''Fireball'' is a historically notable

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 ...

machine designed by Ted Zale and released by

Bally Bally may refer to: Places *Bally, a historical spelling of Bali *Bally (from the Irish ''baile'') or townland, a traditional division of land, as well as a common prefix in the names of settlements throughout Ireland *Bally, Bally-Jagachha, a c ...

in 1972. The table was one of the first to have a modern

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

type of outer space theme and featured elaborate, painted artwork on the sides of the table, painted by Dave Christensen.

Description

The game itself is notable as it featured several pinball innovations, including a spinning disc, moveable "zipper" flippers, and trapped ball bonuses. ''Fireball'' was also an early table to have the multi-ball (three balls, in this case) feature. ''Fireball''s main surface and raised surface also featured elaborate artwork of a flaming "fire man", flames, and stars in space. The table is highly valued as a

collector's item A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

FireBall Professional Home model

Partly due to the success of the original ''Fireball'' pinball machine, Bally released a "Professional Home Model" available to the regular consumer beginning in 1978. The layout was different from the arcade ''Fireball''; it was a slight modification of the Bally's ''Hocus Pocus'' playfield with the subtraction of a ball diverter gate.

Fireball Classic

In February 1985, Bally released Fireball Classic. While the field closely resembled the original this version was electronic and had no zipper-flippers.

Cultural references

Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...

plays a rotoscoped ''Fireball'' in his 2001 film ''

Waking Life ''Waking Life'' is a 2001 American experimental adult animated film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The film explores a wide range of philosophical issues, including the nature of reality, dreams and lucid dreams, consciousness, the ...

'', in the penultimate scene where he expounds Dickian

gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...

to the protagonist. Also, Linkater's 1993 film '' Dazed and Confused'' features a scene that shows extreme close-ups of a game being played on a ''Fireball''. During the episode "Pinball" (Original air date: November 29, 1985) of the television series ''

Mr. Belvedere ''Mr. Belvedere'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel ''Belvedere'', which was later ...

'', the title character becomes obsessed with a "Firebomb" pinball machine, a slightly altered ''Fireball''.

Digital version

''Fireball'' is 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 ...

'' and comes with ''El Dorado'' (1975) as a single DLC.

References

External links

* 1972 pinball machines 1985 pinball machines Bally pinball machines {{pinball-stub