The Red Snifit 05.14.08: PINBALLPALOOZA!
Posted by Chris Scott on 05.14.2008
Although a day late and a dollar short, 411's Chris Scott returns once again and discusses his favorite pinball sims. Why? Who knows! Plus, with no VC updates this week, he takes all the young buck on their 1st visit to the WiWare Ranch!
Welcome to yet another edition of The Red Snifit. I'm your host, who resembles a bowling ball without a liquid center, Chris Scott. Before we begin moving forward, I'd like to thank you , Johnny Q. Columnreader, for calling out one Drew Robbins' (not to be confused with the esteemed 411 writer of "The 10th Hour" and International Superpimp Derek Robbins) act of spootery on NOT including Hotel Dusk: Room 215 in his Top 10 list of Nintendo DS games. As sure as I am that last week's episode of The Red Snifit had nothing to do with the amount of feedback concerning the mishap, I'm more than willing to take any positive credit for it. Way to go, you fine young eggs! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time for ..
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: PINBALLPALOOZA!
Pinball and video games have been tied together even since video games existed. Both were staples in arcades, bars, pizza parlors, 7-Elevens, and many other public establishments during the golden era of the American arcade. Although 2 entirely different forms of entertainment, both had a certain charm that sucked up quarters like crazy. When gaming started to make it's way into our homes, a marriage of pinball and video games created the genre known as Pinball Simulator was born. Although it's not the most used genre in video games, a few titles always seem to pop up every now and then. Today, I share with you some of my favorite (and in 1 case not so favorite) pinball sims from the past.
Video Pinball - Atari 2600
Video Pinball was one of the very 1st games I had when I was a youngster with my good ol' wood paneled wonder. As is usually said with most Atari games, it was simplistic, but it got the job done. The controls were a little iffy due to the design of the Atari 2600 controller, but it was what we had and we had fun anyways.
Pinbot NES
Pinbot was a direct port of the classic pinball table that bares the same name; and for it's time, it did a pretty good job. The game screen and how it scrolled when the ball was knocked up onto the upper portion of the table was a little weird (The flippers never left your sight), but the music was good and the talking robot was nice.
Rollerball NES
Now, here's my favorite pinball sim on the NES. Although I was expecting some form of the ultra-violent fictitious sport of the future the we saw in the movie "Rollerball" when I gave it a shot on my Console Classix, I found instead a 3-teir pinball game with one of the most rockin' soundtracks I've ever heard for a pinball game. It's really fun and I highly recommend it for all you pinheads out there.
Kirby's Pinball Land - Game Boy
Truth be told, this was my 1st experience with Kirby (I think I just heard someone ripping my gamer card into little pieces); and I couldn't put this game down. 3 different sets of 3-teir pinball tables with super fun bonus stages that all leads to a showdown against the evil King Dedede. Man this game was awesome!
Sonic Spinball Genesis
In theory, this was a no brainer. Take Sonic, Sega's cash cow who just happens to turn into a blue ball when he jumps, and plop him into a pinball games and watch the money roll in! To bad this game was missing Sonic's signature speed and sounds. Boy did they screw this one up!
Pokemon Pinball - Game Boy Color
More proof that anything that had Pikachu's mug stamped on it during Pokemania sold like hotcakes. I really dug this game and how it kept with the whole collecting little monsters plot while still being pinball. You get 2 tables (representing both Red and Blue versions at the time) which both contain different Pokemon for you to catch by hitting certain targets. The game also featured rumble (which required a AAA battery), a rarity even in today's portable consoles.
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Wii
For anybody who has ever enjoyed pinball, I CANNOT recommend this little gem enough! For $30 you get nearly perfect ports of Gorgar, Fun House, Pinbot (yeah, the same one that was ported to the NES), Space Shuttle, Taxi, Jive Time, Black Knight, Whirlwind, and Sorceror. The Wiimote/Nunchuck control scheme is by far the best ever given to a pinball sim to date. The physics, and sounds, and the gameplay are all top notch. Simply the best!
Please note that this is was in no way a list of top pinball simulators; but simply me sharing some of my favorites. Other popular pimball simes such as Alien Crush and Metroid Pinball weren't mentions simply because I never played them (someone just took the remains of my gamer card and threw them into a fire) With all said, it's now time to saddle up and ride as we mosey on over into..................
THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE CORRAL!
.. .well .um . .don't worry, buckaroos! Good ol' Chris had a back-up plan just in case somethin' like this was to happen. Get back on you ponies and well head out into .
THE WIIWARE RANCH!
I'm going to take a different approach to these that I do for VC updates. First I'll show you a list of the titles along with their given descriptions, then come up with a brief rundown of which I think are worth your time.
FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King (1,500 Wii Points): FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King takes a legendary franchise and launches it into the realm of simulation gaming. Players are challenged to rebuild a kingdom, leading its young king on a path of discovery through an adventure bristling with mystery and intrigue.
LostWinds (1,000 Points): A fresh, enchanting platform adventure that puts the power of the wind in the palm of your hand - from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze. You'll wield your Wii Remote controller to power Toku's jumps and glides, suspend and smash enemies, meet friends and solve puzzles using LostWinds' novel, intuitive and playful control system.
Defend your Castle (500 Points): Defend your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and it is your duty to fling the invading enemies sky-high, watching them plummet to their demise. As you progress, add powerful spells and upgrades to your arsenal for repelling the attacks. How long can you hold them off?
Pop (700 Points): Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed by anyone - casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving, whereas advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (700 Points): V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack re-creates the casino experience, with fully animated players and a realistic Las Vegas dealer. Single players can increase their bankrolls, while multiple players can engage in a head-to-head mini-blackjack tournament.
TV Show King (1,000 Points): TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you'll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.
So this is what we get in the grand debut? I'm sorry, but where the hell is Dr. Mario? With that gripe aside, LostWinds looks to be the title to pick up with it's innovative controls. All you FF fanatics get your fix with My Life as a King, and I sure do hope no future WiiWare title ever exceeds it's $15.00 price tag. Defend your Castle and Pop look like fun little flash-type games to me and look like fun if they're up your ally. VIP Casino: Blackjack and TV Show King just seems pointless to me. Why pay money for them when there are plenty free blackjack and trivia games on the internet? Oh yeah, the old folks! I forgot about their fear of computers. HERE COMES THE HATEMAIL!
sorry, but I couldn't resist!
That will be all for this week's The Red Snifit. I'm Chris Scott, and I need to get a new gamer card.
