''Night Mission Pinball'' (originally released as ''Pinball: Night Mission'') is a pinball simulation video game published by

Sublogic Sublogic Corporation (stylized as subLOGIC) is an American software developer, software development company. It was formed in 1977 by Bruce Artwick, and incorporation (business), incorporated in 1978 by Artwick's partner Stu Moment as Sublogic Com ...

in 1982. It was developed by

Bruce Artwick Bruce Arthur Artwick (born January 1, 1953) is an American software engineer. He is the creator of the first consumer flight simulator software. He founded Sublogic after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1977, ...

for the

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

, then ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and IBM Personal Computer, IBM PC (as a self-booting disk).

Gameplay

''Night Mission Pinball'' simulates a pinball machine. Players can tweak dozens of settings in the simulator, including the number of balls in play, velocity of the balls, strength of the flippers, sensitivity to tilting, bounciness of the surfaces, and gravitational force exerted on the balls. Up to four players can compete for a high score. The Atari version uses high resolution monochrome graphics.

Release

The game was initially marketed as ''Pinball'' and subtitled "Night Mission". The Apple version was released in May 1982. The Commodore 64 version was released in late 1983.

Reception

Robert C. Gray of ''

SoftSide ''SoftSide'' is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire. History Dedicated to personal computer programming, ''SoftSide'' was a unique publication wi ...

'' wrote that the IBM PC version's configurability changes pinball from being a game of chance to "a game of intellectual choice". In a ''

PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues . Overview ''PC Mag ...

'' review, Corey Sandler called it "a strange combination of game and graduate physics lesson" that could have appeal to tinkerers and those who wish to learn how physics impacts game design. '' Softline'' highlighted the Apple version's tweakability as having "a modest educational purpose" and making it "a programmer's tour de force". Some reviewers compared it to other arcade games released around the same time. John J. Anderson of ''Video & Arcade Games'' called the Atari version's realism "obsessive" and praised its configurability, even though one can not design one's own pinball machine, as in the ''

Pinball Construction Set ''Pinball Construction Set'' is a video game by Bill Budge written for the Apple II. It was originally published in 1982 through Budge's own company, BudgeCo, then was released by Electronic Arts in 1983 along with ports to the Atari 8-bit comput ...

''. ''

Computer Games Magazine ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...

'' rated it A+ and called it "the best computerized pinball game", as it has some features missing from the ''PCS'', such as a "tilt" mechanic. Comparing it to ''

Raster Blaster ''Bill Budge's Raster Blaster'' (or ''Rasterblaster'' on the disk label) is a home computer pinball simulation written by Bill Budge for the Apple II and published in 1981 by Budge's company, BudgeCo. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers. ' ...

'' and '' David's Midnight Magic'', ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

''s reviewers determined that ''Night Mission'' had the best ball physics and fastest balls, making it the best choice. Rick Teverbaugh of ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

'' called it "easily the most complex" of the pinball games released in 1983.

References

External links

*
''Night Mission Pinball''
at Gamebase 64 *{{IAg, wozaday_Night_Mission_Pinball 1982 video games Apple II games Atari 8-bit computer games Commodore 64 games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer hotseat games Pinball video games Simulation video games Sublogic games Video games developed in the United States