Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

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Disclosure I am such a video pinball addict that I own Zen Pinball from the PSN as well as two other versions of this game, on PS2 and PSP. There is just something about pinball that feeds the hardcore "skill" gamer in me. It's punishing at times, loaded with lights and sounds, numerous biofeedback rushes of adrenaline from making shots and beating high scores it's an "old school gamer's" delight.

So perhaps I was predisposed to liking this game. Still, I tried to evaluate it honestly and rigorously.

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Graphics: WOW. WOW!!!! I own this game on PS2 and PSP, and the PS3 visuals blow those games away handily. Running in 1080p at a silky smooth 60fps, The visuals are just spectacular. Jaggies are almost completely non-existent. No longer do we have to suffer through subpar textures the playing fields are just exquisite, all text is clear and readable, reflections and lighting are realistic it's just stunningly beautiful.

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Control: I have noticed absolutely no lag with my setup. The wireless controllers work fine with this game. L1 and R1 control the flippers, while the left and right stick control the plungers and tilt functions. The fact that there is no sixaxis tilt is odd, but I'd rather use the more accurate stick, anyway.

The camera controls offer a lot of choices five views each for "smart cam" and "full view" which are dynamic and fixed views, respectively.

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Gameplay: If you've played another version of Williams Pinball HOF, you'll have a good idea of what to expect. Some tables are unlocked for free play, others require credits. Achieving table goals earns credits to unlock the pay tables. Tutorial videos outline the ways to achieve table goals.

The only wrinkle here is the Williams Challenge. In this mode, you are tasked with playing each table consecutively, beating a target score on each table, in three tries. The only way to unlock the Jive Time table is to beat the challenge which is rather hard for even an expert, given the random chance involved in Pinball. Some tables are easy to meet the score goal on, but some tables, especially the older ones, drain much more easily and have fewer score multipliers, making them quite hard. Luckily, Jive Time is by far the least interesting table in the game so if the Williams Challenge is giving you fits, don't sweat it too much. (NOTE! When you complete the table goals for a particular table, you will be presented with the option to instantly unlock a table for free play. Jive Time will be on the list don't pick it! This seems to be a mistake by the programmers. It can only be unlocked through the Williams Challenge mode, but the game will still seem to "waste" an unsuccessful unlock on Jive Time. At a minimum, it will delay the unlock until you actually complete Williams Challenge. So it will probably be better spent on making a different table free to play.)

As far as bugs go, they seem to be further and fewer between than the PS2 and PSP versions of the game. Multi-ball play is much more stable than the previous versions of the game there are no frame rate hitches and gameplay hiccups as in the other versions. In about 10 hours of playtime, I have had a ball pass through a bumper once, and balls "leave the table" twice. Every once in a while, a flipper will "wiggle" on its own without input from the player. So three or fours bugs in that time frame is not so bad, and is probably on par with how many real-life bugs you'd encounter on a physical table with all of its mechanical parts and potential for malfunctions. Should it be perfect? Probably. Is it game breaking? Not at all.

New to the game are online leaderboards and PS3 trophies. Leaderboards finally replicate the real thrill of pinball trying to top some other real person's score. I will say, the high score implementation is still not perfect the lists are quite sluggish to scroll through and sorting options are non-existent in the leader boards (e.g. by friends, top scores, etc.), and no higher-level data is available as in Zen Pinball (e.g. best score minute, best this week, best single ball, etc.) The trophies, sadly, are rather lame there are only 15, nearly all of which are tied to high scores, with only one gold and one silver, no platinum which leads me to believe this title was intended for download on PSN but somehow it was decided it would earn more money as a disc game. Why the trophies are not tied to the in-game table goals (as they are in the 360 version) is truly beyond my understanding.

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Tables: The following are the 13 included tables, in chronological order:

Jive Time (1970) A very simple table with few extraneous features. Probably the most "old-timey" of the group. This table is a serious "drain monster" though, with huge center and outlanes and tiny bumpers, and it has been set to 5-ball mode by default to compensate. Pretty frustrating, but good for a nostalgia trip.

Gorgar (1979) A relatively simple table with a few extras, such as a magnetic "snake pit." Well balanced and fun, but not overly complex. This table can seem crushingly hard to a beginner, but once you master some judicious table bumping, it can become a joy to play. You'll really build your skills on this one, it's hard-core.

Firepower (1980) a simple but compelling table with two ball locks, some pop bumpers, targets to light them, and an orbit lane to get back up top. Apparently, this was the first table to include "lane change," and boy is it a nice step up from Gorgar to have it. Well balanced, cool sound effects, nice art.

Black Knight (1980) A fun, 4-flipper multilevel playfield with several ramps and two ball locks for multi-ball. This game is very multi-ball heavy and is thus lots of fun. The flow on this table is amazing a good hard toss with the flipper can send the ball through both levels and back again in one smooth flight through the ramps.

Space Shuttle (1984)A fun table with a lane changing word array, two ball catches, two ramps, a space shuttle model, and a bonus readout on the table. Midway between the very complex tables and the more simple ones. This one is pretty easy to earn the extra ball on, so you could be looking at a marathon session. I will say it can get a tad repetitive at higher levels of play.

Sorcerer (1985) some cool ramps and an fun adjustable word-slot target make this a pretty fun table. The arrangement of targets is quite a bit of fun to hit. Multiball is not too difficult to engage, but is not as easy as Black Knight. The art on this one is quite fetching the reds, blacks, oranges and purples really pop on a nice HDTV screen.

Pin*Bot (1987) This table is a lot of fun. A robotic "visor" lifts up during the game, allowing you to lock balls into the eye sockets for later multiball use. Several ramps and a skillshot mechanic off the plunger make this one a keeper. It can be a bit of a "drain monster," though, as the left outlane is shaped in such a way that it frequently diverts the ball in that direction.

Taxi (1988)This talking table strikes a nice balance between simplicity and gimmicks. While there is no multilevel flipper, a skillshot spiral is off the plunger, a two-way ramp goes around the top, and a ball lock for multiball play on the right side. Adding somewhat to the complexity are five "passengers" you have to pick up and take to their destination (for a big bonus). The passengers include Gorbachev, Pin*Bot, Dracula, Santa Claus, and a Marilyn Monroe lookalike. This one is very balanced fun for both beginners and veterans.

Funhouse (1990)a VERY fun table with loads of features. You work to advance a clock on the game field by hitting bumpers. A talking ventriloquist dummy gets whacked by the pinball and complains if you advance the clock far enough, you can put him to sleep and launch the ball into his snoring mouth. Lots of ramps and special features, and a third flipper for multi-level play. Probably the best table in the game.

Whirlwind (1990) Incredibly fun, up there with Funhouse. This talking table gives you warnings of hurricanes/tornadoes. A third flipper makes this a multi-level game. A lot of cool ramps litter this one, and the middle of the playfield features "storm" pinwheels that alter the path of the ball. The special shots on this table are a lot of fun. The extra ball is devilishly placed, and the million plus is right there for the taking if you light it. The graphical quality helps make the objectives clear on the table even without deep study just like seeing a target light on a real table!

Tales of the Arabian Nights (1996) Probably the most "beautiful" table in terms of artwork, but the art is so busy that you may get lost in it, especially at certain camera angles. This one is more of a skill table, with more difficult shots to make. The transparent ramps are very cool and create a "magical" effect on the ball returns. A long set of "missions" make this a good table for a long game session.

Medieval Madness (1997) a good beginner table. Easy to score in the tens of millions, with several easy targets and very difficult drains to fall into. Also a good table to master it's deceptively simple. When you figure out the rule set, you'll learn that you can destroy the castle seven times for ever-increasing millions. This seems to be the most popular table online, the leaderboard keep getting longer and longer! I will say, this table is more of a "marathon" than a "skills" table. To break 100 million, it involves a LOT of repeating shots over and over, lather, rinse, repeat.

No Good Gofers (1997) a table which seems to be based on "Caddyshack," this has a lot of ramps and tons of sound effects. Extremely frenetic, not altogether difficult to engage multiball or score relatively highly.

If you want to research these tables some more and see real photos, check out the Internet Pinball Database.

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Summary:

Keep in mind, any flaws such as those mentioned above are secondary to the main appeal of the game. What you're getting here are 13 classic REAL tables, with great physics, and incredible, nearly photo-realistic graphics. Playing these tables in an arcade, let alone finding them, would take a lot of time and money. Owning them would be even more expensive and effort-intensive. Instead, for the price, you get unlimited access to some prime arcade heritage at a very high quality of simulation. Of course nothing beats the real thing, but the price comparison is huge. You just can't go wrong with this game if you are even a marginal pinball fan. If you have a PS3/360 and a HDTV, it is a must-purchase, pure and simple.

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Well, my first review, but had to share my pinball story and love for the Williams Pinball Collection on PS3, Ive been playing pinball over 30 years and Mastered one game in this collection over a period of 3 months in 2002 at Arizona's biggest arcade (Gameworks) when I was unemployed, nothing to be proud of, but I was addicted and found a new goal for 3 month's of my life and enjoyed every moment mastering Medieval Madness. I could spend a whole day playing on 50 cents, wining game after game, I never knew the history of this pinball machine, just thought it was amusing, "the best and funniest one liners in any pinball machine ever made !", It was the only pinball machine that had waiting lines, and draws a crowd when your running up a High Score, "really !". "The final battle for the kingdom is exciting", the local pinball geeks took this machine and the High Scores "very serious", (I was like the NEO of Medieval Madness for a while), once I mastered and broke all the records at that arcade (over 600,000,000 score) I moved on, found a good job and laid that chapter of my life to rest. "Or did I ?", now I have Williams Pinball Hall of Fame, a 1080P 3D HD T.V, PS3 and my 2 favorite pinball machines Medieval Madness and Tales Of The Arabian Nights, a new journey begins, "look out for JWA !".

You don't have to be unemployed or a pinball geek to love this game, 10 good pinball machines, 2 great pinball machines and one for the old stinkers (Jive Time), I love to share another good pinball story from my arcade experiences, but I got new High Scores to get, oh yeah, if you don't think that Medieval Madness is the best pinball machine ever made, most people who love pinball will agree, not only is it the most expensive pinball machine to buy, "its the best", check out the top 100 all time best pinball games online and you'll see Medieval Madness is the number 1 pinball machine of all times voted on by the players, need I say more, just buy it !.

This is an update posted 10/26/2010, this game has online scoreboard feature but I never used it, I check up on all the top scores just to know where I stood among the best in the world, well on 4/28/10 I posted the Worlds best PS3 score on Medieval Madness 2,734,306,309, I found a glitch when you enter your high score, I recorded my score on video to prove it, its not really that big of a deal in the big picture, but at least I can say I'm the best in the world at some thing and that's cool !.

"Its totally Medieval !".

Buy Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Now

I own this game on Wii and PSP. Now with the recent Hi-Def releases I own it on both Xbox 360 & PS3 also. Both purchased at Amazon for $29.49 (more than $10 off retail.) That comes out to $2.27 per pin that's insane value given the excellent implementation.

Is it worth adding this title if I own it on Wii, PS2 or PSP? Absolutely! You get 3 new tables No Good Gophers, Arabian Nights & Medieval Madness. All of these are newer Solid State pins with complex and fun rule sets. You also get the Hi-Def graphics which blow the previous Wii version's graphics away. Finally there are online high score boards, but unfortunately no online tournaments or Friends High Scores....yet. Can the develepors implement this...I truly have no idea but my guess is that if there is support it is possible!

Even if you have only a casual interest in Pinball I highly recommend this game. If you love pinball this is a MUST buy. I'd go so far as to say it's worth buying an Xbox 360 or PS3 just to play this game if you are a pinball freak. The ball physics and table modeling is spot on. Sound is authentic. Nothing beats the feel of this game except owning the real pins which is a bit more expensive and takes up a great deal more room.

If you've never played pinball but are interested you should give this a try...probably the cheapest, easiest way to get a good sampling of some of the best tables ever.

A request for all new and old fans, if you buy this game and like it, please post a positive review and spread the word to your friends and acquaintances. We want to see more tables issued on disc or through downloadable content. Support the developers and let license holders on these table know that there is an overwhelming demand to see more great pins brought to a new generation of gamers.

Oh yeah...final question Is this better on Xbox 360 or PS3? If you're a pinball purist and own both systems you may want to buy it for both. Otherwise choose the system with the controller that feels best in your hand. If everything is equal and you just want one, go with the Xbox 360 for the following reasons 1) More achievements ( the PS3 trophies are a little sparse) 2) More competition for high scores online at least so far...if you don't like competition go PS3.

Enjoy!

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I was there when most of these games were brand new and have played them all for real and I can say without hesitation that these are very good represntations of the originals. There are a few glitches that arise occaisionally, such as, I've seen the ball leave the playfield and roll off the screen (oops), but overall the gameplay is very good. The ball physics are also slightly off ( the ball is always moving even when it should be standing still ). I also noticed that some of the tables have mistakes in the sound effects, which doesn't effect gameplay, I just happen to know first hand that they got it wrong. Overall, the graphics are outstanding, sound is good, the gameplay is good, and I have no regrets making this puchase. My one pet peave with every pinball simulation is the fact that they never duplicate the machines original feature ajustments such as difficulty levels, number of balls per game, etc. The closest I've seen to that was the Pro Pinball series for the PC, but even those do not include playfield adjustments, which all of these machines had. Maybe one day, someone will do it 100% right, but as simulations go, this one is not too bad at all.

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For those who think the whole point of pinball is to just hit your flippers madly to keep the ball on the table, you are missing the whole point. In fact, I used to be one of those guys. I didn't realize that there is indeed skill involved and that there are actual techniques in order to activate the number of features that each game possesses. Additionally, I didn't even realize how many features each game included, until I bought the Williams Collection and read the instructions. Either way, I moderately enjoyed pinball back in the day. Now, I can't get enough. The game play on the Pinball Hall of Fame for the PS3 is so realistic, you'd swear that you are playing an actual table. The graphics are dead-on and my wife, NOT an avid video gamer or pinballer, has become completely addicted, as well. The variety of tables is excellent as they span several decades and include those that talk, those that are easy to continue the action, and others which can annoy the blazes out of you. Some versions of the Williams Collection for other systems do not include all of the tables that the PS3 version includes. Those versions are missing out on the best tables. We've played this game religiously for well over a year now and still never tire of it. In fact, we've bought several other pinball games since and always resort back to this one. We also own all of the Zen and Marvel tables (except for the recent Fantastic Four table) and even though they have extra bells and whistles, the actual game play isn't as realistic. In fact, may of the extra features are so distracting, that they take away from the fun. The ball seems to always be spinning and forcing itself straight back at you. A couple of the tables try so hard to make the graphics spectacular, that they forgot to actually add any real type of game play. Mars and Earth Defense are victims of this, though Paranormal and Blade grow on you over time. The Gottlieb Collection (which desperately needs a PS3 release) holds up well on the Wii, but the PS2 version (which offers fewer tables) is a bit hard on the eyes after awhile. All the other tables we've tried (and I think we've nailed almost all of them for PS3 and PS2...haven't hit Dream 3D for Wii yet, but haven't heard good things) are pretty lame in comparison. The game play isn't very realistic and the graphics are rough at best. Do yourself a favor, and grab Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. Play it a little bit and then go back and read all the instructions on how to get the goals. Once you realize all that it can do and teach yourself how to manipulate the ball(s), I guarantee you'll be hooked. Besides, if Angry Birds can keep people entertained for hours, this certainly can! Now, someone needs to get Crave cracking on some Pinball 2000 and Data East collections. If Zen can get the Marvel rights for PS3, I'm sure they can get the rights to all the movies and TV shows they used for their vast assortment of tables! I'd actually start buying the Blu-ray releases of movies again if they would add the pinball game to the disks! Surf's Up did, now let's get Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, etc. on board!