Play Meter

Issue: 1981 December 15 - Vol 7 Num 23

sun. The year brought us 41 different
models and an average rating for all
the machines of 3.20 which included
a whopping 15 ####s.
Obviously, I was e njoying what I
was seeing and playing,although, so
too were the other pinball players
out there , especially considerinq the
likes of Williams' FLASH, POKER-
/NO, and STELLAR WARS; Bally's
HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS,
KISS, PLAYBOY, SUPERSONIC,
and PARAGON; Gottlieb's GENIE,
COUNTDOWN, andCHARLIE'S
ANGELS, and Stern's METEOR,
HOT HAND , and MAGIC; as well as
Atari 's SUPERMAN, which proved
to be too little, too late for the
company and its venture into pinball.
As for the top four in 1979, there
was some shifting of positions as
witnessed by the following:
STERN
3.9
WILLIAMS
3.75
BALLY
3.74
GOTTLIEB
3.4
In 1980, there was a pronounced
change in the fortunes of pinball that
resulted in a rise for video and the
plateauing of the games in terms of
innovation and excitement, across
the board, for the 34 models
produces. It 's evident in the fact that
the average ratings were down to a
new low of 2.90 with only 4 machines
(or just 12'7o ) getting ####.
The memorab le games of the
year? How about Williams '
FIREPOWER, Bal ly's SPACE
iNVADERS, and Stern'sBIG GAME
and FLIGHT 2000. As for how the
manufacturers stacked up:
WILLIAMS
3.4
STERN
3.34
BALLY
2.67
GOTTLIEB
2.58
That brings us up to 1981, which,
although still not complete as yet,
has still managed to bring a nother 24
games to use and an avergae rating
of 3.05 so far as of last issue 's last
game . Seven games have garnered
####s so far , including Williams'
ALIEN POKER, and BLACK
KNIGHT; Bally's XENON and
FLASH GORDON; Stern's LIGHT-
NING and FREE FALL;
and
Gottlieb's MARS.
As of now, the rankings read like
this, although there is still some time
for change before the year runs out:
WILLIAMS
3.45
STERN
3.38
BALLY
3.0
GOTTLIEB
2.93
Aces a n d jokers
So what does it all mean? We ll ,
you can see where I might have been
right over the years, as well as wrong
and whether I've gotten any better
over time. For me, it is a revelation to
look back, see how far we've come,
the impact of some games for each of
the companies and how they may
change the balance of production
and design for succeeding efforts.
Anyway , if you have any reactions to
all the numbers, etc . let me know.
As for the next issue, get ready for
the post -AMOA wrap up report
highlighting the games, the people,
and conversation about the future
and present of the amusement
business . I'm exicted by the prospect
of what I'l l be seeing in a few short
days and optimistic about everything
in genera l and the promise of pinball
in a ll ways, shapes, and forms - to
survive and co ntinue as an integral
part of an industry that has never
been res tricted by the production of
only one type of game in more than
100 years since the first patents
began trickling into Washington.
Until then, we hope all had a happy
Halloween. Zachary Nathaniel and
older brother Joshua Lucas wish
you well and their daddy would like
to also add, be well and prosper. •
TOKENSeTOKENSeTOKENS
!STOCK AND CUSTOM )
FOR ALL MAKES OF GAMES,
T URNSTILES & VENDING MACHINES
PRIZE REDEMPTION & TRADE CHECKS
CASINO SLOT & GAMING COINS
Phone or wri te fo r catalog & samples
. PLAY METER, December 15,1981
53
music
on diSDIBU
Handu wrapping
Coin machine operators who
must hand co un t and wrap coins o n
location may find use of the Easy
Wrapper makes the job faster and
easier. It will count and wrap all
current U.S. coins, company
literature claims.
.
Made of durable, red, molded
plastic, the attractive Easy Wrapper
has seven openings to accommodate
coin wrappers for nicke ls, dimes,
quarters, halves , both the "Ike" and
"Susan" dollar coins, and pennies.
The familiar paper coin wrapper
tube is placed into the appropriate
coin hole. It fits around an "island"
which holds the wrapper upright,
ready for filling. Coins are dropped
into the paper wrapper tube. When
the coins reach the top surface of the
Easy Wrapper and are level with it,
the wrapper can be removed and
closed, because it will then contain
the correct number of coins, without
any actual counting being necessary.
The Easy Wrapper comes
complete with instructions. It is
4lh inches high, 6 inches long, and 3 \1;>
inches wide.
Prices is $19.95 , postpaid, from:
Coin Handlers, Department PM,
1445 Sunset Ridge Road , Glenview ,
Illinois 60025.
54
The VMC - Video Music Center
was introduced by Stern/ Seeburg
at the AMOA. Its standard 19-inch
color TV monitor displays music
titles, credits, information that can
be stored by the location - such as
sports scor e s or stock market
readings, the selection current ly
playing, and "operator only" service
modes.
In the attract mode, the screen's
list of music in title/ artist/title format
scro lls upward. The location·
formatted message can contain 40
letters in each of 12 lines.
The customer utilizes only two
controls, a thumbwheel and a select
button. When he moves the
thumbwheel, pushes the select
button, or inserts coins, the main
index is displayed. Credits are
displayed upon insertion of money.
The control panel features dual coin
mechanisms to reduce downtime
due to jammed coin rejectors.
The stereo speaker system
consists of two separate channels
housed in one cabinet to produce full
stereo sound, mid-level in the unit,
with a total of six speakers within
each system- a woofer , tweeter,
and midrange in each channel.
Songs are programmable up to 200
selections.
Seeburg describes the VMC
cab inet as "high technology contem-
porary." Access to the interior is
gained by opening two key-locks on
either side of the speaker grille, per-
mitting all service from the fro nt.
cops'n'robbers
Capitalizing on the recent detective
craze in fiction, television and the
movies , Taito America Corp. has
released Lock 'n' Chase, a video
game of pursuit and capture.
The cops-and -robbers adventure
begins as "Lupin" stealthily moves
through the maze heisting gold coins
and other assorted riches. Super
sleuths are in hot pursuit as Lupin
attempts to outwit his pursuers, nab
all of the riches, and move on to a
more devious maze offering
additional riches. Lupin escapes the
detectives by manipulation of the
joystick and skillful use of the lock
button which can temporarily bar
the path of his pursuers or lock them
behind bars.
But Lupin must beware of the
gates that open and close at random,
blocking his path. He may exit the
maze and return on the opposite
side, thereby skillfully eluding the
super sleuths. Collecting the hat,
crown, valise, and telephone in each
successive maze earns bonus points,
with points doubling for each money
bag he snatches. But with each
successive maze the detectives
become more devious and resource -
ful.
The game is available in 1- or 2-
player upright models. Lock 'n'
Chase, originally designed by Data
East of Japan for its cassette system,
is being manufactured for North and
South America by Taito America in
Taito's standard video game format.
PLAY METER , December 15,1981

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