of these Mark Ritchie-designed games were produced in wide-body format. This machine has a lot of the action associated with the first three Indiana Jones adventures produced by Lucas and Spielberg and is rated in the top 10 machines of the ‘90s. Four multiball modes grace this machine as well as a ton of video clips designed by Brian Eddy. Twelve different scenes from the movies are represented. Completing these scenes awards a six-ball multiball sequence. A three-ball multiball sequence may be had by hitting the center drop targets and popping a ball into the drop hole behind them. The path of adventure is lit by hitting the letters in the word “adventure.” Doing so opens the path up the right ramp to the tilt-a-matic playfield in the upper left. The object here is to use the flipper buttons to guide the ball to glory.There are 7 Doctors, as one can plainly see from the backglass… quite conveniently, they are numbered 1-7. Each Doctor has the effect of changing the rules of one area of the Playfield, making a list of the rules all the more annoying and probably confusing. First some general information about the Doctors… there are many ways to “spot” doctors throughout the game – one is awarded at the start of any ball, and can be spotted through the Transmat target or Video Mode. At the start of a ball (or when a ball has been locked), you get to choose the “current” doctor – his picture will flash on the backglass. When a doctor- spotting shot is made, the current doctor will become solidly lit (so his attributes are carried over for the rest of the game), and the “current” doctor becomes the previously unlit doctor directly to the left of the previous one. There are 2 ways to spot all seven doctors – either go through them all one-by-one, or shoot the Emperor Daleks jackpot. Either way, all of them will be lit for the rest of the game, and you receive an additional bonus of 2OM, as well as a small animation, which plays even after a tilt! After all 7 doctors are spotted, they can be spotted a second (third, etc) time, and running through all 7 a second time awards another 2OM bonus. Also, each doctor spotted in the game (this count may be more than 7) is worth a 1M bonus at the end of the last ball (so don’t tilt it!), and this bonus (unlike the regular bonus) is multiplied by the Playfield X.The table is the first Williams WPC machine designed to feature a dot-matrix display. But due to the long design phase, Gilligan’s Island was the first manufactured with a DMD. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the first game to feature an autoplunger (replacing the traditional plunger), as well as a ball-firing cannon (dubbed, “Gun Grip Ball Launcher”). Finally, T2 was the first game to feature a video mode, a mini video game featured on the DMD. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided voices for the game. Some playfield design elements were based on Ritchie’s 1980 classic, Firepower. T-1000 was not included in the artwork of the table, with the exception of a small image of actor Robert Patrick because of pre-release secrecy of the movie. The character was only included in the display animation because when the DMD programming was finalizing the liquid metal character was already public knowledge.
- Release date: July 1991
- System: Williams WPC (Dot Matrix)
- Design: Steve Ritchie
- Programming: Dwight Sullivan
- Artwork: Doug Watson
- Mechanics: Carl Biagi
- Music: Chris Granner
- Sound: Chris Granner
- Production run: 15,202
This machine was produced in january and 7300 copies of it were bolted together. Pat lawlor designed the game with john youssi penning the artwork. The earliest machines in the production run had the chicago cubs logo on the child’s baseball cap but the cubs disallowed its use so the logo was changed. The early examples had a williams logo sticker over the cubs logo. The object of the game is to advance the compass to the north, south , east and west positions. Doing so starts ball lock ..And the “power of the wind” through the use of a dedicated fan on top of the machine to recreate a new physical dimension to your gameplay. Once three balls are locked, the left ramp awards increasing million awards. By earning enough tolls, extra balls may be had. The super cellar value changes via the spinner. Dropping into the cellar awards its value. Another “twist“ in the game’s design is the spinning discs. Tornado action.This unique game has the distinction of having the first mechanical head on a pinball machine. His name is Rudy, and he not only follows the ball during play with his eyes but harasses you with a flurry of comments as the game proceeds. This game was designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry Demar with art accolades going to John Youssi. 10,750 games were made. The object of the game is to advance the clock to midnight. This makes Rudy fall asleep. If you’re skillful enough to shoot the ball into Rudy’s mouth, he wakes up, spits the ball out, and your next goal is to shoot the ball into the trap door for a jackpot. The mystery mirror contains different objectives to achieve. Completing the mirror awards “super frenzy” where all contacts award higher points. Another unique feature of the game is the left plunger, which shoots the “steps” when activated for various awards. The best part of the game is Rudy, though. He taunts you through the whole game.This machine is one in a trilogy that Williams produced with an amusement park theme. 9,400 were made with design accolades going to Barry Oursler and art by Python Anghelo. Ronald and Nancy Reagan appear on the backglass. The Comet and Cyclone are two roller coasters from the Coney Island era. If you ride the Comet ramp six times, a million-point shot is possible. The Cyclone ramp in the upper right awards the accumulated jackpot on the backglass if hit three times. Hitting the spook house drop target exposes a gobble hole which spins the backglass wheel for a point award or extra ball. A ferris wheel bonus a shooting gallery bonus and a bonus multiplier shot in the lower left complete this impressive package. “You pay your money, you take your chances” in this classic machine.This machine was a big hit for Williams with 12,000 machines created. A skill shot starts your adventure with different point values. A three-bank drop target or single right target advances the planets lit in the playfield. If you advance to the lit planet, a free game is your reward. The light grid, if hit when a solo target is lit, opens the visor. Otherwise, hitting all the lights opens the visor. Locking two balls in the “eyes” of the robot starts two-ball multiball. Lock one ball in one eye and shoot for the left solar ramp. Advance the bonus value by making the left ramp loop when the visor is down. This game is fun, challenging and the vocals egg you on throughout your adventure.The player controls Mario throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario’s abilities can be changed by picking up certain items; for example, Mario is able to shoot fireballs if he picks up a Fire Flower. The player takes on the role of the main protagonist of the series, Mario. Mario’s slightly younger brother, Luigi, is only playable by the second player in the game’s multiplayer mode, and assumes the same plot role as Mario. The objective is to race through the Mushroom Kingdom, survive the main antagonist Bowser?s forces and save Princess Toadstool. The player moves from the left side of the screen to the right side in order to reach the flag pole at the end of each level. A prevalent rumor that it is possible to jump over the flag pole was later confirmed by GameTrailers. The game world has coins scattered around it for Mario to collect, and special bricks marked with a question mark (“?”), which when hit from below by Mario, may reveal more coins or a special item. Other “secret” (often invisible) bricks may contain more coins or rare items. If the player gains a red and yellow Super Mushroom, Mario grows to double his size and can take one extra hit from most enemies and obstacles, in addition to being able to break bricks above him. Players are given a certain number of lives (and may gain additional lives by picking up green and orange ‘1-Up’ mushrooms, collecting 100 coins, or defeating several enemies in a row with a Koopa shell), which are lost when Mario takes too much damage, falls in a pit, or runs out of time; the game ends when all lives are lost. Mario’s primary attack is jumping on top of enemies, though many enemies have differing responses to this. For example, a Goomba will flatten and be defeated, while a Koopa Troopa will temporarily retract into its shell, allowing Mario to use it as a projectile. These shells may be deflected off a wall to destroy other enemies, though they can also bounce back against Mario, which will hurt or kill him. An alternate way to damage enemies is with the Fire Flower, an item which, when picked up, changes the color of Mario’s outfit (or only increases his size if a red and yellow mushroom had not been used previously) and allows him to shoot fireballs. A less common item is the Starman, which often appears from concealed or otherwise invisible blocks. This makes Mario temporarily invincible to most hazards and capable of defeating enemies on contact. The game consists of eight worlds with four sub-levels called “stages” in each world. The final stage of each world takes place in a castle where Bowser or one of his decoys are fought. The game also includes some stages taking place underwater, which contain different enemies. In addition, there are bonuses and secret areas in the game. Most secret areas contain more coins for Mario to collect, but others may contain “warp pipes” which allow Mario to advance to later worlds in the game, skipping over earlier ones.Crystal Castles has nine levels with four castles each, and a tenth level which features a single castle — the clearing of which ends the game. Each of the 37 trimetric-projected castles consists of a maze of hallways filled with gems and bonus objects, and also includes stairs, elevators and tunnels that the player can use as shortcuts. The three-letter initials of the player with the highest score are used to form the first level’s castle structure. When all gems in a castle have been collected, the player moves on to the next castle. The player can also skip some castles and acquire additional lives and points by using secret warps activated by making Bentley Bear jump at special locations. A trackball and “jump” button are used for controlling Bentley Bear’s motions. Gems are collected by simply walking over them, and a bonus is given upon collection of the last gem. While collecting gems, there are a number of enemies that try to stop Bentley and/or collect the gems for themselves. With two exceptions, if touched by the enemies he will lose one of his lives. Any gems collected by the enemies also result in a lower obtainable score for that screen. Likewise, if the last available gem is collected by the enemy, the player also loses the last gem bonus. Enemies can be avoided by use of the maze and its constructs, or by making Bentley jump over opponents with the jump button, in some cases also allowing him to stun them. Some types of enemies will track Bentley’s movements in certain ways, while others move at random. If Bentley is touched, he “cries out” in a distinctive manner with the use of a cartoonish word balloons. If 3 or more lives remain, he says “BYE!”; if 2 lives still remain, the quotation is “OH NO!”; if 1 life is left, it is “OUCH!”; and finally, for the last lost life (which ends the game), he says “#?!”, so as to imitate an obscenity. At the beginning of every maze, gems are worth 1 point each; this value increases by 1 for every gem Bentley picks up, to a maximum of 99. Each maze also randomly includes a hat or honey pot, which serve the dual purpose of awarding points and providing Bentley with the ability to defeat specific enemies. The hat is worth 500 points and will make Bentley invulnerable for a few seconds and allow him to eliminate Berthilda the witch, who appears in the last maze of each level. The honey pot is worth 1,000 points, and picking it up can delay the landing of a swarm of bees. Other villains present in the game include: “Nasty Trees” which become more ornery as levels progress, a ghost that will usually appear in the Hidden Spiral levels, dancing skeletons, “Gem Eaters” who Bentley Bear can defeat if he catches them while eating a gem, and also the devilish “Crystal Balls” creatures that in later levels tend to follow Bentley Bear persistently as he collects gems. The Nasty Trees and Crystal Balls can also pick up gems. Crystal Castles contains two notable easter eggs. Jumping 100 times or more in the southeast corner of level 1?1 and clearing the maze of all gems will make ATARI appear on level 1?2.[2] On level 5?4, if the player kills Berthilda and goes to the corner of the area where she was and jumps, “FXL” will appear in the southeast corner of the screen. These are the initials for Franz X. Lanzinger, a designer of Crystal Castles.Gameplay of Pole Position. In this game, the player controls a Formula One race car, and has to complete a time trial lap within a certain amount of time (between 90 and 120 seconds) to qualify for an F1 race at the Fuji Racetrack. After qualifying, the player races against seven other CPU-controlled cars in a championship race (but if he or she does not qualify, the car will stay on the track until the timer runs out). The player must also avoid going off the road so that he or she will not crash into the billboards. Pole Position was the first racing video game to feature a track based on a real racing circuit. It was also the first game to feature a qualifying lap, requiring the player to complete a time trial before they can compete in Grand Prix races. Once the player has qualified, they must complete the race in the time allowed, avoiding collisions with CPU-controlled opponents and billboards along the sides of the track. The game’s publisher Atari publicized the game for its “unbelievable driving realism” in providing a Formula 1 experience behind a racing wheel. The game’s graphics featured full-color landscapes with scaling sprites, including race cars and other signs, and a pseudo-3D, third-person, rear perspective view of the track, with its vanishing point swaying side to side as the player approaches corners, accurately simulating forward movement into the distance.Similar to Centipede, the object of the game is to destroy a millipede that advances downward from the top of the screen. The millipede travels horizontally until it either hits an obstacle or reaches the edge of the screen, after which it drops one row and reverses direction. Once it enters the player’s gray maneuvering area, it stays there and extra heads appear at intervals until both they and the millipede are destroyed. Shooting a body segment splits the millipede in two, with the rear portion sprouting its own head. A collision with any enemy costs the player one life. New enemies and gameplay elements are introduced in Millipede: Earwig: same as the scorpion in Centipede, making mushrooms poisonous so that the millipede will charge straight to the bottom of the screen after touching them. Bee: same as the flea in Centipede, dropping mushrooms in a vertical line and requiring two shots to kill. Spider: same behavior as in Centipede, bouncing irregularly across the player area and eating mushrooms. Multiple spiders can appear at the same time on higher levels. Inchworm: when hit, slows all enemies for a short period of time. Beetle: crawls around the player area for a while, then climbs up and leaves the screen, turning any mushrooms it touches into indestructible flowers. When hit, everything on the screen scrolls down one row. Dragonfly: drops mushrooms while zigzagging down, and can be destroyed with a single shot. Mosquito: bounces off the sides of the screen as it descends diagonally. When hit, everything on the screen scrolls up one row. DDT bomb (stationary): can be blown up with one shot, destroying all enemies and mushrooms within the blast radius. Whenever the mushrooms scroll down, a new bomb is added at the top of the screen. Up to four bombs can be in play at one time. The player scores points for shooting the bomb itself, as well as increased values for any enemies destroyed in the blast. All flowers and poisoned/partially destroyed mushrooms revert to normal, whole mushrooms and score points during the process when the player loses a life. At regular intervals during the game, the player will face a swarm of enemies (bees, dragonflies, etc.) instead of the usual millipede. Each enemy destroyed awards increasing points, up to a maximum of 1,000 points per enemy; this attack ends when either the entire swarm has passed or the player loses a life. Also, at intervals new mushrooms will grow on the field while others die off, in a pattern similar to Conway’s Game of Life. Players can also choose at the start of the game whether to play at an advanced level, starting with a score that is a multiple of the number of points needed to earn an extra life (by default, 15,000). The gameplay is generally much more advanced than it would be had the player started with a score of 0 and worked their way up to that point level. The maximum advanced level allowed is a function of the preceding player’s score, and games started at an advanced level where the player did not earn at least one extra life are not eligible for the high scoreboard.Donkey Kong Jr. is a 1982 arcade-style platform video game by Nintendo. It first appeared in arcades, and, over the course of the 1980s, was later released for a variety of platforms, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game’s title is written out as Donkey Kong Junior in the North American arcade version and various ports to non-Nintendo systems. Its eponymous star, Donkey Kong Jr., also called simply Junior[3] or abbreviated as DK Jr.,[4] is trying to rescue his father Donkey Kong, who has been imprisoned. Donkey Kong’s cage is guarded by Mario, in his only appearance as an antagonist in a video game. This game is the sequel to the video game Donkey Kong, which featured Mario as the hero and Junior’s father as the villain. Plot: Mario (known as Jumpman in Donkey Kong) has captured Donkey Kong and placed him in a cage as punishment for kidnapping his girlfriend Pauline.[5] Donkey Kong Jr. must rescue his father from Mario by working his way through a series of stages. Mario attempts to stop DK Jr. by releasing animals and putting obstacles in his way. When DK Jr. succeeds at the final level, Donkey Kong is freed and kicks Mario into the distance, leaving him to an unknown fate. Gameplay Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong, Jr. is an arcade-style platform game. There are a total of four stages, each with a unique theme. DK Jr. can run left and right, jump, and grab vines/chains/ropes to climb higher on the screen. He can slide down faster by holding only one vine, or climb faster by holding two. Enemies include “Snapjaws,” which resemble bear traps with eyes, bird-like creatures called “Nitpickers”, and “Sparks” that roam across the wiring in one of Mario’s hideouts. To pass the first three stages, DK Jr. must reach the key at the top. In the fourth stage, DK Jr. must push six keys into locks near the top of the stage to free Donkey Kong. After a brief cutscene, the player is taken back to the first stage at an increased difficulty. DK Jr. loses a life when he touches any enemy or projectile, falls too great a distance, or falls off the bottom of the screen. Additionally, he loses a life if the timer counts down to zero. The game ends when the player loses all of his or her lives.Super Chexx is a table hockey arcade game manufactured by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE).[1] ICE began manufacturing these in 1982 and continues production to this day in Clarence, New York just outside of Buffalo. These types of games are also known as bubble hockey, rod hockey, table hockey or dome hockey because of the long rods used to control the players and the distinctive dome or “bubble” covering the playing field. The game can be played by two opposing players who control all five hockey players and the goalie for their side (singles) or as a two on two game (doubles). Players control their five skaters with long rods that move in and out to bring skaters up and down the ice and spin 360 degrees. A knob is used to move the goalie from side to side. Each player also a “boo button” to simulate sounds from the crowd. Vintage versions of Super Chexx feature the USA vs. Russia, Canada vs. Russia, or USA vs. Canada formats. In 2010 ICE introduced a Deluxe Home version of the game with no coin doors and started offering NHL and AHL licensed team versions. There is also a 30th Anniversary “Miracle on Ice” Edition of the game featuring the classic USA vs CCCP teams licensed through USA Hockey. Licensed games feature team colors and logos with custom hand-painted players in replica jerseys. The early versions of the game were made with blue bases, but most of the games are now made with red bases. The first black bases were made for a Bubble Boys Tournament with Wayne Gretzky and Bud Light in 1999. There was a limited edition of 100 games with black bases made in 2005. A further limited edition with the black base was made in 2007. The home version of the game has a base which can be split and hinged to fit through narrow doorways and comes in red or black.In this, the first proper sequel to Namco’s legendary pill-eating maze game, players must once again run around a number of mazes, eating all of the pills that are scattered throughout. The ever-present ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Sue) return to hamper the player’s progress. The infamous “power pills” are also present and correct, with four appearing in each maze. Namco introduced a number of changes and enhancements over the original game. The first difference is in the main character. For the first time in video-game history, the game’s lead character was female. Ms. Pac-man is almost identical to the original character with two main differences: she wears a bow in her “hair” and is also wearing lipstick. Another change from the original is that the bonus fruit items are no longer static but now move randomly around the mazes. Ms. Pac-man features four different maze layouts, which alternate every two to four screens: the first maze is only encountered in rounds 1 and 2 and has 220 dots and four power pills. There are two sets of tunnels in this maze equidistant from the center of the maze. You must clear this maze twice before moving on to the next maze. The second maze is only encountered in rounds 3, 4, and 5, and has 240 dots and four power pills. There are two sets of tunnels in this maze: one set in the lower half, and the other set at the very top. You must clear this maze three times before moving on to the next maze. The third maze is first encountered in round 6 and has 238 dots and four power pills. Unlike all other mazes, there is only one set of tunnels in this maze, slightly above the center of the board. You must clear this maze four times before moving on to the next maze. The fourth and final unique maze is first encountered in round 10 and has 234 dots and four power pills. There are two sets of tunnels in this maze, directly next to one another in the middle of the maze. The turns at the entrance to the tunnels change the usual immediate accessibility of the tunnels and should be taken into account. You must clear this maze four times before moving on to the next maze.Gorf is an arcade game released in 1981 by Midway Mfg., whose name was advertised as an acronym for “Galactic Orbiting Robot Force”. It is a multiple-mission fixed shooter with five distinct modes of play, essentially making it five games in one. It is well known for its use of synthesized speech, a new feature at the time. The player controls a spaceship that can move left, right, up and down around the lower third of the screen. The ship can fire a single shot (called a “quark laser” in this game), which travels vertically up the screen. Unlike similar games, where the player cannot fire again until his existing shot has disappeared, the player can choose to fire another shot at any time; if the previous shot is still on screen, it disappears. Gorf consists of five distinct “missions”, each with its own patterns of enemies. The central goal of each mission is to destroy all enemies in that wave, which takes the player to the next mission. Successfully completing all five missions will increase the player’s rank and loop back to the first mission, where play continues on a higher difficulty level. The game continues until the player loses all their lives. The player can advance through the ranks of Space Cadet, Space Captain, Space Colonel, Space General, Space Warrior, and Space Avenger, with a higher difficulty level at each rank. Along the way, a robotic voice heckles and threatens the player, often calling the player by his current rank (for example, “Some galactic defender you are, Space Cadet!”). Some versions also display the player’s current rank via a series of lit panels in the cabinet. The missions are: 1.Astro Battles: The first mission is almost an exact clone of Space Invaders. This is the only mission that is not set in space, but rather against a sky-blue background. A small force of enemies (24 in Gorf vs. 55 in Space Invaders) attacks in the classic pattern set by the original game. The player is protected by a glittering parabolic force field that is gradually worn away by enemy fire. The force field switches off temporarily while the player’s shots pass through it. 2.Laser Attack: In this mission, the player must battle two formations of five enemies each. Each formation contains three yellow enemies that attempt to dive-bomb the player, a white gun that fires a single laser beam, and a red miniature version of the Gorf robot. 3.Galaxians: This mission is a clone of Galaxian, with the key differences being the number of enemies (24 in Gorf vs. 46 in Galaxian) and the way the enemies fire (pellets in Gorf, missiles in Galaxian). Gameplay is otherwise similar to the original game. 4.Space Warp: Mission 4 places the player in a sort of wormhole, where enemies fly outward from the center of the screen and attempt to either shoot down or collide with the player’s ship. It is possible to shoot enemy shots in this level. 5.Flag Ship: The Flag Ship is protected by its own force field (similar to the one protecting the player in Mission 1), and it flies back and forth and fires at the player. To defeat it, the player must break through the force field and destroy the ship’s core: if a different part of the ship is hit the player receives bonus points and the part breaks off and flies in a random direction, potentially posing a risk to the player’s ship. If the player successful hits the Flag Ship’s core, the Flag Ship explodes in a dramatic display, the player advances to the next rank, and play continues on Mission 1, with the difficulty increased.Galaga is a single-screen shoot-em-up in which the player controls a “fighter” spaceship and must defend the home planet against the on-coming hordes of alien invaders. The fighter can only move left and right along the bottom of the screen. Galaga aliens fly onto the screen in a variety of formations – dropping bombs as they do so – before forming troop lines at the top of the screen. Once a troop line is formed, the aliens separate and start attacking the player’s ship in ones, twos and threes. The top line “boss” aliens need to be shot twice before they are destroyed. The boss alien has a tractor beam that can capture the player’s fighter. A captured fighter changes color from white to red and stays with that particular boss Galaga until it’s destroyed. The fighter can be retrieved by destroying the boss Galaga that captured it, but players must be careful not to destroy the captured ship itself, or that ship is lost. A rescued fighter changes color back from red to white and links up with the player’s current fighter, doubling its fire power. As players progress through each screen, the speed and number of alien attacks increases. Alien formations also become more complex, making the aliens harder to shoot. Bonus fighters are awarded periodically throughout the game, as players reach specific point values (dictated by the “bonus life” dip-switch setting). Each enemy ship also has an assigned point value (see scoring below). The alien troop lines that form at the top of the screen are, from top to bottom: Boss Galaga, Butterflies (red/white bug ships) and Bees (blue/yellow bug ships). I cut my teeth on video games like this back in the ’80s. Pinball lost momentum in this era as video games ruled the arcade at this time.Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of hazards. Skillful players may obtain some bonuses along the way. The game is regarded as a classic from the golden age of video arcade games and was noted for its novel gameplay and theme. It was also an early example of a game using more than one CPU, as it used two Z80 processors. Frogger is still popular and versions can be found on many Internet game sites. By 2005, Frogger had sold 20 million copies worldwide, including 5 million in the United States. The player starts with three, five, or seven frogs (lives). The player guides a frog which starts at the bottom of the screen. The lower half of the screen contains a road with motor vehicles, which in various versions include cars, trucks, buses, dune buggies, bulldozers, vans, taxis, bicyclists, and/or motorcycles, speeding along it horizontally. The upper half of the screen consists of a river with logs, crocodiles, and turtles, all moving horizontally across the screen. The very top of the screen contains five “frog homes” which are the destinations for each frog. Every level is timed; the player must act quickly to finish each level before the time expires. The only player control is the joystick used to navigate the frog; each push in a direction causes the frog to hop once in that direction. On the bottom half of the screen, the player must successfully guide the frog between opposing lanes of trucks, cars, and other vehicles, to avoid becoming roadkill. The middle of the screen, after the road, contains a median where the player must prepare to navigate the river. By jumping on swiftly moving logs and the backs of turtles, the player can guide his or her frog safely to one of the empty lilypads. The player must avoid crocodiles, snakes, and otters in the river, but may catch bugs or escort a lady frog for bonuses. When all five frogs are directed home, the game progresses to the next, harder level. After five levels, the game gets briefly easier yet again gets progressively harder to the next fifth level. There are many different ways to lose a life in this game (illustrated by a “skull and crossbones” symbol where the frog was), including: 1.Being hit by a road vehicle 2.Jumping into the river’s water 3.Running into snakes, otters or into a crocodile’s jaws in the river 4.Jumping into a home invaded by a crocodile 5.Staying on top of a diving turtle until it has completely submerged 6.Riding a log, crocodile, or turtle off the side of the screen 7.Jumping into a home already occupied by a frog 8.Jumping into the side of a home or the bush 9.Running out of time before getting a frog home Frogger is available as a standard upright or cocktail cabinet. The controls consist solely of a 4-direction joystick used to guide the frog’s jump direction. The number of simultaneous players is one, and the game has a maximum of two players. The game’s opening tune is the first verse of a Japanese children’s song called Inu No Omawarisan (The Dog Policeman). The song remained intact in the US release. Other Japanese tunes that are played during gameplay include the themes to the anime Hana no Ko Lunlun and Araiguma Rascal.This game was very successful for the Bally company. It was initially released in 1981 as a full upright pinball with a production of 8,250 games. This version of the game in its third release had a run of 8,850 games. This cabinet was a unique design for Bally, as was used in a few other games like Pac-Man pinball. Designed by George Christian with art by Margaret Hudson, the pool-themed game is a classic. The basic object here is to hit all seven drop targets representing pool balls. The eight-ball drop target then pops up. Upon hitting it, “deluxe” lights up behind where the drop targets were. Making “deluxe” increases your bonus upon completion of the ball and advances the deluxe hold-over feature on the backglass. Hitting the in-line drop targets awards points and specials. The same is true if you shoot the left ramp to the top.Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman (since renamed Mario) must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady (now named Pauline), from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo’s most popular characters. Donkey Kong is one of the earliest examples of the platform game genre; it is sometimes said to be the first platform game, although it was preceded by Space Panic. In contrast to Space Panic, however, Donkey Kong was the first platform game to feature jumping, introducing the need to jump between gaps and over obstacles or approaching enemies, setting the template for the platform genre. Competitive video gamers and referees stress the game’s high level of difficulty compared to other classic arcade games. Winning the game requires patience and the ability to accurately time Jumpman’s ascent. In addition to presenting the goal of saving the Lady, the game also gives the player a score. Points are awarded for finishing screens; leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer power-up; collecting items such as hats, parasols, and purses (apparently belonging to the Lady/Pauline); and completing other tasks. The player typically receives three lives with a bonus awarded for the first 7,000 points, although this can be modified via the game’s built in DIP switches. The game is divided into four different one-screen stages. Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final screen occurs at 100 m. Later ports of the game omit or change the sequence of the screens. The original arcade version includes: Screen 1 (25 m), Jumpman must scale a seven-story construction site made of crooked girders and ladders while jumping over or hammering barrels and oil barrels tossed by Donkey Kong. The hero must also avoid fireballs which generate when barrels run into the oil drum at the bottom of the site. Players routinely call this screen “Barrels”. Screen 2 (50 m), Jumpman must climb a five-story structure of conveyor belts, each of which transports cement pans. The fireballs also make another appearance. This screen is sometimes referred to as the “Factory” or “Pie Factory” due to the resemblance of the cement pans to pies. Screen 3 (75 m), Jumpman rides up and down elevators while avoiding fireballs and bouncing objects, presumably spring weights. The bouncing weights (the hero’s greatest danger in this screen) emerge on the top level and drop near the rightmost elevator. The screen’s common name is “Elevators”. This screen appears as an unlockable stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Screen 4 (100 m), Jumpman must remove the eight rivets which support Donkey Kong. The fireballs remain the primary obstacle. Removing the final rivet causes Donkey Kong to fall and the hero to be reunited with Lady/Pauline. This is the final screen of each level. Players refer to this screen as “Rivets”. The player loses a life if: Jumpman collides with a barrel, fireball, flaming oil barrel, spring weight, cement pan, or Donkey Kong himself Jumpman falls off the structure or through open rivet holes The bonus timer reaches 0. These screens combine to form levels, which become progressively tougher. For example, Donkey Kong begins to hurl barrels faster and sometimes diagonally, and fireballs get speedier. The victory music alternates between levels 1 and 2. The 22nd level is unofficially known as the kill screen, due to an error in the game’s programming that kills Mario after a few seconds, effectively ending the game. With its four unique levels, Donkey Kong was the most complex arcade game at the time of its release, and only the second game to feature multiple levels (the first was Gorf by Midway Games).Centipede is a vertically oriented shoot ‘em up arcade game produced by Atari, Inc. in 1981. The game was designed by Ed Logg along with Dona Bailey, one of the few female game programmers in the industry at this time. It was also one of the first arcade coin-operated games to have a significant female player base, after Pac-Man. The player defends against centipedes, spiders, scorpions and fleas, completing a round after eliminating the centipede that winds down the playing field. The player is represented by a small, “somewhat humanoid head” at the bottom of the screen. The player moves the character about the bottom area of the screen with a trackball and fires laser shots at a centipede advancing from the top of the screen down through a field of mushrooms. Shooting any section of the centipede creates a mushroom; shooting one of the middle segments splits the centipede into two pieces at that point. Each piece then continues independently on its way down the board, with the first section of the rear piece becoming a new head. If the head is destroyed, the section behind it becomes the next head. The centipede starts at the top of the screen, traveling either left or right. When it hits a mushroom or the edge of the screen, it drops one level and switches direction. Thus, more mushrooms on the screen cause the centipede to descend more rapidly. The player can destroy mushrooms by shooting them, but each takes four hits to destroy. If the centipede reaches the bottom of the screen, it moves back and forth within the player area and one-segment “head” centipedes are periodically added. This continues until the player has eliminated both the original centipede and all heads. When all the centipede’s segments are destroyed, a new centipede forms at the top of the screen. Every time a centipede is eliminated, however, the next one is one segment shorter and is accompanied by one additional, fast-moving “head” centipede. A player loses a life when hit by a centipede or another enemy, such as a spider or a flea. The flea leaves mushrooms behind when fewer than five are in the player area, though the number required increases with level of difficulty. Spiders move across the player area in a zig-zag fashion and occasionally eat some of the mushrooms. Scorpions poison every mushroom they touch, but these never appear in the player’s movement region. A centipede touching a poisoned mushroom hurtles straight toward the player’s area. Upon reaching the player’s area, the centipede returns to normal behavior.This beautiful piece of art was designed by Jim Patla with artwork by Paul Faris. 3,700 units were designed and a reprise run of 1,550 games were made in 1983 due to its popularity. The first thing one notices when walking up to this game is the color theme and the vibrant lighting. Pressing either flipper button when the game is in attract mode gives you an instructional light show on its features; the orb feature is the most exciting. Spelling out orbs by completing the drop target sequence stores another potential ball into play if the release orbs target is hit. This target has a magnet under it which holds the ball in position when the orbs are ejected. The balls are ejected from under the playfield through a baseball machine pitcher-like mechanism mounted upside down in the shooter lane. This mechanism was inspired by a Bally ‘50s game called Balls A Poppin. The captive ball drop target sequence is another tough goal to accomplish.“Welcome to Xenon” announces the machine when you coin it up. This is the first game to incorporate a female synthesized voice as its main character. Bally produced 11,000 of these sexy, colorful games. It was designed by Greg Kmiec with art by Paul Faris. This is also the first time a game has a “vocalizer” board installed in it. Prior to this, a “squawk and talk” system was used. Finally, you can really understand the game! The playfield incorporates a right-side Xenon transport tube, which, when shot and conditions are met, lock the ball. An upper saucer at the top of the playfield not only drops one of four drop targets when rolled over, but advances the “X” value. Making three “X” completions lights the lock. The second time around awards a two-ball multiball extravaganza. Drop targets, when all four are completed, advance the bonus toward specials also. The moto exit value increases the more times the transport tube is made. A great package!Claude Fernandez designed this machine at Bally with the infamous Greg Freres penning the artwork early in his career. 4,150 examples of this game were screwed together. This machine’s asymmetrical playfield is classic Bally. Lane change at the top of the playfield via flipping is a first on this machine. By dropping the targets to spell “skate”, one advances the kickout hole to advance. After three or four advances, extra ball and special light. Hitting “skate” and A and B at the bottom of the playfield light extra ball. The center drop targets advance the value of the targets when all lit, all the way to 100,000 points. If you are skillful enough to advance the bonus to its highest point, the specials light up. This Bally game is also the first machine to have seven-digit scoring!10,350 of these machines made it through the doors of Bally in 1978. Designed by the great Jim Patla and art package by Kevin O’Conner, this early wide body machine is a perfect match for the pinball trade as well as this museum. Even though it was made prior to vocalization in pinball machines, the sounds of the machine draw one in to play its features. All the technology of the 70s is present here with drop targets, loop shots, advancing bonus features and a novel kick back kicker between the flippers which, once achieved, brings the ball back into play instead of draining. Completing the spelling of “Silverball Mania” advances the bonus features. If you complete this feat three times in a game, a built in carrier feature advances on the backglass and awards an operator-adjustable reward, classically three free games. A great playfield flow was designed into the game with two “back to the top” shots enticing players along.It’s probably a very rare person who has never played Pac-Man. Even for those who may have missed it in the 1980s, Pac-Man has been re-made on nearly every video game platform since then. Pac-Man even appeared on the front page of Google (as a playable game) on Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary. However, for those few who are unfamiliar with the game, here are the basics. You, the player, control the yellow, circular Pac-Man using either keyboard arrows or a joystick. The goal is to move Pac-Man around the maze-like screen gobbling up all 240 dots before the four ghosts (sometimes called monsters) get you. The four ghosts are all different colors: Blinky (red), Inky (light blue), Pinky (pink), and Clyde (orange). However, they all turn dark blue when Pac-Man eats one of the four power pellets available on each level; the pellets enable Pac-Man to eat the ghosts. Occasionally, fruit will appear on the screen. If Pac-Man gobbles those up then he earns a point bonus, with different fruit worth different values. While all this is happening, Pac-Man makes a wocka-wocka sound that is nearly as memorable as the yellow character himself. When first launched in Japan by Namco in 1980, the game received a lukewarm response, as Space Invaders and other similar games were more popular at the time. However, the game found far more success in North America. Pac-Man’s success in North America took competitors and distributors completely by surprise in 1980. Marketing executives who saw Pac-Man at a trade show prior to release completely overlooked the game (along with the now-classic Defender), while they looked to a racing car game called Rally-X as the game to outdo that year. The appeal of Pac-Man was such that the game caught on immediately with the public; it quickly became far more popular than anything seen in the game industry up to that point. Pac-Man outstripped Asteroids as the best-selling arcade game in North America, grossing over $1 billion in quarters within a decade, by the end of the 1980s, surpassing the revenues grossed by the highest-grossing film “Star Wars”. The player controls Pac-Man through a maze, eating pac-dots (also called pellets). When all pac-dots are eaten, Pac-Man is taken to the next stage. Between some stages one of three intermission animations plays. Four enemies (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) roam the maze, trying to catch Pac-Man. If an enemy touches Pac-Man, a life is lost and the Pac-Man itself withers and dies. When all lives have been lost, the game ends. Pac-Man is awarded a single bonus life at 10,000 points by default.Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari, Inc. that was also licensed to Sega for European release. It is considered one of the most notable games from the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games. The plot of Missile Command is simple: the player’s six cities are being attacked by an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of them even splitting like multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), and in later levels smart bombs which can evade a less than perfectly targeted missile. As a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries, the player must defend six cities in their zone from being destroyed. The game is played by moving a crosshair across the sky background via a trackball and pressing one of three buttons to launch a counter-missile from the appropriate battery. Counter-missiles explode upon reaching the crosshair, leaving a fireball that persists for several seconds and destroys any enemy missiles that enter it. There are three batteries, each with ten missiles; a missile battery becomes useless when all its missiles are fired, or if the battery is destroyed by enemy fire. The missiles of the central battery fly to their targets at much greater speed; only these missiles can effectively kill a smart bomb at a distance. The game is staged as a series of levels of increasing difficulty; each level contains a set number of incoming enemy weapons. The weapons attack the six cities, as well as the missile batteries; being struck by an enemy weapon results in destruction of the city or missile battery. Enemy weapons are only able to destroy 3 cities during one level. A level ends if all the cities are destroyed, or when all enemy weaponry is destroyed or reaches its target. A player who runs out of missiles no longer has control over the remainder of the level. At the conclusion of a level, the player receives bonus points for any remaining cities or unused missiles. Between levels missile batteries are rebuilt and replenished; destroyed cities are rebuilt only at set point levels (usually 10 or 12K). The game inevitably ends when all six cities have been wiped out. Like most early arcade games, there is no way to “win” the game; the game just keeps going with ever faster and more prolific incoming missiles. The game, then, is just a contest in seeing how long the player can survive. On conclusion of the game, the screen displays “The End”, perhaps a poke at oncoming Nuclear Holocaust rather than the standard “Game Over” text (however, if the player is able to make the high score list, the game then prompts the player to enter his/her initials, with the “The End” sequence skipped). The game features an interesting bug: once a score of 810,000 is reached, a large number of cities are awarded (176 cities plus the continuing accrual of bonus cities) and it is possible to carry on playing for several hours. At some later stage the speed of missiles increases greatly for a few screens. On the 255th and 256th yellow screens, known as the 0x stages, the scoring increases by 256 times the base value. For good players these two 0x stages could earn over a million points. This enabled them to reach a score of approximately 2,800,000 (although only 6 digit scores were shown, so it would display 800,000) and at this point the accelerated rate would suddenly cease and the game would restart at its original (slow) speed and return to the first stage, but with the score and any saved cities retained. In this way it was possible to play this game for hours on end. Targeting crosshair: Aim your missiles quickly but carefully. Use the trackball to move the targeting crosshair to where you want the next missile to go, then press any Launch Control button to fire the missile. The missile will explode where the crosshair was positioned when the Launch Control button was pressed. Cities: There are six cities in total on the screen at one time, three on either side of the Delta Base. If one enemy missile or Smart Bomb manages to strike a city, that city will be wiped out. When all cities are destroyed, the game is over. Alpha Base: The missile base on the left side of the screen. Press the leftmost Launch Control button to launch an ABM from the Alpha Base. Delta Base: The missile base in the center of the screen. Press the middle Launch Control button to launch an ABM from the Delta Base. Omega Base: The missile base on the right side of the screen. Press the rightmost Launch Control button to launch an ABM from the Omega Base. NOTE: The Alpha and Omega Bases launch ABMs at a slower speed than the Delta Base, so you must plan further ahead when launching missiles from those bases. Defensive Missiles : The ABMs you launch to protect your cities. Each missile base contains 10 ABMs per wave. If any missile base is struck by an attack missile or smart bomb, the remaining stock of missiles for that wave are destroyed, and the missile base is rendered useless until the next wave. You receive bonus points for every ABM you have remaining at the end of each wave. Attack Missiles : Their only aim is to destroy your cities and missile bases. Every missile wave starts off with a hailstorm of attack missiles. They never deviate from their path. They may, however, turn into MIRVs. MIRV : Surprise! There is no warning when an attack missile turns into an MIRV (with multiple warheads). Think fast. Each new missile that the MIRV unleashes is carefully targeted. Killer Satellite: A mean-looking satellite that travels across the sky at a mid-level altitude and fires attack missiles. First appears in Wave 2. Bomber: A big slow-moving target that flies across the sky at a mid-level altitude, but watch out! It fires attack missiles. First appears in Wave 2. WARNING: If you destory a bomber or killer satellite before they deploy their missiles, you may see their missiles added to the downpour. An existing missile may also turn into an MIRV. Smart Bomb: Smart enough to avoid most explosion clouds from your ABMs. Your ABM must explode next to one in order to destroy it. You can also squeen it between two explosions to destroy it. First appears in Wave 5. ‘LOW’ Warning: As soon as there are only three ABMs left in a missile base, the game displays the word “LOW” underneath that base, and a warning signal sounds. Heed the warning.
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This four-player machine is almost always considered to be in the top five best solid-state games of its genre. Brian Eddy designed this machine with art by Doug Watson. 3,450 examples of it were made. This fast-paced game is not based on the “Mars Attacks” movie but ironically came out the same time as the movie’s release. A sequel to this game is also in the museum by the name “Revenge From Mars.” The main theme of this amusing game is to complete the five attack waves activated by hitting the three drop targets in front of the saucer. Doing so drops the targets and allows shots to the saucer. After so many saucer hits, the saucer explodes into a flurry of strobe lights (first time used on a pinball machine) and sounds. If you make it to Mars Attacks, the game goes into hyper mode with a flurry of options and actions. Total annihilation of Mars is the ultimate goal. Many more feats and multi-balls are also present.