In the competitive world of arcade games, any little extra feature could put one game ahead of all the others. Earthshaker took this advice to heart and went all out to impress potential customers who, fantastically enough, were indeed made out of money (quarters, specifically).

With the tagline "It's a moving experience!" this pinball machine set out to deliver a mini-natural disaster in the guise of an arcade game. The playfield was laid out like a city, divided into a handful of numbered zones. A lit display indicated which zone the player needed to aim for to cause an earthquake strong enough to destroy a building. After wreaking havoc in all the city zones, the player would send his ball into a shelter or up the 'fault line,' a ramp in the playfield to lock it in place.

After repeating the procedure and locking a ball three times, the earthquake would start in earnest. The states of Nevada and California would actually split apart on the playfield, allowing that third locked ball to fall into the crack, which in turn released all the balls for multiple play. The machine would also physically shake back and forth, light up with sirens and generate a goodly amount of noise and sound clips like "Head for the shelter!"

The experience was unique enough to make Earthshaker an instant favorite and acknowledged classic in the arcade world. California residents may not appreciate the implication, however.