Counterforce

The 1980 Counterforce pinball machine, designed by Ed Krynski with artwork by Gordon Morison, was manufactured by Gottlieb as a four-player widebody game on the Gottlieb System 80 platform. With 3,870 units produced, Counterforce offers an outer space fantasy theme typical of the era's fascination with sci-fi, presented on Gottlieb's then-new solid-state hardware.

The machine boasts four flippers, two pop bumpers, and two slingshots, allowing for complex shot combinations and challenging play. The 7-bank drop targets and four standup targets provide multiple opportunities to rack up points, while the kick-out hole and left dual inlanes add an element of strategy to gameplay. With a maximum displayed score of 999,990 points per player, Counterforce demands skill and concentration from players.

Krynski's design for Counterforce pairs its sci-fi fantasy theme with Morison's futuristic artwork, and its widebody format gives the playfield extra room to spread out its target banks. It remains a solid representative of Gottlieb's early System 80 output.