Subject: REVIEW: Pinball Fantasies
From: [email-masked] (Daniel Barrett)
Date: 27 Apr 1993 01:07:40 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

[MODERATOR'S NOTE:  This review was updated on May 10, 1993.  - Dan]

PRODUCT NAME

	Pinball Fantasies

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	This Amiga game is a pinball machine simulator.  It is the sequel
to Pinball Dreams, which I have not played.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Digital Illusions
			Distributed by 21st Century Entertainment, Ltd.

	US Address:	21st Century Entertainment, Inc.
			PO Box 415
			Webster, NY  14580
			USA

	UK Address:	21st Century Entertainment, Ltd.
			568 Milton Pak
			Abingdon

	E-mail:		[email-masked] (Andreas Axelsson)

LIST PRICE

	$49.95 (US).  I paid $35.00 at a dealer, and I've seen it for as low
as $26.00 in mailorder ads.  (My dealer let me try out the game on an A3000T
before buying it, so it was worth paying his higher price.)

	A freely distributable demo version is available on ftp sites like
amiga.physik.unizh.ch and its mirrors (/pub/aminet/game/demo/pin_fan.lzh).

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		If you use the hard disk installable version (see COPY
		PROTECTION, below), you need 4 MB of free hard disk space.

		The documentation does not list any hardware requirements
		nor compatibility information.  However, it does NOT run
		correctly on my friend's Amiga 4000.  (Supposedly the
		hard-disk-installable version runs correctly.  See BUGS,
		below.)  I recommend that users with 68040's or A1200's try
		out this game before buying it.

	SOFTWARE

		The documentation does not list any software requirements
		nor compatibility information.

COPY PROTECTION

	Disk-based copy protection, requiring you to boot on the master
disk.  Scores are saved on the table disks.  I hate copy protection, so
this is annoying.

	A hard-drive-installable version is available from the company for
an additional $10.00 (US) and the return of all three Pinball Fantasies
disks.  This version takes over the machine but returns you to AmigaDOS when
you're finished playing.  It also has "look up the word in the manual" copy
protection.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 3000T, 2 MB Chip RAM, 8 MB Fast RAM, Quantum 210MB hard drive.
Kickstart 2.04, Workbench 2.1.

REVIEW

	About 12 years ago, when I was on vacation with my family, I
discovered a pinball video game in our hotel lobby.  This monochrome game
used solid rectangles for bumpers and a tiny square (yes, a square) for the
ball.  The ball moved at a constant speed, and the only sound it made was a
pathetic "bloop."  It was closer to "Pong" than pinball, really, but much
less fun than Pong.  My Dad and I played a few games and then decided that
computer pinball was a stupid idea.  Only the real thing could be fun.

	12 years later, Dad and I were proved wrong.  VERY wrong.

	Pinball Fantasies (PBF) is a pinball machine simulator.  I had
serious doubts about this game, but then I made the "mistake" of trying it
out at my local Amiga dealer.  I say "mistake" because now I am TOTALLY
addicted to the BEST arcade game I have played since Arkanoid!!

	The game comes on three floppy disks:  one master game disk, and two
"table" disks, each containing two different pinball machines.  The four
available tables are Partyland (a circus theme), Speed Devils (racing cars
theme), Billion Dollar Gameshow (TV game show theme), and Stones 'n' Bones
(haunted house theme).  Each has different graphics, music, sound effects,
and scoring.  Rumor has it that new table discs will be released by the
company.  As I played each table for the first time, I had the same
thought:  "The previous table was more fun than this one."  However, after a
few games on the new table, I changed my mind!  All of the tables are fun in
different ways.  At first, I was disappointed that the tables are not very
large, but I was too hasty -- there is plenty to do on each table.
(Including at least one secret entrance!)

	To play the game, you must boot on the master disk.  A short
introduction follows, which cannot be skipped.  After about 1 minute (on my
68030), you are asked to insert a table disk.  About 30 seconds later, you
may choose between the two tables on the disk by pressing F1 or F2.  30
seconds later, you are ready to play.  Press F1 through F8 to start a game
with 1-8 players.  Flippers are controlled by the left/right SHIFT, ALT, and
AMIGA keys which all function identically.  Shooting the ball is done either
with the "down arrow" key or the mouse, and the table may be bumped by
pressing the space bar.  (Yes, if you press the space bar too often, you
will "tilt" the machine and lose your current ball.)

	The screen is split into two parts.  At the top, there is a display
which shows your score and various messages.  This display simulates a
2-dimensional grid of "lightbulbs" like the scoreboard at a baseball game,
and it is used very effectively both during gameplay and between games.
Below that, and taking up most of the screen, is the pinball machine itself.
The whole table cannot fit on the screen, so it scrolls vertically while you
play, always keeping the ball in view.  The scrolling is VERY smooth and
fast.

	Gameplay is dynamic and fun.  Unlike that awful video game I played
12 years ago, PBF's ball moves naturally at different speeds depending on
what it hits.  The flipper response is VERY realistic, and I have no trouble
at all using the flippers to delay and stop the ball.  Also, the ball falls
down chutes and bounces off bumpers so naturally that it's easy to forget
you are playing a computer game.

	I like the music and sound effects very much; in particular, the
music matches the "theme" of each table very effectively.  For example, on
"Speed Devils", some of the "instruments" are automobile sounds (ignition,
motor, crashing) used musically.  The sound effects and music change
appropriately and add to the excitement of the game.  Some sounds are
realistic, like the the ball being queued up at the beginning, and others
are intentionally unrealistic.  The music may be toggled on and off, but
sound effects stay on all the time.  The only sound missing from the game is
the rolling of the ball.  But this is understandable since the sound would
have to be "looped" (repeated) to be continuous and would probably sound
artificial.

	In some ways, PBF is "larger than life," having features I have not
seen on real pinball machines, and this makes the play even more exciting.
First of all, the scoring is set higher than on the real pinball machines I
have used.  There's something exhilarating about scoring 40 million
points!!  Second, the "lightbulb" display reminds you of bonuses at
appropriate times.  For example, if you hit a particular target 10 times,
you get an extra ball; so each time you hit it, PBF displays "4 MORE TIMES
FOR EXTRA BALL" or a similar message.  Another example (in "Party Time") is
a target that must be hit after knocking down 3 ducks.  If you hit the
target too early, the display flashes, "HIT SOME DUCKS FIRST."  Cute and
useful.  (Disclaimer:  maybe nowadays, real pinball machines do this too.
I don't know.  It's been a few years since I played pinball.)

	In contrast, PBF is also slightly easier than real pinball in some
ways.  First, it's easier to prevent the ball from slipping between your
flippers; there is usually some way to hit it.  Second, there is a little
bit less randomness in the ball's path (but only a *little*).  If you hit
the ball into a loop-the-loop, you know that it's not going to fall into the
gutter afterwards.  However, this does NOT detract from the game at all, and
in fact I like the predictability sometimes.

DOCUMENTATION

	The game comes with a small, 7-page manual with playing instructions
and descriptions of the different tables and their scoring.  It is adequate
but not fancy.  PBF is so easy to use that you don't need to read the manual
before playing, thanks to the informative display and the natural keystrokes
(SHIFT=flipper, etc.).

	However, if you do read the manual, you will discover how complex
the game really can be!  For example, in "Stones 'n Bones," you can score
5,000,000 points if you "shoot the CLEAR ramp to the ROLL-OVERS, drop down
to the LEFT FLIPPER and hit the SCREAMS ramp and the far LEFT ramp."  Once
you are familiar with the many bonuses you can get, the game becomes even
more fun.

	Some the terminology in the manual is not fully explained.  In the
previous 5,000,000-point example, the manual doesn't tell you what the
"ROLL-OVERS" is!  (Are?)  But for the most part, it's understandable with a
little study.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

	My main like is the amazing realism of the game.  More than once --
and I am not making this up -- I have found myself shaking the keyboard in
an attempt to tilt the machine, or *banging* the SHIFT keys to hit the ball
harder.  My mind gets swept away by the game, and my body takes over.  All
I can say is:  I am IMPRESSED!!

	I have a few minor dislikes.  The first few times I played, the
vertical scrolling sometimes made me feel dizzy.  It doesn't bother me
any more, though.  Some people will probably not be able to play this game
for a prolonged period.  Second, the messages in the "lightbulb" display
sometimes scroll by too quickly for me to see them.  If I lift my eyes from
the table to watch the messages when they appear, I can't watch the ball.

	My only major dislike is the copy protection.  I'm glad they offer a
hard disk installable version, though I think asking an additional $10 for
it is a ripoff.  I should not have to pay extra money to replace missing
functionality.

	My last dislike is that the manuals says to "disconnect all external
hardware from the computer except the mouse and a second disk drive..."
before playing the game.  This is a completely ridiculous and unrealistic
requirement for a game.  These peripherals should not matter to a
well-written program.  Fortunately, the game runs fine on my system.

	One suggestion is that the rolling ball should make some kind of
sound, if such a thing can be done effectively.  When the music is turned
off, the ball is unnaturally silent.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	I have not used any similar products, except that awful video game
12 years ago. :-)

BUGS

	The program crashed twice:  both times while I was playing table #2,
"Speed Devils."  After a ball finished, a pair of large numbers got written
in the "lightbulb display", one overlapping the other, and the program hung.
(This problem has been verified by the programmer by e-mail.)

	The program does not run properly on the Amiga 4000.  It will not
even boot unless you use a program to remap Kickstart, such as ReloKick.  And
after it boots, the game is unplayable because it runs much too fast.

	However, the hard-disk-installable version of the game DOES run
properly on the A4000, according to the vendor.  I have not tested this.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	I corresponded by e-mail with the programmer of the game, Andreas
Axelsson, to ask about the crashing problem.  He acknowledged the bugs and
said he was looking for them, but said that "there will probably not be a new
master [disk released], but maybe a 1200 version...."

	The manual states:  "Our policy is one of constant improvement."
Well, if this is true, I sure hope that a bugfixed version of PBF will be
made available to registered owners!!

WARRANTY

	None mentioned in the documentation.

CONCLUSIONS

	I have complained a little bit, but don't be fooled:  Pinball
Fantasies is a FABULOUS game and an amazingly realistic pinball simulation.
It has the makings of a real classic:  simple concept, easy to use, and
highly addictive.  The only bad points are the copy protection and that it
does not run properly on the A4000.  I recommend this game without
hesitation to all Amiga users who have extra time on their hands. :-)

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1993 Daniel J. Barrett.  All rights reserved.

                                                        Dan

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| Dan Barrett -- Dept of Computer Science, Lederle Graduate Research Center |
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