Overview
Guns N' Roses is a 1994 pinball machine made by Data East featuring the hard rock group Guns N' Roses. A run of 3,000 machines was produced.
The artwork features photos by Robert John from his book Guns N' Roses: The Photographic History. This game is a widebody pinball game with several unique twists. Among them, is an old fashioned revolver, which players use to start the game as opposed to the typical plunger.
When a quarter is inserted, the band's famous "Welcome to the Jungle" song (recorded from a concert) plays. Also included on the soundtrack is the Use Your Illusion outtake "Ain't Going Down," which is the only official release of the song.
The backdrop is illuminated with lights in the shape of the famous Guns N' Roses seal, and Axl Rose's tattoos, featured in the Appetite for Destruction album artwork.
Slash, a noted pinball fan, was heavily involved in the game's design. He approached DataEast about developing a machine after being impressed with their Jurassic Park pinball machine. Slash stated in a 2020 interview, "I totally was going after my own idea and didn’t use any of those [other band themed] machines as inspiration." Other band members, including Duff McKagan recorded dedicated sound bites to accompany the gameplay.
Each member of the band received a free pinball machine. Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke sued the band over the use of his likeness in the game, as he had been a member of the band when the machine was under production but was out by the time it was released. The machine has continued to be popular with Guns N' Roses fans, in part because it was one of the only releases of "Ain't Going Down."
