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Fathom - what a game

DRD

DRD

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Powered mine up for the first time in a year. It did not even have a mpu in it until I took the one out of my paragon, the damned thing worked. Just two iffy leaf switches. She is off to matt adams for major reconstructive surgery this weekend. It should take 35 years off her. Think priscilla presley. Or heather locklear.

The sheer genius of the design team,

Start the game...... "Sea nymphs await"
You beat the high score..... "Revenge"

Who, for the 10p this would have cost in 1981, would not want to meet the awaiting sea nymphs ?


OK, I might be easily pleased. But to me this is a very special title.
 
Last edited:
DRD said:
Powered mine up for the first time in a year. It did not even have a mpu in it until I took the one out of my paragon, the damned thing worked. Just two iffy leaf switches. She is off to matt adams for major reconstructive surgery this weekend. It should take 35 years off her. Think priscilla presley. Or heather locklear.

The sheer genius of the design team,

Start the game...... "Sea nymphs await"
You beat the high score..... "Revenge"

Who, for the 10p this would have cost in 1981, would not want to meet the awaiting sea nymphs ?


OK, I might be easily pleased. But to me this is a very special title.
Click to expand...

Magical, hearing this game in attract mode



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's a stunning game, but in comparison to Paragon or Flash Gordon have always found it a bit too easy. Saying that I will own one at some point, I'm addicted to these Bally's!
 
@roadshow16

I think you are bang on with that comment. Fathom is gorgeous, sublime. But like Centaur, it can turn into a multi-ball fest as the right lock is relatively easy to hit. So you need it on a tight tilt

I certainly prefer playing Paragon to either of these more fashionable titles. I hope to own a Flash Gordon one day to get to know it better
 
Never owned an 80's Bally, would love to at some point.

Paragon, Fathom, Flash Gordon and Skateball appeal the most.
 
FG is pretty easy once you realise that the bonus multipliers hold over and NOT to hit anything on the fly. That said, it's pretty easy to be suckered in.
Paragon, is trickier but if you master digging it out from that infernal thumper bumper at the bottom, there's not much else to go wrong.
the elegance of Fathom is in the multiball. possibly the only game of its era that has a meaningful use of multiball and most people miss that is you put 3 balls in play and then lock one, the rollover in front of the ball is worth 100,000 points! All seem to think that lighting the spinner is the way to go, but not so!
 
All this love for FATHOM, FLASH GORDON and PARAGON! I don't know.. what about GOLD BALL? That's what I say! Who needs multiball, depth, features and awesome artwork when you've got a nonsensical random triple-scoring gold ball to give you a massive score for absolutely no reason whatsoever?

You know I'm only joking ;) You all know I've got massive love for anything and everything Bally from the 70s and 80s.

The artwork on FATHOM's playfield is indeed truly beautiful. I just love this style of artwork from this era. PARAGON will always be my personal favourite (here's my repro test playfield overlay):

farm3.staticflickr.com_2930_14110671498_269da4cf07_k.jpg
 
isn't the ball more brass than gold? always seems like Bally ran out of steam (and money) after Vector but the other companies also went back to basics too
 
Nedreud said:
You all know I've got massive love for anything and everything Bally from the 70s and 80s.
Click to expand...
I always suspected that there was something I particularly enjoyed about that era from the little I got to play on Pinball Arcade, but after actually getting to play one in more detail on the weekend, I'm starting to see where you come from!

All I can say is when fortunes turn my way again, my idea of what my second pin should be has changed somewhat...
 
Re. the tea towel; There are dark circles for the three main thumper bumpers, but not for the 'Beast's Lair' lower bumper, though I can see where it goes. Could that be because it's closer to the players' eye-line?
 
Jay Walker said:
Re. the tea towel; There are dark circles for the three main thumper bumpers, but not for the 'Beast's Lair' lower bumper, though I can see where it goes. Could that be because it's closer to the players' eye-line?
Click to expand...
The "tea towel" is a high quality print on transparent vinyl! But yeah, there should be a hole for pop bumper in the BEAST'S LAIR. This print was just a test, work in progress touching up the hi-res scan of NOS playfield:

ParagonCompleteStitch150DPICropFix (1).jpg
 
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