PlayStation 2

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection

Overall, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection is a good value at 20 bucks. Any hardcore pinball fanatic should immediately pick it up. If pinball is not your thing, there isn't anything here to recommend the title, but I suppose that could have went without saying.

If you are remotely interested in pinball, especially from an historical standpoint, or you are just looking for some good wholesome family entertainment without visiting a smoky bar or bowling alley and dropping a few dozen quarters into a slot then this is the game for you.

I was surprised by this title. Budget games can be very average and this game flew under the radar. If you're a pinball fan it's an essential purchase even if the audio visual side is a little below par.

Despite the fact that a new company has risen to release all-new pinball machines, by and large, the pinball industry collapsed, along with arcades, a few years back. While you can still find machines in some out-of-the-way locations, it's getting harder and harder to see a fully functional pinball machine in its natural habitat. Over the years, this has given rise to a variety of video-based pinball simulations that tried to accurately mimic the ball physics and general gameplay of the real deal. Some, such as Crave's recently released Pinball Hall of Fame, even attempt to emulate actual pinball machines. With eight tables from several different decades, and good gameplay to boot, Pinball Hall of Fame represents a nice budget-priced collection.

If you're over 30 years old and grew up playing pinball, then Pinball Hall of Fame, at its current $10 price is certainly worth picking up. Unfortunately, the gameplay is limited due to the poor ball physics, lack of analog flippers, and questionable table selection. For anyone under the age of 20, these tables probably don't have enough action to hold your interest, and achieving scores of 400 on the Central Park table isn't likely to be your cup of tea.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection is a nice game that shows off what was popular to play before arcades and home video console became the mainstream. If you are a big pinball gamer then you will want this; other than that this game is a good weekend rental and nothing more.

Overall, this game is far from perfect. It does have a good idea by placing together a collection of great pinball tables and staying true to its original nature, but the game still needs a lot of work. To make the game really enjoyable, the developers should have added a choice to re-spawn a pinball if it drops through the flippers within the first few seconds. That, in addition to fixing the sluggish flippers, would have made this a game a lot better. The audio is far from great, and the graphics are mediocre at best. For those with older PS2s, this is a CD game so you may have problems loading. I strongly suggest you try before you buy on this one.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection offers a decent experience overall by providing seven classic boards. The physics feel a little wonky, mainly due to the ball's lack of weight, but it gets the job done in the end. The game also packs a history lesson through authentic game flyers and factoids, so those looking for a bit of nostalgia will find it. But is it worth spending 20 bucks over? That depends. If you’re a crippled pinball nut without real tables at home, then definitely go for it. Fans of virtual pinball will also find a lot to enjoy. Otherwise, The Gottlieb Collection is a rental at best.

It's a shame they couldn't nail down the games perfectly or you'd have one outstanding collection of pinball games from one of the more famous and successful pinball manufacturers in the world. As such, the game serves as a great history lesson (as well as a good little self-promotion for the real Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas), just with some awkwardly-playing games, though some are better than others. The occasionally wonky ball physics and weak flippers can be overcome with time, but they really do hamper certain tables, making them less fun than they could be. At $15 for 7 tables plus some bonus diversions, it's a solid value – 2 dollars a game (which looks even better when at a quarter per play, you could get 8 total balls for 2 bucks on a real machine), but unlike the mostly flawless emulation of the various game compilations (simple due to the fact that games are code, while pinball is not), Pinball HOF doesn't quite get it right.

And you will give up, because despite its old-school charm, Pinball Hall of Fame feels very low-tech. Sure, people used to enjoy catching balls in cups and playing paddle-ball, and they were probably pretty swell at these games too, but that doesn't mean that chasing a hoop with a rod will ever make a very good video game. As it turns out, neither does Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection.