Welcome to the Kinetic Clinic! Dr. Dude is the coolest dude in the pinball universe, hands down — and because he's so cool, he wants to make you as cool as he is. While you're reading the Doc's story on the backglass, the nurse will check your reflexes and administer the "I" exam. Once that's done, go and gather up the three Elements of Coolness: a Magnetic Personality, the Heart of Rock 'n Roll, and the Gift of Gab. Then take the three of them, get yourself blended in the Molecular Mixmaster, and step under the EXcellent Ray for a blast of instant hip!
Dr. Dude (full title: Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray) is a Physical Pinball Table designed by Dennis Nordman with art by Greg Freres, released by Williams Electronics under the Bally label in 1990. Festooned with Comic Book pop-art, Speech Bubbles, and more surfer slang and puns than you can shake a thermometer at, this game challenges players to prove their cool by raising the Dude-O-Meter. The hotter you get, the cooler you'll be; if you can raise yourself up to a Super Dude, you'll get a chance to collect pinball's first-ever Gazillion Jackpot.
A digital version of this table was formerly available as part of FarSight Studios' The Pinball Arcade before their license to all Williams and Bally tables expired on July 1, 2018. Dr. Dude reappears on Pinball FX3 as part of Volume 6 on October 20, 2020.
This pinball game demonstrates the following tropes:
- The Bully: Big Shot, who constantly insults you during the game.
- Consolation Prize: You receive points from the Big Shot if you drain down an outlane. The amount varies depending on how many times you hit the target in front of his figurine.
- Eleventy Zillion: The Gazillion jackpot.note
- Hospital Hottie: As seen on the the backglass, The Nurse is a blonde-headed Hospital Hottie complete with Impossibly-Low Neckline, large breasts, and straining shirt buttons.
- In with the In Crowd: This is Dr. Dude's origin — he was a spineless nerd until he invented the EXcellent Ray to make himself the Guru O' Groove.
- Lantern Jaw of Justice: Dr. Dude's chin is not particularly wide, but it's definitely prominent.
- Made of Good: Parodied with the Elements of Coolness: a Magnetic Personality, the Heart of Rock 'n Roll, and the Gift of Gab.
- Match Sequence: A magnet pulls the word "match" and the last two digits of the players' scores, smushing them together. The magnet then reverses polarity to repel them, with "match" now forming the match number.
- Narcissist
- Dr. Dude himself.The Nurse: (thinks) "He is so coooooool!"Dr. Dude: (thinks) "I am so coooooool!"
- The player can also invoke this by getting the best score on the "I" Exam: "I Am Way Cool"
- Dr. Dude himself.
- Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Dr. Dude's hair gets considerably larger after he becomes cool.
- Progressive Jackpot: The Dude-O-Meter carries over from game to game, effectively making the Gazillion bonus one of these.
- Red Boxing Gloves: Used to hit Big Shot."Don't get mad, get even!"
- Rule of Three:
- The three Elements of Coolness (a Magnetic Personality, the Heart of Rock and Roll, and the Gift of Gab) must be gathered three times before the Molecular Mixmaster is enabled.
- The targets also double as the three reflexes.
- Score Multiplier: 2x playfield scoring for the remainder of the ball after draining a ball in multiball.
- Skill Shot: Launch the ball with the proper timing to hit the "I" Exam at its highest level.
- Perhaps a slight subversion in that it can be collected after the plunge as well (especially from a strong right orbit shot, and sometimes from lucky bumper hits). The values on the "I" Exam will continue strobing, and any hits on the target will earn the lit value.
- Take That!: The Gazillion Jackpot is in response to Williams Electronics' Comet pinball, which had claimed (incorrectly) to have "the first ever million-point shot".
- Visual Pun: The Gift of Gab is a wrapped present with a mouth on it. The Magnetic Personality is a big magnet mounted around the head. And the Heart of Rock'n Roll is a heart-shaped electric guitar.
- The set of inserts leading up to it as well, each with price tags that indicate their point values.
- When Things Spin, Science Happens: The Molecular Mixmaster, complete with Swirly Energy Thingy.
- Zonk: One of the possible rewards from the Bag O' Tricks is a measly 10 points.
- Surgeon Dude sez: Playing this game could make you "Way-Cool"... dig it!
