Pinball
Yes, it's still a thing. And no, it's not necessarily retro anymore.
So what are your options?
Physical:
Recent/Currently in-production games with pics/flyers:
Games are grouped by manufacturer and listed chronologically, oldest first.
Stern
Metallica (Oldest game on list, 2013, Pro STILL in production!)
The Walking Dead
Iron Man Pro Vault Edition
Mustang
Legends of Wrestlemania
KISS
Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons (Partnership with Whizbang Pinball)
The Pabst Can Crusher (Partnership with Whizbang Pinball)
Spider-Man Vault Edition
Spider-Man Home Edition (this playfield is drastically different from the Vault Edition & much cheaper)
Game of Thrones
Ghostbusters
Batman '66
Aerosmith
Star Wars
Guardians of the Galaxy
AC/DC "Luci" Vault Edition
Jersey Jack
Wizard of Oz
The Hobbit
Dialed In
Pirates of the Caribbean
Spooky Pinball
America's Most Haunted
Rob Zombie's Spookshow International
Domino's Spectacular Pinball Adventure
The Jetsons
Total Nuclear Annihilation
Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle (Flyer Needed)
Heighway Pinball
Full Throttle
Alien
Chicago Gaming Company
Medieval Madness Remake
Attack From Mars Remake
Multimorphic
P3/Lexy Lightspeed (this is an innovative platform that can change the LCD playfield's layout and load different game software. Often referred to as "Lexy Lightspeed," it's most well-known game series)
American Pinball
Houdini
Valley Dynamo
Zombie League Allstars Baseball (bat and pitch)
Dutch Pinball
The Machine: Bride of Pin*Bot 2.0
The Big Lebowski
Bride of Pinbot 25th Anniversary Super LE (P3 Multimorphic game)
Homepin
Thunderbirds Are Go
Upcoming games (games usually aren't revealed until close to release)
Stern
Elvira 3
Chicago Gaming
Unrevealed remake (Probably Monster Bash)
Digital Pinball:
Digital Pinball games (list is a work in progress)
The Pinball Arcade (most platforms)
Stern Pinball Arcade (most platforms)
Zen Pinball/Pinball FX3 (most platforms)
Zaccaria (PC, iOS, Android)
Pro Pinball Timeshock! Ultra Edition (PC, Mac, Android, iOS)
Crystal Caliburn II (iOS)
Another remake/restoration of a PC classic. Not sure if the old Little Wing games hold up like the old Pro Pinball tables do.
Pure Pinball (iOS)
I actually like this one a fair bit. Apparently Pure Pinball was a collection released on Xbox & PC many years ago. This app was to be a modern restoration of those table but the last update was in 2014 and, alas, only T-Rex Savage was ever released. That said it is iOS 11 compatible!
Atomic Pinball Collection* (iOS)
*A note about these two tables. I was hesitant to include them because, quite frankly, the physics suck. The ball is heavy and moves super fast and something about it feels springy, too. But these tables are also very well designed and have obviously had a lot of love put into them. The music & sound design is great and everything looks real nice so it's a shame about the physics. If weird, fast ball physics aren't a problem then I highly recommend these two tables.
There are many other pinball games on iOS and Android that are all subpar crap.
The old Williams & Gottlieb Hall of Fame Collections are totally obsolete. Farsight's Pinball Arcade has made so many advancements to the engine that those games are worthless if you want accuracy and good physics.
DS
Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon (DSiWare/3DS eShop)
really good single table by the Metroid Prime Pinball devs. Similar physics but table is intended to be realistic & possible to build IRL.
Metroid Prime Pinball
GBA
Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire (Also on Wii U eShop)
Mario Pinball Land
Sonic Pinball Party
Pinball of the Dead
GBC
Pokemon Pinball
GB
Kirby's Pinball Land (also on 3DS eShop)
Revenge of the Gator (also on 3DS eShop)
Developed by HAL Labs before they made Kirby's Pinball Land! Great 8-bit pinball game
TurboGrafx
Alien Crush (Also on PS3, PSP, Wii)
Devil's Crush (Also on PS3, PSP, Wii)
Time Cruise 1 & 2
SNES
Battle Pinball
Jaki Crush
Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive
Dragon's Fury (altered port of Devil's Crush)
Dragon's Revenge (sequel)
Wii
Alien Crush Returns (WiiWare)
Sega Saturn
Necronomicon Pinball
Last Gladiators Pinball
Digital Pinball
Fantastic Pinball (also on PS1)
Virtual Boy
Galactic Pinball
PS4/PS3/Vita/PC
Rollers of the Realm
PS2
Ultimate Pro Pinball
Akira: Psycho Ball (yes, there is a pinball game based on the movie Akira!)
The old Pro Pinball tables are still great and can be played on PC, Linux, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Sega Saturn & Dreamcast. Theyre highly recommended, honestly. I played them for the first time last year and was blown away by how good they are, especially the physics.
Other fun yet unsusual pinball games you can get on iOS/Android/some on PC
PinOut
Pinball Cadet
Snowball!
INKS
Pinball Sniper
Virtual Pinball Cabinets:
There are several makers of arcade & virtual pinball cabinets that offer a ton of product variations. Most are intended to run MAME, Retroarch, Visual Pinball & Pinball FX.
Arcooda
Partnered with Farsight Studios, they run a custom version of The Pinball Arcade built specially for their cabs. They also did a partnership with Pro Pinball.
VP Cabs
Pinball Bulbs
Pinball Media:
Video time! All vetted & recommended!
(List is still being updated, please recommend more great vids)
Great Feature Pinball Documentaries:
Tilt: The Battle To Save Pinball (2008)
Special When Lit (2009)
Wizard Mode (2016)
How To Play/Tips & Tricks/Tutorials:
Timballs' Pinball Tips: How To Aim Correctly
https://youtu.be/bCxgUPfVsjc
Pinball Techniques
https://youtu.be/kowB0HmJ1wY
PAPA Official Channel (tons of fantastic tutorials ons specific tables & tournament videos)
https://www.youtube.com/user/PAPApinball
Modern Era Documentation:
Associated Press: Tilt! Old School Pinball Finds New Fans (Dec. 25 2017)
https://youtu.be/XLRB9KFi3HM
DigitalTrends: Stern Pinball Machines Are Helping Fuel Pinball's Big Comeback at CES 2018
https://youtu.be/sI3LZxE1XWY
HBO Real Sports: Pinball Wizard Robert Gagno (2017)
https://youtu.be/qB3Dy4XXaU0
Motherboard: The Last Arcade Technicians in NYC
https://youtu.be/MAytSqet_Zs
VICE - Pinball: From Illegal Gambling Game to American Obsession
https://youtu.be/-IAwLj6XKR8
Under the Glass (Short Documentary 2016)
https://youtu.be/JIDTn7v6pGY
12 for 12 - Episode 7: Stern Pinball (2016)
https://youtu.be/ckq0BM4zN7w
AOL/Huffington Post: How I Did It - Jersey Jack Pinball
https://youtu.be/9b9qSW-KmZQ
Replay (2013)
https://youtu.be/soL6IVF8FEY
Flippers (2016)
https://youtu.be/P7IZM09EYqU
Storyhive: The Top 5 Secret Skills of Pinball
https://youtu.be/8Gsw7lamnmM
SubCultures - Episode 11: Pinball
https://youtu.be/HLcjsSfAHeA
TechCrunch Makers: Pinball Hall of Fame
https://youtu.be/TUsMFLX38xU
La Vida Local: Chicago's Pinball Passion (2015)
https://youtu.be/Js2rpRXOHkM
Add-A-Ball (Short Documentary 2015)
https://youtu.be/Ze9y8QGx6WE
National Geographic - Inside the Extraordinary Mind of a Pinball World Champion (2017)
https://youtu.be/EPJQ1QTxbBQ
CNN: Meet The Best Pinball Player In The World (2014)
https://youtu.be/VOy0y3Co-gQ
WTNH News 8 - The Resurgence of Pinball (2017)
https://youtu.be/_H5T-SWomow
WJLP "Jersey Matters" - Jersey Jack (2017)
https://youtu.be/Bh4Qr4K0A28
CBS News - Pinball is back and running full tilt!
https://youtu.be/iH5bhaRz39Q
Made Right Here: Featuring Stern Pinball
https://youtu.be/Vczknj-C3aI
Medieval Madness Remake w/ Roger Sharpe
https://youtu.be/SNid7uMhDFw
Heighway Entertainment's Alien Pinball Feature
https://youtu.be/r8a2g_gH0ys
KSDK News - Pinball Machines Are Making A Comeback (2017)
https://youtu.be/Ba0GOauiYIs
News 5 Cleveland - Pinball Makes A Comeback (2014)
https://youtu.be/OqoGgf_k2g0
Pinball History:
Coin Operated (2007)
https://youtu.be/0JqkWGLQHNQ
Made In America: Stern Pinball (2007)
https://youtu.be/xqs7oLm8Igs
NBC Nightly News - Stern Pinball (2008)
https://youtu.be/IHbsXZRs4i0
Wild Chicago visits Williams (1992)
https://youtu.be/oMilCuI6cgk
How Pinball Machines are Developed At Williams (1993)
https://youtu.be/oZHEDSpMnfA
How It's Made: Pinball Machine (early 2000s?)
https://youtu.be/4DtLTIsuEf0
"The Fonz" Home Pinball Machine Commercial (aaayyyyyy!)
https://youtu.be/ddLZwrqMaVE
"Pinball Champ" Home Pinball Machine Commercial (1977)
https://youtu.be/5wED99rJblc
Sears Pinball Game Commercial (1976)
https://youtu.be/9oEsEjAzK18
Arcade Attack: Silverball Heroes vs Video Invaders (late 1970s?)
https://youtu.be/5cWbG4ovfzw
Williams Factory Tour (1991)
https://youtu.be/5wXq-WraO1Q
Dream Jobs: Pat Lawlor (1990)
https://youtu.be/Gj8UJvdeau0
1998 Chicago Pinball Expo Floor Tour
Part 1 https://youtu.be/GeqQFuAcQak
Part 2 https://youtu.be/vEJklzuly8s
Roger Sharpe on the Today Show 1990
https://youtu.be/mJb2-f9jZE0
Famous Pinball Programmer Lyman Sheats on the Today Show 1993
https://youtu.be/6rBxIJPe8VY
History Channel: Making A Pinball Machine (at the Stern Factory) ~2004
https://youtu.be/KalpCpsRT1U
The History of Pinball (1998 Documentary)
https://youtu.be/JIDTn7v6pGY
Alvin G. Factory Tour (1993)
https://youtu.be/clsGVAB5znU
ABC News LA - Video Fever: Games People Play (1982 - mostly arcade games, some pinball)
https://youtu.be/P3sqUrX83Yg
Chicago Tonight visits Stern Pinball (2003)
https://youtu.be/C2aszDOhQzo
Buying & Collecting:
Metal Jesus: Pinball Machine Collecting - What You Need To Know To Get Started
https://youtu.be/EdveWQjtnww
Pinball Expert: How To Avoid Losing Big Money Buying A Used Pinball Machine
https://youtu.be/EszFbs19r-k
Pinball Expert: Top 12 FAQs From First Time Pinball Machine Buyers
https://youtu.be/g4p6z4E_zrg
TNT Amusements' Channel (Reseller/Restorer w/ tons of awesome & trivia-heavy feature tour videos of restored & modded games)
https://www.youtube.com/user/tntamusements
Stern Pinball "Making Of" Short-Form Documentaries:
Uhh. So Stern has erased John Trudeau and removed the Making Of videos for Ghostbusters & Mustang. Understandable but too bad as the GB one was pretty cool.
Star Wars
https://youtu.be/xof3c6jsnGQ
Aerosmith
https://youtu.be/0yoX1rGx3_4
Game of Thrones
https://youtu.be/gKECwPs2PBg
KISS
https://youtu.be/6qKSKwHqZ_w
The Walking Dead
https://youtu.be/x6q3WCQfres
Metallica
https://youtu.be/hgKWYwFZNFA
AC/DC
https://youtu.be/fzc3kSrdroo
WWE Wrestemania
https://youtu.be/9Rg5I2-5ID8
Transformers
Part 1 https://youtu.be/cfLjJM7RSr4
Part 2 https://youtu.be/Jil9nzP6OP4
The Avengers
https://youtu.be/gzbExfIPhUw
X-Men
https://youtu.be/sgGxOEjec_g
X-Men: Wolverine Edition Feature Tour with Designer John Borg
https://youtu.be/kCTm2IMceZ4
Stern: Spike Pinball System Overview
https://youtu.be/MvefdrNaAPg
For the curious, here are two video interviews with John Trudeau
PaperFlock, Inc: Ghostbusters
https://youtu.be/H69Dtbh8fNg
PinGame Journal: Mustang
https://youtu.be/2lEdh3cKlqM
Vintage Company Promo Videos
These are all very dated & pretty cheesy but many feature the game designers and are fascinating curios!
Williams Road Show Promo Video w/ Designer Pat Lawlor
https://youtu.be/WJS_wbDjs-o
Williams Medival Madness Promo w/ Designer Brian Eddy
https://youtu.be/LFq2s8HuCHg
Bally Scared Stiff Promo w/ Elvira
https://youtu.be/nMcVuMD-qrk
Bally Attack From Mars Promo
https://youtu.be/7lZH8jHCzUg
Bally Addams Family
https://youtu.be/FsnzDXXSURU
Twilight Zone
https://youtu.be/LyI0c4sRN_w
Williams Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure Promo
https://youtu.be/mT-WrbpW5Js
Black Rose
https://youtu.be/p6wTc1RoVpA
Popeye Saves The Earth
https://youtu.be/rHehj0WxofY
Jack*bot
https://youtu.be/BH3FKdQB1-A
Dr. Who
https://youtu.be/XIyneuOUapM
Cirqus Voltaire
https://youtu.be/q-2wvvIDxIk
The Shadow
https://youtu.be/Hd283tFgkvE
Star Trek The Next Generation
https://youtu.be/UFvAS8ltIXU
Judge Dredd
https://youtu.be/LKUr8QYRp1c
Pinball 2000 Platform
https://youtu.be/dAyBz8XIMsU
Revenge From Mars
https://youtu.be/UUSzSHNEv2g
Star Wars Episode 1
https://youtu.be/92bdp3w9D00
Pinball links:
PinballMap.com (they also have an app) - You can find pins in your city easily by location & machine. User updated.
Pinside.com - The biggest web community for pinball. Also has an interactive map for locating places with games.
IPDB.org - Internet Pinball Database
IFPApinball.com - International Flipper Pinball Association. Official World Pinball Player Rankings & endorsed Leagues & Tournaments
PAPA.org - Professional Amateur Pinball Association. The biggest tournament circuit in the country. PAPA HQ is located in Carnegie, PA and houses 500 pinball machines. Only open to the public during the two annual tournaments.
PAPAtv - Official PAPA channel; tournaments + excellent game tutorial videos https://www.youtube.com/user/PAPApinball
SternPinballInc - Official YouTube channel with lots of cool behind-the-scenes videos showing the making of their pinball tables https://www.youtube.com/user/sternpinballinc
TNTAmusements.com - Pinball & Arcade restorer & reseller, their YouTube channel is full of really cool videos including a lot of in-depth looks at the tables they work on. https://www.youtube.com/user/tntamusements
www.pinballarcadefans.com - official fan community for The Pinball Arcade
http://forum.ZenStudios.com - official fan community for Zen Pinball FX
Recommended Podcasts:
The Pinball Podcast, co-hosted by ResetEra's jar155!
Coast 2 Coast Pinball (rarely updated now, but worthwhile for past episodes!)
Head 2 Head Pinball Podcast (Australian-based, streams regularly and posts episodes every Monday)
Slam-Tilt Podcast
Pinball Profile by Jeff Teolis
Twitch Pinball Streamers:
Dead_Flip: https://www.twitch.tv/dead_flip
Buffalo Pinball/Bro, Do You Even Pinball?: https://www.twitch.tv/buffalopinball
Melbourne Silverball League (Head 2 Head Pinball): https://www.twitch.tv/melbournesilverballleague
This OT is hardly finished, plenty more to come as well as updates on new pinball machine releases, tournament info/streams and podcasts.
Cheers to HotHamBoy for the massive contribution to the OP! Be sure to check out his Twitter feed, PiNDY - Pinball in Indy @pindypinball
Follow him if you want coverage of the midwest scene (Indiana, Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc) and original photography of tables, spotlights and facts about real and digital pinball games, history, etc.
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