You MUST buy Pinball Hall Of Fame!!!

[norkusa]

I just picked up Pinball Hall Of Fame for Xbox yesterday and I must say this is the best pinball game I've ever played for a home console. It seems like whenever one of these console pinball games come out, there is always something wrong with it (poor table design, physics, camera, etc.) but PHOF does everything perfectly.

The game features 7 classic Gottlieb tables: Ace High, Central Park, Big Shot, Genie, Black Hole, Victory, Tee'd Off and a few unlockable novelty games as well. I've had the chance to play some of these pins at the arcades in person and I can say the ones in here are represented flawlessly. The sound, physics, control...it's all in PHOF.

The tables I was looking forward to playing most were Tee'd Off and Victory, but I find myself playing the older ones like Ace High and Big Shot more. These older pins have a completely different feel and playing style than the newer ones and are all about skillfully "nudging" the table and racking up points and credits.

The game has allot of small features I really like, such as short history segment and detailed playing instructions for the table. The thing I like about the instructions is that it plays like an instructional video and shows you close-up's of the key targets you need to hit, so there is no guessing on what the table objectives are. They also took the time to record narration for this feature, which I thought was very nice.

The game is only $20, so you can't afford *not* to pick it up if you are a pinball fan. The only problem is finding a copy. I hear that the PS2 version is much easier to find than the Xbox, but it lacks Live Scoreboards, which give PHOF even more depth and playability. My only complaint is the lack of a custom soundtrack option but it's not a big deal since the sound effects of the virtual arcade you're in are great. When playing a pin, you can hear sounds from the other machines around you and even a change machine spitting out quarters in the background! I felt like I was in a real arcade while playing PHOF.

[Zubiac666]

I wanna order the GC version
Is it even out yet?

[norkusa]

I wanna order the GC version
Is it even out yet?

I don't think so. I know the GC is the last platform for the game to come out on and the PS2 version just came out 2 weeks ago. Maybe next month?

[Lady Jaye]

Control-wise, which do you guys think would be better: the PS2 or the GCN version?

[norkusa]

Control-wise, which do you guys think would be better: the PS2 or the GCN version?

I'd say the PS2 would be better but that's just a personal opinion. I really don't like feel of the shoulder buttons on the GC controller and would think that the Dual Shock gives you better control and a nicer feel.

If you have an Xbox though, I'd recommend that over all 3 versions.

[SegaAges]

i knew about it, just never thought of picking it up.

i guess this one gets tacked onto my x-mas list since it is only 20 (my cheap famioly can definately afford that).

[Zubiac666]

hehe
it IS out for GC already
*orders*

PWNED

and I think GC's shoulderbuttons give you the best "Pinball-button feeling"

[Lady Jaye]

Regardless of the platform, I think that shoulder buttons (used as flippers) and force feedback combined help recreate the feeling of a true pinball machine.

[Ed Oscuro]

I was about to say "No I won't buy..." What the heck was I thinking? Pinball is great! I'll probably go ahead and look this up sometime. Pinball is a game I've never really looked up on consoles, but if I can enjoy the pinball pack-in with Windows ME, I'll certainly enjoy this :P

The GC has that analog control in the shoulder buttons...that could be useful for a pinball game, but I don't know of any real tables that have analog flippers. Mostly it comes down to where on the flip you catch the ball (catching them is the easy way of doing it of course). That would be very interesting to see.

[goatdan]

Personally, I think the original Xbox controllers are the best feeling for pinball games.

They're SO wide.

I bought one and I haven't gone back to the usual one with Pure Pinball.

And a big excited whoop from me -- I finally found a store in Milwaukee that has the Xbox version, and I'm picking it up on the way home! Hurrah!

[DigitalSpace]

Interesting. I'll probably get the GC version sooner or later.

[Rogmeister]

I've seen this mentiioned here and there...I'll have to look for it while I'm out tomorrow. And I have been buying a lot of pinball games of late. I guess I want them all. Are there any pinball games that are exclusive to the PS2?