1992 Mind Control - マインドコントロール by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki)

Name: Mind Control - マインドコントロール

Year: 1992

Company: 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki)

This machine's mechanic has been used in two prior games, in the USA.  Machines like this use air pressure to raise or lower the floating ball, with the goal of keeping it in a guided precision range.

Game Machine 1992-04-01

Transcript:

占いの要素を加味したアーケードゲーム機「マインドコントロール」が、㈱関西精機製作所(本社京都、古川純一郎社長)から三月下旬発売となる。これはボックス内の下にある男の頭の中から上へ真っすぐに伸びた透明チューブがあり、チューブ内をボールが風圧により上下動する。プレイヤーはボールスイッチを回しチューブ外側のリングを、ボールに合わせて上下動させるというもの。
ゲームはタイマー制。終了後、ボールにピッタリとリングを合わせていた時間と予言(簡単な占い)が書かれたシートをブリントアウトする。OP価格六十六万円。

Machine translation:

``Mind Control,'' an arcade game machine with elements of fortune-telling, will be released in late March by Kansai Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Kyoto, president: Junichiro Furukawa). This is a transparent tube that extends straight upwards from inside the man's head at the bottom of the box, and the ball moves up and down inside the tube due to wind pressure. The player turns the ball switch to move the ring on the outside of the tube up and down in time with the ball.
The game is timer-based. After finishing, print out a sheet with the time when the ring was perfectly aligned with the ball and the prediction (simple fortune-telling) written on it. OP price: 660,000 yen.

 

from the Kasco ReCreation flyer

 

 

In 1986 Williams was working on a game called Direct Hit, which never left prototype.  They were developing their system 10 board, but no other game utilized it.  A friend of mine has restored one of the few that still exist:

1986 Direct Hit [prototype] by Williams

1986 Direct Hit [prototype] by Williams

1986 Direct Hit [prototype] by Williams

 

 (pic via pinrepair)

 

an extremely rare Williams System 10 board, posted to pinside

 

In 1987 this concept was resurrected by ICE for U 235 Meltdown, which apparently only had about 50 copies made.  There are rumours that the machine was pulled / did poorly because of the Chernobyl reactor meltdown that happened in 1986, but there is no actual evidence for this that I could find.

1987 U235 Meltdown - メルトダウン  [import] by ICE & 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki)

I have posted the full scan of the U235 Meltdown flyer over here.

This game appeared in Japan for the 1987 Amusement show, brought by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki)

Game Machine 1987-11-01

It is interesting that Kansai Seiki utilized this device 5 years after they brought U 235 Meltdown to Japan.  If there are any publications or interviews that mention any of these machines, or what was occurring with Kansai Seiki and their development, I am very curious to learn more.

There are a few other games with the similar mechanic of "controlling the pressure in a tube",

1996 ピタトメス (Pitatomesu) by ヒューマン (Human)

2005 Capsule Craze by Bob's Space Racers

2006 Bubble Up by Bob's Space Racers

1960 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war game)

Name: 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war game)
Year: ~1960
Company: unknown

Currently, the only record of this game existing is from the movie ぽんこつ (Ponkotsu). We can't tell much about the game except that it is a large shooting gallery setup.  There are at least 2 globes hanging from the ceiling that are slowly rotating at the speed of a mirror ball, but those might just be decoration.

ぽんこつ (Ponkotsu)

The scene is dimly lit, but if you look at the background you can see this sign:

It appears to be a projectile shooting range titled 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war games).

This scene is filmed at 後楽園ゆうえんち (Korakuen Yuenchi) which opened in 1955. (archive)

note the "G" on the right.  This matches the Game Center sign beneath:

this photo had the caption:
【1960年】遊び（昭和35年）▷　ゲームセンター・遊園地 (archive)
[1960] Play (1960) ▷ Game center/amusement park

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~2010s ぐるぐるジャングル (round and round jungle) by 安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai) [presumed]

Name: ぐるぐるジャングル (round and round jungle)
Year: ~2010s
Company: 安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai) [presumed]

This machine seems based on a 1970s candystore game:

1977 ブラックパンサー (Black panther) by ウコー (Uko)

This modern version seems to be made by the same company that produced コロリンボール (Kororin Ball).  The handles appear to be identically machined:

I have no actual date references for this game, but there is circumstantial evidence to believe that this and Kororin Ball were released around the same time.  It is only via this circumstantial evidence, and the same control mechanisms used, that I presume this machine was also made by 安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai).

高額落札された駄菓子屋ゲーム（エレメカ）まとめ 2012 (archive)
this blog post from 2012 has a screen shot of this machine at auction, so it was definitely released by 2012.

Aplastic NOS topper

at the center of the spiral is a pin field guarding the prize hole

Compare the above to the center of Black Panther, the game from 1977 that it is based on:

1977 ブラックパンサー (Black panther) by ウコー (Uko)

internal mechanism

~2010s コロリンボール (Kororin Ball) by 安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai)

Name: コロリンボール (Kororin Ball)

Year: ~2010

Company: 安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai)

Kororin Ball is a contemporary remake of a classic candystore games from the 1970s.

1977 アクションボール (Action ball) by 楠野 (Kusuno) & 三共 (Sankyo)

There are 3 primary art variants of this game: dinosaur, dolphin, and shark.  And then there are colour variants of those 3 main graphics:

From an auction listing, we can see part of a flyer that advertised the 3 options

There are many videos of this machine at 駄菓子屋ゲーム博物館 so be sure to check their youtube channel.

The "Version 2" sign on here refers to how they made the final target easier to hit, but I am unsure if this was a company modification, or made by the DGM owner.

game instructions

For a long time Kororin Ball was a mystery.  There were many photographs of this machine in different Japanese arcades, but I could not find any solid information on it online.  The machine itself does not display a company name.  Despite this machine seeming to be a popular modern version of a candystore game, I could not locate any flyers for it, advertisements in magazines, or entries for it at arcade websites.

There is a rejected trademark application filed in 2009 for this machine's name:

コロリンボール (Kororin Ball)
filed by 梶　安宏 (Kaji Yasuhiro)
安宅商会 (Ataka Shokai)

This blog entry from 2012 shows that one of these machines was sold at auction in 2012.  This clip also identities the company as Ataka Shokai.  I would guess that this machine was released some time between 2009 and 2011.  It is possible it game out earlier in the mid 2000s and they only applied for a trademark later.  

高額落札された駄菓子屋ゲーム（エレメカ）まとめ 2012 (archive)

Searching for the company further, I found a website that lists job opportunities that had a page for this company.  (archive)

Translated, it looks like this and shows "game center management" as one role.

コロリンボール (Kororin Ball) on the right
ぐるぐるジャングル (round and round jungle) on the left

I believe Kororin Ball and Round and Round Jungle are made by the same company.

Notes the unique design of the handles:

1969 Sammy Star Crane - サミースタークレーン by さとみ (Satomi)

Name: Sammy Star Crane - サミースタークレーン

Year: 1969

Company: さとみ (Satomi)

こうして海外への輸出で自信を得た里見は、京都で失敗したクレーンゲーム機に再度挑戦して海外へ売り出そうと考えた。そして「ソナーアタック」発売2年後の昭和45年、現在でもゲームセンターにある、コインを入れハンドルを操作して好きなものを吊り上げるクレーンゲームの原型である「サミークレーン」を完成させた。輸出となると、世界どこでも通用するブランド名が必要になる。そこで「さとみ」から「と」を抜いて「SAMMY(サミー)」というブランド名を付けて売り出した。
Having gained confidence through exporting overseas, Satomi decided to try again with the crane game machine that had failed in Kyoto and sell it overseas. In 1970, two years after the release of ``Sonar Attack,'' he completed ``Sammy Crane,'' the prototype of the crane game still seen in game centers today, where you insert a coin and operate the handle to hoist whatever you want. When it comes to exporting, you need a brand name that can be recognized anywhere in the world. So he removed the "to" from "Satomi" and gave it the brand name "SAMMY" and began selling it.

The text might be unreliable, since Star Crane was listed in the 1969 machine yearbook:

1969 coin machine directory

Since the Satomi article claims the Star Crane was 1970, but it was obviously there in 1969 for the machine directory, I think it is reasonable to say that Sammy Star Crane is a 1969 machine.

It is odd that Star Crane is described as the template for crane games today when Taito and Sega each had very successful cranes earlier.  In fact in the 1969 machine directory, the Sammy Star Crane is just one of about 8 similar crane machines.

Star Crane looks nearly identical to Sega's Skill Diga from a few years earlier.  The only difference I can see, beyond the name and logo on the arm, is that Star Crane has two coin slots to Skill Diga's single, and thus two coin reject buttons.

1965 Skill Diga - スキル・ディガ by セガ (Sega)

1969 Sammy Star Crane - サミースタークレーン by さとみ (Satomi)

the 2 coin slots on Star Crane

~1969 Pony Derby - ニューポニーダービー (New Pony Derby) by 昭和娯楽物産 (Showa entertainment products) & 日本遊園設備 (Japanese amusement park equipment)

Name: Pony Derby - ニューポニーダービー (New Pony Derby)

Year: ~1969

Company: 昭和娯楽物産 (Showa entertainment products) & 日本遊園設備 (Japanese amusement park equipment)

This machine only appears in the 1969 machine directory, and so we can only say that the year of release was ~1969, but it could have been earlier.

While the backglass says "Pony Derby", the advertisement and all of the catalogue entries refer to it as New Pony Derby.  We do not know if or how Keeney and/or Satomi are involved with this machine, if at all.  This machine is a nearly exact copy of Satomi's New Pony Derby, with only minor differences.

At the bottom of the advertisement, 日本遊園設備 (Japanese amusement park equipment) is mentioned.

Looking at the right-side of the machine we see 5 prize slots and we were able to match up the 3 colour blobs to vintage Japanese cigarette logos.  (Thank you to EM好きおじさん for the extra cigarette information)

Peace / ピース (archive)

hi-lite / ハイライト (archive)

Hope / ホープ (archive)

This version does not have the center line in the cabinet, has no metal trim on the prize hole, and the base of the unit is slightly different.

The backglass on this version is different.

Satomi's version backglass

in the version from Showa Entertainment Products, there is an extra bubble-shaped area for "Trophy Entry" on the backglass by this upper right horse.

We see this same bubble graphic on the 1965 Satomi Pony Derby:

This is the glass from the 1965 Satomi version.  The image was stretched to proportion.