''Earthshaker!'' 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 designed by
Pat Lawlor
Patrick M. Lawlor (born November 30, 1951) is a video game and pinball machine designer.
Pat Lawlor had originally been a video game designer and had entered the coin-operated game design industry in 1980, working for Dave Nutting Associates. ...
and released by
Williams Electronics in 1989. The game features an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
theme and was advertised with the slogan "It's a Moving Experience!" Some
prototypes
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...
have a building that when the shaker motor is activated will fall down but the team removed it due to cost savings.
''Earthshaker!'' was the first pinball machine with a
shaker motor that causes the table to rumble along with the theme of the game.
Description
The player assumes the role of an earthquake researcher and has to visit various zones along the
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
-
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
border. During the game the two states split apart and becoming a rail for the ball.
Sample games feature an "Earthquake Institute" building that sinks into the playfield. About 200 of these sample machines were produced before this toy was made stationary due to cost savings.
Some hobbyists re-add this feature in their
custom pinball machines.
The music and voices of the game are typical for its era, although the pinball machine is known for a female voice saying "Bitchin'!" which was unusual for its time. "Family" ROMs that censor the questionable language by omission was developed.
Digital versions
''Earthshaker!'' is no longer available as a licensed table in ''
The Pinball Arcade'' for any platform after June 29, 2018 - just before WMS license expiration on June 30, 2018.
See also
*''
Whirlwind''
References
External links
*
Williams pinball machines
1989 pinball machines
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