Episode 13 - Superpins

Deep dive into Williams Super Pins era (1993-94) with design analysis and operator insights.

Synopsis

Wedgehead Pinball Podcast 13 provides an in-depth discussion of Williams 'Super Pins' wide-body machines from 1993-1994. The hosts (Alan, Alex, and Christopher Rhodes) review each game in the lineup: Twilight Zone, Indiana Jones, Judge Dredd, Star Trek: Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Popeye Saves the Earth the Earth: discussing design, mechanics, themes, code quality, and operator/player experience. The episode blends technical analysis with operator perspective and community lore.

Highlights

• Twilight Zone was the first Super Pin released and the only one without the upgraded DCS sound system used in all subsequent Super Pins
• Pat Lawlor is the only Williams designer who got to make two Super Pins (Twilight Zone and one other)
• The Addams Family sold 21,270 units and is the best-selling pinball game of all time
• Twilight Zone is the number one rated game on IPDB of all time
• Indiana Jones sold 12,716 units and is Mark Ritchie second best-selling game after Fishtails (13,640 units)
• Judge Dredd had a spinning disc 'Dead World' mechanic that was disabled in final production but only worked in prototypes
• Star Trek: Star Trek: The Next Generation was the first game where Steve Ritchie introduced the hyperloop/warp ramp layout pattern
• Popeye Saves the Earth the Earth only sold 4,217 units and was forced on distributors as a bundle requirement to get Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets
• Star Trek: Star Trek: The Next Generation was available for $3,000-$4,000 used in the Midwest when this podcast was made, significantly cheaper than Twilight Zone or Indiana Jones

Entities

• Indiana Jones Pinball Adventure· game
• Judge Dredd· game
• Popeye Saves the Earth· game
• Star Trek: The Next Generation· game
• The Addams Family· game
• Twilight Zone· game
• IPDB· organization
• Pinside· organization
• Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
• Alan· person
• Alex (the Waterboy)· person
• Barry Oursler· person
• Chris Granner· person
• Christopher Rhodes· person
• Dwight Sullivan· person
• George Gomez· person
• John Trudeau· person
• Kevin O'Connor· person
• Mark Ritchie· person
• Pat Lawlor· person
• Steve Ritchie· person
• Super Pins· product