Sonic Pinball Party

"The best pinball game I have ever played"

Now usually I'm not the type to be spending money on pinball games. Why would I? I can go to an arcade and play a pinball machine. Well, games like Sonic Pinball Party prove me wrong. On the go pinball is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and playing Sonic pinball is a little less dorky than playing Pokemon pinball(when you play it on the school bus and stuff). Sonic was a great series to make a pinball spin-off of, but there is a better series that finally got the kind of spin-off it deserved, NiGHTS. This game is for all the pinball, Sonic, and the oh so desperate NiGHTS fans out there.

What is it?
Pinball. Duh fool! It is basically pinball for the man on the go. Featuring 2 boards(one NiGHTS, one Sonic) this game doesnt have very much variety. But it is still sufficient enough to make a kick ass pinball game. In the game they have a couple of different modes of play. Story, Arcade, Tutorial and the Tiny chao garden. All of these are fun to play.

Graphics 10/10-
Pretty, pretty graphics indeed. For a GBA game, this game looks awesome. It pushes the GBA to its limits with the tables alone! All of the tables are just easy on the eyes to look at. Everything has smooth edges and the colors are flying from everywhere. The Sonic board is a site to behold, with such vibrant colors it just looks great. Put plain and simple, the graphics rock!

Control 8/10-
This is where I was scratching my head. For some reason they decided to, instead of using the A and B buttons to control the flippers, use the A and R buttons to control them. But, if you can get used to these somewhat awkward controls then you will have no problem enjoying the game as much as I did.

Sound 9/10-
There is some great music in this game. I've always been a fan of Sonic and NiGHTS music(heck, I like Sonic Team music in general) and this gives me more of what I want. The boards have their own music and it takes just long enough to complete them that you will never here the track repeat itself. If you have stereo speakers then put them on! Anything that can make the sound quality in this game better should be utilized to its full extent.

Overall 9/10-
This is the best pinball game that I have ever played. Although I am somewhat new to non-arcade pinball games, I am pretty sure this is the best pinball game available on any system. Plus, you can never go wrong when combining the Sonic franchise and the NiGHTS franchise. Its a match made in heaven.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/15/04