Windows

3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball

Het concept van Turbo Racing is origineel en zeer uitdagend, de uitwerking is iets minder geslaagd. Zo zijn de 'kasten' wat aan de krappe kant en is de aktie te statisch.

This was a good and fun pinball game. Everything in the game, from the graphics to the sounds, combines to form an addictive take on a classic arcade game. Even NASCAR enthusiasts might get a kick out of the whole theme, while a pinball lover would have a grand ole time. Fast action, great graphics, and great sounds really make this NASCAR exploitation a fun game.

3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball is a good, solidly-constructed game that is fun to play. It will definitely appeal to pinball fans, and with Sierra's obvious efforts to jazz up the game with driver information and NASCAR trivia, it may also connect with NASCAR racing enthusiasts. I'm neither a pinball nor a racing fan, and I had a good time playing this game. It doesn't break any significant ground in the gaming world, but it is entertaining -- and in the end, that's the most important factor of any game. The suggested retail price of $19.95 doesn't hurt, either.

Despite the combination of two of my favorite genres, I approached 3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball warily because I feared this mix would simply not work that well. I had my fill of cosmetic race car pinball tables in other games that really did not accomplish anything particularly special, so I am delighted to report that Sierra has indeed found a way to make the juxtaposition of racing and pinball to be quite fun. While it is not quite up to the level of the very best computer pinball titles out there today, those who want an extra motivation to slam the ball all over the table -- winning the checkered flag -- ought to give this one a serious whirl.

Nascar Pinball is not as fun as computer pinball can be but it is still fun never the less. I liked the entire racing factor. If there was more than one board and the game wasn't so easy I think it would be a lot more fun. The game also became boring after thirty minutes of solid playing. This is unfortunate because this was a good effort at an odd concept.

And therein lies the problem with NASCAR Pinball: the fun is short-lived. The NASCAR theme, cool animations, and gameplay will hold your interest for only so long; pretty soon, you will be dying to "race" on some new, more challenging tracks or to play a good, old-fashioned pinball game like Pro Pinball: Timeshock or Sierra's own 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night.

Pinball fans, it's really a tough call to recommend NASCAR Pinball. I'd highly advise trying the demo (which is also kind of stupid with only allowing up to two million points before it cuts off, it should at least allow up at to five million, maybe ten) before deciding to purchase this title. If you like pinball and NASCAR, then this is definitely worth trying out since its "different" from the rest of those racing games, and it's a new approach to trying to win a NASCAR race. But for all pinball fans, I'd after say to let this go and pickup the reigning champing of pinball games, Empire, and their new pinball game Pro Pinball:Big City USA. That series really does feel like a pinball game, this just feels like Nascar 2 with flippers.

Sierra's 3D Ultra Pinball series have always very theme-oriented, to the point of the theme being more important than an ultra-realistic reproduction of authentic pinball. With Sierra's ownership of a NASCAR license, it was to be expected that we'd see 3D Ultra NASCAR Pinball. The good news is that, rather than simply slap a vanilla pinball game onto a background covered with stock cars, Sierra has attempted to integrate in a good number of NASCAR features and create something of real interest for fans of the racing series.

Dröhnende Motoren, quietschende Reifen und ehrfürchtiges Zuschauergemurmel - das ganze Drumherum mit kurzen Videos zu den vier Fahrern, einigen Original-Strecken und der NASCAR-Geschichte erinnert mich eher an ein ausgewachsenes Rennspiel denn an einen Flipper. Kommentatoren, Pilotennamen und Sponsoren sorgen kräftig für Stimmung, und dazu saust die Kugel nocht recht realistisch umher. Schade, daß es statt der gut einem Dutzend Tische des Vorgängers bloß noch deren drei gibt, die dazu alle recht simpel gestrickt sind. Turbo Racing ist allerdings auch keine Hardcore-Simulation, sondern ein kurzweiliger Spaß für zwischendurch - schließlich kostet es nur um die 60 Mark.

Turbo Racing holt erfreulich viele nette Ideen aus dem Renn-Thema, krankt aber am simplen Tischdesign. Schon nach wenigen Spielen haben Sie alles gesehen, so daß die Highscore-Jagd auf Dauer ermüdend wird. Immerhin taugt der Flipper dank ordentlicher Ballphysik für ein schnelles Spiel zwischendurch. Ach ja, die netten Videos: Die haben mir tatsächlich gewaltig Lust gemacht – allerdings auf ein zünftiges Autorennspiel.