Last time on RePlay ReView, we looked at some of the top pinball machines of 1986/1987! This time, we’re wrapping up the magazine’s coverage of games with eight more that would have stolen some of your allowance back in the day…
By the way, the release date information I’ve been posting for these games has not been coming from the issue of RePlay Magazine, but from The Internet Pinball Database. Typically there’s about a month difference between what the IPD and RePlay say, and since the IPD folks are obsessive about their information, I’m going with their release dates over what RePlay has. I have to assume, because of the lead time to produce, print, and ship a copy of RePlay Magazine, that they were getting information weeks, if not months in advance from the manufacturers, who were probably estimating when the games would be available. Or, perhaps the manufacturers didn’t want to promote that a game was available until they had enough on-hand to meet demand. So, while the game might have been released in October, they told RePlay Magazine it was released in November, because they would have had enough to actually deliver by then. This is all just speculation, but I thought I’d better explain why there’s a difference between the information I’m providing and what it says in RePlay Magazine.
Anyway, on with the pinball games!
GENESIS
Genesis was released in September 1986 by Gottlieb/Premier and saw 3,500 units produced. Genesis is a game that mixes German Expressionist silent film and 1950’s sci-fi, mad scientist schlock, to result in what looks like a really fun game.
The playfield features multiple targets to aim for, including two ramps on either side, that will spell out different body parts like brain, arms, and legs. Once you hit enough targets, a pit on the playfield lights up, revealing a metal cocoon that opens, revealing the body of a golden robot woman inside that looks very similar to Maria, the female robot from Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic, Metropolis.
Here’s a great video of the gameplay on YouTube, including the cocoon opening:
MONTE CARLO
Monte Carlo was released in February 1987 by Premier/Gottlieb, with 4,315 units produced. Monte Carlo is a casino themed pinball game with one big feature – a roulette wheel in the middle of the playfield. When you hit a special target, the wheel spins and a pinball inside whirls around the perimeter, before eventually stopping and rewarding you with a prize.
The original translite for the game is a pretty dated photo of a high-roller and his date at a casino, with a few old guys and a barmaid standing in the background. Two of those old guys (I’m assuming the two on the left) are Alvin Gottlieb and Gil Pollock, bigwigs at Premier, the company that made the game.
There’s also an alternative translite that you can buy for your Monte Carlo game that updates the fashion and overall design.
Here’s a YouTube video of Monte Carlo, including a spin of the roulette wheel:
F-14 TOMCAT
F-14 Tomcat was produced by Williams and was released in March 1987. This Top Gun-inspired game is one of the best-selling pinball machines of all time, moving 14,502 units. It was designed by Steve Ritchie, who is considered the most successful pinball designer ever, with games like Star Trek: The Next Generation, High Speed, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Firepower, among many others, selling over 125,000 machines.
Pinball fans seem to agree that the game is fairly straightforward as far as gameplay – there are ramps, habitrails, a multi-ball game, and stand-up targets, but the presentation really elevates it to something special. On top of the backbox are three flashing strobe lights – red, white, and blue, naturally – and more on the playfield. The Danger Zone-esque soundtrack really sets the tone, lights are constantly flashing on the playfield, and there are speech sound clips that really makes it feel like you’re communicating with your wingman during a dogfight with the Russkies.
If you have the need…the need for speed, here’s a gameplay video:
MILLIONAIRE
I wonder if the pinball designer’s convention was in Las Vegas in 1985 or 86, because here’s another casino-themed game, like Monte Carlo, and this one also features a roulette table embedded in the playfield that works exactly the same way.
Millionaire was released in January 1987 by Williams with 3,500 units sold.
Millionaire isn’t that much different from Monte Carlo, but it does have an outstanding synth soundtrack and great 80’s sound effects that are worth checking out in this gameplay video:
GOLD WINGS
Gold Wings is another Top Gun-inspired game of aerial combat released by Premier/Gottlieb in October 1986. The game would go on to sell 3,260 units.
The design of this game is a bit unusual, in that it has three flippers across the bottom with two drains. The left and middle flippers are controlled by the left button and the right flipper is controlled by the right button. There’s a fourth flipper on the right side farther up the playfield.
The sound effects really help sell the design, as do the runway lights on the backbox, but what really sets this one apart is the air siren that occasionally sounds when you hit certain target areas. And, as you’ll see in this gameplay video, it is not subtle:
SPRING BREAK
Taking you back to the days of Spuds McKenzie is April 1987’s Spring Break from Primier/Gottlieb. This fun in the sun-inspired game sold 3,550 units.
From what I’ve seen, the gameplay on this one isn’t anything too special. There’s a ramp, a few areas to hit stand-up targets, and there is a multi-ball option if you get lucky. The soundtrack is filled with 8-bit renditions of not-quite-California Sun by The Rivieras and other surfer songs of the 1960s, as well as a dog barking (they lean heavily into the unofficial Spuds tie-in), and ocean waves to help set the mood. That being said, the translite is filled with women in bikinis and the topless woman featured prominently on the playfield probably brought the pre-teen boys in droves.
Here’s a short gameplay video:
FIRE!
Fire! is a really unique pinball game. Released in June 1987 by Williams with 7,697 units sold, the game is inspired by old timey fire brigades, complete with all the chaos that might invite, like sirens, yelling voices, and a fire bell on the backbox that rings way more often than it probably should.
Gameplay features multiple ramps with targets at the top, as well as a special target in the center that activates a multi-ball game that adds to the confusion.
As if that wasn’t enough, 3-D buildings on the playfield will light up as if on fire and you have to hit the targets in front of these buildings to put out the fires. The targets start with a high point value, but that value ticks down after so many seconds, so you want to hit them as fast as you can for the best score.
But what really makes this game stand out for me, is the ornate artwork on the playfield and cabinet. There are so many vines and leaves and fleur-de-lis that I can’t imagine how long it must have taken to put this together. There’s a rather exciting scene near the drain with firefighters, horses, and panicked civilians running around, and the buildings are unique and highly-detailed, too. But it really pays off as one of the most beautiful and intricate pinball machines you’ll ever see.
In case you couldn’t tell, this is probably my favorite pinball machine that was featured in this issue of RePlay. I’d love to find a machine and give it a try in-person. In the meantime, this short play video on YouTube will have to do:
PINBOT
Pinbot was a sci-fi themed game released by Williams in October 1986. 12,001 units were made. I have to wonder if the 2001 at the end of that number might have been a clever reference to a certain Space Odyssey.
Aside from some great playfield artwork, the big draw of Pinbot was the robot head at the top of the playfield. At the start of the game, the robot’s black visor would be in the down position, with targets out front that you had to hit in order to light up the board that symbolized the robot’s chest panel. Once you complete the sequence of lights on the panel, the visor would rise up, revealing the robot’s face. Now you need to aim for the robot’s eye sockets, which, if hit successfully, will trap your ball. Hit the robot in both eyes, and the balls release, giving you multi-ball gameplay. But soon after, the robot’s faceplate closes again and the process starts over.
Here is the visor in the closed and open positions, respectively.
Naturally, because this was the 1980s, the robot voice for the game sounds amazing. The sound effects and music are pretty top notch, too. Check out this brief gameplay video on YouTube to get a feeling for Pinbot:
And those were the hot new pinball machines in 1986 and 1987! I have to say, there were some really fun-looking games in the bunch. I still think Fire! might be my favorite, but there were some really cool games here throughout.
In the next entry of RePlay ReView, we’re going to look at some of the arcade innovations involving compact discs, VHS, and Laserdisc! Be sure to stop by again and check it out!
