Sonic Pinball Party

"A sweet outer-coating, with a mediocre center"

When I first saw this game, I was very intrigued. Everyone loves sonic, and everyone loves pinball, right? How could you go wrong? It's even got Nights in it, which was what instantly made me buy this. So, what went wrong you ask? Lets move to the charts..

Graphics: 6/10

Wonderfully bright and detailed tables, with flashing lights, and all the fun and chaos of a Sonic game. The only problem is this is pinball. Bright and detailed levels are not a good choice for a pinball game. Half the time, you're scrambling to find where the ball is, because of how well it blends into the background of many of the levels. Heck, I've even had trouble finding the flippers too. The screen also moves way too fast, which makes it way too hard to follow it. It's like saying "let's have a race, but first let me break your knees!"
Other then the fact that they strongly and negatively influence the game play, the graphics are very pleasing to look at, and the menus and tables are very well done, which is why I gave them a 6.

Sound: 6/10

Hmm. The Sonic series has never been known for very special music. Its the kind of music that is fun to listen to while you play, and doesn't get too annoying, but not good enough that you'd want to own the soundtrack or something. It's certainly not bad, and I didn't expect anything new, so it's the same old, safe sonic music. Can't mess with success, eh? The other tables, such as Nights, have their own music style, which is very nice and good when you want a change of pace from the usual Sonic tables.

Game play: 5/10

For a Sonic game, this game has pretty good game play, but for a pinball game, this game can be mediocre at times. Like I mentioned above, the graphics really affect the game play, in a bad way. There's lots of extra modes and everything, which almost balances it out. Once you get past the graphical-handicaps, you start to get used to it, and can actually enjoy the game. The only thing is, some of you with shorter attention-spans might not last past that point, and repel from this game. Overall, this really depends on your attention-span, your devotion to Sonic games, and your devotion to pinball games.

Replay Value: 8/10

Replay value? That's what pinball games are for! This is the kind of game you can pick up anytime, whether it be a traffic stop, a boring trial, or bad movie, and play to keep busy. This is a great game for casual gamers, but might be a tad overbearing for younger gamers, due to its lack of straight-forwardness.

Overall: 6/10

Long story short: this game is pretty decent. It's not great, but it's still a good game. I suggest you owning it, because it's a good game to have around, whether you're bored of one of your RPGs, or need something to do in class.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/04