Pinball is actually a good pinball simulation. Unfortunately, that's about it. It offers no more and no less.
Gameplay-
Pinball is actually a fine simulation of pinball. The phyisics seem spot on, particularly for such an old game, and all collisions occur as they should. The gameplay is divided into to sections of screen, one for the top half and one for the bottom half of the pinball tabe, which is presented from a top-down point of view. The top half is where the ball enters upon shooting it, and if features several point making oppurtunities and its own set of flippers. Right when the ball enters, depending on where it falls, it will immediately earn 1000 or 500 points. There is a bumper near the middle that earns the player 100 points per hit. Just below it is a moving bar that earns some points as well. To the right of the screen is a loop where the player can initiate a slot machine in the middle of the screen. By hitting the moving bar that I mentioned earlier, they can stop the reels and score points based on their results. To the left there is a little button that has a value of 100 points when hit, but if the player continues to hit it, its value goes up by 100 points each time it is hit, making it a decent point earner. Farther left is another loop with several dots in it. If the ball goes all the way through the loop, the player will earn big points, but, unfortunately, this is fairly difficult. To the bottom right is a kicker hole that shoots the ball out should it land inside. At the bottom are the flippers, and to the bottom left is a path to the bottom screen, and off we go.
The bottom screen is where you can lose a ball if it falls between the flippers. The bottom of the bottom features your standard pinball stuff. Two flippers with two triangular bumpers directly above them, and one path that leads to the flippers, with another that leads to a lost ball. Pretty standard. Just above the flippers are bird eggs that can be hatched. If all three are hatched a time or two, two single-use rescue bumpers can be earned to keep your balls from being lost (ha). That was immature, I apologize. Anyway, above the eggs are three round bumpers worth 100 points per hit. To the left of these is a line of 7 buttons that, if activated, open a door to allow the player to shoot the ball back up into the top screen, thus making the game safer. The very top of the bottom screen is where the most fun occurs. If you manage to get the ball up there, there is a series of cards that constitute a royal flush when they are all flipped causing big points, a color change, and a ball protector between the flippers. To flip the cards the ball must go down a slot directly below the card. This is difficult because the bumpers directly below the cards cause the ball to fly erratically. Thankfully cards cannot be flipped back over. Just as a nerd point, these cards may be a reference to Nintendo's card manufacturing days. Moving on. Another cool thing about this game is the small hole in the top right corner of the bottom screen. When entered, the ball enters a small Mario game. You control Mario, who carries a beam that serves to keep the ball in game. Above is Pauline, the first lady who Mario saved back in "Donkey Kong". who is held captive. If Mario saves her, bonus points can be earned along with a "special surprise".
That about sums up the gameplay. Once again the physics are good, and they provide a perfect difficulty level, but the ball falls right in between the flippers a bit too much. The game is missing a multiball mode and other common pinball modes, but it is still good fun.
7.5/10 on gameplay.
Graphics - Well, we already know that the gameplay's not bad, but, unfortunately, that's about all the good that can be said about Pinball for Wii. The graphics let you know what's going on, but they aren't very exciting. They are in credibly plain, actually. The table is plain blue and boring. As previously mentioned, the table changes color when a royal flush is discovered, but only for the bottom half! The table lacks a background, it's just black. I think that sticks out as a major problem. Basically the graphics are not very good, and I just don't want to talk about it.
4.0/10 on graphics.
Sound - Can it be worse than the graphics? Yes! The sound is incredibly dull. There is no background music, and the sound effects are awkward. We know that good sound effects can be achieved because of games like Mario and Zelda, so why couldn't they put some decent ones in here? I don't know. The same rule applies for the background music. Hell, I wouldn't have minded if they had just ripped the music straight from "Donkey Kong" since Pauline is in it. I mean, the music was basic and not too noticable, but it was there! The sound effects probably could've run on an Atari 2600, and they don't sound anything like what they're supposed to. It is very obnoxious to hear the ball bouncing around the middle of three bumpers because you have to hear the awful sound effect over and over. The sound is easily my number one grip for this game.
1.5/10 on sound.
Value- Well, the gameplay's not bad, and that's what's important. If you can deal with the insufferable presentation, this game comes out as 500 Wii Points ($5) well spent. You could probably find a $2 copy at a local used games store, but for ease of access you could spend your points in worse ways. You can keep your high scores by returning to the home menu when you quit instead of just turning your Wii off, so you will be able to attempt to beat your old scores adding some replay value. I would; however, only buy this game if you haven't already bought Alien Crush or Devil's Crush, both on the Virtual Console under TG-16 for only a buck more.
6.0/10 on Value, you could easily do worse, but you could also do better.
My final words- If you want a good pinball sim with no frills, this is your game. If you want a better game, I'd recommend trying Alien Crush and Devil's Crush; then, if you want one more table, go for this. It's a fun game with its presentation faults, but it is good fun. It is definitely worth a look because the gameplay gives it a definite boost to justify my score.
- Clayfrd