The game you are thinking about here is called pachinko, which you quite rightly call a vertical pinball machine. The real difference from this description is that pachinko machines are primarily used for gambling as they incorporate a type of slot machine as well. The pachinko is a real hybrid!
It sounds a strange combination - and it is. For the players, there can be one or two, control the movement of balls with sticks. The object is to guide the balls into cups as the balls descend.
However, the balls can be randomly intercepted by the pachinko machine itself. Normally, the first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
The original pachinko machines were mechanical, but today's have been updated and are more like a normal arcade video game. In Japan, pachinko machine players head to 'pachinko parlors' which are themselves a cross between a casino and an amusement arcade.
It sounds a strange combination - and it is. For the players, there can be one or two, control the movement of balls with sticks. The object is to guide the balls into cups as the balls descend.
However, the balls can be randomly intercepted by the pachinko machine itself. Normally, the first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
The original pachinko machines were mechanical, but today's have been updated and are more like a normal arcade video game. In Japan, pachinko machine players head to 'pachinko parlors' which are themselves a cross between a casino and an amusement arcade.