bit-tech Shopping: Crave Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (Wii)

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: Excellent replayability.Great for nostalgia.

Weaknesses: Limited number of pinball "machines"

Summary: It's quite difficult to emulate a true pinball experience on any console, but this Wii version sure tries very hard to come close. There are a grand total of 10 tables to play, from the vintage 70's up to more current tables. However, some of them are initially locked and require some gameplay to open up, and then even more gameplay to be able to play them for "free". The controls are pretty basic and very easy for anyone to get accustomed to. A highly recommended game!

Rating: 10

Time with product: 10 Weeks

Strengths: True-to-life recreations of ten Williams pinball tablesExcellent graphics, sound and gameplayA very good value compared with many Wii games

Weaknesses: None

Summary: This game recreates twenty years of Williams pinball tables, from 1970's Jive Time to Whirlwind and Funhouse, both from 1990. There are ten tables in total: Jive Time, Gorgar, Firepower, Black Knight, Space Shuttle, Sorcerer, Pinbot, Taxi, Whirlwind, and Funhouse. Compared with the other tables, Jive Time looks simplistic and old-fashioned. But its inclusion gives some perspective on the evolution of the pinball table, and it might be a good starting point for very young players. Most of the later tables have every pinball feature you can imagine, including rollovers, ramps, ball locks, trapdoors, spinners, and even Magna-save. The music and sound effects, the 3D visuals, and the game play are all truly excellent. The long, tall shape of a pinball table obviously doesn't match the shape of a widescreen tv, so the game shows a zoomed-in window of the table. This view follows ball in a natural way, zooming in to follow the ball then zooming out when the ball is rolling towards the flippers, allowing the player to judge when to fire the flippers at just the right moment. Controls: A Nunchuk is needed. It controls the left flipper and the Wii remote controls the right flipper, the plunger, views and pause. The Wii's motion-sensing controllers are used for Nudge. The feedback and rumble in the controllers is very realistic. You get the feeling you are playing a real pinball machine when the heavy metal ball "thunks" against a barrier. There are three game modes: Practice, Challenge and Tournament. All three allow from one player to four players. With ten tables, there is enough variety to keep players coming back. Overall Pinball Hall of Fame is highly recommended. You don't have to be a pinball fanatic to enjoy this game.

Rating: 10

Time with product:

Strengths: Wide variety of pinball tables with some of the best simulation ever done

Weaknesses: N/A

Summary: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is a collection of 10 simulated real-life pinball machines. The machines span a pretty wide range of years and it is pretty nice to be able to play some of the older ones that are certainly nowhere to be found these days. The detail on the tables is fantastic, the physics are spot on, and the framerate is solid - this is about as good as one could do with pinball on a screen. To add replayability, each table has a series of challenges that you can complete which unlock bonus prizes. This is a nice incentive to learning the intricacies of each table and adds a ton of gameplay to the title. To top it all off, this is a budget title ($19.99) so it is definitely worth a purchase. Don't be put off by it's likely location amongst all the horrible budget games for the Wii - this one is a hidden gem.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Sights and Sounds. Ball dynamics. Wiimote vibration feedback. Excellent video pinball game. Funhouse. Whirlwind. Taxi. No quarters lost.

Weaknesses: Would have liked more than 10 tables. Occasionally fuzzy graphics. View angle options aren't perfect.

Summary: I got Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection for the PSP first, and loved it. The reason I also bought it for the Wii was to be able to play this on a much bigger screen and I love just as much. * Using the Wiimote and nunchuk attachment yields the controls for the left and right flippers. A flick of the wrist helps with nudging the table for those dire situations. * Everything looks beautiful and sounds great. There's just something about the rolling and clanging of the metal spheres that is as mesmerizing as the multitude of flashing lights. It helps in the enjoyment that I am not a 3DFP shooter kind of video game player too. * It's a deceptively simple game. Shoot to score and meet table goals for bonus points. Luckily virtual pinball tables don't require quarters for those inevitable gutter balls so you can play as many times as you want without going broke when you lose. * My top three favorites are Funhouse, Whirlwind and Taxi. Least being Pinbot (just ew). With just 10 tables, you don't have that many choices, but the few that are done right will have you focused enough that you can live with it. The price point is certainly affordable. * I hope they continue to put out another installment for those of us who aren't into war games.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Like all the classics

Weaknesses: none really

Summary: i have always loved playing pinball. i remember decades ago when they were a huge part of my entertainment.this brought back those memories and gave me a lot of new entertainment with the new technology.