Before there were home videogame
consoles and way before there were arcades, there was one device that mesmerized
the world, and it was a simple pinball machine. People lined up for hours just
to get a chance to hit a metal ball around with two flippers to try to hit
various objects to rack up points to beat the person who had the highest score.
Since the advent of powerful home-gaming machines, pinball machines are very
hard to find anywhere nowadays. To help compensate for this, the developers at
FarSight Studios have emulated the top pinball machines made by Gottlieb through
the various decades.
There are seven tables to play with
in this game that spans various decades, and each offers a different gameplay
experience. First there is Ace High, which was the machine to play in 1957. In
the year 1966 the game to play was Central Park. Then Big Shot was the table to
play on during the crazy year of 1974. When disco was starting its decline, the
Genie was picking up steam as the best table in 1979. Black Hole, which is my
favorite pinball machine to play with in this game, was made in 1981. In the
year of 1987 you were not a pinball master unless you could get the highest
score on the Victory pinball machine. Last but not least, Tee’d Off was the
machine to play at in 1993. As you play each of the tables you will see how far
the technology advances between the decades and how much the pinball machines
improved.
One of the tables you can play on.
Each of the tables that you will
play on has specific goals that will unlock features for you to enjoy. First
there is a Tournament Mode, which offers a scoring format that is actually used
by many pinball enthusiasts. Next is a Xolten, which will scan his crystal ball
to tell you what awaits you in the future. Then there is a custom ball option
that allows you to change the appearance of the pinball. There is a love meter
that will test your love level. The Gottlieb Factory tour is interesting,
because you will get to see how it looked in the early 1960’s. The biggest
unlockable is the Play-Boy table and Payout Mode. The Play-Boy table can be
selected in the main menu like the other pinball tables. Payout Mode puts a
gambling spin on the game with modes such as poker and blackjack. It really
helps give this game some additional life.
The controls for the game are really
simple. The square button is used to change to a custom ball, if you have
unlocked that feature. The circle button changes the camera angle. The triangle
is used to show the on-screen display. R1 is the right flipper and L1 is the
left flipper. The left analog stick is used to nudge the table, while the right
analog stick is used to launch the ball.
Time to select your table.
The graphics for this game are
simple but they get the job done. The developers accurately portrayed all of the
classic pinball machines to look like their real-life counterparts. All of the
lights and other “fancy” things that the real ones had are here as well. The
sound is decent; it is what you might expect from classic pinball machines – the
buzzes, dings, and other various things. There is nothing to special to be heard
here.
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb
Collection is rated E for Everyone for mild suggestive themes. It will take up
to 53KB on your memory card for game saves.
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Gameplay: 6.7
The developers made sure that the game plays
as close to the real thing as possible. Even though this is the case, it still
doesn’t match up to the real thing.
Graphics: 5.0
They get the job done and that is all, nothing special here.
Sound: 5.1
It is what you would expect from classic pinball machines. Not much
here.
Difficulty: Medium
Passing some of the goals can be difficult, but it can be done if you
have the patience to do so.
Concept: 6.9
It is nice to play some classic pinball machines on a PS2, but nothing
beats playing the actual machine.
Multiplayer: 4.0
All you do is pass the controller to the next person to take their turn.
Overall: 6.5
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection is a nice game that shows
off what was popular to play before arcades and home video console became the
mainstream. If you are a big pinball gamer then you will want this; other than
that this game is a good weekend rental and nothing more.
