Design: Tom Kopera, Matt Coriale · Art: John Youssi
Cactus Canyon is the one that got cut off. Tom Kopera and Matt Coriale designed this Wild West game, John Youssi drew it, and Bally shipped it in October 1998. Williams stopped production at 903 games to move the line over to Pinball 2000, and the code was never finished. Even the numbered plates missed the boat, with 70% of games out the door before they arrived. A moving train, Bart's pop-up hat and a working mine are the toys. Two code fixes followed. Eric Priepke's fan code, Cactus Canyon Continued, filled in the original, and Chicago Gaming Company's remake, announced in 2021, shipped with finished code.
1998 Bally original, with or without a numbered collector's plateOriginals running Cactus Canyon Continued fan codeChicago Gaming Company remake (announced 2021) with finished code, a larger color display and RGB lighting, in several editions including a 1,250-game Limited
WPC-95 holds the batteries on the CPU board, where leaking alkalines can still do damage. Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. Cactus Canyon uses the WPC-95 audio-video board, whose chip can fail and kill the sound, so ask for a video with sound.
Display
The 1998 game has a plasma dot-matrix display that wears and outgasses. If the photos show a larger color screen, it's the Chicago Gaming remake.
Playfield
With only 903 made, a worn original playfield is hard to replace, so be strict about worn paint and lifted inserts. Ask for straight-down photos in good light around the flippers and the mine.
Toys and mechs
The train runs on its track, Bart's head pops up his hat, the mine has a door that closes and four bad-guy targets pop up. Ask for a video of the train moving, Bart's hat popping and the mine door working. Prototypes had saloon doors that didn't make production.
Cabinet and art
John Youssi did the art. Williams ordered 925 numbered aluminum plates for every game, but 70% of games shipped before the plates arrived, so plenty of originals never got one. A missing plate doesn't mean it's fake, and a plate doesn't prove the number matches.
Moving it
The hinged backbox goes down onto padding before anything else, as Williams' WPC set-up instructions insist. Then take the legs off.
Parts and code
The code was never finished when production stopped, and the factory game ROM on record is V1.3. Eric Priepke wrote Cactus Canyon Continued, a fan code update that rebuilds the original and adds to it. Ask which code is running and whether the original ROM comes with the game.
Should come with it
Coin door keys
Manual
Original game ROM if new code is fitted
Hard to find if missing
Numbered collector's plate
Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.
What to check
The original shipped with unfinished code, so ask which code it runs. Battery leakage on the WPC-95 CPU board and a worn plasma display are the age jobs, and a worn playfield is hard to replace on a 903-game run.
01Original or remake: Check the display and the listing details. A larger color screen means the Chicago Gaming remake.
02Code: Ask which code it runs. Original V1.3 or Cactus Canyon Continued, and the original ROM should come with it.
03Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. It should be clean, with no crust.
04Train: Ask for a video of the train running. It should travel its track without stalling.
05Bart and the mine: Ask for a video of Bart's hat popping up and the mine door working. Both should move cleanly.
06Display: Look at the lit display in the photos. The dots should glow evenly.
07Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint at the flippers and around the mine.
08Plate: Ask whether the numbered plate is there. Its absence is normal, so judge the game on its condition.
We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.