The Addams Family (1992) addamsfamilyThe Addams Family pinball machine is considered by many to be the greatest and best-selling pinball game of all time – over 20,000 units were sold! It is a solid state electronic machine based on the 1991 film, The Addams Family. A special collector’s edition was released in 1994: The Addams Family Gold.

Tales of the Arabian Nights (1996) Tales of the Arabian Nights is based off of the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. Players experience seven of the tales, including flying with a magic carpet and battling an evil genie. “Rubbing” the magic lamp on the playfield conjures good genies to help you save the princess (the goal of the game) from the evil blue genie. A great game for beginning and intermediate players.

Black Knight (1980) Black Knight is known for its two level playfield – the first of its kind. The game also introduced the Magna-Save, a player-controlled magnet used to prevent outlane drains. The pinball machine also has a loud riding bell instead of the old familiar knock when a special is won.

The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot (1991) The Machine is the second pinball game in the Pin Bot series. It was also the last game produced by Williams without a dot matrix display. The plot of the game revolves around the female robot, The Machine. Players must activate The Machine’s voice circuits and eyes, as well as help her metamorphose into a human female.

The Champion Pub (1998) When playing The Champion Pub, you’ll play as a youthful boxer nicknamed “Da Kid”. The goal is to reach the top of the boxing circuit and become the Pub Champion. The playfield resemble a 1920s bar room, has lots of ramps and loops, and a large target in the center of the field. A punching bag is on one side of the target, and a mustached boxer is on the other side.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1993) Based off the 1992 film, this pinball machine is characterized by the blood-red dot matrix display, the screen on the bottom of the lightbox which keeps track of the current score and can display various animations during gameplay, – most other games during this time used orange for the display, and the Multi-Multi-Ball – up to three different multiball variations can be active at the same time. Those who have played the game agree that it’s not the best for beginners, but is perfect for intermediate and advanced players. Be warned though, this is a very dark game and you may get the heebie-jeebies if you play by yourself in a dark room. Why? The effects are creepy – werewolves howling, bats flying (sound), and tons of blood on the display.

Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray (1990) Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray is one of my favorites. The object of the game is to become a Super Cool Dude. Player increases the Dude-O-Meter by collecting the ingredients of ultimate hipness. This pinball machine was one of the last to use an alpha-numeric display. 1980s style music and a colorful cartoon theme complete this excellent dude theme.

Elvis (2004) Elvis pinball has a two level playing field, a dancing Elvis doll, and tons of color. The machine’s speakers play popular Elvis songs taken from the “68 Comeback” TV special and the “Aloha from Hawaii” TV Special. Most shots are long distance and fast; players must collect Elvis songs, win the Top Ten Countdown, and collect points to win the game.

Flash Gordon (1981) Flash Gordon was the first split level game released by Bally. It was also the first game to use the Squawk and Talk board, and only the second Bally Game with speech. This particular pinball machine was based off of the 1930s comic strip hero, Flash Gordon, although a Flash Gordon movie was released in 1980.

Funhouse (1990) Funhouse is obviously themed after a funhouse – a walk through amusement park. Rudy is the talking doll head near the upper right corner of the playfield. His eyes seem to follow the ball during game play, and he responds to events in the game. The goal of the game is to advance the time to midnight, causing the Funhouse to close. Player enters multi-ball mode at midnight.

Game of Thrones (2015) Game of Thrones is a brand-new pinball machine that I haven’t had the pleasure to play yet, but since I’m a huge fan of the TV series and books, I had to include it. Players choose to be a knight of either the Stark, Lannister, Greyjoy, Baratheon, Martell, or Tyrell house. They must then choose another house to battle; the ultimate goal is to rule the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Rory McCann – the Hound – guides players through the game. Once players have reached a certain level of points, an elevator will carry the ball up to the castle and the Iron Throne.

Harlem Globetrotters on Tour (1979)This pinball game is arguably the most popular sports-styled pinball game of all time. Artwork features cool caricatures of the team on the backglass and a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Some of the playfield features are three flippers – one on the right, two on the left and three pop bumpers. The design is fairly simple, but the game is a lot of fun for pinball collectors and Globetrotter fans.

Judge Dredd (1993) This pinball machine was based on a character from the British comic series “2000 AD” (1970s). Judge Dredd has a diamond plate playfield, and players must go through 9 modes and an Ultimate Challenge wizard mode to complete the game. One of the coolest features of this game is that players can choose to play the regulation game for one credit or the super game for two credits – both on one machine.

KISS (1979) kissThe KISS pinball machine was manufactured by one of the biggest and oldest names in the pinball industry, Bally. The game was released during the early days of solid state electronic machines, allowing the KISS logo on the back glass to light up and flash. Flashing lights and cool artwork on the playfield make this game memorable and fun.

Lord of the Rings (2003) This all inclusive pinball machine features elements from The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Players must collect the Elf rings, Dwarf rings, and Mortal Men rings in order to form the one ring. Game speech features Elijah Wood (Frodo) and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli the dwarf).

Million Bank a Ball (1950) Million Bank a Ball was the last pinball game to use the turret shooter feature. The artwork features billiards champion, Willie Hoppe, and pinball artist, Roy Parker. The pinball machine is not very well-known, but it’s a lot of fun to play if you get the chance.

Mr. & Mrs. Pac-man (1982) Mr. & Mrs. Pac-man was an early attempt at combining a pinball machine with a video game. It has all the normal features of a pinball machine, plus a video grid in the middle of the playfield that must be played on certain levels. In the video grid, the player acts as the yellow dot (Pac-man) and has to avoid the red dot (Ghost). The left flipper button controls the direction and the right flipper button moves Pac-Man. The game was the best selling pinball machine in 1982.

Pinball Pool (1979) Pinball Pool’s iconic artwork on the backglass features a robot and two girls playing pool. The playfield has pop bumpers, kickout saucers, and a captive ball. One of the unique features of the game is Remotrip, so when a target is knocked down on one side of the playfield, the target on the other side of the playfield drops as well.

Scared Stiff (1996) Scared Stiff features the well-known horror show mistress, Elvira from Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. It is the follow-up game to Elvira and the Party Monsters. This pinball machine has a B-movie horror theme, and the player must go through six tales of terror to level up the Stiff-O-Meter. One of the coolest features of this game is the player controlled spinning spider on the backbox.

Six Million Dollar Man (1977) The Six Million Dollar Man was one of the first solid state machines. It supports up to six players, an oddity for the day. The pinball machine was one of the first that saved high scores, and was considered a noisy game for its day because of the space age sound effects and songs.

Space Odyssey (1976) Space Odyssey is an electro-mechanical pinball machine that supports 1-2 players. Cool artwork, taken from NASA, is featured on the cabinet sides and backbox. The playfield has a simple layout and color scheme.