My Pinball Arcade Reviews Part 1

As a rabid pinball fanatic I love Farsight Studio's Pinball Arcade. This app allows you to play arcade quality reproductions of classic and rare pinball machines. Classics sic as Pin Bot and Whirlwind and rare finds such as Ripley 's Believe It Or Not and Central Park. Over the next few posts I will give short reviews of all 52 tables available for this awesome app in alphabetical order.

Attack From Mars

This pinball classic once thought to be linked to the movie Mars Attacks centers around alien invaders from Mars and how you Must defeat them. This game features include a video mode and a UFO that must be hit multiple times in order to complete certain missions. I played this several times at a local bowling alley. I love this game and give it five stars.

Big Shot

This billiards themed table from the 60s is a classic. All you have to do is hit the targets for all 15 balls including the 8 ball. You can score extra balls and specials by doing so. You can also choose between 3 and 5 ball play. Obviously I was too young to have played this when it was in its prime but enjoy it now. I give it 5 stars.

Black Hole

This classic from the late 70s is based on the movie of the same name. It features a multi level playfield and is one of the first tables to feature multiball play. I remember playing this game as a ten year old. I sucked eggs at it but I still loved it. This bad boy gets 5 stars.

Black Knight

This Williams classic from the early 80s is themed around knights and features a unique end of game feature in multi player mode in which the player with the highest score gets a timed multiball session that lasts until either the timer runs out or you drain all three balls. This machine is a work of art. I give it 4 stars.

Black Knight 2000

The sequel to the aforementioned Williams classic delivers an update that far surpasses the original. Now as for the soundtrack which sounds more like something from a bad spinoff of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers it's the only downside and it isn't even that much of one. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

Black Rose

This pirate themed table features a cannon that actually fires the ball back onto the playfield. Not to mention 3 video modes including a knife throwing contest and Walk The Plank wherein your character is tossed overboard and you must use the flipper buttons to swim to shore before a hungry shark makes a snack out of you. All in all a jolly good time. 5 stars and a shiver me timbers for this swapping adventure.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

The most recent addition to the Pinball Arcade is based on the horror classic of the same name. I used to play this at both the aforementioned bowling alley as well as a local pizza parlor and a couple bars. How can you possibly go wrong matching Dracula and pinball? I give it 5 stars.

Bride Of Pin Bot

This classic sequel to Pin Bot sees players trying to assemble Pin Bots wife and turn her into a real woman. This game includes a chance to join the billionaires club (a billion point shot) and a 200,000 point skill shot. Pin Bot also does a cameo appearance in the game Taxi. This game also gets 5 stars.

Cactus Canyon

This western themed table features celebrity impersonations of such icons as John Wayne and such modes as Quick Draw and Gunfight not to mention multiple multiball modes. I especially like the town drunk saying stuff like "I was trying to drink that thank you." As well as "Lock is lit and so am I." 4 1/2 stars for this gunslinger.

Centaur

This quirky rarity from the early 80s is centered around a sci-do theme featuring a mostly black and white playfield and robotic speech. I hadn't heard of this table until I saw it in Pinball Arcade. I give it 4 stars power orbs and all.