EM; root for a classic.

If Big Shot were to remain the only EM of the lot, that wouldn't entirely do the EM era justice. Suggestions for admirable EM candidates have probably been proposed before but I thought I'd create a structured hub, for FarSight to perhaps draw upon for inspiration.

I propose a standerized format, that provides rellevant info in a structured manner, leaving some extra room for personal notes at the end.

1. Name/manufactorer/year (IPDB link)
2. Features
3. Additional notes (Hystoric importance, why would it make a worthwhile addition to the fold, or if you can't help yourself, why it has sentimental value to you)


For starters, and for example
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FOUR MILLION BC
Bally 1970
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=935

Skill rampshot, kickback, ball return gate, multiball, zipper flippers, kick out hole

Maybe this table wasn't quite novel enough to be a first of it's kind markingpoint, and the zipper flippers are a relatively antique gimmick, but with stuff like a ramp skillshot, a kickback, and multiball 14 MILLION BC is anything but prehistoric, and even in many respects ironicly ahead of it's time. In spite of it's lack of electronic bleeps and bloops, nevermind speech, this table in many respects feels more progressive, more modern, than GENIE or GORGAR, which is impressive for a table from 1970.
What would make this table a worthwhile addition in particular though, if I'm to believe the PinMAME recreation, is it's multiplayer potential. The (volcano and/or tarpit) multiball carries over from one player to the next, which adds a hillarious dimension to playing a game against a buddy. Oh yeah, and the Pinball Arcade wouldn't be whole without at least one zipper-flipper table. Make it this one.

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I'll also include some links to previously made suggestions

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/3094-Gameplan-EM-tables?p=49425&viewfull=1#post49425
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/3094-Gameplan-EM-tables?p=49015&viewfull=1#post49015
(Feel free to post a link to your earlier EM suggestion.)

If there are to be any additional EM's in the future, which one should it be? Go ahead; root for your favorite here.

1. Space Riders / IPD No. 2258 / September, 1978
2. Widebody, Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (2), Slingshots (2), Kick-out holes (2), Spinning targets (2), Solitary drop targets (3). Three messenger balls, each are protected by a drop target. Left and right dual inlanes. Score displays are on playfield card holder and not in backbox.
3. It's brilliantly coloured, It's Atari, and, well, it's rarity makes it something to preserve

http://youtu.be/O8ndILtzDvE


Meh it's a system 1 SS, but that doesn't make the sentiment any less true

1. Buckaroo / IPD No. 393 / June, 1965 / Gottlieb
2. Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Passive bumpers (3), Slingshots (2), Roto-targets (2), Standup target (1). Mechanical backbox animation (horse kicks cowboy). Lighting any four adjacent numbers in the 1 thru 7 sequence awards 1 replay, making a possibility of earning up to four replays with this feature.
3. 'Buckaroo' was the game played by Elton John's character in the classic pinball-themed 1975 film and rock opera 'Tommy' (aka: "Tommy by 'The Who' ").

http://youtu.be/e5ycMWh5sRU

Four Million BC is definitely a table I'd love to try. Saw some video a while back, and like Jutter says, it seems really ahead of its time.

slick chick

Sumez said:

Four Million BC is definitely a table I'd love to try. Saw some video a while back, and like Jutter says, it seems really ahead of its time.

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By comparison... I've also played the VP/PinMAME version of HONEY, a fun stylish table that was released two years later (1972), but which seems like a table that preceded 4MBC by nearly a decade.

Slick Chick is appearantly well loved on the IPDB EM top two-hundred-and-something, taking the top spot. No VP repro to be found, but it looks cool with it's x-shaped jetbumper layout.

Strange World and Triple Strike

Strange world is really just a target-fest. I can't even be sure why I like it to be honest....i just do...a lot...probably more than is healthy.

Triple Strike: In my opinion this game stomps all over Strikes and Spares as far as bowling themed tables go.

Brutal hard, tilting means game over not just lost ball, rack up all ten pins three times for your bonus and a round-edged sink hole at the top to increase bonus. Four targets that need to be hit twice for an extra ball (unless they are down, i think they stay down so an extra ball can be made with as little as 5 solid shots...but good luck making them).

I love the original Star Trek EM, but Ii highly doubt they would pay the high licensing fee for an EM. Maybe they could do a package deal with the Star Trek 25 th anniversary table.

Played about ten games on Ship Ahoy last night. Really enjoyed this one. It also goes by the name of Buccaneer (same game).

Some EM's had different names but the only difference was how many players could play and some were the same layout but different artwork Im talking about you SOLAR CITY/ EL DORADO

SKILL_SHOT said:

Some EM's had different names but the only difference was how many players could play and some were the same layout but different artwork Im talking about you SOLAR CITY/ EL DORADO

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/Target Alpha/Gold Strike/Lucky Strike/Canada Dry

YUKON/KLONDIKE different contries machines sometimes would have slight variations like different flippers or an extra pop bumper.

Seawitch, The Best Wizard, Magic Circle, Owl

Love the art on these old EM. Art on some of the old EMs are really cool.

It would also be cool if TPA released novelty pinballs as well, it would seem that some of them would be cheap to get a license for and coding / art would be much easier
Always Seven - http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=4463&picno=50453
Hokum - http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=5088&picno=28101
seems like these would be a good buy for a buck... if the copyright holders could be tracked

By the way, for any FS employee who's reading in... besides the VP downloads, I've sofar bought every single TPA item on offer, including pro-versions (might I want to use the coin-door someday). TPA's recreations are superior, both estheticly and ethicly, and I'd buy the PC version too, if only STEAM would greenlight it. PinMAME's the tie-me-over in this regard, and a cool way to explore what we'd love to see F.S. devolp next. though PinMAME and FuturePinball can perhaps be a thorn in TPA's PC-endeavours, I hope F.S. can also recognize it for the double edged sword it is.

Royal Guard
Flipper Clown

SPANISH EYES
Williams 1972
http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=s...&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick#2265

Flippers, Pop bumpers, Standup targets, Kick-out hole, Horseshoe lane.

It's a sentimental favorite for me. The pop bumper on the bottom is unique, and the horseshoe lane is a lot of fun.

Surf Champ
Gottlieb/1976; four player version of Surfer.

Spinner, roll-overs, pops, saucer, drops, you name it. Great game that rewards good shot making but still retains the randomness of an EM. I play one on location fairly regularly and the game play is varied enough that it doesn't get old. A late EM classic.

Here's a gameplay video and a tournament video, respectively:
http://pinball.org/videos/gameplay-videos/surfer/
http://pinball.org/videos/tournament/papa/2012-pinburgh-round-6-surfer/

The second video gives a good rundown of the ruleset. Both are played on Surf Champ's two player counterpart, Surfer.

Capersville
Bally 1966

3x multiball, zipper-flippers, great artwork

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=431


Zipper Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Mushroom bumpers (6), Slingshot (1), Kick-out holes (2), Multiball (3). Left ball kicker lane shoots ball to top of playfield. Upper right ball return gate delivers ball to a four-step captive ball alley before returning it to the ball shooter lane. This feature carries over from game to game. There is only one slingshot on this game, next to the left flipper.(IPDB)

Here's another EM I'd like to see, Gottlieb's Atlantis. An interesting layout and rule set. Check it out. I love the genius design on the right side of this table.

I'd love to see a Hot Tip digitized into TPA. http://pinball.org/videos/gameplay-videos/hot-tip/

Or maybe Dragon XD http://pinball.org/videos/gameplay-videos/dragon/

Five EM favorites

Big Indian
Gottlieb, 1974
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=257

Top ten rating on IPMD. Has a Vari-target (how hard you hit it determines how much it scores.) Completing the three top rollovers (remember that there was no flipper to change the lit rollover back in these days) lights the drop targets for a special. The trick is that you have to complete the drop bank after the rollovers and the drop targets are kind of hidden behind the Vari-target. A nice challenge, but a bit of a one-trick pony.

Royal Flush
Gottlieb, 1976
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2035

12,250 units plus a later SS release. Royal Flush is a great example of the card theme. A slanted bank of nine cards, plus three colors of jokers, combine for superior gameplay.

Jet Spin
Gottlieb, 1977 (sensing a pattern yet?)
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=1290

A three-paned Roto-target and a Vari-target. A typical minimalist EM layout still allows for multiple ways to get both specials and extra balls. It's a long shot to nail that center target on the Roto-target. A lot of fun.

Spirit of 76
Gottlieb, 1976 (technically December, 1975)
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2293

10,300 units plus a later SS release. There was a 2-player version (Pioneer) and a special version celebrating the lifting of the decades-long ban of pinball in NYC (appropriately named New York.) Has a beautifully symmetrical play field. The basic goal is to complete A-B-C-D-E, with the center-top C being the "skill shot," since all of the other letters have a second way to collect them. Twin banks of drop targets add to play value.

Aztec
Williams, 1976
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=119

10,150 units. Various combinations of collecting A-Z-T-E-C will light double bonus and/or a dead-center button for extra ball. Bonus is in increments of 5,000. The bonus count (as far as I know) is unique—it counts by thousands, unless you get double bonus. Then, it counts by ten thousands. This one is well-worth seeking out on Visual Pinball.