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This is it. The ultimate collectible game of the ‘70s according to the literature. Bally put together Ted Zale and Dave “Mad Dog” Christianson to design the game. Production run was 3,815 units. Many firsts here. The whirlwind spinning disk was a first to throw off the ball once rolled upon. A messenger ball (captive ball) was a variation on a theme. The art package is truly amazing. A lower-left kick-back kicker, when activated, returns your ball to play. A free ball gate returns your ball to the plunger. “Zipperflippers”, a first, closes the gap between the flippers, when activated, preventing the loss of the ball thru the center drain until turned off. Once you lock two balls in the “odin” and “wotan” kickout holes, then hit “release messenger balls”, three balls are in play. No jackpot in multiball in this game was developed. You just had a period of high scoring and pinball chaos to contend with until you lost the first two balls in play. -
Gottlieb Pop-A-Card was another classic ‘70s playfield designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison. Only 825 of these units were made. The replay version of the game was called Drop–A-Card which, as usual, was a much higher produced machine. The open playfield of this game gives ample room for scoring the three banks of drop targets. To win free balls with this game, you have to either complete the 2, 3, 4, and 5 targets, or the 6, 7, 8, and 9 targets…or the 10, J, Q, K, and Ace targets. The first two options light the wow feature to award free balls during that ball in play. If you hit the 10 thru Ace targets to completion, four rollovers light up to score extra balls. Of course, score is another way to score more balls. -
Gottlieb produced a few baseball-themed games, but Williams Manufacturing was the king of these types of games. This game, designed by Ed Krynski with art by Gordon Morison, had a run of 775 units. This is the add-a-ball version of this game, so it is rarer. The replay version is called Grand Slam. This game has eject holes which activate the roto-target, a Gottlieb exclusive device, which stops and a man is lit on a corresponding base to the eject hole on the baseball diamond. The rollover button lights when the bases are loaded. This scores 1,000 points whenever the bases are loaded. Runs and score are the ways to win free balls with this game. -
This one-player September release was designed by Steve Kordek with art package laid out by Christian Marche. 1,130 units were made, which is a pretty low production run. This is an add-a-ball game with a replay version also released called “Superstar.” This machine incorporates not one but three pop-up posts to deflect the ball from draining through the side drains as well as the flipper drain. The object of the machine is to extend your playing time by winning more free balls. This is achieved by completing the s-u-p-e-r roll-overs at the top of the play field. Doing so lights the hidden center kick-out hole. By dropping the target in front of this hole, one has a shot at the extra ball prize. If both specials are lit, two free balls are awarded. Completing each five-star sequence also advances the center shot award. Score is another to earn extra balls per game. Replay games were much more popular back in this era, but not every locale allowed replays. -
Kasco Manufacturing Company produced about eight machines of various themes in their productive commercial life. This machine is the most popular of the games they made. This shoot’em up game awards a free play if a score of 80 is made. The game board is elaborate for its day and looks 3-D. Blacklight, holograms, and mechanical chain link drives are all synchronized at different speeds (the faster the ninja moves, the more potential points you can earn if you hit one). Hitting a ninja produces a flash of light and points. Audio enhances your experience. Lighting colored artwork from behind a mirror creates the animation effect seen in this game. There’s only eight molded targets in the game, but it appears a lot more are present due to the computer’s timing of their action. Give it a shot! -
Atari PONG was released in June 1972 and is the first commercially successful video game and is based on a simple two-dimensional graphical representation of a tennis-like game. Players use paddles to hit a ball back and forth on a black and white screen. Pong was the first game developed by Atari Inc., by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Pong (marketed as PONG) is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the left side of the screen, and can compete against either a computer controlled opponent or another player controlling a second paddle on the opposing side. Players use the paddles to hit a ball back and forth. The aim is for a player to earn more points than the opponent; points are earned when one fails to return the ball to the other. Pong consistently earned four times more revenue than other coin-operated machines, which resulted in an increase in the number of orders Atari received. This provided Atari with a steady source of income; the company sold the machines at three times the cost of production. By 1973, the company had filled 2,500 orders, and, at the end of 1974, sold more than 8,000 units.[20] The arcade cabinets have since become collector’s items with the cocktail-table version being the rarest. Atari eventually sold more than 35,000 units, however, many more imitations were produced by competitors. -
Williams produced this game in October with 7,053 units produced. Norm Clark designed the game and Christian Marche did the art package. This four-player electromechanical game is based on the game tic-tac-toe. Making 3 x’s or 3 o’s in line or diagonally lights the eject holes to award an extra ball and 5,000 points. Making the A and B rollovers lights the center target. Hitting it opens the gate and 1,000 points. A bonus feature is incorporated into the game and this is awarded when the ball drains. Lighting all the squares activates the side rollover lanes to score a replay. Score and matching are also incorporated into the game. A fast playfield design and fun to play. -
Pro Pool originated in December with 800 units being fabricated. This add-a-ball machine was designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison. Two replay versions of the game were also made: a two-player version called Big Shot and a four-player version called Hot Shot. Obviously the theme of this game is the game of pool. The playfield is symmetrical and the way to win extra balls is by completing the left and/or right drop target battery. Doing so will lift the left and/or right wow rollovers for this award. The drop targets reset once the sequences are completed. Of course, an operator-adjusted score is another way to score a couple of balls. Back in the ‘70s, multiple balls or replays could be achieved on the game. Today, one free game on a current solid-state game is the common win. Operators have made it harder to achieve free games today as free games yield no income and only result in down time for the machine to earn coins in the till. -
Big Brave is a two-player electromechanical machine. 3,450 units were produced. Ed Krynski designed the machine and Gordon Morison was in charge of the artwork. This game was a typical Gottlieb game of the era. It has drop targets, resetting targets, bonus feature, double bonus option, and a special. Making the B I G rollover lights the pop bumpers. Hitting all five drop targets awards 5,000 points. Hitting the last drop target left when the B I G is hit awards a special. The vari-target, as it was called, was an exclusive Gottlieb design. As you hit the target – depending how hard you hit it – would result in bigger point values. It will then reset to be hit again and again. A four-player version of this game, Big Indian, was also produced. -
May was the release month for this game. Designer Ed Krynski and artist Gordon Morison put together the package. Production run was low, at 675 units. This is an add-a-ball game variant, the replay version was called High Hand. The challenging part of this playfield design is trying to lock a ball in the eject hole for extra balls. Four batteries of drop targets in four colors are along the sides of the playfield. Making a completion of a color of drop targets increases the value of the eject and side drains. If all the drop targets are completed, the extra ball features light up. Score is another way to win balls set by the operator. No match units were incorporated into these games as, again, that was considered a form of gambling, i.e. winning a free game. -
Here’s another classic single-player wedgehead. This machine was designed by Jeff Brenner with art scrolled by Gordon Morison. 3,100 units came to fruition as well as an add-a-ball called Royal Pair. This open playfield design allows for a lot of action mandated by flipper shots all the way up the playfield. The object of the game is simple…by completing all the card targets and rollovers, three specials light. Hitting the ace target up top or scoring a lit rollover awards a replay. Another unique feature built into this machine is the random rollover values one may capture. 10, 100 or 1,000 points may be scored by rolling over one of four rollover targets when lit. The shots to the targets must be precise to score from the flipper. The outlanes are unique in design as they are angled. A very interesting variation of a Gottlieb card theme machine. -
This game by Gottlieb is a very challenging design. It was invented by Ed Krynski and artwork was drawn by Gordon Morrison. This game has 10 drop targets lined up the left side of the playfield. If one target is hit, one scores 500 points. If, however, you’re skillful enough to hit a blue and white target at the same time, 5,000 points are awarded. Completing the sequence 1-9 lights the special at the bottom left rollover as well as lights the drop targets to score a special if all the targets are dropped. The player had to be wary when trying to freeze the ball on the right flipper, as one could lose the ball up the right guide rail (which has an opening in it the size of a ball). This playfield design was used a few times by Gottlieb, as it was a successful design (games like Gottlieb 300, for example, a bowling themed game). Scoring games by core were another option.