Hi-Deal

The Hi-Deal, designed by Jim Patla with artwork by Dick White, was manufactured by Bally in October 1975, with a confirmed production run of 2,085 units. This single-player electro-mechanical game could be converted to Add-A-Ball operation, and it marks a small milestone in Bally history: starting with Hi-Deal, the knocker was moved from the lower cabinet into the backbox on subsequent Bally EM games.

The playfield offers plenty to shoot at, including ten standup targets, ten mini-rollover buttons, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, a kick-out hole, and a spinning target. An end-of-ball bonus rewards players with accumulated points at the end of each ball, and the maximum displayed score is 199,990 points, with chimes providing the classic EM soundtrack.

The artwork blends an unusual mix of themes: airplanes, city buildings, flying, and playing cards. In a playful touch, the backglass art (minus the playing cards) is a caricature of the climactic scene from the 1933 Hollywood movie 'King Kong,' with a giant figure atop a skyscraper amid circling aircraft.