Eight Ball Deluxe

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Eight Ball Deluxe
ManufacturerBally
Release dateApril 1981
SystemBally MPU AS-2518-35
Players1-4
DesignGeorge Christian
ArtworkMargaret Hudson
Production run8,250 (1981 version)
2,388 (limited edition)

Eight Ball Deluxe is a pinball machine designed by George Christian and released by Bally in 1981. The game features a cue sports theme and was produced again in 1982 and 1984.

Design

The game is the successor to the 1977 Eight Ball pinball machine.[1]

The game is a "basic, easy-to-understand game" with open playfield, and uses audio to attract players.[2]

The main character shown on the game is a friend of the husband of the artist, Margaret Hudson.[3]

A limited edition was produced in 1982, incorporating excess backboxes produced for Rapid Fire.[3] A third production run was manufactured in 1984.[4]

Gameplay

Eight Ball Deluxe has two sets of drop targets, one set for the billiard balls 1–7 and 9–15, and four in line drop targets for bonus multiplier. Behind the 1–7 drop targets are stand up targets that spell out 'Deluxe'. Completing these will light one letter in a different 'Deluxe' spelled out on the backglass. If the player spells the last letter of 'Deluxe' on the backglass, the game gives three free games. This feature stays in memory even when the machine is turned off.[1][5]

Reception

Roger Sharpe reviewed the machine in Play Meter, rating it at 3.75/4.[6]

The game was the "sleeper" hit of 1982, much more popular with players than anticipated by Bally.[2]

Eight Ball Deluxe won the AMOA Game of the Year award in 1982,[7] with over a third of the vote in that category.[8] It also won the AMOA most played pinball machine award in 1984.[9]

Digital versions

Eight Ball Deluxe was released as digital version in 1993 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, co-developed by Amtex and LittleWing and published by the former.[10][11] The game was a best seller in Macintosh gaming world and was a 1993 Best Simulation Game Finalist of the Software Publishers Association (USA) awards.[12] Computer Gaming World in 1993 stated that Eight Ball Deluxe "accurately recreates the art, sounds and digitized speech of the original ... gorgeous, playable and realistic", and was the "connoisseur's choice" among four reviewed games.[11] PC Magazine said "This is the best pinball game around", with "absolutely authentic" ball physics.[13]

Eight Ball Deluxe was also available as a licensed table of The Pinball Arcade for PC, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Android from August 2016,[14] until its delisting on June 30, 2018.[15]

Legacy

A successor Bally game released in 1985 capitalized on the success of Eight Ball Deluxe by using the name Eight Ball Champ.[16]

See also

  • Big Shot - a pool themed 1974 pinball machine by Gottlieb
  • Cue Ball Wizard - a cue sports themed 1992 pinball machine by Gottlieb

References

  1. McFatter, James (May 11, 2023). "Call Your Shots: Learning Bally's Eight Ball Deluxe". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  2. Flower, Gary; Kurtz, Bill (1988). Pinball. London: Apple Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-85076-139-6.
  3. Shalhoub, Michael (2012). The pinball compendium, 1982 to present (Rev. and expanded 2nd ed.). Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Pub. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0-7643-4107-6.
  4. "Bally Midway 'Eight Ball Deluxe'". ipdb.org. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  5. Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball Compendium 1970-1981. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7643-2074-3.
  6. Sharpe, Roger C. (June 1, 1981). "Critic'c corner". Play Meter. Vol. 7, no. 10. pp. 60–62. ISSN 0162-1343.
  7. "AMOA ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS". Play Meter. Vol. 8, no. 24. December 15, 1982. pp. 28, 205. ISSN 0162-1343.
  8. ""BEST OF '82" AWARDS". Play Meter. Vol. 9, no. 9. May 15, 1983. p. 60. ISSN 0162-1343.
  9. "AMOA Award Winners Announced". The Location. Vol. 20, no. 12. December 1984. p. 27. ISSN 0747-3060.
  10. Eight Ball Deluxe PinBall for Macintosh manual. Amtex.
  11. Lombardi, Chris (December 1993). "Bumper Crop". Computer Gaming World. No. 113. pp. 110, 112. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  12. "Eight Ball Deluxe for Mac". littlewingpinball.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  13. Trivette, Donald B. (1993-12-07). "After Hours". PC. p. 584. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
  14. Cunningham, James (2016-08-20). "The Pinball Arcade Adds 80s Classic Eight Ball Deluxe". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  15. Lawson, Aurich (2018-05-08). "The Pinball Arcade is losing its classic tables; grab them while you can". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  16. Flower, Gary; Kurtz, Bill (1988). Pinball. London: Apple Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-85076-139-6.