rustyjaw Posted August 27, 2003 Report Share Posted August 27, 2003 I picked up Pokemon Pinball (GBA) yesterday after seeing some positive reviews. Holy smokes, this is a really good game! I know nothing about Pokemon, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying this a lot. Beneath the cute and polished finish lurks a very well designed pinball engine and a decently complex scoring system. There are 'only' two tables, and they are somewhat similar, but there is a lot going on on each one. Plus, there are a number of mini-games (pinball boss fights) that are really nicely balanced and fun. The physics system isn't drop-dead accurate, but it's very good, better than Pinball for the Dead. It's fairly intuitive in that you can cradle the ball and set up shots consistently. I haven't figured out if you can pass the ball from flipper to flipper yet, but it seems possible. The graphics are excellent, very crisp and colorful. Unlike Pinball of the Dead, this game scrolls by following the ball, so the ball is always vertically centered. The tables aren't quite as large as POTD, but there's enough going on that I don't feel cheated in the slightest. In fact, I like that this game looks and acts more like a traditional pinball game. One thing to note: this game is easy! A single game can last 30 minutes and probably much longer once you get to know it (it's not that difficult to save a ball by 'bumping' the table with one flipper up). The nice thing is that they have a save feature which is dead-simple...you just pause the game and hit 'save' - next time you start-up the game will default to 'continue' (or you can start a new game). As far as I know you can only have one saved-game-in-progress at a time. I ordered Hardcore Pinball the other day, which should arrive today. Supposedly this game is hard, which I'm looking forward to as it should make having two new pinball games not feel like too much of the same thing. (that was an awful sentence). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted August 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 So I've spent some time now with "Hardcore Pinball" and indeed it's a very different beast from "Pokemon Pinball" - it's unforgiving, difficult and much more realistic. HP has 4 tables, each looks like it could be a real table, there are no creatures walking about on the playfield, no cute animations, no mini-games...just straight up no-nonsense pinball. Graphically this game is very clean and understated. Aesthetically it's closer to POTD, but without the gothic themes. Each table has a theme, and a unique design. There's Station, which has a sci-fi theme, reminicent of 80's or 90's machines with layered ramps; Robomech, which is also sci-fi, but with a bio-mechanical bent; Soccer reminds me a tiny bit of the real pinball machine "World Cup"; and Retro which looks a lot like pinball games from the 70's or earlier, with a big open space and sweeping loops around the top and sides. The physics are the most realistic I've seen in a handheld pinball game (top-honors for virtual pinball go to the ProPinball series for Mac/PC/PSX), although in general the ball doesn't move quite as fast as a real table would. There is one annoying odd behavior I've noticed and I can't tell if it's an error or just indicative of the style of flippers they want to represent. On one table, if the ball is rolling slowly down the flipper, if you let it get near the tip of the flipper before hitting he button to activate the flipper, the ball just shoots down the drain. Haven't quite figured that out yet. Unlike Pokemon, you won't likely have any 30 minutes games here, there is no grace period for ball returns, if it drains it's gone...hardcore indeed. The scoring systems seem to be much like real pinball machines as well, and so are hard to decipher. I haven't looked at the manual yet, but it's only 2 pages, so I doubt they layout the tables for you. You basically have to play them for a while and deduce the chain of scoring events. I actually like this aspect of pinball, but some might be frustrated. So despite having more variety in terms of tables, I think this game will have a more narrow appeal. But for those few that really like pinball, I don't think you can go wrong with this, its strict adherence to realism makes it very satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted August 31, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 I'm not getting a kickback for this, but I'm going to plug this game one more time, because it's seriously good. Pokemon Pinball is IGN's GBA game of the month: Yes, it's Pokemon. Yes, it's another pinball game on the Game Boy Advance. But, like Reese's, it's two great tastes that taste great together; this is, without a doubt, the best video pinball on the system. It may only have two tables to shoot through, and it may lack the standard multiball modes of other pinball games, but the fact that there's more than 200 Pokemon creatures to collect in the game adds more lasting playability than you may realize. Pinball now has a point; it's not just about getting the highest score, it's about snagging as many of the little creatures as you possibly can. The original Pokemon Pinball was a wonderful Game Boy Color title. This one's even better. To which I would add that even if this game didn't let you collect Pokemon, it would still be a great one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted August 31, 2003 Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 Ed, although I haven't replied yet, I have read your review. Thanks very much! I really like pinball games and had a lot of fun with the original pokemon pinball. When ESPN football comes out this week, Circuit City is giving a $10 gift card with its purchase. Looks like I now know what that $0 will go towards. Quick question: did you catch/evolve ALL the pokemon on the original gameboy pokemon pinball game? I found it rather easy to play the game, but difficult to do the map move in order to get to the other cities to collect the pokemon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted August 31, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 Originally posted by Carlucci@Aug 31 2003, 09:04 AM Quick question: did you catch/evolve ALL the pokemon on the original gameboy pokemon pinball game? I found it rather easy to play the game, but difficult to do the map move in order to get to the other cities to collect the pokemon. I never had the original, this is my first one! Was the original for the first GB or GameBoy color? I only had the original GB before I got the GBA, and I never saw the game. But what you're saying is familiar. This game is 'easy' in the sense that you can keep the ball in play for extended periods, and it's very friendly with the "ball saved" things, but to really score points you need to know your shots and how to set things up. What I like is that there is rarely a moment when there's a goal that can be immediately acheived, which keep things interesting. So far I've collected 78 of the 200 Pokemon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 It had to be gameboy color, because there was a "red" and a "blue" level. It sounds like they modeled this new one closesly after the first. Easy to keep the ball in play, but not so easy to achieve the goals. Between me and my two sons, we managed to capture about 75% of the pokemon. I was a bit disappointed that this one doesn't include the "rumble" feature that the first had. I thought it was really cool the way the gameboy vibrated with each bumper hit or when pikachu saved a ball for you. I'll try to pick up this title before the end of this week. It will be nice to have another gameboy game that can be used as a quick time-killer, or a marathon "gotta catch 'em all" pinball session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted September 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Originally posted by Carlucci@Aug 31 2003, 05:06 PM I thought it was really cool the way the gameboy vibrated with each bumper hit or when pikachu saved a ball for you. What's strange is that there's a rumble setting in the preferences, but it's grayed out...maybe there's an attachment for the GBA coming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherbz Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 I believe if you play the game on a GameBoy Player and turn that option on the controller will rumble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted September 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Originally posted by Sherbz@Aug 31 2003, 05:56 PM I believe if you play the game on a GameBoy Player and turn that option on the controller will rumble. Ah, I think you're right Sherbz, that would explain why the GameBoy Player logo comes up at startup. Hmm, this game makes me want the gameboy player...I wonder how this game will play on an 80" screen :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 My son got this game yesterday for his birthday. I played it for over an hour after he went to sleep. So far, I have only played the Ruby table, but it is extremely well done. I have yet to RTFM, but it seems apparent enough what you have to do to capture and evolve the pokemon. I really like the way the movement is smooth by following the ball at all times. The previous GBColor version would quickly change from the top half of the table to the bottom half, and that was kind of annoying. I really like that it takes a bit of skill to consistently hit the ball where you want it. I wish there was a skill shot with the plunger, andof course, multiball, but those are only minor deficiencies in a fabulous game. Carlos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan FB Posted September 18, 2003 Report Share Posted September 18, 2003 This is a very fun game, definitely not one that people should avoid just because it has "Pokemon" in the title. I also enjoyed the GBC Pokemon Pinball game as well, so this was a welcome sequel. But what you're saying is familiar. This game is 'easy' in the sense that you can keep the ball in play for extended periods, and it's very friendly with the "ball saved" things, but to really score points you need to know your shots and how to set things up. What I like is that there is rarely a moment when there's a goal that can be immediately acheived, which keep things interesting. I'm finding this to be true as well, though I didn't find it happened to me with the first game. When I first started playing this one, I would pull maybe 100-500 million per game. Now I've somehow gotten into a "groove" where I can prevent a game from ever ending (through hardly ever losing the ball, getting extra balls when I do, and trying to get the double-Pika as quickly as possible). The only thing that stops it from being wayyy to easy is that the "ball savers" aren't cumulative (which is simultaneously a gripe, because right after I buy a 90 second saver I always inevitably trigger a Catch, Evo, or Hatch that takes it off ). Right now, through saving and resuming the same game, I have one continuous session with a score of 5 billion and 80+ Pokemon caught in the session. I might have to revisit the first one and see if I can do the same there now too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 5 billion? And here I thought my half-billion high score was something to brag about. Ryan, what table are you playing on, Ruby or Sapphire? I think the Sapphire is a little easier. I have a heck of a time lining up the shot to the Mart and EVO on the Ruby table. Still haven't gotten that down well. Carlos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted September 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 That beats my 3.7 billion, so far I've caught 168 Pokemon total. The frustrating part was that I got nearly 3 billion on my first ball, but wasted the rest... The key to high scores is getting a 4x ball and going into one of those big bonus rounds, so you come out with 400 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan FB Posted September 26, 2003 Report Share Posted September 26, 2003 Ryan, what table are you playing on, Ruby or Sapphire? I think the Sapphire is a little easier. The 5 billion+ score game is on the Sapphire table. I also liked the Blue table on the GBC game as well, I just like the structuring a little more than the Red table layout. I need to continue on my saved game here and see how high I can go without losing it, but FF:TA has been taking up all my GBA time recently. :green: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTello Posted September 26, 2003 Report Share Posted September 26, 2003 Sounds like a good game, and one my girlfreind might like too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted September 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2003 My 3.7 billion is on Ruby. I haven't even played Sapphire that much yet. BTW, don't you love the distortion you get if you hit the electrical barrier to the 'mart' on Sapphire? The first time that happened, I wasn't sure if it was intentional or some kind of serious problem with my GBA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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