word mining central
Eight Ball Deluxe, Bally, standard edition, 1980.
A tough looking cowboy shoots a cue ball at the eight ball in the center of the backglass. To the left, a cowgirl rides a mechanical bull. To the right, a cowgirl and two cowboys stand leaning their backs on the bar. Rope is used as the border of the various designs.
Bad Girls, by Gottlieb, 1988.
This backglass is a giant photo of a bar or possibly pool hall.Front and center is a small pool table with chrome stripes around its table walls. Women are playing pool – one in black stockings and a pink strapless dress, one in a black strapless leather shirt and pink shirt (and again with the stockings) and one in a black bikini top and pink skirt. Some random men stand around in the background watching the girls. “Bad Girls” is written in a handwriting script up in the top right corner.
All I can say is between the stilettos and the tight clothes, that’s a hell of an uncomfortable way to play pool.
Cyclone, Williams, 1988.
Remember Comet? This is the sequel, which means more weirdness. Now the backboard includes not only the scoreboard but also a spinning Mystery Wheel that spins to show you what you’ve won for the mystery shot, and a “test your strength”-like display on the far left for the current value of the jackpot.
Oh, and another rollercoaster of imminent death, this time with caricatures of Ronald and Nancy Reagan in the front seats. She’s wearing a “say no to drugs” tee and he’s wearing a suit. There’s a bunch of others on the rollercoaster including a punk and a couple of kids. And the rollercoaster has a murderous face. And it’s spiraling out of the word Comet through some loops in the fireworks and up to the front.
And a creepy clown with a large duck or small goose standing on his foot. Because why not.
Comet. Williams, 1985, and it looks it. Quasi-photo-realistic people screaming in a washed-out rollercoaster car, and you only realize after a moment of looking that they’re somewhat upside-down, because the fairgrounds are turned 270 degrees and tucked in the top right corner. Also, there are fireworks *below* the rollercoaster car. And an evil toothy grin on the car’s front.
I don’t know where this track goes, but I suspect it is to their doom.
Oh and check out this stuck ball I managed to get while playing. Damn rollercoasters, always stopping in the middle of the track.
Barracora, Williams, 1981.
This is the head of an alien woman. She is yellow. She has tentacle or horn like protuberances of significant size growing out of her face. There appears to be the head of a barracuda growing out of each side of her temple.
Behind her are green things that might be trees, eggs, alien grenades, who knows.
