Lethal Weapon 3 is the widely known version of this game. Aaron Spelling and Michael Jordan are special editions released in very limited quantities; they have the same playfield as Lethal Weapon 3, and the rules are the same aside from different names for shots and mechanics. It is nearly impossible to find either Aaron Spelling or Michael Jordan on location anywhere, and they are only included here because they both have fully playable virtual recreations in VPX. This guide is concerned entirely with Lethal Weapon 3 specifically.
If you came here looking for Michael Jordan, make sure you didn't mean to search for one of the far more common games Space Jam (Sega, 1996), Shaq Attaq (Premier Gottlieb, 1995), or NBA Fastbreak (Williams, 1997) instead.
If playing on an original version of the code for Lethal Weapon 3, you'll want the left ramp all day, because similar to Star Wars (Data East, 1992), it will give you 1,000,000 points times the number of ramps made in the game so far at various checkpoints. If you're playing a copy of Lethal Weapon 3 with the fanmade code update that is very common in tournament play, or if the right flipper is too weak to make the left ramp, you'll want to get your points from Stunts by completing sets of flashing 1-2-3 saucers, or playing multiball by completing drop targets to light multiball at the #2 saucer.
The skill shot is pure timing on when you pull the gun trigger to launch the ball. When plunged, the ball will come across the playfield and hit one of the four Bullet targets on the left side. If it hits the one that is lit, which constantly moves back and forth, the skill shot is successful. For the first ball of the game, a successfull skill shot is 2,000,000 points; skill shots on subsequent balls are worth 1,000,000 more than the previous, regardless of whether the previous skill shots were successful or not, and maxing out at 5,000,000 points. Unsuccessful skill shots score 1/10 of what the successful skill shot would have been worth.
Shoot a flashing 1-2-3 saucer to light it. On factory code, you can always shoot any of 1-2-3 in any order, but on updated code, only one may be flashing at a time; in this case, the game usually forces you to collect 1-2-3 in order. Lighting all three 1-2-3 saucers scores a Stunt. The six Stunts are worth 5,000,000, then 10,000,000, then 15,000,000, then 20,000,000, then 25,000,000, then 50,000,000, before the sequence resets. During any Stunt, put your hand on the gun trigger, and watch and listen closely: at some point, the game will say "Now!" and something on the display will clearly be flashing. If you pull the gun trigger within a short time of this happening, you receive an extra 1,000,000 points.
Shooting a flashing 1-2-3 saucer will sometimes randomly give you the Fight mini-video mode. Hit the flipper buttons as many times as possible to so Riggs knocks out the opponent. If you succeed, you win the number of points listed on the bottom-center of the screen, which is usually 5,000,000 or 10,000,000.
Video Mode can be lit at the #2 saucer from a mystery award or Shootout award. In Video Mode, pull the gun trigger launcher whenever you see a valid target on the screen. Valid targets are the two criminals holding guns, or the Cow. Do not shoot the businessman, the woman, or the man holding a flower. Hitting a valid target scores 100,000 the first time, 200,000 the second time, etc, up to 1,000,000 for the tenth. You will always see 10 valid targets over the course of video mode. If you shoot an invalid target, the mode instantly ends. If you shoot all 10 valid targets, you get a 10,000,000 point bonus.
Saucer #3 on the right gives out mystery awards, referred to as Leo Getz and Super Leo. To light regular Leo Getz, hit all four Bullet targets along the left side of the game. Super Leo is only awarded for completing three Shootouts.
Regular Leo Getz awards include:
Super Leo gives the choice between two awards, selected with the flippers. Some that I've seen include:
These lists of awards for Leo Getz and Super Leo may not be exhaustive.
The display keeps track of the number of left ramp shots made throughout the current game. Awards are given at 3, 7, 14, 21, 31, and every 10th ramp after that. On original code, a ramp award is equal to 1,000,000 points times the number of ramps made in the game so far, which can get out of hand very quickly and becomes a polarizing strategy if playing for score. On updated tournament code, a ramp award is only equal to 1,000,000 points times the number of ramps made since the last award was given, which is much less helpful.
Making a certain number of left ramp shots in a game lights the #1 saucer for extra ball. The number of shots needed is a reflexing value based on game settings; I've seen it as low as 3 or as high as 17.
After winning a free game, whether by reaching a replay score or earning a Special from Super Leo, the left ramp will be lit for 25,000,000 points for about 15 seconds.
Super Leo can light the left ramp for Looping. When lit for Looping, the next shot to the left ramp scores 5,000,000 points, and subsequent shots to the left ramp within 20 seconds will also score 5,000,000 each. Try to get into a rhythm of shooting the left ramp on the fly while this is running.
Shooting the orbit shots in either direction adds bullets to the Uzi gun. When you reach 6 bullets, a Shootout begins. While the ball is still in play, you are expected to find time to reach down to the gun trigger and fire it six times. Succeeding scores either 3,000,000 or 6,000,000 points depending on how fast you were able to do it, and scores the next Shootout award in sequence:
For the first two Shootouts, just one orbit shot awards all 6 Uzi bullets. For the third and fourth Shootouts, orbits give 3 bullets each. For the fifth, orbits give 2 bullets each, and for the sixth and onward, orbits give just one bullet at a time. If you make it partway to the next shootout then drain, that progress is lost on the next ball.
A weak shot to the orbit ends up at the top lanes. Roll through an unlit lane to light it. Lit lanes can be rotated in either direction with flipper lane change. Lighting all three lanes to spell 9-1-1 advances bonus multiplier in the sequence 2x-4x-6x-8x. Reaching 8x bonus also holds the base bonus and multiplier to the next ball. Further completions of 9-1-1 after 8x bonus is achieved score 1,000,000 points. The game can be set to spot one top lane for you each time a full orbit shot is made.
If the center yellow target is hit in either bank before knocking down either of the targets on its sides, the game will call out Red or Blue. If the next drop target to fall in either bank matches the colour that was called out, the lower left standup target will be lit for 1,000,000 points for the rest of the ball.
Clearing either drop target bank a total of 2 times lights the #2 saucer for multiball. Depending on your game's multiball difficulty settings, you may need to clear each bank once, or clear the same bank twice, or clear a bank in order (left to right) to make the multiball progress. Regardless, after hitting enough drop targets, multiball will be lit at the #2 saucer. On some versions of the game, multiball may be called Tri-Ball or Lotzaballs instead due to trademark issues over the word Multiball, but the rules are still the same.
Multiball is always 3-balls. There is a very, very short ball saver. The left ramp starts lit for a 10,000,000 point jackpot, which unlights once collected. Putting a ball in any 1-2-3 saucer will relight the jackpot if it is not lit, and add 5,000,000 points to said jackpot with no limit that I've ever encountered. Putting a ball in a 1-2-3 saucer when jackpot is already lit will qualify Double Jackpot for 15 seconds. The ball will not be held in the saucer during this time, so you can't use these as a free timed lock to get one ball out of the way during multiball. A double jackpot can also be scored by shooting two different balls up the left ramp within about 3 seconds of each other. If you combine the two double jackpot methods- put one ball in a 1-2-3 saucer, then put two balls up the ramp in quick succession during the 15 second timer- a very elusive Quadruple Jackpot can be scored. Shootouts and Stunts cannot be scored in multiball as far as I have ever found. If single ball play resumes before any jackpots were scored, a multiball restart with the same rules as the regular multiball start will be available at the #2 saucer for 15 seconds. The base jackpot value will be set to 10,000,000 points at the start of each multiball, even if multiple multiballs are played in one game. Multiball will be lit for free at saucer #2 if a player starts the final ball of their game without having played any multiball yet.
When the lower left standup target is lit yellow, it will relight the kickback in the left out lane. On original game code, you must shoot two consecutive orbit shots to light the lower left standup target yellow. On the rebalanced tournament code, the lower left standup target is always lit yellow if the kickback is not lit, which is far more reasonable. The lower left standup target can be lit blue for Unlimited Millions for the rest of the ball in play by hitting the center target in a drop target bank while both other targets are standing, followed by hitting either a Red wire or Blue wire drop target based on what the game calls out.
Lethal Weapon 3 has a conventional in/out lane setup. Out lanes can be lit for Murtaugh Retirement by a Leo Getz award, which means a ball down either out lane will score big points (usually at least 5,000,000) on the way out. The left in lane can be lit for Getaway, a hurry-up collectible at the right orbit worth up to 15,000,000 points, after winning a fourth Shootout. The right in lane cannot be lit for any specific features.
Base bonus is simply 2,500 points for each switch hit during the ball. Base bonus can be multiplied by spelling 9-1-1; earn 9-1-1 numbers by making full orbit shots or rolling through unlit top lanes. Bonus multiplier can be 2x, 4x, 6x, or 8x; reaching 8x also holds the base bonus and multiplier to the next ball. Max base bonus on a single ball is 1,000,000 points, but if bonus was held to the next ball as well, you can rack up another 1,000,000 in base bonus. Scoring from Super Spinners and Crazy Riggs is also given during the bonus count sequence rather than immediately as those modes happen. These modes scores are not affected by bonus multiplier and do not carry over even if hold bonus was earned. There is no mid-ball bonus collect.
I do not believe there is any way to assign a point value to extra balls and/or specials in competition/novelty play.
1-2-3 saucers for Stunts can be set to always any order, always in sequence, or in sequence after 2 Stunts have been completed.
The statuses of the drop target banks, Uzi bullets, ramp counts, and 1-2-3 saucers can all be independently set to be preserved from ball to ball or not. By default, the ramp count and 1-2-3 saucers do stay in memory, but the drop target and Uzi bullets do not.
Multiball can be lit after completing either bank twice, completing a single bank twice, or completing both banks twice.
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