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From: ee163ahj@sdcc13.UUCP (PAUL VAN DE GRAAF)
Newsgroups: net.games
Subject: Re: Old pinball machine favorites
Message-ID: <204@sdcc13.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-85 01:07:21 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc13.204
Posted: Sun Apr 21 01:07:21 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Apr-85 05:59:24 EST
References: <224@petfe.UUCP> <404@sftri.UUCP> <234@zaphod.UUCP>
Reply-To: ee163ahj@sdcc13.UUCP (PAUL VAN DE GRAAF)
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 26

[ 'You hurt GORGAR!' ]

	One of my all-time favorites was the novelty machine which I believe was
called Goliath or Hercules or some such.  It was made by Atari (the only decent
pin to come from them) and I'm sure you'd remember it if you played it, since it
was, to quote David Letterman, "just plain BIG !"  The ball was about the size
of a skee-ball or duck-pin bowling ball.  Most people played it for the novelty,
and not for the game, but it was quite playable and gave me hours of enjoyment.
Nothing boosts your ego as much as beating the crap out of a huge machine with
dozens of on-lookers watching in amazement.  A play cost 50 cents, and I guess
it suffered from the same problem that present day pins have, it took up too
much room to be profitable.  If I could find a used one though... well maybe it
would fit in my living room if took out all the furniture :-).

	I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 'Captain Fantastic', or '8-Ball'
(not Deluxe) two of the most popular of the old-time games.  Or even the one
that I learned to play (well) on, 'Flash!'.  The play on the old games was
pretty good, but I'm a sucker for the sound of those synthesizer chips.  The
sound was particularly good on 'Silverball Mania', 'Mystic' (my all-time fav-
orite), and 'Fire-Power'.  Now that Video is sort of dying, maybe we'll see
a resurge in Pinball, but the only new game I can think of from this year is 
'Space Shuttle'.  It's OK, but I know they can do better.  Sooner or later the
old machines are going to start falling apart, most arcades skimp on their
maintenance; another reason why you don't see too many pins anymore.

Paul van de Graaf	sdcsvax!sdcc13!ee163ahj		U. C. San Diego