Mathew Peterson Tops Max Match Play at Next Level

While the skies were busy drizzling and the temperature hovered at a cozy 45°F, 30 fierce pinball competitors gathered under the neon glow of Next Level Pinball Museum for the Max Match Play tournament on March 14, 2025. The format? Straight-up head-to-head battles across 10 games. The vibe? Fast, competitive, and just a little chaotic in the best way. Over 2.5 hours of bumpers, flippers, and the occasional muttered “Tilt,” players faced off in one of the Pacific Northwest’s most impressive collections of playable nostalgia.

A Pinball Palace Worthy of the Multiball Gods

Let’s talk about Next Level Pinball Shop & Museum in Hillsboro, Oregon—because this place isn’t just a venue, it’s practically a pilgrimage site. Sitting at 1458 NE 25th Ave, it’s a warehouse-sized wonderland packed with over 229 playable pinball machines, from golden age electromechanical beauties to modern LCD-laden monsters. They also have 100s of arcade games, and everything works. No out-of-order sadness here.

This is a place that cares about preservation and presentation equally—walls decked with pop culture memorabilia, glowing marquees, and more than a few “I remember playing that!” moments. Whether you’re chasing wizard modes or just here for a nostalgia fix, it’s an all-day kind of place.

Check it all out at nextlevelpinballmuseum.com.

Warp Factor Flippers: Playing Star Trek (Data East, 1991)

Of all the pins in the lineup, Star Trek by Data East clocked in with the longest average game duration at an epic 27 minutes. Which makes sense—it’s a classic widebody with an expansive layout and generous ball times… unless you anger the outlanes.

Designed by Joe Kaminkow and Ed Cebula, this 1991 release was part of Data East’s push into major licensed IPs—right around the time they were locking in licenses like Batman and Jurassic Park. This Star Trek pin doesn’t pull assets from The Next Generation like later pins would—it’s based on the original series films, and features some of the best-voiced callouts of the early ‘90s DMD era.

Gameplay-wise, go for the center ramp early to build Missions and stack with multiball when you can. The transporters, warp ramp, and spinner add variety, and the sound package—while chaotic—is peak Data East energy.

From Ramps to Rough Cuts: Standout Pins That Lit Up the Tournament

With 229 machines available, tournament players were spoiled for choice. Here’s a deeper look at a few of the more interesting titles in rotation:

Skateball (Bally, 1980)
Designed by Steve Kirk and art by the legendary Kevin O’Connor, this early solid-state Bally packs a lot into its modest footprint. Inline drops, double bonus, and a screaming skull on the backglass—what more could you want from a 1980s skate-themed game? Bally was coming off a golden run here, and you can feel the crossover from EM scoring ideas to more advanced SS rule sets. This one’s fast and furious, with backhandable orbits and a snappy spinner shot.

Lethal Weapon 3 (Data East, 1992)
The ‘90s were the decade for chaotic licensed tie-ins, and Lethal Weapon 3 is a poster child. John Borg’s design is packed with gadgets: shaker motor, gun handle launcher, video modes, and even Elvis impersonators. It’s like pinball meets fever dream. Also worth noting: this was one of Data East’s first games to experiment heavily with mode-based gameplay before the industry fully pivoted to deeper code. Also, fun fact: the shaker motor was cutting-edge tech for ‘92 and added a physical punch that most machines didn’t have yet.

Bobby Orr’s Power Play (Bally, 1977)
This is one of the few pins co-branded with a real sports figure at the time—and the earliest pinball machine to feature a living professional athlete. Designed by Norm Clark, Power Play was a hit during Bally’s hockey-mania moment, right around when table-top sports were getting trendy. Gameplay is classic ’70s: symmetrical, bonus-heavy, and all about nudging skills. It helped bridge the transition from EM to early SS without losing that old-school simplicity.

Diamond Lady (Gottlieb, 1988)
Now here’s a quirky one. Designed by Jon Norris, this System 80B game is rare and underappreciated. A female-led backglass? Yes. A bizarre split-playfield layout? Also yes. Gottlieb was really experimenting here—Diamond Lady has a unique “Mystery Value” spinner mechanic and multiball that’s more strategic than it appears. The art by Constantino Mitchell and Jeanine Mitchell is standout ‘80s fantasy-meets-casino, and the voice clips are… well, very 1988.

Eight Ball Deluxe (Bally, 1981)
A certified classic and one of the most beloved Bally machines of all time. Designed by George Christian (of Flash Gordon fame), EBD is all about precision shots, drop targets, and mastering the sequence. The speech is iconic—“Stop talkin’ and start chalkin’!”—and the layout encourages thoughtful play with great risk-reward zones. It’s no surprise it has three different production runs and is still a top pick in tournaments.

World Poker Tour (Stern, 2006)
One of Stern’s more strategic offerings, designed by Steve Ritchie with rules by Keith Johnson. It plays deep, with tons of stackable modes, drop target strategy, and poker hands that influence scoring. Players used to newer Sterns sometimes underestimate WPT—but it rewards controlled shooting and patient planning. Plus, the RGB lighting and subtle humor from the announcer gives it a unique voice among 2000s Sterns.

Houdini: Master of Mystery (American Pinball, 2017)
American Pinball’s debut machine—and boy, did they go bold. Designed by Joe Balcer, this tight shooter is one of the most brutal modern pins out there. It features complex rule sets, steep shots, and Houdini’s life as a backdrop: escape acts, séances, magic tricks, and circus acts all factor in. The screen animations and cabinet artwork are among the best in the post-2015 era. But be warned—this game is not for the faint-hearted flipper fingers.

Spider-Man (Black Suited LE) (Stern, 2007)
Another Steve Ritchie fast-and-flow masterpiece. Based on the Sam Raimi trilogy, this game features custom callouts from J.K. Simmons (yes, that J. Jonah Jameson). The LE version with the black suit Spidey art is a collector favorite. But beyond looks, it’s a strategic multiball-heavy layout with four villains, each with their own style of attack. Great combos, fast loops, and one of the most fluid right ramps in all of pinball.

The Shadow (Bally, 1994)
Designed by Brian Eddy—who would later give us Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness—The Shadow is one of those “if you know, you know” games. Diverters on the orbits make the layout dynamic and unpredictable. The upper playfield ring magnet is totally unique, and the multiball rules are both challenging and creative. Based on the Alec Baldwin film (which was, uh, less well-received), this pin has outlived its source material by miles.

Who Took the Crown?

The top spot went to Mathew Peterson from Portland, Oregon. He’s not just your average local hero—he’s the top-ranked player in Oregon and currently holds an IFPA global rank of 339, with over 1,100 events under his belt. This win just adds another shiny feather to his already well-decorated cap.

Coming in second was Atticus Palmer, who’s currently ranked 27th in the state and still managed to take down plenty of higher-ranked players. Nick Elliott, hailing from Beaverton, fought hard for third with a solid showing—his consistency is paying off. And let’s not overlook Slaton Spangler, who battled up from a 120th place state ranking to finish fourth. That’s how you make a name for yourself in a stacked field.

Oregon IFPA Pinball Top 10 Standings:

Wrapping Up in Rainy Hillsboro

The Max Match Play tournament at Next Level Pinball Museum delivered exactly what we’d hope for: fierce competition, an absolutely stacked lineup of machines, and plenty of moments where history, skill, and luck collided. Whether players were draining on Skateball’s brutal left lane or unlocking Houdini’s final mystery, there was no shortage of challenges—or charm.

Congratulations again to Mathew Peterson for defending his top spot and adding yet another win to his legendary record. And to everyone grinding their way through this season, keep flipping—we’re watching.

Follow along for more pinball news and events—because the multiball never stops.