Video game review: Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection

Long-time readers -- and I mean really long-time readers -- of this web site might recall that I'm a fairly enthusiastic pinball affectionado. I don't get to blog about it very often, though, since real-world pinballs (and arcades, for that matter) are pretty much extinct in this day and age. And while video pinball games are a fun diversion, almost all of them suffer from shoddy physics and unrealistic "video game" elements that detract from the genuine experience.

(It says something that the only people who can create original video pinball games that properly replicate the feel and gameplay of a physical table are the folks at Littlewing, whose hand-crafted titles remain the pinnacle of the art. Unfortunately, like all true artisans, they only release new games once every few years, which makes for a long wait between fixes. But I digress...)

If you're a fan of classic pinballs as I am, then run out the door and pick up Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 2, and Sony PSP) -- this game's got the goods, and they're damn good.

As the title proclaims, this title is a collection of famous pinballs from the glory days of Williams Electronics, arguably the makers of the best pinballs and video arcade games ever. And there's no hyperbole here -- not only did Williams' pinballs kick major ass, but every game in this collection deserves to be admitted into a hall of fame, either due to historical interest or sheer ball-flipping excellence:

• Gorgar
• Black Knight
• Pin*Bot
• Firepower!
• Whirlwind
• Taxi
• Funhouse
• Space Shuttle
• Jive Time
• Sorcerer

Quite simply, that's an awesome list of Williams pins; while they might not all be gems, any self-respecting pinball fan can easily find a half-dozen titles there that they'll happily sink their teeth into for weeks on end. Needless to say, every table is reproduced perfectly, from the pristine gleam of the lights and the original sound effects to the stunningly accurate physics and ball-controlling tactics. It only took me one play with Pin*Bot before I was back in the groove, using the same tactics I developed from hours spent on the real McCoy back in the halcyon days of college.

As for extras, the game includes unlockable challenges and cheats, scans of original advertising flyers, and -- for all you newbies out there -- narrated step-by-step guides to each board, showing what targets to hit and what shots to make for the best score.

True pinball fans will want to pick up the Wii version for the following reasons:

1. The Wii version comes with all ten pinballs unlocked from the beginning. The PlayStation 2 version requires you to achieve certain goals before Sorcerer and Jive Time are available, while the PSP version omits them all together.
2. As cliche'd as it sounds, the Wii controls really duplicate the feel of playing a real pinball machine. The lower triggers on the Wii remote and nunchuk control the flippers, and shaking either hand nudges the machine appropriately. If you play standing up with your hands waist-high in front of you, it's almost exactly like playing a real pinball machine. It's a small thing, but it's immersive as heck -- the only thing missing is a convenient place to set your soda, beer, or other beverage of choice.

No game is perfect, however, and Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is no exception; while the game offers a variety of camera angles to watch the action, the only way to change it is while the ball is active. Since you can't pause and then change the view, you have to either change it on-the-fly (not the easiest thing to do in the heat of the action), or trap the ball and then change it at your leisure.

The only other complaint I have is that this game is incredibly hard to find. All signs point to a low initial run by the publisher; none of my local brick and mortar stores had a copy, and online retailers appear to only have limited quantities on hand. But it's an unfortunate truth that great niche games often get overlooked in the crowd of me-too titles.

Still, while I'll be spending a lot of time with this disc (and the equally addictive-for-different-reasons Super Smash Bros. Brawl), the long-supressed pin freak in the back of my mind will be begging Crave Entertainment and FarSight Studios for a sequel. Far as I'm concerned, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is but a good beginning; there are lots of other classic pinballs worthy of the same love and attention these games have received. I could easily count off another dozen Williams pins I'd like to see in a sequel, especially Steve Ritchie's High Speed. Heck, I'll even pay full price for a sequel containing Williams' licensed pinball games -- the extra $20 would be well worth it if it means I get to play immaculate versions of The Addams Family, Terminator 2, and Star Trek: The Next Generation until the end of time (or the disc breaks ).

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What, are you still here? Stop reading this and get this game!