We salute the Master of Flow with this career retrospective, highlighting his most celebrated, iconic, and impactful contributions to pinball across multiple generations.
Pokémon, Sonic and Fallout weren't pinball's first video game themes. Here, solar_espeon looks back at the ones that came first, from a Space Invaders that looked more like Alien to the Zelda game that became Gladiators.
Bally released Cirqus Voltaire in 1997, and American Pinball's remake begins shipping this October. Here, solar_espeon runs through the nine Marvels, the Ringmaster multiballs, Join the Cirqus wizard mode and the 2.0 code.
Data East released its first pinball machine in May 1987. Here, solar_espeon runs through Laser War's locks and multiball, the three Base saucer lanes, the Laser Kick, and an end-of-ball bonus worth paying attention to.
Ted Zale designed for Bally from 1963 to 1973. Here, we look back at eight of his machines and what each one introduced, from lock-and-release multiball on Star-Jet to the Balligator on Nip-It.
Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80. solar_espeon looks back at the 1979 Bally game that carried her name, the backglass her team sent back for a redraw, and how it plays.
Tasker Smith took questions from Marc Patenaude and the audience at the Center for the Arts in Natick for the release of Pinball: A Quest for Mastery. Flow states, focus rituals, split flippers, and the 1974 Strato-Flite he brought in for the occasion.
The ten best electromechanical games ever made, as rated by users of the Internet Pinball Database. solar_espeon runs down what makes each one great, from Gottlieb's drop-target classics to a surprise #1 from Williams.
Matt Owen ranks all twelve pinball machines released in 1996, worst to best — from Capcom's Flipper Football to Williams' Tales of the Arabian Nights — as the whole class turns 30.
LA comedian Matt O'Brien on the pinball obsession that turned into viral videos — and got Stern to loan him a machine. Benjamin Plotkin met him at Walt's Bar to talk comedy, getting hooked on pinball, and the road to "getting good."
Pedretti's second Bally/Williams remake is official — a $10,999 Legacy Edition and a strictly-399 $11,999 30th Anniversary Edition with all-new Brian Allen art. Here's the pricing, the editions, and what's changed.
The Windows 3D Space Cadet table that raised a generation is getting a real, physical build — from a maker who'd barely touched a pinball machine before. Chris Krentz talked to CNCDan about printing nearly every part himself, the skepticism his 3D-printed flipper "rubber" drew online, and how his layout stacks up against Deeproot's abandoned Space Cadet prototype.
After considering which video modes were the worst efforts of the 90s in a previous list, it’s time to flip the script with our look at the best video modes of the 1990s.
From Molly Atkinson's Pins and Needles to today's anchor venues — in his Kineticist debut, LA local Benjamin Plotkin maps the past, present, and people of Los Angeles pinball.
A 30-year Pokémon fan with a Living Pokédex looks at Stern's pinball adaptation — what works, what's coming in code, and what fans probably won't ever get.
In the second edition of Nutter's Pinball Restoration Spotlight, Michael talks with Matt (mrm_4) and tours the Pinside threads that made him one of the hobby's most prolific restoration documentarians.
Learn how to play Bally's 1995 classic, Theatre of Magic, in our expert guide. For the first time ever, we also break down the changes found in a popular community-contributed code update (Soren's 2.0 ROM).
Jack Revnew takes the Texas Wizards, Sterling Mitoska picks up his first Stern Pro Circuit win at Steel Valley, and Emily Reilhan caps a historic run with the Women's North American and World Championship titles.
James Fremont covers the grand opening of The Pinball Capital in Stone Park, Ill. — Chicago's largest public pinball location at 131 games. Roger Sharpe re-enacted his famous 1976 "called shot" demonstration on its 50th anniversary, and Brian Weisberg swept both opening weekend tournaments.
Michael Swanson profiles Leebo's Pinball, a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching pinball restoration one task at a time, from metal polishing and cabinet repainting to wiring repairs and connector upgrades.
TEP co-founder Rob Rath and product engineer Nick Neitzel are joining American Pinball as Product Director and Product Designer — the latest in a string of moves under new owner Bryan Vincent. TEP will continue independent operations while becoming a key AP vendor.
The 2025 TWIPYs looked nothing like the eight shows before it. Seven categories, no sponsors, four arcades, and real conversations with the people who make the games. Here are the winners and what happened.
Melvin Williams has been named Creative Director of American Pinball, just over a week after splitting from Dutch Pinball. Here's what it means and why the history is wilder than you'd think.
