1982 Williams HYPERBALL gun game / pinball (?) machine

Here we have a 1982 (it was technically released in very late 1981) Williams Hyperball gun game / pinball machine for your viewing pleasure.
This game was created as an attempt to battle against the video games that were completely decimating the pinball industry in the early 80's. 1981 through 1983 were some dark times for pinball as sales slumped thanks to the massive success in the arcades of video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. Williams, Bally, Gottlieb and Stern were trying to pull the public back to the more tactile experience of traditional pinball by releasing incredibly ingenious games like Black Knight, Centaur, Black Hole and Lightning. At the same time, Williams was working on Hyperball, a game that departed from traditional pinball and instead gave the player a more Space Invaders-style game in a pinball cabinet. Shoot the lights as they climb to the top of the playfield before they descend towards your Energy Center and destroy you. In the process, spell words to achieve bonuses.
Hyperball is a fast-paced assault on the senses. The default settings are pretty unforgiving, so dialing things back a bit allows the player to get into the groove before the pace picks up around wave 6 or 7. The Z-Bomb button is always there to bail you out if you get too overwhelmed, but you only have a limited number of those.
Is it pinball? No. Is it fun and interesting? Absolutely.
Hyperball was designed by the great Steve Ritchie with art by Seamus McLaughlin. See more information about this game here:
www.ipdb.org/m...