I like it. Sometimes I play for hours. Maybe once or twice
a year, but still. And yet I don't like the idea of a
video game that simulates Pinball. It's a dumb thing to
attempt; Pinball's so physical. And the cool thing about
video games showing up was that we didn't have to play
Pinball anymore! Sheesh.
So I probably like this game because it has about as much
to do with actual Pinball as Home Run has to do
with Baseball. It's infectious; one obsesses over advancing
a roller or bumper just one more number, since the awarded
scores for hitting these things can increase to the point
at which you're watching your digits being blasted through
the sky. (My score actually landed in my nearby Missile
Command cartridge once.) And there wouldn't be this
much player concentration on accomplishing the especially
involved tasks required to earn extra lives until Mr.
Do!. Further, there's a suave, minute art to using
the fire button to "tilt" the stubborn ball into the path
you want it to take; there's a lot more of this than flipper
control if you're a good player. I've achieved over a
million points and I'm damn proud of it. Once you've gotten
a grip on the finite science of getting the ball to obey
you, you're hooked. You even forget that it's shaped like
a square.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.