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Video games based around
pinball hold a strange attraction to me - they form a
genre that attracts much criticism and has done so since
its inception. I listen to all the arguments and know it
isn't right to like these games, but I find them
entertaining. My first experience with a game of this
type was Video Pinball on the Atari 2600. It is a
primitive affair (it was even then) but I and many
others found it entertaining. The secret of its success
is that it didn't try too hard to emulate pinball -
indeed such a feat would have been impossible on the
humble 2600. It is my opinion that this very weakness -
the inability to emulate "proper" pinball - was turned
into a strength. It is an original video game that
shares some of pinball's gameplay but doesn't rely on
advanced physics, the subtlety of control, or the
richness of features and hidden bonuses as found in real
pinball. It was a game designed around the limitations
of the host hardware and was all the better for it.
I believe that pinball games
produced today are not as successful as they could be
because the hardware has reached a point were accurate
emulation is possible. You only have to look at the "Pro
Pinball" series that appear on the PS1 and later to see
that. Modern pinball games still have 2 problems though.
The first is control - and I
don't know if that one will ever be overcome. Gottleib
classics for the Wii goes some way to redress the
situation with its rather nice implementation of table
nudging using the remote and nunchuck, but I suspect it
will take a custom controller to recreate the full
pinball experience.
The other problem is
visibility. Pinball tables can now be represented very
accurately. The aforementioned Wii game has beautiful
recreations of the tables, and not being a 360 or PS3
owner, I can only imagine how crystal clear the tables
are on those versions of that game with an HDTV and HDMI
connection. But no matter how clear the display you are
not going to be able to see everything. Pinball tables
have loads of interesting structures at the far end, and
unless you are going to invest into something like a
full PinMAME implementation you are not going to see
that. Modern games mess about with selectable cameras
that follow the ball and while its workable it isn't a
total success. On one hand , not seing the whole table
at once reduces the level of skill - at least for those
mortals among us who can't judge the destination of the
ball from a cropped view of the table. On the other
hand, a full view reduces the view of the top of the
table where there is lots of action to see. It's a
compromise and the gameplay suffers - increasing the
level of luck required to do well resulting in an
experience that leaves the player unsatisfied.
Digital Pinball is a
successful pinball game because, much like its venerable
ancestor on the 2600, it has been designed around the
limitations of the hardware. These are not real tables
(although they look like they could be real). They have
been designed in such a way that you can see everything
you need to see from a full table view. This means that
they are simpler in structure and layout, but they still
have lots of features and shots to go for. There are
very clear visual clues that leave the player in no
doubt what to do next. A description of what to do next
appears in a very clear on-screen box ,like a speech
bubble in comics, complete with an arrow pointing to the
relevant ramp or target on the table. This makes the
game very approachable - so approachable in fact that my
wife, who normally only plays some puzzle games, even
went through a phase of playing this game.
The price for this are
simpler tables and I suppose hardcore fans of the genre
may think it over simplistic - especially when the aims
of the game are so obviously pointed out to you - but
the tables on offer are attractive and have plenty of
different bonuses to go for.
Digital Pinball gives us 4
tables to play on - all with a warrior theme (gladiator,
knight etc.). Because of the engine used to deliver
these tables they sometimes can feel a bit "samey" -
even though their themes and graphical schemes are quite
different. Some bonuses are common across all tables,
but there are plenty of table specific ones too. The
tables have enough variety to make them feel different
and they seem to vary in difficulty too. I quickly
mastered the 1st gladiator themed table which still
remains enjoyable , but the others put up a stiffer
challenge. All of the games are pretty well featured,
with bonus balls, multiball mode, the notion of "rounds"
etc. although it supports only up to 2 players. There is
a well presented on-screen instruction manual too and
one high score is kept for each table.
Sound is lively - the music
and voice samples are a bit cheesy but then that's to be
expected with this type of game.
The ball movement is pretty
convincing and control is workable giving you control
over flippers and table nudge with the Saturn pad -
though ball launch is just reduced to a button press so
there's no scope for skill shots from the plunger.
What is important is that
the game makes you feel in control - there is still the
element of luck - but you will get better with practice
and it is a satisfying game.
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