Night Mission Pinball
Night Mission Pinball (originally released as Pinball: Night Mission) is a pinball simulation video game published by Sublogic in 1982. It was developed by Bruce Artwick for the Apple II, then ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and IBM PC (as a self-booting disk).
Night Mission Pinball
- Date
- 1982
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Night Mission Pinball (originally released as Pinball: Night Mission) is a pinball simulation video game published by Sublogic in 1982. It was developed by Bruce Artwick for the Apple II, then ported to the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and IBM PC (as a self-booting disk).
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Night Mission Pinball. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q21190193 · wikipedia · Night Mission Pinball
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Night Mission Pinball • Designer — Bruce Artwick • Developer — Sublogic • Publisher — Sublogic • Platforms — Apple II, Atari 8-bit, IBM PC, Commodore 64 • Released — May 1982: Apple, Atari 1983: C64, IBM PC • Genre — Pinball • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer
Gameplay
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
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.
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.
- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Night Mission Pinball is associated with United States.
Country
Reception
Robert C. Gray of SoftSide 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 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. Computer Games Magazine 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 and David's Midnight Magic, Computer Gaming Worlds reviewers determined that Night Mission had the best ball physics and fastest balls, making it the best choice. Rick Teverbaugh of Electronic Games called it "easily the most complex" of the pinball games released in 1983.
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.Sandler, Corey. Fun With Frogs and Flippers. PC Magazine. 2. 450. July 1983.
- 2.Rixon, Paul. Night Mission Pinball. New Atari User. 65. 48. December 1993.
- 3.Gameline. Softline. 1. 5. 15–16. May 1982.
- 4.Fastalk. Softalk. 3. 7. 22. March 1983.
- 5.New Arrivals. Softline. 3. 1. September–October 1983.
- 6.Gray, Robert C. Night Mission Pinball. SoftSide. 59. 56.
- 7.Anderson, John J. Micro Pinball Wizardry. Video & Arcade Games. 1. 2. 96. December 1983.
- 8.1985 Software Buyer's Guide. Computer Games Magazine. 3. 5. 51. February 1985.
- 9.Rhodes, Mark. Micro-Reviews. Computer Gaming World. 3. 1. 42–43. January–February 1983.
- 10.Teverbaugh, Rick. Video Pinball Flips Out!. Electronic Games. 2. 9. 48–54. November 1983.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Night CallWork
- Night DriverWork
- Night in the WoodsWork
- Night LifeWork
- Night Of The ConsumersWork
- Night ShiftWork
- Night Shift NursesWork
- Night SlashersWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a copy of Night Mission Pinball?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.