PlayStation

Pro Pinball: Big Race USA

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -- Big Race USA is a pinball simulation. It’s only one table, which hurts, but it’s only ten bucks, which helps a lot. If you’re a pinball fan, you’re going to love it. It’s a complex enough table to keep you going for hours. If you’re not a pinball fan, you’ll be pitching it to the side in 20 minutes. You’re going to have to make the call. But in the end, you really can’t go wrong with Pro Pinball: Big Race USA.

En wat voor een flipperkast! Dit bakkie is echt de meest ideale kast die ooit is verschenen. En je bent echt een lucky bastard op het moment dat maar liefst tien ballen tegelijkertijd door The Big Race rollen. De hoge resolutie van het spel is verbluffend samen met de snelheid zonder hinderlijke reken-vertragingen. Het enige nadeel is dat Big Race USA alleen digitaal te verkrijgen is. Ik zou 'm graag eens in de analoge versie checken.

The very small niche market of die-hard pinball fans this game is designed for should be extremely pleased with Big Race USA. But even if you're not well steeped in the world of video pinball, the game's $9.99 price makes it well worth checking out.

Som helhet kan man undra vad dessa verklighetsliknande flippersimulatorer har för berättigande. Visst kan de vara mer eller mindre välgjorda och man riskerar inte att förlora tiokrona efter tiokrona. Men frågan är om dessa fördelar uppväger känslan av att få stå och briljera för brudarna i flipperhallen, med solglasögonen uppkörda i pannan, coolt tuggandes på ett bubbelgum.

Like real pinball, only the truly committed and impassioned will keep playing in the name of a higher score. On a real table I'd feel more compelled to keep going, but with these games, I felt inclined to stop after a few games. The need to win free games and the atmosphere of a dimly lit arcade isn't there.

So what's wrong with this? One course. Pshaw, you've got to be kidding me! The thought of shelling out a couple of twenties for one table course is ludicrous, especially when there are other pinball games that are more worth your purchase. Even Devil's Crush and Alien Crush on Turbo Grafx 16 were much more entertaining than Big Race USA. This game may look and play somewhat like the actual thing, but it's disappointing when it boils right down to it.

Empire knows their pinball, and their Pro Pinball series of pinball games certainly deserves its "simulation" label. The tables are photo-realistic and the physics is remarkably accurate.