X Force

The X Force is a six-player Solid State Electronic pinball machine from Tecnoplay of San Marino, Italy, released in 1987, with artwork by Michele "Mike" Martinelli. Tecnoplay was a short-lived manufacturer, active only from 1987 to 1989, making its machines relatively uncommon today.

Gameplay features unusually steep ramps, reaching angles of up to 45 degrees, and a plunger that shoots the ball over a ramp on the playfield -- an unconventional mechanic that sets X Force apart from more typical layouts of the era. A rotating target on the upper-left playfield adds another distinctive toy to the mix. The game runs on Tecnoplay's "2-2C 8008 LS" MPU, built around a 68000 CPU.

X Force's Cops and Robbers theme is reflected in artwork that draws from several sources: the two faces at the bottom of the playfield are taken from the backglass of Bally Midway's 1984 'Spy Hunter,' while the main backglass art is based on promotional artwork for the 1985 James Bond film 'A View to a Kill,' with the gunman's stance borrowed from the Sky Hunter video game cabinet's side art. The result is a machine built from an eclectic mix of Williams/Bally electronics and Gottlieb-style playfield parts.