''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 and released by
Williams Electronics in 1989. The game features an
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
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.
However, this was not patented by Williams so was available for other manufacturers to use in their designs.
Description
The player assumes the role of an earthquake researcher and has to visit various zones along the
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
-
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
border. During the game the two states split apart and become 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.
It was released alongside ''
Banzai Run'' and ''
Black Knight 2000'' for ''
Pinball FX'' on December 12, 2024.
See also
*''
Whirlwind
A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...
''
References
External links
*
Williams pinball machines
1989 pinball machines
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