Xbox

Pure Pinball

Although the golden age of the arcade is long gone, if there is one in your area then there is a good chance it has a Pinball machine in it. These simple yet highly addictive games have wowed gamers from around the world, and they have been going strong now for over 100 years. The problem is that Pinball is not in high demand like it once was, and this game is a hard sell, especially on a next generation console like the Xbox. Fortunately, XS Games believes that these types of games still have a place, and that means that Pinball is finally coming to the Xbox. In Pure Pinball you can see if 4 tables, Xbox Live support, and low price are going to be enough make you want to play a Pinball video game.

I must admit I became pretty excited after receiving Pure Pinball from Iridon and XS games. Not so much because it’s a pinball simulator, but more so because there are four smokin’ hot CGI chicks on the cover standing atop a classic looking pinball machine. Now my head is filled with thoughts of shooting silvery balls at scantily-clad women…..and oh yeah, pinball! I haven’t thought much about pinball games past my classic mall arcade days, which is longer ago than I care to admit.

Keep your quarters in your pocket and step up to play the ‘ol silver ball right on your Microsoft Xbox with "Pure Pinball," the first pinball simulation for the popular game console. The title isn't a bad find for $20, but a few shortcomings prevent it from being "high-score" material.

Video pinball games usually pick one of two paths. On one hand, you have games that try to take pinball in a direction that a real-life table couldn't handle, usually by adding elaborate video modes, moving characters on the playfield, and other unrealistic features. The other school is devoted to creating new, realistic pinball machines that can only be played on a video screen, but could probably be created in real life, as well. Pure Pinball follows the path of this second group, providing four different tables that could probably exist as actual pinball machines. However, the early-90s feel of the table designs gets a little stale after a few hours of play.

There aren't a lot of pinball games on Xbox. In fact, there's only one -- XS Games' Pure Pinball. Good news for pinball fans, however, as XS and developer Iridon Interactive have done a nice job of recreating the overall atmosphere of an arcade pinball machine, with realistic physics and ambient arcade noises. However, that doesn't mean Pure Pinball is the pinball Halo killer we all hoped it would be. A budget title at only $20, Pure Pinball does quite a number of things right, but also manages to make a few gaffes that hold it back from being anything beyond ordinary.

Pure Pinball faithfully recreates the pinball experience on your Xbox and could be enjoyed by any pinball fan if they can get over the games shortcomings. Even at $20 the lack of a great number of tables and multiplayer makes it hard to recommend the game for anyone other then a diehard pinball fan. If you happen to be one of those people and can get over these shortcomings, then you will find an enjoyable pinball experience.

Overall, with all of this games shortcomings and everything else, I'm not totally disappointed by it. I have pulled it out from time to time to play it for short periods of time, but I know that I'm never going to want to sit down and play it for hours. For short bursts, the game is pretty decent though.

If nothing else, Pure Pinball is aptly named; it's a bare-bones title that delivers nothing more than realistic ball physics on a small assortment of four pinball machines. I can't imagine the conversations that led someone to decide that this sparse (though accurate) game would be a good idea, so instead I'll imagine conversations in the laboratory where pure pinball is refined.