Pinball Arcade (2012)

Details

Developers: FarSight Studios
Publishers: FarSight Studios
Genres: Arcade, Pinball, Simulator
Steam: View on Steam

Release dates

Feb 09, 2012 (Full Release) (Worldwide) iOS
Feb 10, 2012 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Android
Apr 04, 2012 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Xbox 360
Apr 10, 2012 (Full Release) (North_America) PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Apr 16, 2012 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Mac
Jul 11, 2012 (Full Release) (Europe) PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Jun 25, 2013 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Ouya
Nov 04, 2013 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
Dec 10, 2013 (Full Release) (North_America) PlayStation 4
Dec 18, 2013 (Full Release) (Europe) PlayStation 4
Nov 25, 2014 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Xbox One
Apr 21, 2016 (Full Release) (North_America) Wii U
Apr 06, 2018 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch

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+100 more

Featured in lists

PS+ Games by peter · 197 games · 0

Rating distribution

5 stars

10

4 stars

30

3 stars

32

2 stars

6

1 star

4

Community All Reviews Statuses

Review magillfoote 4/5 · Apr 24, 2017

Buggy and overpriced, but awesome

The price tag on this game is ludicrous, the game itself has no support and a few bugs, but this is as close to playing the real-life, vintage pinball tables of your youth.

0 Comment

Review FredLobster 4/5 · Jul 14, 2014

I've always enjoyed pinball machines, even if I'm fairly awful at them. There's something Rube Goldberg-like in all but the most primitive models, and even if bad luck or brutal table design ends my game a few minutes in, it's extremely satisfying getting the various bits and bobs of the table to light up, freak out, and (one can always …

I've always enjoyed pinball machines, even if I'm fairly awful at them. There's something Rube Goldberg-like in all but the most primitive models, and even if bad luck or brutal table design ends my game a few minutes in, it's extremely satisfying getting the various bits and bobs of the table to light up, freak out, and (one can always hope) scream out "MULTIBALL!" I realize they aren't for everyone, but for their enthusiasts, pinball machines are about as magical an arcade fixture as you can hope to find.

Of course, the fact that they're finely calibrated physical machines puts some serious dampers on how fun they can be. All too often you'll come across some odd, absurd relic of the 70's, 80's, or 90's, only to find that the thing's been horribly maintained. Unresponsive flippers and broken components are just par for the course. Digital pinball games attempt to correct this; so long as your computer or console can handle the game, how could anything possibly be broken? Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, most pinball video games are either shabbily designed, badly coded, or overly complicated, and by definition none of them can carry the physical element of even the most unloved table.

While it's not perfect, FarSight Studios' Pinball Arcade is a wonderful compromise between the physical and digital. Rather than creating new material, they've simply licensed an immense pile of existing tables and digitally recreated them with exhaustive attention to detail and physics. Glitches aren't entirely unheard of, but they're extremely rare, and the ability to play these tables as though they were fresh out of the factory is extremely satisfying. On top of the all-too-natural urge to get high scores on everything, each table comes with 10 achievements to complete (5 Standard Goals and 5 Wizard Goals which are unlocked once you've beaten the first batch), and while selecting your table you get a neat little historical blurb about each one, so you know just who to send hate mail to when The Black Knight unfairly destroys you 12 seconds into the game.

The price is a touch high, but this is understandable considering the licensing fees involved, and for fans of the genre, just consider the quarters you'll be saving! If you're still unsure about it, you can install the base game for free to get your hands on one starter table (Tales of the Arabian Nights), and once you've played that one to death, buy a season or two and prepare to lose a few dozen hours.

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