The Pinball Arcade

1. Retron

   Nov 7, 2013

   10

   There have been several attempts by others over the years but this is by far the most comprehensive commercial collection of simulated pinballThere have been several attempts by others over the years but this is by far the most comprehensive commercial collection of simulated pinball machines on the PC. There are still several rough edges in the UI (such as the menus not working with the escape key) but the main focus the tables play well and look great, at least they do on my nVidia card. The purchasing method (via in-app purchases) is odd, but it worked well enough for me.
   
   Gameplay wise the tables seem harder than say Pinball FX2, but that'd be because they're based on real tables designed to suck away quarters! The only glaring ommission compared to Pinball FX2 would be the lack of portait mode support, although that'll be coming in a future update. A fun featrure is the online leaderboard support which allows you to compare your scores with other players.
   
   The price is very reasonable compared to traditional PC pinball games the classics (Pinball Dreams, Tilt, Psycho Pinball etc) were all around £30 for 4 tables, whereas you get 38 tables for around £50 ie the same in today's money as the 4 tables of Pinball Dreams cost 20 years ago. You can pick-and-mix which tables you want to buy as well if you don't want to buy them all, but buying them en masse is the cheaper option in the long run.
   
   Yes, you could use one of the free pinball construction kit type programs but even it its somewhat rough UI state the Pinball Arcade is more polished than they are.… Expand

   • 5 of 10 users found this helpful
2. Tower

   Mar 5, 2014

   10

   The closest thing to owning a real pinball table. Farsight Studios have made a game that captures the essence of classic pinball tables fromThe closest thing to owning a real pinball table. Farsight Studios have made a game that captures the essence of classic pinball tables from the manufacturers Williams, Gottlieb, Bally, and Stern. They've got the physics right, they've emulated the computer chips from the tables and the graphics and sound are great. This is one of my favourite games of all time.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. Schwimmwagen

   Nov 14, 2013

   9

   I personally don't understand the negative reviews here from the users. If you want a comparison, compare it to Pinball FX 2. For whateverI personally don't understand the negative reviews here from the users. If you want a comparison, compare it to Pinball FX 2. For whatever reason, that game's user score is much much higher even though it also includes one free table (like Pinball Arcade) and only lets you try tables for a very short amount of time regardless of score (whereas here, you get to play until you hit a high score with no time limit whatsoever). I personally think Arcade does the trial tables better since even if you might suck the first couple of tries, you can actually get a feel for the tables without being rushed.
   
   The tables are all authentically recreated versions of real tables, a handful of which I remember playing in arcades years ago. The flipper response seemed a bit more responsive than it was in Pinball FX 2, though maybe it's just me. And nearly all are a blast to play. The ones that aren't quite as exciting are faults with the original, real-world design of the table, not the game itself.
   
   Here's one more thing to keep in mind. You're getting a much *much* better value out of the purchased tables here than you do in Pinball FX. Case in point: Three Star Wars tables: $10. Here: 21 tables: $30.
   
   Technically, yes, the game is free to play, but your choices are very limited. This, again, is no different than Pinball FX 2. In my opinion though, dropping money on the Season Packs is entirely worth it and will give you more pinball than you'll ever need again.… Expand

   • 3 of 3 users found this helpful
5. Andurian

   Feb 28, 2014

   8

   This game is excellent, but flawed. As some of the reviews below already state, the graphics are a bit jaggy and the camera controls areThis game is excellent, but flawed. As some of the reviews below already state, the graphics are a bit jaggy and the camera controls are terribly limited, though there *are* cameras that only scroll when you're launching. I have never encountered a bug, despite other's comments, in dozens of hours of play.
   
   I find the red reviews here sad. Zeros and Threes, seriously? This is definitely not Battlecruiser 3000. As for the "outrageous amounts of money per table", the first two season packs are twenty games each, for $40 (or $50 with premium features that most people don't care about, mainly operator menus for the games). That's $2 (or $2.50) per table. That's a great deal, not an outrageous charge. Season three is, sadly, more expensive - the same price, but only ten tables. But $4 (or $5) per table isn't unreasonable. Unless you compare it to the free tables out there for emulators, but Farsight Studios has licenses to pay for and staff to pay.
   
   The physics model is very good. Better than the emulators. The ball feels like it has weight, and tables play like real life tables.
   
   As for the jaggy graphics, the come from the game's origin on cellphones. *But*, Farsight Studios has announced that they will be significantly improved in the near future, which is easy enough for them to do with the release on the PS4.
   
   As for not getting anything free, that's just wrong. Tales of the Arabian nights is available in it's entirety for free, with all the high scores you want. How sad it is that people here whine, complain and give inappropriately low scores because they didn't get *enough* for free.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. malcolmm

   Aug 13, 2015

   8

   I previously played Williams Pinball Hall of Fame by the same developer on the Wii, so I had some idea what to expect.
   
   My initialI previously played Williams Pinball Hall of Fame by the same developer on the Wii, so I had some idea what to expect.
   
   My initial impression of PA wasn't that positive. The graphics are of course a huge improvement over the Wii tables, but somehow the tables didn't seem to be as enjoyable. My initial reaction was to blame PA, thinking that the physics of the PC version weren't as good, which would have been really unexpected given the power of modern PC. I think my issue with PA is that recently I have been playing a lot of Pinball FX2 on my PC, and enjoying the FX2 tables a lot.
   
   PA tables are real pinball tables, which is good and bad. Some of the better pinball tables in PA are great. My major problem with most of them, and it is no fault of PA, is that they are almost always designed for short gameplay in arcades. This isn't a problem for pinball experts, but for at best average players like me it can result in frustratingly short games with low scores - the ball frequently drains. Obviously there is no way around this, and now that I realize what was bothering me, I'm starting to really appreciate the many fine qualities of the tables in PA.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. GameLord

   Jan 1, 2017

   6

   This game is a mixed bag... the ball phisics isn't great but acceptable for a video-pinball. Table-graphics good in general but theThis game is a mixed bag... the ball phisics isn't great but acceptable for a video-pinball. Table-graphics good in general but the environment is dull and low-res. The table pricing critical, you get 50-75% off on old season - which are the best - but new tables are too expensive.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
8. ViciousViper

   Oct 23, 2014

   0

   Game breaking bugs at many tables, low res textures, pathetic lightning, inconsistent physics. They promised to implement dx11 and fix bugsGame breaking bugs at many tables, low res textures, pathetic lightning, inconsistent physics. They promised to implement dx11 and fix bugs but only thing they do is kickstartering new tables while preavious are still broken. Stay away. Want great pinball for pc go with Pinball FX2.… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful

See all 18 User Reviews