The Pinball Arcade has been one of my favorite go to games on the iPad because of the portability of the game and it the best way to play the machines in portrait mode that is a lot closer to the original dimensions of the machines. While these video version will never replace playing an actual pinball machine in person, it’s a lot cheaper to own the digital recreations over the original machines. The cost of the individual tables are $4.99 and there are pro versions that are available that open other options on the tables. If you click on the title it will take you to the Internet Pinball Database and you can find information about the original machines. You can find my previous review HERE I will be review 3 new tables from the current season 3 that have been a lot of fun.
Junk Yard (1996 Williams)
This machine from the Williams that combines a lot of challenges and some innovative and fun play. One of the best things about the machine is the humor in it. There is the Great Toilet, The Magic Bus and of course Spike the Dog. This machine had one of the better video screen games from the period. In the video mode you have to hit Spike who is chasing a girl with toast that you have collected during the game. The other neat thing about the table is the wrecking ball on the table. There are certain triggers that activate the wrecking ball and you have to attempt to hit the ball and destroy items. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the building of junk to make machines. Once you have collected all of the junk and build the machines you then can trigger the outer space mode on the table. There is a good amount of skill to the table and while there is a lot to do the play-field is surprisingly not cluttered considering all of the missions that are available. The table has good music and sound effects that keep the action going. Junk Yard is a great addition to your Pinball Arcade collection. There is a lot of challenge to the table but i never got frustrated with it. The Spike video mode can be a bit of a pain at times but if you are able to stockpile a bunch of toast then you will have no problems with it.
Who?dunnit A Murder Mystery (1995 Midway)
This machine while a good number of the machines were made (2,416) it’s not a very well-known table. It combines solving murder mysteries with some gambling thrown in for good measure. One of the more interesting aspects to the table is tat there are twenty possible scenarios for the murder mysteries. One of the biggest draws of the table is the dialog, music and sound effects that really capture the noir feel of the game. This machine is heavy on the ramp play so you will have to find the sweet spots for each ramp. The video mode help you solve each case and will also give you clues to help out. It’s pretty easy to trigger the different modes and games on the table. One of the hardest challenges is the center ramp that controls the elevator that has a right and left side to make it go up or down. It’s sometime frustrating to get the elevator to go up and down because aiming the ball is a little difficult but overall it does add to the challenge of the table. Who?dunnit was a big surprise to play. It is very different from a lot of machines from the period because of the noir aspect of the game. It’s one of those tables that sneaks up on you and become very surprised with it. I think that the idea of the murder mystery story is what I really enjoyed about this table.
Diner (1990 Williams)
You will recognize a lot of familiar things on Diner. It was designed by Mark Richie who did Taxi and Fish Tales and it has a lot of the same feel along with nods to those previous machines. It plays a lot like Taxi where you try to collect patrons food request they are the same characters from Taxi that is a nice throwback. While I like the table it can be exceptionally frustrating. The left ramp is really difficult to get multiple times because the angle seems to precise. It seems to really throw a lot of gutter balls down the side and seems to fling them there quite regularly. As with most of the digital versions it’s hard to tell if that is in the original table or the programming. The theme of the table is the big draw, with the jukebox and the cup spinner. The cup is one of the big draws of the table. If you trigger the cup mode it can really pay off very well in the game. The voices are not only fun but taunt you if you are not serving them quick enough. The music is pretty simple but fit the theme very well. This is one of those table that I have a bit of love and hate relationship with. The table is very good but there are times where the game just throws you a bunch of the gutter balls and you are unable to hit the ramps like you need to. It’s a fun table that is well worth adding to your collection. The downsides are not fatal to the play but I do find myself re-starting the game more frequently than most of the other tables.
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