Windows

Pro Pinball: Timeshock!

"Welcome" begrüßt mich auch zu Timeshock! die bereits aus dem Vorgänger wohlbekannte Säuselstimme. Und es dauert in der Tat nicht lange, bis ich mich in dieser Flippersimulation heimisch fühle. Was Kugelphysik und Verhalten der diversen Klappziele, Slingshots oder Ballfallen angeht, haben die Engländer bei diesem Tableau tatsächlich noch eins draufgelegt. Auch grafisch ist der komplett gerenderte Tisch zweifellos vom Feinsten, wenn ich da an die oft karg-platte Optik einiger Konkurrenzprodukte denke.

Kein Zweifel: Pro Pinball stammt von einer Gruppe völlig Besessener. Denn nur wer dieses Genre liebt, kann eine bis ins letzte Detail ausgeklügelte Flippersimulation wie Timeshock! programmieren.

As I said, Pro Pinball: Timeshock! is better in every way. It looks better - the table can be viewed at up to 1600x1200 resolution in Truecolour if you have the hardware, at which resolution you can practically see your face in the balls. It plays better - the game is more structured, and you have a much better idea of what you're supposed to be doing at any given point. The mechanics are better - you can even trap a ball behind a flipper. It even sounds better, thanks to Dolby Surround Sound and sampled effects taken from real pinball tables. Unfortunately though, Bruce Foxton and Jake Burns are once again responsible for the music. But you can't have everything.

Nyder man at tilbringe timer foran den samme flipper i virkeligheden er man garanteret en lykkelig fremtid med Timeshock.

Timeshock lyckas på något märkligt sätt innefatta en resa i tiden där både Mount Rushmore, tunneln under Engelska kanalen och dinosaurier ryms på en gång. På något sätt är alla ramper, multibollar och tilläggsspel riktigt beroendeframkallande, och man blir som besatt av att hela tiden få bättre resultat.

The lack of tables is a disappointment, but what's available is still easily worth the low asking price.

Table design in Timeshock is seamless. Ramps, bumpers, flippers, and chutes are positioned to work together, and play off each other, fluidly. This critical element comes across strong in Timeshock, and as your game progresses certain combinations of ramp shots are needed to further the plot. Tables can be adjusted to any of four views: three varying angles of perspective and the now-lackluster flat table are just a click away. All the elements in Timeshock combine just right, delivering a fully realized product that screams, "Play me." Actually, a digitized voice says that, and in full surround-sound to boot. Timeshock is the best computer pinball simulation yet, and if you get good enough at it, you can even brag about your high score by posting it at the Empire web site.

Criticisms aside, this is the best hardcore pinball game to come to gamers in a long time, if not ever. If you want lots of variety, this may not be the game for you, but "pinball wizards" shouldn't miss it.