Fireball is a classic electromechanical pinball game originally released by Valley in 1980, notable for its innovative zipper flipper mechanic and rotating center playfield element. Designed by Dave Christensen, the game is recognized for its exceptional artwork that perfectly complements its playfield mechanics. The game spawned follow-up versions including Fireball Classic and Fireball's Mother, and remains a frequently cited example of innovative pinball engineering in the community.
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Fireball pinball machine has zipper flippers
Fall 1976 home version solid-state machine; reportedly had seven programmed melodies including Beethoven's Fifth and funeral march
Home version from fall 1976 with seven programmed melodies including Beethoven's Fifth and funeral march
Bally home edition (1978-1979); had four production runs; sold for ~$629 new in 1978; shared playfield layout with Captain Fantastic; two flippers
1972 multiplayer four-player EM game with multi-ball feature that doesn't reset features between players
Pinball machine with non-functioning lane designation lamps; must be played as single-player game; risk of tilt-through to next player
Bally pinball machine with high-detail backglass requiring 13 colors and 70+ hours of vector work; last major project Jeff Miller completed for CPR in 2013; also had a home edition variant
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1971 Williams game; referenced in 'Days of Confused' film scene and compared to Scorpion mechanics
EM pinball game in Ian Harrower's personal collection
Whiskey brand; gift from Rachel to Drew; associated with Tim Dan Lee in the community
Classic pinball machine; used market price averaging $3,500-4,000
Bally game marking transition point in company's design quality and market presence; represents beginning of 'Bally era'
Bally pinball game (1970s) with innovative spinner/ball feature; became a major commercial success at New Orleans airport location; influential on later designers; featured in Playboy magazine December 1972.
Classic pinball machine referenced as example of a game with zipper flippers; compared to Medusa
EM game featuring multiball, mentioned alongside other Ted Zale designs
Classic electromechanical machine associated with Al Garber; features fire bell bonus mechanism; normally at Pacific Pinball Museum but appears at Pinfest annually
Bally 1972; IPDB #2; 'Pac-Man of EM pinball'; most recognizable EM game; featured in Playboy magazine; most produced/iterated EM game with Fireball Classic, Fireball 2, etc.
Classic pinball machine used in Classics Tournament final
Pinball machine with multiple versions in the collection (Original, II, Classic, and Home versions)
Bally 1971 pinball machine featured in the exhibit
EM machine coming to Pinball Arcade as part of EM pack announcement
EM-era pinball table in Pinball Arcade; one-ball scoring with multiball/zipper flippers; praised for engaging difficulty despite design constraints
EM pinball table cited as example of excellent game design balancing reward/failure; described as 'mean and unforgiving' but 'wonderful design'
Classic pinball table tested on Arcooda; showed no input lag despite older code
Bally electromechanical pinball featuring zipper flippers and spinner, recommended as demo table in combo pack with El Dorado
Referenced as basis for Pinball Tournaments table mechanics; lock ball behavior mentioned as comparison point for multi-ball drain bug
1972 Williams pinball game that Josh Kugler played as a child (age 10) at a friend's house; sparked lifelong pinball fandom
Early multiball game; featured in Chicago Expo Classics; Ryan Wanger developed new appreciation for skill shots; gate was removed from tournament machine making it harder; Ryan recommends letting disc only spin in multiball mode
Zipper flipper game; Brian's first choice for zipper flipper games; played in high school
Pinball game cited as example where artwork (hurling balls) matches playfield mechanics perfectly
1980 Valley 4-player electrical game; Game of the Week; features zipper flippers, dual locks, center spinner; artwork by Dave Christensen; has follow-up versions (Fireball Classic, Fireball's Mother)
Classic Bally EM game featuring rotating center playfield element; one of Christensen's most famous works
Classic EM game featuring zipper flippers mechanic, used as example in discussion of innovative playfield engineering.