Hercules

Hercules was one of the few pinballs produced by video gaming pioneer Atari. It was designed by Steve Bicker and released in 1979, and ultimately proved to be the last arcade pinball game from the company.

This table’s most notable claim to fame is that it is the largest pinball machine ever made; while a typical pinball table is around 28 inches wide by 55 inches deep (72cm x 150cm), Hercules is about the size of a billiards table. The “pinball” was a ceramic cue ball, and the wooden flippers were custom-made to accommodate the game. Unfortunately, the novelty doesn’t enhance the gameplay any; the bulk of the cue ball, and the flippers that can’t quite muster the relative strength to hit it, results in a relatively slow-paced game.