Star-JetBally, 1963Media Platforms Design TeamWhile the 80s and 90s saw tons of sci-fi-themed pinball machines, game designers in the 60s seemed more concerned with mod culture and the Wild West. This game—whose art seems to take cues from both The Jetsons and early Space Ghost cartoons—was an exception.Space MissionWilliams, 1976According to the Internet Pinball Database (ipdb.org), pinball designer Steve Kordek derived the machine’s back-glass art from a NASA picture.Centigrade 37Gottleib, 1977Despite art that leaves the impression that somebody is going to be cryogenically frozen, the game’s titular temperature actually translates into 98.6 Fahrenheit—the temperature of the human body, or a warm Florida day.Star Trek, 1979; Star Trek, 1991Bally and Data East, respectivelyMedia Platforms Design TeamThere have been a total of three Star Trek-themed games over the years—including one based on Star Trek: The Next Generation. These two machines show two decades’ differing approaches to the storied franchise. The first has a campy sci-fi feel (check out Kirk’s pecs!)—much like the short-lived original series. And although the later machine is clearly trying to show the original series and not the movies (you can tell by Kirk and Spock’s ages), its feel is more in line with the darker atmosphere of the films. Orbitor 1Stern, 1982Orbitor 1’s chief accomplishment is a playfield that convincingly gives players the impression of depth. Adding to the out-of-this-world theme, the game’s extensive use of magnets invisible sloping playfield makes for exceedingly frustrating gameplay that seems to defy gravity.Space ShuttleWilliams, 1984These days, it’s hard to imagine there was a time when the idea of a reusable space shuttle was still novel.Pin-bot and The Machine: Bride of Pin-botWilliams, 1986 and Williams, 1991Media Platforms Design TeamFew 80s games are well-remembered—they’re often overshadowed by the technologically and thematically advanced games that came in the early 90s once manufacturers began integrating animation-capable dot-matrix displays into their designs. But Pin-bot is a standout from the era. Does this game look familiar? That is because Pin-bot is the game that Tom Hanks’s character in Big purchases for his loft.Space StationWilliams, 1987This game’s wheel-like space station concept was clearly inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey. Time Machine1988, Data EastThere’s something less-than-innocent about this game’s theme. The art depicts a time machine seemingly built into a space-ship-slash-car, driven by a disco guy who has picked up a 60s hippie, an Archie-like 50s jock, and a librarian of some sort. But could that car actually run? No, says PM senior auto editor Mike Allen. “It doesn’t have any actual running gear on it so it couldn’t be driven,” Allen says. “You have to have a hole in the front for air to get into the radiator. You have to have headlights and turn signals. It’s a parade float.“Star WarsData East, 1992Media Platforms Design TeamThis Star Wars-inspired game allows players to “destroy” a model Death Star, and take aim for a small plastic R2D2 (which, to the chagrin of fanboys, is depicted as being larger than the supposedly moon-size space station). Twilight ZoneBally, 1993This game is considered to be one of the best-ever. A crazy kaleidoscope of toys and experimental modes, the game is one of the most complex (and difficult) ever made. The two best features: a ceramic “Powerball” that is lighter and faster than its metal counterparts and impervious to the game’s many magnets, and a series of invisible magnet flippers that players must use to fire a ball at a particular target. And while Twilight Zone impresario Rod Serling had already passed away when this game was made, a pitch-perfect impersonator aptly fills his shoes (apparantly, even Serling’s family was impressed). Waterworld1995, GottliebThis is, surprisingly, not the most expensive pinball machine ever made. But boy does Kevin Costner look heroic in the backglass art.StargateGottlieb, 1995Media Platforms Design TeamNo Kurt Russell (or even Richard Dean Anderson) cameos here, but James Spader’s voice does come into play. For the fans, this take on the Egypt-meets-space sci-fi classic features a levitating pyramid and enough faux-Masonic iconography to keep conspiracy theorists busy for hours.Revenge From MarsBally, 1999One of only two “Pinball 2000” pinball, video-game-hybrid games ever released (for more on the concept, check out this story), Revenge From Mars was actually the sequel to a popular 1995 game called Attack From Mars. Revenge took full advantage of the game’s built-in holographic video display, with many modes serving as homages to classic sci-fi movies and games. In one level, a giant robotic Abe Lincoln battles a Godzilla-like skyscraper-height alien. In another, players must use the ball to shoot down advancing Space Invader-like ships.Terminator 3Stern, 2003Williams’ 1991 pinball adaptation of Terminator 2 is a classic. Twelve years later, Stern took its stab at the franchise. The game—which rates as one of the better recent Stern releases—actually features custom-recorded dialogue by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
