It's not a perfect game by any stretch, but developer Fuse Games made this unimaginable duo work splendidly.

User Rating: 8.6 | Metroid Prime Pinball (w/Rumble Pak) DS
Of all of Nintendo's mascots, Samus Aran of Metroid fame has to be the most no-nonsense, serious-as-a-heart attack character of them all. Why it is, then, that Nintendo would allow for her to be dropped into the care-free world of pinball (by a third-party developer, no less) was a very puzzling piece of news to hear in '05. Still, we can't always help what the fat cats at the top of the industry want to peddle to us, so all any of us could to was to watch and wait with cautious optimism as the release date of Metroid Prime Pinball loomed ever nearer.

There are four modes of play in Metroid Prime Pinball, though they don't vary one from the other by much. In Multi Mission mode the idea is to perform feats of pinball badness across the Metroid Prime universe all the while battling metroids, space pirates and boss characters like the monstrous Omega Pirate and the mighty Metroid Prime. Depending on the table you choose to play, Single Mission mode is either a standard game of pinball that takes place on a single table, or it's an attempt to quickly beat down one of the bosses. With a beginning stock of three balls, the goal is to try to earn higher and higher scores (or better and better times beating the bosses) so you can prove once and for all what you've always known: that you are the heat. Finally, the wireless mission, as expected, is this title's multiplayer option. Up to eight players can link up via LAN off of one game card and play in a race to reach a goal score of 100,000 points. Players can send metroids to each others' tables to try to interrupt their progress, but aside from lots of tash talkin', that's about as far as actual in-game interaction gets, which is a shame. As fun as this multiplayer selection is, some variety in the direction of a survival mode, team mode, or even a time trial mode, for example, would have made it essential instead of just amusing.

Prime Pinball's single biggest success is in how it melds classic pinball convention -- keep hitting the ball so you can earn big points -- with newfangled concepts -- stand up and shoot the shriekbats. The flippers are commanded either by pressing the shoulder buttons, using the directional pad, pressing the A button (right flipper only), or any combination thereof. A nifty little Rumble Pak is also bundled with the game when you buy it new, fitting snugly within the DS' Game Boy Advance slot. As Samus bounds about the table, striking bumpers and bad guys, the Rumble Pak translates the action into small bursts of vibration in a commendable touch of realism. The final effort toward authenticity lies in the ability to slide your thumb, stylus, nose, or whatever else across the bottom screen to "tilt" the table. All of these elements come together to make an unusually tactile handheld-pinball package.

Regardless of any inventive twists a video pinball game allows, without believable pinball physics like ball momentum, trajectory, and ricochet angle, a pinball sim is a lost cause. Needless to say, the physics in this game are top-tier, with only a couple of rare quirks cropping up. In fact, the authentic feel of Metroid Prime Pinball is so convincing that it could easily be mistaken for a real pinball machine if not for the host of minigames that could only occur in a video game. The minigames are infused into the game to increase potential point gain as well as to maintain a constant frenetic pace. For example, tripping a set of sensors on a given table will cause a special icon to appear dead center and just above the two main flippers that cues Samus rise to her feet and blast oncoming swarms beetles for a brief period. Other times, metroids themselves may float onscreen ghosting perilously in an attempt to either ricochet Samus down the hatch, or grasp onto her and drain her energy. Phazon Multiball is a special mode of play where Samus splits into two individual balls, one red and one blue, and darts around the board collecting like-colored Phazon deposits strewn about it. Fast-paced enough to be engaging; brief enough to enjoy over and over again, these new-school twists suit aged conventions with perfection.

There are many video game counterparts to pinball, but in this particular one the action is split up between two screens. The dual-screen setup is ideal because it offers a more convincing resemblance to real-life machines, and also because it allows for a better volume of graphical detail. Any concern for confusion during dual-screened pinballing can be dismissed here and now. Although there is a momentary "float" that occurs as Samus barrels from screen to screen, the transition is so fast and fluid that it's scarcely detectable. During the slower moments, Samus might dwindle in the purgatory between the screens, but it's an uncommon occurence that only slightly diminishes the flow of the game.

The menu interface draws its influence from Metroid Prime. Just as the tilt function and the Rumble Pak magnify the authenticity of the pinball side of the game, the orange and blue approximations of enemies and maps, drawn in thin, precise lines like blueprints, emphasize the Metroid in it. Inside the game, all of the creature, ball, and flipper animations flow smoothly and quickly as enemies amble, float, dig, and dance atop the incredible hybrid landscapes. But best of all are the tables themselves, each of which boasts beautiful hand-drawn visuals whose detailed and colorful artistry resonate with the ring of dedicated craftsmanship. There may not be much to gawk at from a technical point of view, but artistically, these visuals rock.

There is quite a bit going on with the sounds in this game as well, and the aural presentation is thoroughly impressive. If you don't have a decent headset to listen to your handheld games with, now's the time to think about getting one. The Metroid n' rock tunes and the pinball sound effects are so seamlessly grafted together that it's worth doling out a few extra bucks to hear them properly -- in stereo, fully detailed, nice n' loud. The incessant chirping of the Rumble Pak is the knock against Prime Pinball's audio. Even still, without headphones, and with the DS' volume turned all the way up, the chatter is easy to ignore.

Beat the Multi Mission mode, unlock all the tables, best the final boss, and finally wind up with an almost-no-frills game of pinball. While the absence of a WiFi leaderboard is regrettable, the natural inclination to play pinball and earn rad scores still provides massive replay incentive. A more robust multiplayer component would have given the game even more lasting value, but it's still tremendously addictive to play and comes as a welcome addition to the main game. There are sure to be many games in the DS' bright future that will make some use of a rumble feature as well, so having the Rumble Pak bundled in with the game for free makes this purchase a no-brainer.

All in all, Metroid Prime Pinball is a gem. There are those of us who foresaw a disastrous repeat of countless attempts at mixing mascots with pinball, and those who didn't care either way. It's unlikely that any gamer believed Samus in morph ball mode could be made into a passable pinball, that her world could be reduced respectfully to a silverball playground, or that this game could ever be better than second-rate. Yet developer Fuse Games, care of Nintendo, made this unimaginable duo work splendidly. It's not a perfect game by any stretch, but even for passing pinball fans, or even pedestrian Metroid fans for that matter, Metroid Prime Pinball is a worthy DS selection.