Flippers, Firepower, and 104 Contenders: Wild Night at Electric Bat

April Fools? Not at Electric Bat. On April 1, 2025, Tempe’s pinball stronghold—the Electric Bat Arcade—hosted the latest chapter in its league saga. Despite the date, there was nothing silly about the skill on display. 104 players showed up to throw down in a fast-paced, five-round gauntlet that lasted about two and a half hours. Organizer Rachel Bess kept the tournament tight and fierce, with 65 machines ranging from golden era electromechanicals to the freshest LCD-drenched beasts Stern has unleashed.

Where Pinball Dreams Wake Up Early and Stay Late: Electric Bat Arcade

Located at 29 W. Southern Ave, right inside the Yucca Taproom, Electric Bat is one of Arizona’s crown jewels of pinball. Open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. every single day, it caters to everyone from pre-dawn flippers to late-night multiball maniacs. The collection is enormous and immaculately kept—over 60 machines that span eras and genres. The ambiance leans horror-punk meets desert tiki bar, complete with custom murals and glowing cocktails for those who prefer their Super Jackpots with a side of rum. This is the kind of spot where even out-of-towners make a pilgrimage—and they’re right to.

Spotlight Match: Shaken, Not Stirred on James Bond 007 (Premium)

Round 4 dropped players onto Stern’s James Bond 007 (Premium)—a machine that oozes 60s spy flair, down to the gleaming Aston Martin DB5 on the playfield. Released in 2022 and designed by George Gomez, the game focuses on Sean Connery’s Bond era, and it’s packed with satisfying shots and iconic clips from six classic films.

The standout mode this round? Jetpack Multiball. Watching Mike McClure (ranked 66th in Arizona) dominate this mode while gliding past the higher-ranked Adam Horton and Fae Ashley was like watching Q’s gadgets work overtime—unexpected and wildly effective. Mike’s control and combo timing showed that rankings might predict the future, but they don’t dictate it.

Some Standouts from the Lineup: Machines That Deserve Their Own Spotlight

With 65 machines in play, players had to be ready for anything—from classic drop target strategy to modern code complexity. Here are five machines that helped define the night:

Night Rider (Bally, 1976)
A Ted Zale design that leans into the trucker Americana aesthetic of the mid-70s. It’s an electromechanical game with simple rules but satisfying flow, and those rollover lanes along the top can make or break a score. Bally even re-released it in solid-state form a year later, marking its popularity.

Big Game (Stern Electronics, 1980)
This machine is a widebody jungle cat-themed oddball from the early Stern era, and it’s hard to overstate how much it packs into one playfield. It was Stern’s first widebody and has seven flippers. The rules are bonus-heavy, and with no speech or music, it’s pure chime-and-bounce brutality.

Rush (Pro) (Stern, 2022)
A modern machine that quickly won over fans, especially those with a prog-rock obsession. Based on the legendary Canadian power trio, it features time-traveling modes, layered multiballs, and synced light shows that match the beat of “Tom Sawyer.” It’s also one of the last games coded by Lonnie Ropp before he left Stern—kind of a bittersweet swan song.

JAWS (Pro) (Stern, 2024)
Fresh out of the box and already a tournament staple. JAWS is a shark lover’s dream (or nightmare), with kinetic “harpoon” shots, a meaty center target, and modes tied to memorable film moments. It brings a bit of that 70s fear and oceanic chaos into pinball—and hey, if the shark eats you, it was a good death.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Bally, 1992)
One of the last pins of Bally’s golden ‘90s run, this John Trudeau-designed beauty hides an entire 1950s drive-in theater narrative beneath its glass. Its holographic creature effect was a technical marvel at the time, and “Find the Girl” is still one of the most playful multiball setups in pinball.

Honorable mention to Hotdoggin’ (Bally, 1979), which gives us early solid-state vibes with an absurd ski theme. Picture moguls, backflips, and bellbottoms, all wrapped in spinners and bonus ladders.

Champions Emerge: Blasting Off on Firepower

The tournament finale landed on a true trailblazer—Firepower by Williams, released in 1980. Designed by Steve Ritchie (yep, the guy who later gave us High Speed and AC/DC), Firepower was the first solid-state pinball machine to feature a three-ball multiball and automatic ball locking. It spoke. It shot fast. It punished hesitation. And for players in the final four, it became the proving ground for a night of fierce competition.

After five grueling rounds and a crowd of 104 competitors in the rearview mirror, these four made their final stand:

1. Mark Pearson didn’t just win—he dominated. With icy control and quick thinking, Mark picked apart Firepower‘s layout like he had it memorized. His multiball timing was nearly flawless, and his ability to recover from near-drains turned heads. This wasn’t just a win—it was a flex.

2. John Magyar brought fire all night long, rising through the ranks with consistent high finishes and clean play. In the final game, he was calculated, staying alive longer than anyone expected. He didn’t take wild shots—he waited, aimed, and earned his runner-up slot with precision.

3. Kevan Carter brought a grinder’s mentality to this tournament, clawing his way through early rounds and proving he belongs on any finals stage. He pushed Firepower harder than most, going aggressive on lock shots and nearly pulling off a late-game comeback. The crowd felt that momentum shift—and they were here for it.

4. Adam Horton made it to the finals with sharp ball control and some clutch wins in the early rounds. On Firepower, he hit a cold streak early and couldn’t quite recover—but it didn’t erase the consistency he showed all evening. Getting this deep in a 104-player bracket takes endurance, and Adam had it.

In a night full of tough machines and tougher matchups, these four made it look easy. Well—almost. The outlanes never really do.

Arizona’s Top 10 IFPA Pinball Players

Wrap-Up: Pinball, Community, and a Little Bit of Firepower

Electric Bat’s latest league night proved, once again, why this place is a core part of Arizona’s pinball DNA. From vintage Bally boards to the digital dazzle of Stern’s latest offerings, it was a night of history, competition, and blistered flipper fingers.

Congrats again to Mark Pearson for taking the win, and hats off to every player who threw down in this 104-player marathon. Follow along for more pinball news and tournaments—whether you’re chasing WPPRs or just looking for your next great game.