Growing up, I always loved playing pinball games on the computer. Our old Acer came with Acer Pinball, a game my family would come over, hunch around the computer with me, and play until our shift keys wore down to nubs. Great tables, too. Ever since, I've always had a soft spot for pinball games. Bad ones, however, always irritated me. The pinball game that comes equipped on every new computer is nice, but just doesn't cut it. Going back and playing Pinball Illusions brought me back to the day when playing pinball meant it took up the whole screen, you couldn't see the whole table at once, and the score was right where it belonged: at the bottom of the screen.
This game is the epitome of what the old school pinball game should be. Snappy graphics that actually resemble a pinball table, a table that could pass for one playable in real life, and easy to follow games and modes. It feels like you are actually, you know, playing pinball. Pinball games that don't feel like pinball are useless to me, which is why this feels so nice to play. Sound and graphics take a backseat to game-play, and thankfully the physics and the feel of a pinball are not sacrificed in the effort of making as real of a simulation as possible. Pinball is my favorite kind of arcade game because it is more a true test of skill than any other form of
entertainment available for quarters. The ability to play quality pinball at home is always a good thing in my book. Thankfully, I am offered that in this game.
Acer Pinball was my first game I remember ever truly loving like none other. I've always loved the chance to find new tables that are worth playing. All the tables included in this complete version of Pinball Illusions are, in my opinion, definitely worth playing over and over and over again. Its nice loading up a game and wondering right until the very end which table you're going to pull up. At the end of one table, you can either stay or try to conquer it again or change your mind and switch to one of the other equally great options for pinball play. The replay value is exceptional, because it's pinball. You can never get a score that's too high, or never reach a point of complete mastery.
For enthusiasts like me, this means hours of pinball joy that only end when you fall asleep or have to do homework.
