Super Game is a smart ball medal game Think of it like an arrangeball, but in smart ball form. You insert a coin and then get 16 balls to reach a goal of 100+ points.
Similar to arrangeball games that typically have an instant payout cup, the green '5' hole immediately pays out 1 coin. If you reach 100 points you can earn your first medal, and I think it pays out another medal for each 10 points beyond that. (100, 110, 120, etc)
Game Machine 1979-05-15 note that the model pictured has a different layout
Coin-operated Smart Amusement Machine "Super Game" from Mitsuba Sangyo
A new type of entertainment machine has been on sale since the end of last year. It's essentially a coin-operated smart ball game, named "Super Game." Three variations of the Brayfield model—"Jet," "Attack," and "Flash"—are available from Mitsuba Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 5-30-2 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 3853141). Inserting one coin dispenses 16 balls. Hitting the balls into the designated winning holes adds points to the digital display. At the end of a game, exceeding 100 points results in a payout of one coin, and then one more coin for every 10 points thereafter. Therefore, 115 points would yield two coins. A bonus hole pays out one coin. However, the maximum payout per game is 10 coins in total.
It is effective when used in conjunction with designated games such as Arrange and Mahjong. The retail price for the machine alone is 135,000 yen. The set retail price is 143,000 yen.
It say there are 3 models:
「ジェット号」 Jet
「アタック号」 Attack
「フラッシ 1号」 Flash No. 1
I do not know which layout is which name. The machine below is the same layout as seen in the article, as shown by moguragumi. (archive)
There are also other Super Game models with different backglasses. As with their earlier smart balls, I presume this means this was an entirely different named series. I am referring to this series as 'alien' in reference to the backbox art, but it's not an official name. Another version has a white rocket leaving a moon in the bottom-right. The more commonly seen model has a rainbow across a blue sky, with a hot-air balloon.
=How to Play= Insert a metal coin to release a ball. If the ball lands in the safe hole, the displayed score will be added to the digital display. If the ball lands in the bonus hole, one metal coin will be released and your score will be added. Inserting metal coins or pressing the payout button during the game will invalidate the game. After the game ends, if your score is 100 points or more, one metal coin will be released for every 10 points increase. You can play the game again with the metal coins you receive. After the game ends, please return any remaining metal coins to a staff member.
User satokidisc has fixed one of these units and has let me archive the Super Game photos from their account:
it has a rather short payout tube
you can spot a 7812 manufacture date on the transistor
Lucky Game opened in 1958 on Namiki Street in Ginza 6-chome. It is effectively the first Japanese-made slot machine, but because the history of slot machines in Japan was interrupted at one point, many people believe that the first one appeared in 1964. Perhaps it is the atmosphere of Ginza, or perhaps it is because it is a slot machine, but it has a different feel from pachinko. Even the girls selling the balls (coins) have a slightly different atmosphere.
The development of Japanese-made slot machines focused on how to address the "skill-based gameplay" aspect that was absent in Western slot machines. The first attempt to create such a machine appeared in the summer of 1958, more than 40 years ago. As the photo shows, it appeared in Ginza, Tokyo, under the very direct name of "Lucky Game." The first Japanese-made slot machine was manufactured by Daito Seisakusho, which was originally an automobile parts factory. It took 2 years and 6 months to develop the machine and obtain permission from the Metropolitan Police Department, suggesting that the idea came about when the industry was hit hard by the ban on repeated releases. The Metropolitan Police Department's guidance was that Western-style slot machines could not be installed in "amusement parlors" because they lacked the skill-based gameplay aspect. In response, the company installed stop buttons to stop the reels in order to provide that skill-based gameplay. A predecessor to this machine was the "Fred Machine," which had stop buttons for the first and second reels, but relied on chance for the third reel, so it was rejected outright. However, they went through a lot of trial and error to make it more complex, as adding a stop button to the third reel would allow players to time their button presses to get the winning combination. The symbols used were the twelve zodiac animals, unique to Japanese slot machines. In the end, the first reel stopped automatically, but always displayed some zodiac symbol, and they added stop buttons to the second and third reels and brought it back again. It was the first time a company had come to formally request permission for a Japanese-made slot machine, so the Metropolitan Police Department had a hard time deciding, and they granted permission with conditions such as each game taking more than 15 seconds and the game fee being 20 yen or less per game. It was immediately introduced in Ginza, followed by an American-owned store in Shibuya. At first, it was popular due to its novelty, but the high price per token and the low payout rate quickly led to a decline in popularity. The price of the machine itself was over 100,000 yen, nearly 20 times the price of a pachinko machine at the time, so its introduction was slow, and the history of Japanese-made slot machines came to a temporary halt. Therefore, a misunderstanding arose that the Olympia machine, which appeared in 1964, was the first Japanese-made slot machine. Nevertheless, this "Lucky Game" is the first Japanese-made slot machine confirmed by this magazine. However, in reality, there are stories of slot machines being brought in before the war, and of Japanese manufacturers imitating them. However, this cannot be confirmed, so it cannot be considered "official history." Furthermore, after the war (1952), there were several places in Tokyo (also in Ginza) that were operating illegally, separate from those for the occupying forces. These were, of course, genuine machines and were subjected to harsh crackdowns by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The first machine to fit into a pachinko parlor and to use the term "pachislo," which continues to this day, was the "Pachislo Pulsar" by Shokyu-sha. The name "Pulsar" was apparently chosen when someone involved in the production happened to look out the window while thinking of a name for the machine and saw a car with the same name driving by, so they simply named it that.
This is one of the earliest slot machines in Japan.
are these Stop buttons?
Above the reels, below the logo, there appears to be two buttons. Are these the stop buttons? It is hard for me to say with the quality of the photographs. The text mentions that the early version only had 2 stop buttons, but needed to be changed to 3 buttons to receive permission. Is the machine in the photograph the 2 button version?
Perhaps the knob/button on the bottom-left acts as a stop button as well? There seems to be differences between the models in the 2 photographs.
on the left machine it looks almost like a button, on the right it looks like a button or handle
on these machines we see a more pronounced handle on the machine's bottom-left
One thing I can say with confidence is that these machines are based on a German machine called 'Helo'. My suspicion is that they were imported and modified, similar to how in the 1970s many Germany machines were imported and modified. Some were superficially modified to accept yen coins, but many had more extravagant revamps.
I love that they even kept the same font! The proportions are the same, the framed game area is similar (except Helo has a small button at the top of the frame we do not see on Lucky,) and the payout cup is identical.
The knob on the German machine (Drehen means 'turn') is a handle on Lucky. After you insert a coin you turn the knob to start the reels spinning.
Lucky has the two buttons above the game area and a knob/button in the lower-left corner. On the German machine, pressing the button spins the 2nd reel again. In Japan it appears they modified this gameplay feature to stop the reel, not to spin it again.
This is speculation; I think the button in the bottom corner might be the third stop button.
I do not know all of the differences but in 1955 there was also the 'Helo Elite' model. The score card lists more payout combinations, and the game uses numbers instead of pictures.
The text said that Lucky took 2.5 years to develop. This suggests that they had been working on it since 1955, when Helo was released.
User PaulBohlmann had uploaded some video of the Helo Elite:
If anyone has access to the Metropolitan Police Department records in Ginza, Tokyo, please see if you can find any information on the approvals process for this machine. There might not be many more clues to go on.
Bally Japan Co., Ltd. People's
eyes widened in surprise at the catalogs written in English; this was
the first reaction of those who received the catalogs. They handle
products from the familiar Bally company. The exhibit included the
bingo game machines Super Wall Street and Bull Market, the flipper game
machines Aladdin Castle and Freedom, and the slot machine Gold Rush. As
these are all familiar and popular products, this corner attracted a
particularly large number of people.
IPDB says this was a conversion to 1974 Bali, and we can see Bali does have the same cabinet art.
Bull Market is a Bally game that might only have been sold in Japan. The only documentation we have seen is from Japan. IPDB has the release date of 1976-03-15.
Bally Japan Co., Ltd. People's eyes widened in surprise at the catalogs written in English; this was the first reaction of those who received the catalogs. They handle products from the familiar Bally company. The exhibit included the bingo game machines Super Wall Street and Bull Market, the flipper game machines Aladdin Castle and Freedom, and the slot machine Gold Rush. As these are all familiar and popular products, this corner attracted a particularly large number of people.
Bull Market Bally Japan Corporation has recently released the "Bull Market" bingo game machine, manufactured by Bally, Inc. of the United States. To play, insert six coins, and six cards will appear on the board. Players choose their own arrangement and use five balls to aim for numbers from 1 to 25. Numbers can be lined up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and the goal is to get three or more in a row. If an extra coin is inserted, there is a chance to move the center spot of each card before the third or fourth ball. Furthermore, lighting up a corner gives the player a chance to score the same as a 5-in-line, among other features that enhance the enjoyment of the game.
<Specifications> Size: Width 710mm / Height 1,860mm / Depth 1,450mm Weight: 161 kg Electrical: 110V/250W/50-60Hz <Contact Information> Barry Japan Corporation Head Office: Akabanebashi Building, 1-26-1 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 03(583)0881 (Main) 106
Bull Market appears to be a conversion for the 1975 game Blue Chip. The side art matches, and the backglass appears to just have a name change.
