Pinball Enthusiasts Will Love 'Pinball Arcade', Others Not So Much

Introduction

Pinball Arcade, produced by FarSight Studios, is exactly how it sounds: the ability to play classic pinball on virtual machines via your iOS device complete with all of the flashing lights, extra balls, loops, bumpers, and sounds of a real pinball machine.  Even the scores and bonuses appear in the 8-bit text so commonly seen on the scoreboard of pinball machines. The tables included in the game are Ripley's Believe It or Not, Black Hole, Theatre of Magic, and Tales of the Arabian Nights.  Each table comes complete with a history, a flyer advertising the table, and individual instructions.  In the instructions portion, the game walks you through each table, explaining the layout of the table, specials, bonuses, and additional features.  You can even zoom in on the table to see certain portions, and helpful arrows appear to point out icons, bumpers, gates, and bonuses.

The game offers different options to access the various pinball tables. You can buy all the tables for $8.99, buy an individual table for a certain price (it differs per table), or play the free version (play up to the first High Score available on a table). I opted for the free version and believe only true pinball enthusiasts would choose to pay so much money for endless play on this app.  While all the features of a usual game of pinball are included, right down to the sounds and 'nudge' effect, the game is not nearly as intriguing or exciting as having a pinball machine right in front of you. Unfortunately an iOS device can't compete with sweat dripping off your forehead and your fingers poised on the triggers, aiming to beat the high score flashing above.  Pinball is all about the environment, and I'm not sure The Who would be able to write a song about Pinball Arcade.

More Information

The controls are relatively easy: press and drag the plunger to release the ball, and a tap on the left or right side of the screen activates that particular flipper.  You can even nudge the ball by shaking the screen or by pressing in the upper left or right of the screen (which can be modified through Options). There are also three different camera angles but each of them do not seem to get the full effect of playing pinball.  I must give FarSight Studios credit, however, as the details on the tables are incredible. I feel as though they definitely pinpointed the layout on each table and didn't miss a detail. In the end, only true enthusiasts and those who are passionate about pinball (and its history) should decide to purchase this app. For those of us who are generally indifferent to pinball, I found the app very repetitive and not worth the extra money it asks you to pay. It's not even close to being the best pinball app for the iOS.