Monsters that rock and the end of Williams

Monster Bash is one of the last machines made (Cactus Canyon being the last) before Williams decided that in order to survive, something radically different had to be done. As we all know, this led to the invention of Pinball 2000, which received a mixed acceptance amongst the pinball community and came too late to convince Williams' investors to give pinball truly another chance. In the end this led to the total abandonment of pinball by Williams. And to be completely honest, playing the amazing pinball game of Monster Bash one might wonder why Pinball 2000 was invented in the first place.

The link with Pinball 2000

It has to be admitted, Pinball 2000 in itself is a wonderful concept. Mixing pinball with interactive video images is an innovative and logical step in pinball evolution and when you come to think of it, potentially holds a lot of promise. It's really a shame that the whole invention didn't get more time to develop into a real product, because I think a Pinball 2000 machine with a larger playfield and with game rules focused less on the animations in the middle can be really fun. The disappointing sales figures of the rushed Star Wars Episode I was the final blow to pinball at Williams however and ultimately made Williams close down its pinball division altogether.

That being said, it's a funny thing that in a way, Pinball 2000 was invented during the final development of Monster Bash, one of the most appreciated machines amongst us Pinsiders. Why this is a funny thing, you ask? Well, just read on to discover why... In this 1999 transcript of a Pinball Expo 99 seminar (that's really worth a read) Monster Bash designer George Gomez explains how this happened and especially the EUREKA moment he talks about and his worries for the near future (which we now know to be true) gives a nice insiders perspective of the final days at Williams and the downfall of pinball at this once great pinball manufacturer. Especially when you realise that Williams closed down for good only days after this seminar was given.

Monsters that rock do rule

To get it straight out into the open, Monster Bash is truly a wonderful machine. Being the last Dot-Matrix Machine that got the care and attention a pinball creation deserves (during the development of Cactus Canyon a lot of effort already went into the development of Pinball 2000), the machine knows how to impress with its slick design and its blazing soundtrack.

The machine is build around 6 of the most beloved monsters from Universal Studios and the task the player is given is to make them form the greatest rock band that ever roamed the earth. Of course this proves to be a lot more difficult than it sounds, because at first our heroes (being monsters and all) aren't really eager to play for you. You have to convince them to join the band by making the shots that they represent a fixed amount of times, and to make it even more complicated, you have to help them to collect their instruments as well. You can help the monsters get their instruments by completing the modes that are started when they join the band. Every monster has a different mode and playing these modes lead to lots of funny remarks and sneers by the monsters. The game features some fast-paced play and sometimes it's difficult (although necessary to reach a good score) to slow down the game flow a bit and take a moment to relax and to recap what to shoot for next. And although the game is not very difficult to learn and fairly feasible to control, it's the desire to keep the ball rolling all of the time, that can make the game difficult to master for the regular pinball player, especially when played during tournaments with the pressure to play well building up all of the time.

Eureka (and the beginning of the end)

Getting all monsters to play in the band awards a mini wizard mode (Monster Bash multiball), while collecting all instruments awards the true wizard mode (Monsters of Rock multiball). Mini multiball or not, don't make a mistake... reaching Monster Bash multiball awards the player with a just as cool animation to start the action, and it must be said that starting each of these 2 wizard modes, triggers one of the best moments of pinball ever. Transylvania, LET'S ROCK! Another feel good moment of the machine is starting the regular (Frankenstein) multiball, where the animation of Frankenstein coming alive with the professor screaming in the background really fuels the player's desire to hit a lot of those double jackpots. And for me that's in a nutshell what this machine is all about: feeling good, playing fast and rocking hard. It's truly an eureka moment in pinball and it gives me a very double feeling when I come to think of this machine bringing pinball alive the way it does, while at the same time it marks the beginning of the demise of pinball creation by one of the greatest and most talented pinball teams ever. Funny in a sad way, isn't it?