Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire

"Hand-held pinball at its best!"

Introduction - Pokemon pinball is a game that mixes the great game of pinball with all of the well known and loved Pokemon creatures. There are different pinball fields to change the game up and different areas to catch different Pokemon. It also adds a nice touch to its predecessor, Pokemon Pinball for game boy color, by having very nice graphics, sound, and new features. Unfortunately, there is no rumble feature on this one, but still, that doesn't make the game.

Gameplay - Unless you don't like pinball, this game is very fun. For beginners, you can choose to slow the ball speed down. For all others, there is a normal speed that still isn't that fast. The difficulty in this game would have to be near 4 or 5 on a scale from 1 to 10. (1 being the easiest) The ruby field is harder than the sapphire field but still are relatively the same. All in all though, this is a very enjoyable game. Losing isn't bad either. When you do lose, it doesn't rub it in your face like YOU LOSE!!! It just makes a noise and you get some bonus points. This is pinball anyway, it's not meant to be an extremely stressful game. Just have fun and you'll do well was my philosophy. The bonus levels in the game really make it the greatest! They're hard, yet fun.

Controls - The controls are very simple. There is a button for shooting the ball, the two flippers, and tilting. This makes the game great.

Playtime - This game is actually very long to complete in the sense that you have to catch 200 different Pokemon to finish. Still, long isn't bad.

Replay value - This is a game definitely worth playing again. IT'S A PINBALL GAME! You have to play it again and again to get all the Pokemon anyway. Even when you have 200 Pokemon, trying to get unbelievably high scores is fun too. Replay value is an automatic 10.

Final Recommendation - My final recommendation that this is a definite MUST -GO - BUY game. It is like having a personal pinball machine in your hand, except a lot cheaper. Some may think that Pokemon are stupid, but this is a pinball game. You can't go wrong. Birthday gift, end of school gift, or shopping spree purchase, this is a good game that all pinball lovers should buy. I give it a 10!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/24/04