Re: on ebay.. rare challenger

On Feb 1, 6:14 pm, "Mark Clayton" <spamuser1...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
And BBB put Capcom out of business.  There are lots
of reasons why a game can be a commercial failure.
Challenger is huge.  You need players at both ends so
it takes up even more room.  And two must play, so in
an arcade it would sit unused most of the time for that
reason alone.  As a money-maker, I'm sure it was terrible,
but the same goes for a lot of games people drool over
here.  It is from Gottlieb's early 70's austere period,
so the playfield is pretty bare, and it's an EM so there's
no sound beyond chimes, and very simple rules.  If someone
doesn't already have an appreciation for EMs, a game like
Challenger won't have any appeal.

-Mark
--http://pinballpal.com"ldnayman"; <ldnay...@xxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:245523e6-74e5-4843-93f7-db051b5714d9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Feb 1, 5:27 pm, "Mark Clayton" <spamuser1...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Not sure what the standards are for a "crap game", especially
for a head-to-head pinball. I have a Challenger, and brought
it to a Wayne pinball show some years ago. It got a ton of
attention and non-stop play. It requires two players - there
is no one-player mode. The playfield tilts from end to end,
based on who got the last "goal" (that is, a shot through the
opposition's flippers). Once the playfield has tipped
your way, you get all the points from the ball in play.
Each player has four flippers, and the oversize playfield
makes for fast action. The rules are simple, but so are the
rules for, say, basketball. Doesn't make it less fun or
challenging.

-Mark
--http://pinballpal.com

I've never played it, I was just relaying a story I read in Sharpe's
book, or one of of the "memories books." They only made 110 of them,
at the protest of Alvin Gottlieb, who insisted it was terrible, and it
put a distributor out of business.

If the shoe fits...

I played Challenger as a kid at the old Holiday Bowl in Dearborn,
Michigan. I was just getting into pinball and all. The machine I
played did NOT have the Gottlieb logo on the scoring glasses. The
score reels moved "sideways" and the "font" was not Gottlieb,
Williams, Chicago Coin or Bally although it did resemble Bally Bingo
credit meters. The small, flat topped skinny tip flippers and coin
door gave it away. However, the door did not have the Gottlieb logo
stamped on it. Not sure if there was one or two doors. I am positive
that there was no Gottlieb name as I wanted to know who made the darn
thing!

Memories.........
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: on ebay.. rare challenger
    ... of reasons why a game can be a commercial failure. ... You need players at both ends so ... Challenger won't have any appeal. ... The playfield tilts from end to end, ...
    (rec.games.pinball)
  • Re: on ebay.. rare challenger
    ... of reasons why a game can be a commercial failure. ... Challenger won't have any appeal. ... It requires two players - there ... played did NOT have the Gottlieb logo on the scoring glasses. ...
    (rec.games.pinball)
  • Tampere challenger, day 2
    ... I thought maybe some actual tennis in rst for a change. ... This is a tournament that has about 10 years called itself "the oldest ... continuously arrenged challenger tournament in the world". ... Players had to collect the balls between points. ...
    (rec.sport.tennis)
  • Re: Tampere challenger, day 2
    ... continuously arrenged challenger tournament in the world". ... Players had to collect the balls between points. ... 16-year old Micke Kontinen against Italian Simone Vagnozzi. ... Then 17-year old Henri Laaksonen against Yuri Schukin. ...
    (rec.sport.tennis)
  • Re: Tampere challenger, day 2
    ... continuously arrenged challenger tournament in the world". ... Players had to collect the balls between points. ... After a little waiting they decided it is getting too dark ...
    (rec.sport.tennis)