Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
Score: 88% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Crave Developer: FarSight Studios Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Arcade/ Classic/Retro/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Arcades may be a dying breed, but they still hold a very special place in the hearts of most hardcore gamers. All the obnoxious sounds overlapping each other and all the dedicated players competing against one another made each arcade feel like a safe haven for nerds everywhere. FarSight Studios aims to return you to your roots with Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. This content-packed disc features several pinball classics that most arcade gamers should be able to recognize. If any of this even remotely interests you, consider this game a must-buy. The Williams Collection may not have the sterling visuals of the PlayStation Network's Zen Pinball, but it doesn't need them in order to get the job done. That's not to say the game looks sub-par, because that's not nearly the case. Each table has been lovingly recreated for use in a console game. Everything you remember about these tables is perfectly intact, from the dot-matrices to the plunger types. In addition to all that, the ball physics are quite good. When you start up The Williams Collection for the first time, you might get a little worried at the beginning. There's some modern-sounding instrumental heavy metal serving as the background music of the game's introductory screens. However, once you choose a table and get ready to play, the game leaves you alone and lets you reunite with your old friend. The sounds of the tables are not impressive by today's standards, but they are perfect in their own ways.
Gameplay: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection gives you a handful of credits to spend in a pinball arcade that acts as a hub. The arcade motif is handled well, but it makes for a clunky Menu screen. It would have been better if there was a simple list to scroll down. Of course, nobody buys a game based on how easy it is to navigate its Menu screens. This arcade contains thirteen classic Williams pinball machines. You've got relatively modern gems such as Medieval Madness and No Good Gofers, while the old-school is well-represented by the likes of Jive Time and Gorgar (the first talking pinball table). The collection is rounded out nicely by tables like Space Shuttle and Pin*Bot. Pinball is a game that bears no explanation for most people, but I'll treat this paragraph as a primer for the uninitiated. Your job is to keep a steel ball in play on an inclined table that is littered with rollovers, bumpers, traps, loops, and other obscure gizmos. This game's multiplayer component delivers an arcade experience right down to the core. That means no races or simultaneous head-to-head play. If you want old-school, here it is. It would have been nice to see the developer mix it up a bit, but the online leaderboards deliver a passable substitute.
Difficulty: The tables in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection vary in difficulty, although it's safe to say that pinball, by nature, is a very difficult game. Several of these tables are extremely busy, which is okay, since that element is absolutely native to pinball. This brings me to another of the game's strengths. In The Williams Collection, each table's Menu screen contains a guided tour that explains what each machine has to offer. The more complicated tables (like Funhouse) are jam-packed with secrets, and the guides do a great job of sharing them with the player. The guides won't make it any easier to make skill shots, but at least you'll know what you're aiming for. Luck also factors into pinball's difficulty level; some games will find you out three balls in under a minute, while others could go on almost indefinitely. There are several Achievements to be earned in The Williams Collection, and all of them revolve around completing goals. There are five Basic Goals and five Wizard Goals for each table. Once you complete a tier of goals, you will unlock an Achievement. The Basic Goals are difficult enough, but the Wizard Goals are absolutely nuts. However, it's forgiving in one key respect: once you hit a goal, you're done with it forever.
Game Mechanics: You've got a plunger and you've got flippers. That's all you have to work with in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. Mind you, you've also got the power of inertia on your side, but we all know what happens to pinball machines when that is abused. The (Left Trigger) and (Right Trigger) control the left and right flippers, the (Right Analog Stick) controls the plunger, and (Left Analog Stick) will allow you to shake the table. Shaking the table works much better in The Williams Collection than it does in most other pinball videogames, and it's a viable option when things look dire. You start with a generous amount of credits, and you can earn more by matching numbers in each table's endgame screen. Some of these mini-games are completely out of your control, but the ones that are in your control are very easy to win. I'm not exactly sure how all of this plays into the overall package, because my collection of credits has been multiplying since I started playing the game. If you're an Xbox 360 owner who likes pinball, The Williams Collection is a worthwhile investment. At $39.99, it's a good value that delivers more bang for your buck. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection may be running on nostalgia fumes, but those fumes are potent enough to keep it fueled for a long time.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
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