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| | Gameplay
Sound
 | | Graphics
Value
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| | Publisher: Interplay  Genre: Arcade | | | Min OS X: 10.5.8 |
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The graphics for all these layouts are very good. They offer some interesting details like worn table tops as mentioned above. The sound effects are also very well done. Each game has its sound effects and music. One particular nice detail is that the dynamic range and depth of the audio for the older looking Code Runners layout is flat and very basic, while the more modern A.i. has considerably more depth and dynamics. Although these pinbal games are fun, there were a few things I didn’t like about them. I felt that the physics model for the the ball was a bit off. It didn’t seem to have the pizzaz of a real ball and didn’t respond exactly as I expected. One thing I really dislike about computer based pinball sims is the camera movement. Rather then showing a small version of the whole table, the game breaks the table into pieces, the camera shows that part of the table the ball happens to be in. By doing this, I feel one loses perspective of the entire table and is less able to predict or control where the ball will go. It is way too easy in most of the games for the ball to slip between the bottom paddles and be lost. Granted this is one of the typical pinball hazards, but I thought this effect to be a bit extreme in these games. I think the programmers know this, because the game often saves the ball for you, giving another try. It is one thing to miss a shot and loose the ball, it is another to have no real opportunity to do anything about it. The number of bumpers, targets, tasks and so forth in these games is rather limited. It would have been nice to see a bit more. Even the A.i. game, which has several levels and a number of targets, tends to get monotonous after playing a while. You can open a portal to another game or you can just end this game and go play one of the other ones. There also is a serious lack of bells, buzzers, boings, and flashes. Pinball games often have noises, flashes, and other things going on not necessarily related to what the ball is currently doing. I ran into a few bugs playing. There were a couple of occurrences of the game’s camera getting stuck in an area, even though the ball went out of it. Another real issue was when I changed the control keys. The defaults are near the upper part of the keyboard, which I find less comfortable then toward the bottom of the keyboard. Since the game allows one to change the keys, I did so. Bad idea. Whenever I hit a bumper key there was a pause before the game responded. This happened in all of the games I tried. I changed back to the defaults because the game is really not playable with the delay. Overall this game is good. The boards could be more detailed but the gameplay it does offer is enjoyable enough. The graphics and sound are all very good. If you are looking for a pinball sim you will enjoy this game. Pros: • Eye pleasing graphics
• Atmospheric soundCons: • Not as fun as a real pinball machine
• Limited layout variety
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