Video games have, as of late, been making huge bounds in
technology - each generation of violent rampage-inducing
graphics standing tall on the shoulders of the previous. Pinball
"technology" however, has been rather stagnant. Only
so many variations you can have on a theme. The forward-thinkers
at Midway, on the other hand, have managed to breath new life
into the aging giant: a video monitor, placed above the table,
reflects down on the glass with strange and impressive results.
The end product is called Pinball
2000. At the moment there are just two of these new-fangled
contraptions on the market - Mars
Revenge and Star
Wars: Episode One.
Below are the Station Management's impressions of the E1
table:
The Good:
- Smoooth graphics and animations - many exclusive to this
machine
- Free-and-easy with the multiballs
- Nice variety of "mini-games"
- The whole Pinball 2000 concept is just plain slick
The Bad:
- Not housed in a full-sized table (faster play means
shorter games)
- No continues (at least on the machine I played)
- Very difficult to keep track of ball and watch monitor at
same time
The Ugly:
- At 6k to buy one of these puppies, most arcades are forced
to charge between $.75 and $1.00 per game.
- No Lando
The game ranks up there with the likes of Indiana Jones and
Addams Family Pinball (the Ma-mushka!). If you aren't a disciple
of pinball this isn't gonna change your stance, but those who
are down with the silver ball can relish in the dawning of a New
Age. I've no doubt there will be purists who will see the
digital addition as poisoning the well - these hombres will have
to come to terms with the fact that Pinball 2000 is the future,
ready or not.
The Mars Revenge pin is damn good too, incidentally.