For years, Garfield has provided the world with formulaic humor based on his hatred of Mondays and his predilection for smashing spiders with oversized coffee mugs. The fat cat's latest merchandizing bonanza is an attempt to squeeze his oversized, sarcastic frame into a 176x220-pixel mobile screen. Pinball isn't necessarily the most obvious outlet for Garfield, but he's appeared in weirder places. Centerscore's Garfield Pinball is a technically competent pinball title played on a single table. The differences between this game and any other pinball title are minimal and come as a result of the Garfield license and not from original game design.
Upon loading the game, you'll notice that many items you might expect to see, such as bumpers, have been replaced by the likenesses of Jim Davis' award-winning cast of characters. The game's challenges also make liberal use of the Garfield license. So, for instance, hitting Odie the dog's head may initiate a Garfield "Exercise Loop" in which you help Garfield lose weight by hitting your ball to highlighted portions of the table.
Garfield Pinball's physics are pretty solid. You are given a good deal of control over the ball's movement based on where and how you hit it. Your steel spinner moves quickly and realistically over the table, eliciting some simple noises as it bumps into things. The graphics are also great, delivering clear representations of the Garfield characters. Suffice it to say, Garfield's production values are pretty good, and there's a lot to be said for that.
On the other hand, Garfield's gameplay somehow feels subdued. Watching your ball slide along its several alleyways is meditative rather than exciting. Pinball should be frenetically paced, and Garfield Pinball fails to meet this simple requirement. Even the game's sound effects seem passive and infrequent.
Garfield Pinball is a game that has a clear audience. In the wake of Garfield's recent box office flop, fans looking for a better use of the franchise will be well served by this game. Anyone not rabidly seeking Garfield content, however, will see this game for what it is--an average pinball title with a tacked-on license.
