This game is the pinball rendition of the hbo TV show, The Sopranos, complete with voices of most of the actors in the series. It was designed by George Gomez with the art package created by Kevin O’Conner. The main object of the machine is to advance through the ranks of the mob by advancing your status through playfield rollovers and cracking the safe. Doing so is difficult to achieve to top capo. A multiball feature is also incorporated into the game behind a solo drop target. Video modes must be achieved to complete the placard of events culminating in the completion of your missions. So many pop bumper hits light up the party at the bing in the upper right, which scores a bunch of points. Mastering this machine is tough, but that’s what brings you back to try again.
Here’s another Stern contemporary machine complete with a dancing “king” on the playfield. It was designed by Steve Ritchie with art package by Jerry Vandersteldt. The basic strategy of this game centers around Elvis’s songs. Completing all five of Elvis’s repertoire awards the Graceland award. Shooting the five Elvis drop targets lights the top eject hole for an award. A Top Ten countdown feature is also incorporated into the game. If you spell “encore” on the back glass of the machine before your game is over, a multiball after the game is complete will occur. The music of Elvis makes the machine and the graphics are vibrant.
This contemporary machine was designed by Keith Johnson and Joe Balcer. The art package was created by Matt Groening’s cartoon team and the voices inherent in the game are from the actors who play the characters on the show. This well-designed game is basically an extension of The Simpsons TV show with all characters accounted for. Opening the garage door allows you to try and lock three balls in the couch to start couch multiball and score a jackpot or super jackpot. The three drop targets on the bottom right must be hit, the ball dropped into the hole behind them…and then repeated once more to start the Itchy and Scratchy multiball. If you’re skillful enough to complete all the modes to the basic game, the spoiler modes kick in. One of these modes reverses the flipper buttons’ function. A very complicated game enhanced by Homer following the ball around the playfield; this game is busy.
