Balls of Steel
Balls of Steel is a pinball computer game developed by Wildfire Studios and released on December 12, 1997. It is the only game to be published under the Pinball Wizards label, a division of Apogee Software (today known as 3D Realms). When the game was originally released, it was possible to upload high scores to the WorldScores server, for a global ranking.
Balls of Steel
- Date
- 1997
- Language
- English
- Genre
- pinball video game · casual game · simulation video game
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Balls of Steel is a pinball computer game developed by Wildfire Studios and released on December 12, 1997. It is the only game to be published under the Pinball Wizards label, a division of Apogee Software (today known as 3D Realms). When the game was originally released, it was possible to upload high scores to the WorldScores server, for a global ranking.
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wikidata · Q734911
In this article
The object
The object
This feature was later discontinued.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Balls of Steel • Developer — Wildfire Studios • Publisher — 3D Realms • Platforms — Windows, Mac OS • Released — December 12, 1997 • Genre — Pinball
Tables
Tables
Balls of Steel features five original pinball tables: • Darkside: Set on a remote space station under attack by alien creatures. • Barbarian: A classic medieval fantasy quest with a huge dragon on the table. • Firestorm: Set in a crime-ridden US city, a mad bomber is on the loose. • Mutation: Set in an underground science lab where a bio-hazardous accident has occurred and a large, slimy monster has taken over the lab. • Duke Nukem: A special table featuring the Apogee video game character Duke Nukem. Another table, Devil's Island, was dropped from the game when Wildfire was given the opportunity by Apogee to include a Duke Nukem table. Devil's Island was later released as a standalone game.
Duke Nukem tie-in
Duke Nukem tie-in
The game includes a table based on the Apogee/3D Realms video game Duke Nukem 3D including graphics from that game and original voice-overs by Nukem actor Jon St. John. Pinball missions include fighting monsters like octabrains and pig-cops, and using powerups such as jetpacks and the Holoduke, from the Duke Nukem 3D video game. Graphics of a pinball game named Balls of Steel appear in Duke Nukem 3D itself, in the first level, "Hollywood Holocaust", when Duke encounters the table. Balls of Steel reappears in Duke Nukem Forever.
Development
Development
Balls of Steel was in development since 1995. The game was showcased at E3 1997.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Australia
Named but not plotted · 1
Balls of Steel is associated with Australia.
Country
Reception
Reception
Balls of Steel was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Pluss 1998 "Classic Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Centipede. The editors wrote that Balls of Steel "demonstrated that you can do the Bally table on the PC, and do it well." GameSpot wrote: "If you're looking for the ultimate in PC pinball sim realism, BOS won't satisfy you. Rather, where BOS succeeds is in its fun factor."
Legacy
Legacy
A remake for modern computers was developed in 2024 by Big Boat Interactive and published by Atari, Inc. This version didn't include the Duke Nukem table, instead having Devil's Island and tables based on Atari games Centipede and Missile Command.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Balls of Steel. 3D Realms. December 12, 1997.
- 2.Balls of Steel. 3D Realms. December 12, 1997.
- 3.3D Realms Site: Balls of Steel Table Info.
- 4.Clarke, Stuart. Great balls of fire. The Sydney Morning Herald. 201. March 14, 1998.
- 5.Lee, Helen. GT Interactive's E3 Lineup. GameSpot. June 12, 1997.
- 6.Staff. The Best of 1998. Computer Games Strategy Plus. February 11, 1999.
- 7.Sengstack, Jeff. Balls of Steel Review. GameSpot. Fandom. February 23, 1998.
- 8.Balls of Steel - Official Atari Pinball Video Game.
- 9.Yarwood, Jack. Pinball Wizard's 'Balls Of Steel' Is Back On Steam, With 2 New Atari-Themed Tables. Time Extension. 2024-01-31.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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