Striker

Striker, designed by John Trudeau and released by Gottlieb in November 1982, is a solid-state widebody machine built around a soccer theme, with art by David Moore. Notably, designer John Trudeau has said the game was originally intended to have a science-fiction theme, but management wanted a soccer game instead; unfamiliar with the sport, Trudeau turned the rules and programming over to another Gottlieb staffer to complete.

Striker's gameplay mechanics set it apart from other machines of its era. It has six flippers arranged in pairs, with a right flipper button that activates the right-side flipper of each pair simultaneously, and a left flipper button that does the same for the left side. Green buttons on the sides of the cabinet let players pass a soccer ball between rows of offensive and defensive playfield insert ladders, adding a distinctive team-play mechanic. The layout also includes four pop bumpers, four slingshots, two 5-bank drop target banks, a 4-bank drop target bank, ten standup targets, two spinning targets, and a kick-out hole, with no outlanes.

With 910 confirmed units produced, Striker is a relatively scarce machine; most went to Europe. Its unusual dual-flipper control scheme and unique soccer-passing mechanic make it a notable curiosity among early-1980s Gottlieb widebody games.