Play Meter

the years matches up , and lastly
some breakdowns of the facts and
figures.
For 1976 I had the chance to
review 18 games over the six months
not only including domestic
manufacturers but also some foreign
companies' efforts. The models that
recieved ####s were Bally's CAPT
FANTASTIC and Chicago Coin's
SOUND STAGE. The average
rating computed on the values given
all the machines was 3.12 (or a little
more than ###) . As for how the
companies did - well, here it is for
1976:
BALLY
3.3
3.25
CHI CAGO COIN
GOTTLIEB
3.0
3.0
WILLIAMS
1977 Pingame of the Year
in Play Meter 's annual poll;
Roger's rating: ####
1978 Pingame of the Year
in Play Meter's poll;
Roger's rating: ####
1979's No. 2 Game of the Year
(Flash/ Williams was No. 1 in poll);
Playboy rated#### as did Flash
52
In 1977, when pinball was really
enjoying ameasure of su ccess and a
rebirth, there were 39 games
reviewed, with an average rating
coming out to 3.06. Nine games, or
23 %, for you number freaks ,
received ####s, including Sonic's
PROSPECTOR? Gottlieb's TAR-
GET ALPHA, JACKS OPEN,
BRONCO, TEAM ONE, JET SPIN,
and JUNGLE QUEEN; and Bally's
EVEL KNIEVEL and EIGHT BALL.
The top four companies for the year
according to the rating lined up like
this:
GOTTLIEB
3.70
SONIC
3.3
BALLY
3.25
PLAYMATIC
3.0
For 1978 , with the domestic
manufacturers getting more solidly
e ntrenched in sol id -state electronics
there was a dramatic shift , at least for
this reviewer, regarding the viability
and competitivenes of the imports -
which ultimate ly proved to be true -
as well as a toughening of the ratings
reflected in the 2.91 yearly average
for the 44 models that hit the streets .
This time, only 6 games (or 14%)
received ####s including Stern's
STINGRAY, Williams ' CONTACT,
Bally's POWER PLAY , and
Gottlieb 's CLEOPATRA , SINBAD,
and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF
THE THIRD KIND. The company
rankings for the top four looked like
this: (as you can see, it was
something of a dogfight.)
BALLY
3.3
STERN
3.29
WILLIAMS
3.18
GOTTLIEB
3.17
In 1979 there were proba bly mon'
sol id games produces than have
been seen since, as , in many ways,
pinball began its last moments in the
1980's No. 1 Pin ball
in Play Meie r 's annual poll;
Roge r's rating: ####
1980's Sp ace Invade rs, No. 3 in
Play M e te r 's a nnual poll;
R oger's rating: ####
1980's Me teor , No . 5 in
Play M eter's operator poll;
Roger 's ra ting · ####
PLAY METER , December 15 , 1981