1986 · Gottlieb
Genesis
Known for Vary-target, 1-2-3 drops, Body Parts and Genesis Multiball. Greyscale industrial cityscape of pipes, girders, machinery and panel walls, collage-style composite background in muted grey, black and dusty pink and solid black cabinet surround framing the artwork on all sides.
- Year
- 1986
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Vary-target
- Drop target
1-2-3 drops
- Goal
Body Parts
- Multiball
Genesis Multiball
- Mode
Lifeforce
On the playfield
Drop target 1
- 1-2-3 drops
Targets 2
- Vary-target
- Lower standup targets
Lane 1
- Top ABC lanes
Lights 2
- Spot Letter insert
- Extra Ball lights insert
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Elderly man with enormous bushy swept-back white hair, wide toothy grin, dark open-collared shirt with a narrow tie, holding a tall drinking glass in one hand and a folded paper or note in the other, standing at the left
- woman Seated woman with long dark curly hair, heavy dark eye makeup and pale skin, black sleeveless dress, black mesh patterned sleeves, long bright red fingernails resting on her bare thigh, one hand at her side
- man Young man with short spiked dark hair, open black leather jacket leaving his chest bare, grinning at the viewer, raising one arm with the index finger pointing upward
Setting
- Greyscale industrial cityscape of pipes, girders, machinery and panel walls
- Collage-style composite background in muted grey, black and dusty pink
- Solid black cabinet surround framing the artwork on all sides
Text on it
- GENESIS
- PLAYER TWO
- PLAYER THREE
- BALL IN PLAY
- MATCH
- CREDITS
- 135830
- 251150
- 300500
- 95090
How it plays
-
Modes 1
- Lifeforce
-
Multiballs 1
- Genesis Multiball
-
Goals 2
- Body Parts
- Robot Cycle
-
Awards 5
- ARMS
- LEGS
- BRAIN
- BODY
- Multi-Multiplier multiplier
Made by
- Design
- John Trudeau
- Art
- Don Marshall
- Art
- Ken Hale
- Art
- Larry Day
- Software
- John Buras
Reference
Linked terms
- Vary-target also called Vari-target
- 1-2-3 drops also called 1-2-3 bank
- Top ABC lanes also called BODY top lanes
- Extra Ball lights also called Next Part Awards
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- grey
- magenta
- green
Fingerprint: Huge dark trapezoidal cut-out void dominating center with gold rim, four boxed words A·R·M·S B·R·A·I·N B·O·D·Y L·I·M·B·S on lit top banner, two translucent magenta-red wireform ramps sweeping from corners, cluster of blue pop-bumper domes, yellow sculpted creature head on upper right, crimson organic mass on left, pale green apron with black-outlined logo, biomechanical city aesthetic, blue-grey cool-toned machinery
The single most memorable feature is the huge dark trapezoid cut-out in the centre of the playfield, framed by a gold rim and screws, which reads as a blank void or window into the machine. Close behind that, the four-word lit top banner A·R·M·S / B·R·A·I·N / B·O·D·Y / L·I·M·B·S is highly identifying, as is the pale green apron carrying a heavy black-outlined word logo with a purple-rimmed ball or cell graphic beside it. Two huge translucent pink-red wireform ramps sweeping from the top corners past a bank of blue pop bumpers give the upper playfield its distinctive silhouette. A glossy yellow sculpted head or creature form sits on the upper right of the playfield under the ramp.
Setting
- Blue-grey industrial biomechanical cityscape of pipes, girders and machinery
- Dark voids and shadowed recesses behind the ramps
- Pale sage-green apron panel across the bottom
Symbols
- Four-letter boxed word panels along the top banner
- Chrome pipework and gear motifs
- Round medallion badges between the flippers
- Gold/yellow oval lamp bezels
- Downward arrow signage
- Colourless score numerals
Notable shapes
- Large central trapezoid cut-out/void with gold trim and screws
- Two big translucent red wireform ramps
- Five blue pop bumper domes
- Two green circular medallion badges between the flippers
- Boxy four-panel top banner
- Purple-rimmed sphere on the apron
Art motifs
- Symmetrical blue-grey mechanical panels
- Translucent coloured plastic ramps and guides
- Bold black-outlined display lettering
Themes
- Biomechanical
- Robotics
- Cyborg
- Anatomy
- Industrial machinery
- Mutation
Title on it
- Genesis
Text on it
- A·R·M·S
- B·R·A·I·N
- B·O·D·Y
- L·I·M·B·S
- Premier
- GENESIS
- HOW TO PLAY
- TRAUMA
- LIMB
- SPECIAL
- GENE
- 10,000
- EXTRA BALL
- QUARTERS ONLY PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Creature | Glossy yellow sculpted head or skull-like form on the upper right of the playfield, partially under the red ramp, with dark eye and mouth detailing |
| Other | Crimson fleshy/organic mass of tangled shapes on the left mid-playfield beneath the black signpost |
| Other | Large purple-rimmed sphere or cell graphic printed on the apron between the instruction card and the logo |
Full-length overhead view of a lit pinball playfield and part of a purple cabinet, glass down. The art is a cool blue-grey biomechanical city of pipes, greebles, girders and chrome machinery, with one large dark trapezoidal cut-out panel dominating mid-playfield, ringed by a gold-trimmed border with visible screw heads. At the very top a lit banner carries four boxed words on a black ground: A·R·M·S, B·R·A·I·N, B·O·D·Y, L·I·M·B·S, flanked by blue and green lamps. Two large translucent magenta-red wireform ramps arc down from the top corners past a cluster of five blue pop-bumper domes. A glossy yellow sculpted creature head sits mid-upper right. Mid-playfield left is a black signpost with reddish lettering over a crimson organic/fleshy mass; a blue 'A·R·M·S' sign sits right of centre. The lower apron is pale sage green with a big black-outlined logo, a purple-rimmed sphere graphic, and a cream instruction card headed HOW TO PLAY. Flippers are white with purple edges; two green round badges sit between them. The coin door below has two red-lit displays and a yellow QUARTERS ONLY PLAY plate.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- black
- magenta
- mint green
- cream
Fingerprint: genesis, grinning wild white-haired elderly man in dark shirt and tie clutching glass standing shoulder to shoulder with seated red-nailed woman in black dress and mesh sleeves, grinning bare-chested youth in open leather jacket pointing index finger straight up beside them, title GENESIS rendered in enormous pale mint block capitals with red inner outline and white shadow dotted between each letter across monochrome industrial-city backdrop, magenta lower panel with blue alphanumeric score readout
The most memorable element is the grinning, wild white-haired elderly man in a dark shirt and tie clutching a glass, standing shoulder to shoulder with a seated red-nailed woman in a black dress and mesh sleeves. A grinning bare-chested youth in an open leather jacket points his index finger straight up beside them. The title GENESIS is rendered in enormous pale mint block capitals with a red inner outline and white shadow, dotted between each letter, across a monochrome industrial-city backdrop. A magenta lower panel carries a blue alphanumeric score readout flanked by diagonal PLAYER labels and two gold circular plaques.
Setting
- Greyscale industrial cityscape of pipes, girders, machinery and panel walls
- Collage-style composite background in muted grey, black and dusty pink
- Solid black cabinet surround framing the artwork on all sides
Symbols
- Dots separating the letters of the title
- Diagonal parallelogram instruction labels
- Two circular cream-and-gold plaques with horizontal line graphics
- Seven-segment blue digit displays
Lettering
- Very large condensed sans-serif capitals in pale mint green with red inner keyline and white drop shadow, dotted letter spacing; smaller white condensed capitals on the lower panel
Themes
- Composite character collage
- Industrial science-fiction backdrop
- Punk and new-wave styling
- Electronic alphanumeric scoring
Title on it
- Genesis
Text on it
- GENESIS
- PLAYER TWO
- PLAYER THREE
- BALL IN PLAY
- MATCH
- CREDITS
- 135830
- 251150
- 300500
- 95090
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Elderly man with enormous bushy swept-back white hair, wide toothy grin, dark open-collared shirt with a narrow tie, holding a tall drinking glass in one hand and a folded paper or note in the other, standing at the left |
| Woman | Seated woman with long dark curly hair, heavy dark eye makeup and pale skin, black sleeveless dress, black mesh patterned sleeves, long bright red fingernails resting on her bare thigh, one hand at her side |
| Man | Young man with short spiked dark hair, open black leather jacket leaving his chest bare, grinning at the viewer, raising one arm with the index finger pointing upward |
A wide backglass split into two horizontal zones by a thin bar. The upper two-thirds is a painted sci-fi collage: the word GENESIS spans the top in huge pale mint-green capital letters with a red inner outline and white drop shadow, spaced with small dots between the letters. Below the title, three figures pose against a greyscale industrial cityscape of pipes, girders and panels. On the left, a wild-haired elderly man with bushy white hair and a broad grin wears a dark open shirt and tie, holding a drinking glass and a folded paper. Centre, a seated woman with long dark curly hair, heavy eye makeup, a black sleeveless dress and black mesh/see-through patterned sleeves, rests long red-nailed fingers on her bare thigh. On the right, a young man with spiked dark hair wears an open black leather jacket over a bare chest, grinning and pointing one index finger upward. Black side panels frame the collage. The lower third is a magenta-and-black backbox panel: a blue seven-segment alphanumeric score display in the centre showing two rows of digits, flanked by stacked diagonal pink labels and two cream/gold circular plaques at the far left and right, with an artist signature at bottom right.