The Simpsons (pinball) game to the press as "fun – a whole package ... voices, music, artwork, great ramps." He also noted that "This game is already on its way to becoming a monster hit." In 2007, Stern said in an interview with "License!" that "While we export about one-third of our games, that first ["The Simpsons" pinball] model did especially well in the U.S." The "Simpsons" pinball machine won the award for best pinball game in 1990 by the Amusement and Music Operators Association, a group that represents coin machine operators. According to the "Chicago Sun-Times" article, pinball players have cited Data
Checkpoint (pinball) Checkpoint (pinball) Checkpoint is a 1991 pinball machine released by Data East. It featured the first dot matrix display (DMD) ever incorporated into a pinball game. For "Checkpoint", Data East used a "half-height" DMD. By way of comparison, Williams later produced machines with standard DMDs that were twice the height. "Checkpoint" also features video mode minigames on its display. In 2008, the "Popular Mechanics" website included the machine on a list of the top eight most innovative pinball machines of all time. The machine's gameplay centers on a ramp with a so-called "Lasermatic" speed detection feature that "clock" a pinball's