''Black Hole'' is a

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

game released in 1981 by

Gottlieb Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. History The main office and plant was located at 1140-50 N. Kostner Avenue until the early 1970s when a new modern plant and office was lo ...

. It is notable for having two playfields: one on top with a conventional slope, and one mounted underneath, sloping away from the player. It has no connection with the 1979 film of the same name.

Description

''Black Hole'' was the first machine to feature a lower playfield viewed through a window in the upper playfield. It was touted as the highest-grossing pinball game of all time shortly after its release, partly due to (or despite) the fact that it was the first pinball game which cost 50¢ to play (although many argue that Williams ''

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

'', and ''

Firepower Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. (It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes the cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system.) Firepower involves the whole range of potenti ...

'' were already at 50¢ before the release of Black Hole). Black Hole's robotic speech is generated by a

Votrax Votrax International, Inc. (originally the Vocal division of Federal Screw Works), or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit, Michigan area from 1971 to 1996. It began as a division of Federal Screw Works from 1971 to 19 ...

SC-01.

Features

*2 playfields *6 flippers *6 pop bumpers *4 drop target banks *1 spinner *Rotating disc animated backglass *Infinity backglass lighting *Multiball *Speech (Votrax SC-01)

Game quotes

* "Do you dare to enter the Black Hole?" * "Re-entry attempt has FAILED." * "No one escapes the Black Hole!" * "Captured." * "Re-entry success."

Design team

* Game Design: Adolf Seitz Jr., John Buras * Artwork: Terry Doerzaph

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Black Hole'' on their June 1, 1983 issue as being the eighth most-successful flipper unit of the year.

Appearances in pop culture

* ''Black Hole'' in the films ''

Les Compères ''Les Compères'' (; English title: ComDads) is a 1983 French comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber, and starring Gérard Depardieu, Pierre Richard and Anny Duperey. The film had 4,847,229 admissions in France. In 1997, this movie ...

'' (1983), Black Hole by Gottlieb
/ref> ''

Strange Brew ''Strange Brew'' (also known as ''The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew'') is a 1983 Canadian comedy film starring the popular '' SCTV'' characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, portrayed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served ...

'' (1983), ''

Next Of Kin A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...

'' (1989). * The phrase "Do You Dare To Enter The Black Hole?" which the machine says during attract mode was etched in the vinyl runout grooves on LP versions of the band

Hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

's 1997 album, ''Akathisia''.

Digital versions

''Black Hole'' is available as a licensed table of ''

The Pinball Arcade ''The Pinball Arcade'' is a pinball video game developed by FarSight Studios. The game is a simulated collection of real pinball tables licensed by Gottlieb, Alvin G. and Company, and Stern Pinball, a company which also owns the rights of machines ...

'' for several platforms. The game is also included in the '' Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection''.

References

{{reflist

External links

Internet Pinball Database entry for ''Black Hole''
1981 pinball machines Gottlieb pinball machines