Video Pinball

"A stepping stone in the progress of pinball games."

Way before the fancy puzzle games, and even before your primitive video games, there were pinball machines. Pinball was a huge craze back in the early to late 70s, with numerous teenagers, kids, and adults playing non-stop. Without any games that could emulate a pinball machine, many players were forced to waste countless quarters, and watch their income wash away at a moderate pace. Fortunately, the Atari produced a masterful game such as Video Pinball. Video Pinball is one of the first true games to simulate a pinball machine in both the physics, points, and overall appeal. No longer did you have to spend your chore money on a measly machine, but now you could rely on your trusty Atari to provide that same entertainment. The basic storyline of Video Pinball is to simulate a true pinball machine, and provide the same experience to nearly any pinball enthusiast. It did a darn good job of simulating the real thing.

Graphics [6/10]
By far, this is probably the biggest lacking aspect of Video Pinball. Unlike most of your colorful machines with plenty of lighting effects, Video Pinball was only capable of so much. At most, the palettes in Video Pinball are very bland and linear-based. Colors are very primitive, and often limited to only five different colors on screen. Detail is a lacking aspect, and backgrounds in the actual pinball environment are very pale. Don't expect a picture of Rambo blasting away at bad guys, or Terminator glowing his eyes. This was the Atari, and so the game minimized graphical technicalities to not haggle the gameplay. However, animations are very good, with flappers moving smoothly and efficiently. Bonuses will actually ''light up'' the screen if you happen to hit a special one. This is when some of the impressive special effects take place, such as a white flash of light, a sparkle from a powerup, or additional points popping up all over the place.

The point of view in Video Pinball is very proportionate. Unlike other games which have the ball going to an upper part of the machine, and then the screen scrolls down as the ball scrolls down. This game manages to fit the entire pinball machine on one screen, without any scrolling or shifting. Not only is this a huge improvement, but it helps the gamer concentrate on the ball much better. You don't have to worry about off screen scrolling, and missing a shot because you didn't see the ball go into a hole. Everything is well organized, including the layout. While overall appearance may not be spectacular, Video Pinball does an above average job at simulating a machine.

Sound/Music [7/10]
Most of us can remind ourselves as to what a pinball machine sounds like. They usually glow with opportunity, and send out sonic-like rings, bells - things that catch people's attention. Video Pinball does such a great job of simulating this that it truly deserves two thumbs up. Nearly every sound effect in the game replicates that of what you would hear in a pinball machine. Every bounce off of a ramp, the flutter of a spinning fan, even the spring that launches the pinball. Each of them makes a unique sound on the Atari system. Whenever you score a big bonus, a large flashing sound, or something to catch your ear will make an appearance. Just about every tone the Atari is capable of is used to fit quite well. As for music, well, there is none. This can be both a good and bad thing. If Video Pinball had music, it might be able to hook the user into an addictive trance, much like those quarter eaters did back in the day. However, due to a lacking of audio quality on the old Atari systems, the lack of music may have been a smart decision. It's never fun to listen to a bunch of beeps that totally ruin the gameplay experience.

Gameplay [9/10]
For being a pristine pinball simulator, one would expect that most of the game emulates an actual pinball machine to full potential. Not only does Video Pinball do a great job of doing so, but it also can be an addictive and fun experience for any type of gamer. The basic gameplay system behind Video Pinball is that you are able to control two main functions during gameplay. Much like the real arcades, you can control both flippers with ease and accuracy since controls are extremely responsive. Also, if you opt to do so, you can have both flappers go up at the same time in case the ball is moving too fast for the eye to track. Video Pinball is full of varying targets. Bonuses will pop up near the top of the screen, and you will gain plenty of points (combined with special effects) if you manage to hit one of them. Extra balls are attainable if you hit a certain powerup so many times, and eventually the bonuses increase to a better level. Everything is copied exactly from these nifty arcade machines, including the spring to launch your ball.

One of the more interesting, and second function you can control in the game is the direction of the ball. Although it's technically cheating, you can tilt the direction of the ball (similar as if you tilted a pinball machine). This is great for moving the ball out of the way from hitting bottomless pits, and holes that will cause a loss. The task can be accomplished easily by simply holding the action button down, and pressing a direction of where you want the ball to go. But all cheaters eventually get penalized for doing so. If you hold down the tilt button too long, or use it too often, the game will freeze the flappers and you will lose a life. So while it can be a useful function, cheaters never win in the end. The in-game physics are quite impressive, as the ball tends to relate realistically as to how it would in a real machine. It will gain speed as it hits more and more bumpers, but it will also slow down if hits a dead area on the board. Flappers produce just enough power per shot. This was by far the first and utmost game to simulate pinball machines in the best way possible.

Fun [8/10]
Now that gamers didn't have to waste countless rolls of quarters, Video Pinball provided a truly energizing experience. This is such a fun game because of how well it simulates pinball machines, and is so simple with its easy controls. There are plenty of obstacles and bonuses to increase your score, which can only make any gamer more pleased. With realistic physics, no longer did the game feel like a pong replica, but more of the less an impressive display of art. The biggest factor is how replayable Video Pinball is. You never get bored of the game because of different possibilities, and random chance of where the ball will go. The biggest challenge for most gamers is rolling past 999,999 in points, but even that is a true challenge for most gamers. The amount of fun in Video Pinball is based on how far you're willing to go, or how many times you'll slap the ball with the flappers.

Replayability [7/10]
Any arcade game can be stuffed with replay value mainly because of a points system. Video Pinball makes a stand from your typical pong game. Aside from your one player game mode, Video Pinball features an additional two player mode where you can compete with a friend, turn by turn. Whoever has the highest score is the winner. Different levels and graphic schemes help add to an already popular arcade classic. Numerous obstacles such as bumpers, spinners, and stiff walls will only make your pinball experience more enjoyable. Although there isn't a real variable amount of different courses or levels to try out, it should still prove to be a highly played game in anyone's collection.

Difficulty [6/10]
Even though you can tilt the ball occasionally, Video Pinball is a somewhat challenging game. Since most of the gameplay relies on luck, and quick reflexes, you'll find the game to be more of a joystick masher. There are also two different difficulty modes, one for beginners (features less holes for the ball to fall into), or a wizard's mode (more holes, tougher arena). The true challenge comes down to how well you can track the ball on screen, and keep your focus up while it frantically bounces all over the place. Spinners will manage to sput the ball out like in a lottery bowl, and the constant bouncing tries to force gamers to gain a better grasp for the concept. But everyone knows that most pinball games come down to luck, which is probably the case in how difficult you will find a single game of Video Pinball.

Final Factor [8/10]
This was by far the first huge stepping stone established in the progress of pinball games. Not only did Video Pinball feature excellent gameplay, but it has quality sounds and decent graphics to go along with it. Responsive controls, extensive physics, they all helped to make this game a true classic for anyone's Atari. If you happen to pass this by at a sale, pick it up. It's one of the few primitive pinball games in existence. Even if you're not a big arcade fan, still buy it. It's definitely worthy of being a hit in anyone's Atari system.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/03, Updated 07/28/03