300 (pinball)
| Industry | Pinball machines manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
"300" (quotation marks included) is an Electro-Mechanical pinball game with a bowling motif, crafted by designer Ed Krynski and featuring artwork by Gordon Morison. It was manufactured by Gottlieb in August 1975. The name alludes to the highest possible bowling score of 300 points. A two-player version named Top Score was introduced subsequently.
Description
Gottlieb released two variations of this model: the four-player "300" and the more affordable two-player Top Score, intended for arcade operators with limited budgets. Both editions incorporate animated red bowling balls in the backbox bonus unit, two kickout holes, a pair of pop bumpers, a single spinning target, one slingshot, four standup targets, one rollover lane, and two 3-inch flippers. The design of the scoring lanes is reminiscent of those found in Gottlieb’s earlier titles Sheriff (1971) and Super Soccer. It is noteworthy that only a limited number of Gottlieb’s 1970s pinball machines featured backbox animations; 300 shares its mechanical animation system with Super Soccer. Production totals reached approximately 8,157 units for "300" and 3,304 units for Top Score. The game continues to enjoy favorable player reviews, holding an average rating of 7.4 stars.