Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball

At the end of the last century, pinball machines were facing extinction thanks to a shrinking fan base who preferred playing video games on Nintendo and Sony PlayStation consoles over the mechanical quarter-munchers built around balls, flippers, chutes, and targets. Greg Maletic's Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball chronicles the last-ditch efforts of Williams Electronic Games (the king of pinball manufacturers with an 80% market share) to create a next-gen pinball machine that would revitalize the industry. Dubbed Pinball 2000, the project resulted in 1999's “Revenge From Mars,” which combined standard ball/flipper mechanics with a reflecting interactive video screen. Although “Revenge From Mars” debuted to rave reviews and decent commercial success, a funny thing happened on the way to the resurrection: Williams' follow-up, based on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, wound up being plagued with production problems (including restricted input—due to series creator George Lucas' notorious secrecy requirements—and launch issues) at a time when the company's focus had decidedly shifted to its real moneymaker (video slot machines). Combining contemporary interviews with Williams' designers such as George Gomez and Larry Demar together with archival footage, Tilt takes viewers on a brief but amiable tour through the history of pinball before focusing on the troubled story of Williams' rise and fall. DVD extras on this double-disc set include a director's commentary track, over three hours of bonus interview footage, a video tour of the Williams factory, and more. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)