April Edition Live Magazine - April 2014 Issue. | Page 90

review

Pinball Arcade
I’ve been a hardcore pinball fan
since I first discovered it in my youth.
Something about the bright flashing
lights, loud noises and simple gameplay entranced me. A mutual interest
of my father’s and my own, we would
often venture to the video game arcades in our area and play the few
remaining pinball tables that were
left. It’s a shame that pinball has faded in popularity over the years, but
as with most past-times, there are a
few developers hard at work to recreate the magic of pinball via a video
game.

and the first season of DLC - 22 tables in total. Here’s the full list:

One of the latest pinball games, is
‘The Pinball Arcade’ from FarSight
Studios, which has recently released
on the PlayStation 4. A re-release of
the pinball collection that was developed for the PS3, the PS4 version
features enhanced graphics and ball
physics, making it one of the most
accurate pinball simulations ever.
Featuring some of the most popular
pinnies of all time, The Pinball Arcade will win over those new to pinball, and is a must-have for pinball
wizards.
Initially, The Pinball Arcade was a
downloadable title, where players
could purchase tables they were interested in individually. This retail release of the game, however, sees all
of The Pinball Arcade’s downloadable releases from the game’s launch

•

Tales of the Arabian Nights

•

Black Hole

•

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

•

Theatre of Magic

•

The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot

•

Medieval Madness

•

Cirqus Voltaire

•

FunHouse

•

Gorgar

•

Monster Bash

•

Black Knight

•

Creature from the Black Lagoon

•

Harley-Davidson, 3rd Edition

•

Taxi

•

Elvira and the Party Monsters

•

No Good Gofers

•

Scared Stiff

•

Big Shot

•

Twilight Zone

•

Star Trek: The Next Generation

•

Attack from Mars

•

Genie

The collection is made up of some of
the best tables from the best pinball
machine manufacturers - Williams,

Gottlieb, Sega, Bally, Stern and
Data East. All of the tables have
been recreated as faithfully to their
real-life counterparts as possible,
with graphics and physics that are
incredibly close to the real thing.
Any closer, and you’d be playing
them at an arcade. I’ve played every pinny on the Pinball Arcade, and
can verify the realism of the numerous tables I’ve played as various
times in my life. The Twilight Zone
table is just as I remembered it as
a child - difficult, and full of dialogue
from the TV show. The Star Trek:
The Next Generation is another I
played frequently growing up, not
one detail from the real-life pinball
machine has been ommited from its
digital recreation.
The Big Shot table comes from a
simpler time (the 1970s) and is a
prime example of the simplicity of
earlier pinball machines, as well as
the addictive nature of pinball. I first
played it as a novelty and educational experience, but quickly discovered that it hides a fiendishly
addictive table beyond its humble
appearance.
My personal favourites, however,
are the Williams-made Fun House
and Gorgar. Both are prime examples of the passion and skill that
Williams displayed with each and
every game and pinball table they

9/10
made. I especially love the fantastic sound effects that Williams were
capable of, in my opinion, they were
years ahead of other rival developers (in terms of sound design).
The Pinball Arcade benefits from
modern game design features,
such as local multiplayer, online
leader boards and a “Hall of Fame
Score”. The online leader boards
can be filtered to show your PSN
friends, as well as the high scores

you can shows off your score to your
friends or you can compete online via
the leader boards!
The Hall of Fame score, is your combined score across all the tables you
own. This helps illustrate your average
skill level, and also helps gauge what
tables you can improve upon.
This disc version of The Pinball Arcade
is also compatible with future DLC for
the game.

“..AS A PINBALL FAN, I CAN EASILY SAY THE
PINBALL ARCADE IS SOME OF THE MOST FUN I’VE
HAD IN RECENT MEMORY.”
for the selected table from around
the world. Thanks to the Pinball Arcade, there’s no argument about
who is the best player on The
Creature From the Black Lagoon -

The amount of fun you have, as well
as the amount of appreciation you
have for The Pinball Arcade will vary
on a number of factors, though these
aren’t as exclusive as you might think.

If you love puzzle games (due to their
accessibility and addictive nature),
then I will urge you to check out The
Pinball Arcade. If you are old enough
to remember playing Pinball (and enjoying it), then I urge you to purchase
this title immediately; as a pinball fan,
I can easily say The Pinball Arcade is
some of the most fun I’ve had in recent
memory.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS
•
•

Fantastic value, countless
hours of entertainment
The most realistic pinball
simulation yet

CONS
•

None