Top 10 Best Pinball Machines of the 1970s

Tim Sexton·video·11m 36s·analyzed·Aug 17, 2025

Analysis

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TL;DR

Top 10 best 1970s pinball machines ranked from Bobby Orr's Power Play to Stars.

Summary

Tim Sexton presents a ranked list of the 10 best pinball machines from the 1970s, from Bobby Orr's Power Play at #10 to Stars at #1. The video discusses game mechanics, themes, artwork, and design innovations that defined the era, emphasizing how games like Meteor introduced strategic risk-reward gameplay and Flash featured early loop shots and roving targets. Sexton highlights Stars as a masterpiece for its ability to make players want to continuously replaying despite short ball times.

Key Claims

Flash by Williams was one of the most successful pinball machines ever made with over 19,500 units produced
high confidence · Tim Sexton stating production figures for Flash at #5 on the list
Meteor by Stern Electronics introduced the idea of using software to control risk and reward gameplay in pinball
high confidence · Sexton explaining Meteor's innovative mechanics where completing targets affects spinner value
Flash was designed by Steve Richie and programmed by Eugene Jarvis
high confidence · Tim Sexton personally confirming he worked for both designers
Stars by Stern Electronics has some of the shortest ball times of any machine ever made
medium confidence · Sexton comparing Stars' 45-second average game to Godzilla's 25-minute average
Kiss by Bally plays music when you press the start button
high confidence · Sexton demonstrates the feature with audio of the game playing 'I Want to Rock and Roll All Night'

Notable Quotes

“This game is a masterpiece because it makes you appreciate the importance of every flip, every nudge, every ball rebound, and every switch that contributes to scoring.”
Tim Sexton @ Near end of video — Sexton's core thesis for why Stars deserves the #1 ranking despite not being the 'best looking' or 'best sounding' game
“There are people who hate this game and it's because they're only playing it in tournaments and they're always losing.”
Tim Sexton @ Stars discussion — Commentary on tournament vs casual play preferences and Stars' difficulty
“Man, sometimes I sit here with my contemporary stern pinball machines and think, 'Ah, I just wish I had a 45 second game on Stars versus a 25 minute average game on Godzilla.'”
Tim Sexton @ Stars discussion — Personal reflection comparing modern games to Stars, highlighting pace of play as a design virtue
“This is one of the widest games ever made, and boy does it feel like it.”
Tim Sexton @ Future Spa discussion — Describing the ultra-widebody design trend of late 1970s Bally games
“There are tons of ripoffs produced by factories around the world that would easily put this at number one.”
Tim Sexton @ Flash discussion — Context on Flash's massive impact and influence on global pinball manufacturing

Entities

Tim SextonpersonBobby Orr's Power PlaygameDraculagame Future Spagame Paragongame Meteorgame Flashgame

Signals

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design_philosophy: Paragon's left outlane 'beast layer' (contained pop bumper) demonstrates mid-1970s innovation in creating skillful save opportunities within constrained spaces
medium · Sexton highlights 'one of the most innovative and scary features on any pinball machine ever' that 'gives the player a skillful chance to save the ball'
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design_philosophy: Upper flipper and loop shot introduction in Flash represented significant innovation in playfield design and shot variety
medium · Sexton describes Flash featuring 'an upper flipper which gives you what's most likely one of the first loop shots in all of pinball'
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design_philosophy: Sexton emphasizes Stars' masterful balance of mechanical simplicity and strategic depth, celebrating how short ball times and tight feedback loops create replayability and competitive appeal
high · Extended discussion of Stars' 45-second average game time vs contemporary 25-minute games; 'makes you want to play more, more, more'
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market_signal: Flash's 19,500+ unit production volume and widespread international ripoffs indicate massive market success and influence on global pinball manufacturing
high · Sexton states Flash was 'one of the most successful pinball machines ever made' with 'tons of ripoffs produced by factories around the world'
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technology_signal: Meteor represents early adoption of software-controlled risk/reward mechanics in pinball, demonstrating how digital elements could enhance strategic gameplay
high · Sexton notes 'introduced an idea of using the software of a pinball machine to control the risk and reward aspect of gameplay' with target/spinner value mechanics

Transcript

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0:02

These are the 10 best pinball machines from the 1970s. At number 10, we have Bobby or's Power Play by Bali. This game is all about the legendary Canadian Chicago Blackhawks superstar Bobby or one of the greatest hockey players to ever play the game. And with the industry's bias towards Chicago, a Blackhawks player was a great fit for a pinball theme. This is a symmetrical game with a saucer on top, but it has some really nice orbit rollovers and some interesting bonus multiplier rules, plus two mini flippers on the left and right side keep things very interesting as far as what players want to do to take risks when shooting on this game. You would think with a center post that could be permanently raised, it would be easy, but it's actually quite difficult because of all the side to side action in the game. Overall, it's the great theme integration and the game really being on point that secures its spot in the top 10. At number nine, we have Dracula by Stern Electronics. This is a nice little three flipper game with a campy horror themed designed by Harry Williams, the founder of Williams for Stern Electronics. And it's got some nice geometry. Little spinner shot on the side, a little turnaround on the left. You get plenty of opportunities to get rebounds off the drop targets and a good pop bumper layout in the middle. There's nothing super standout about this game, but it's just a solid fun time to play. At number eight, we have Future Spa by Bali. This is one of the widest games ever made, and boy does it feel like it. At the end of the 70s, Bali did a series of ultra widebody games. This had never been tried before, but these games have some really, really interesting layouts. On Future Spa, you have your classic three pop bumpers in the middle, but also two more on the right side of the playfield. It's just so wide at the bottom that they needed to throw four in lanes and outlanes and kickbacks on the left side and two pop-upers on the right just to bring the two flippers in the middle of the game together. These giant slingshots at the bottom keep you on your toes as you have to really work to catch the ball and keep control of it. And there's some really interesting ways to drain all over this game. It's got some nice rules and a nice left orbit, a pretty horrible right orbit, but a inline threebank and a candy cane shot that make up for it. and it's a lot of fun to try to get the correct letter in the top lanes with some nudging of this gigantic heavy game. At number seven, we have Paragon by Bally. Another ultra wide game. Paragon really shrinks things down at the bottom, bringing it to three flippers, but it has one of the most innovative and scary features on any pinball machine ever. The left outlane beast layer. This close quarters contained pop bumper creates some very interesting and unpredictable action, but it gives the player a skillful chance to save the ball. And that's the theme of Paragon. It's a really wide, weird, and wacky game, but it has skillful opportunities everywhere in trying to get the ball to the inline drop targets or back up to the top and preventing yourself from draining through the scissor flippers on the right. At number six, we have Meteor by Stern Electronics. This is a license game based off a 1979 disaster sci-fi movie by the same name. The plot of the movie has the Americans and the Soviets put aside their differences to work together to launch three rockets to stop a meteor from annihilating the Earth. And you can see how that space theme and rocket launch make its way through the art and the playfield. But that's honestly not important. What really makes this game great is that it introduced an idea of using the software of a pinball machine to control the risk and reward aspect of gameplay. Completing the meteor targets at the top of the game increase your bonus multiplier. Pretty normal pinball rule, right? But while you have targets down, that increases the value of your spinner. So, completing the targets sets your spinner value back to its minimum of 200 per spin. This forces players to be strategic with their upper flipper usage and decide if they want to push for more meteor letters or just let the ball come down to the bottom of the playfield. It was extremely innovative for the time and makes this game still really fun to play today, especially in competition. At number five, we have Flash by Williams. This is one of the most successful pinball machines ever made with over 19,500 units produced, and there were tons of ripoffs produced by factories around the world that would easily put this at number one. It's an eclectic theme. Not really sure what's going on, but boy is it fun to play. There's an upper flipper which gives you what's most likely one of the first loop shots in all of pinball. Plus, there is some great software for the time with roving lit targets and a tone that increases in volume and intensity as you do better in the game.

6:02

Pinball didn't really have background music in the 1970s, so this is the best it got. And boy, did it really set off waves in the pinball manufacturing world. This game was designed by Steve Richie and programmed by Eugene Jarvis, two men I've actually worked for. despite the fact that this game came out when my parents were still in high school. At number four, we have Playboy by Bali. Now, I'll admit it's the artwork on this game that carries the rating. And I'm not just talking about the illustration of the Playboy models. This game pops. The primary color is this rich, vibrant pink, a color you really don't see too often on pinball machines. And for some reason, every time you find a copy of this game, it's in immaculately preserved shape. Just for some reason, people really want to keep this game looking good. The geometry on this game is not bad. It's got drop targets. It's got standup targets. It's got this nice orbit around the outside into this kicker on the top left. It's a bit repetitive by today's standards and a bit easy, but hey, it was a bold choice to go with Playboy as a theme, and it really epitomizes pinball in the 1970s and what it was all about. At number three, we have Kiss by Bally. And this game actually plays music when you press the start button. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Okay, so it's not the best rendition of I Want to Rock and Roll All Night, but this game still rocks with amazing artwork with Kiss and flames and lightning bolts and colossal lettering on the playfield. It's got two spinners on each side of the top lanes and great sounds when you hit it when it's lit. A good nudging feature at the top and of course drop targets on one side, stand up targets on another side. It was a good formula in the 70s that just worked. What's really fun about this game is the bonus burndown you get at the end of your ball, especially when you're able to fill up the grid and bank your super bonus across multiple balls. At number two, we have Harlem Globe Trotters on Tour by Bally. Once again, featuring everyone's favorite exhibition basketball team, the Harlem Globe Trotters. This is quite the playfield. a standard width pinball machine with three flippers at the bottom, which means that you can actually drain the ball between the left, upper, and lower flippers. This interesting layout has forced players to get very skillful when they play Harlem Globe Trotters, often opting for something called a tap pass, where the player momentarily energizes the flipper just enough to pop the ball from the right flipper to the left flipper. But there are huge points in clearing the inline target bank, building up your bonus, and melting the left spinner when it's at its maximum 2,000 point value. You'll see this pinball machine in pretty much every classics tournament because it's just an awesome test of skill. And the number one best pinball machine of the 1970s is Stars by Stern Electronics. This isn't the best looking game. This isn't the best sounding game, but there is no other game on this list that gives you that I'll just play one more game feeling like stars. I truly believe this game is a masterpiece because it makes you appreciate the importance of every flip, every nudge, every ball rebound, and every switch that contributes to scoring. There are people who hate this game and it's because they're only playing it in tournaments and they're always losing. It has some of the shortest ball times of any machine ever made despite the fact that there's these huge slingshots and a center post to save the ball. But tell me when you get your first 100,000 point roving special that it doesn't feel good and that you don't want to play more stars to see if you could do that on two or maybe even all three balls. Man, sometimes I sit here with my contemporary stern pinball machines and think, "Ah, I just wish I had a 45se second game on Stars versus a 25minute average game on Godzilla." It just shows you so much so quickly that it makes you want to play more, more, more and more, and it makes you want to compete on it, testing your strength among friends to see who can find the best strategy to score the most points and win. In my ranking system, it wasn't even close. Stars scored an 84 out of 100 possible points, while the runnerup Harlem Globe Trotters only managed to get a 75. And that closes out our 1970s in pinball. The game of pinball is about to radically change. So, you'll definitely want to subscribe to my channel and leave a like if you want to see more pinball videos like this one. [Music]