Terminator 2: Judgment Day (pinball)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 pinball machine designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics. It is based on the motion picture of the same name.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Manufacturer	Williams[1]
Release date	July 1991
System	Williams WPC (Dot Matrix)
Design	Steve Ritchie
Programming	Dwight Sullivan
Artwork	Doug Watson
Mechanics	Carl Biagi
Music	Chris Granner
Sound	Chris Granner
Voices	Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator)
Production run	15,202

Overview

A restored Terminator 2 custom pinball machine

The table is the first Williams WPC machine designed to feature a dot-matrix display. But due to the long design phase, Gilligan's Island is the first manufactured with a DMD. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the first game to feature an autoplunger (replacing the traditional plunger), as well as a ball-firing cannon (dubbed, "Gun Grip Ball Launcher").^[2] Finally, T2 is the first game to feature a video mode, a mini video game featured on the DMD. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided voices for the game.^[3] Some playfield design elements were based on Ritchie's 1980 classic, Firepower. The T-1000 is not in the artwork, with the exception of a small image of actor Robert Patrick because of pre-release secrecy of the movie. The character is only in the display animation because when the DMD programming was finalizing the liquid metal character was already public knowledge.^[4]

A score award is given for each extra ball awarded after hitting the max extra balls.

Interestingly, the major features of this game are the same as the 4th and final table in the classic 1992 Commodore Amiga game Pinball Dreams, called Nightmare,^[5] or Graveyard on other platforms. These include the left and right runs which allow you to advance up the central ladder to activate huge scoring opportunities.

Reception

Sinclair User gave the pinball game a 91% score.^[6]

Legacy

2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines from Stern has a very similar playfield design and rulesheet.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was formerly available^[7] as a licensed table for The Pinball Arcade until June 30, 2018, but removed due to the WMS license expiration.