Pinball Fantasies
Description official descriptions
After the success of Pinball Dreams on several systems, a sequel featuring four new tables was created. The gameplay is much the same as the first game, with realistic physics, multi-player options and a high score table to aim for. The tables are Partyland, Speed Devils, Billion Dollar Gameshow and Stones 'n' Bones, taking in a funfair, racing cars, a tacky game-show, and a graveyard. Each one has a range of ramps, combos, light sequences and targets to shoot, as well as general themes which are less influenced by real tables than those in Pinball Dreams.
Spellings
- ピンボールファンタジーズデラックス - Japanese PSX spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Amiga version)
7 People
| Game Design |
|
| Code | |
| Music | |
| Sfx | |
| Graphics | |
| DI-Managing | |
| Produced by | |
| Real-time ball calculations by |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 79% (based on 48 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 137 ratings with 4 reviews)
The first pinball game that is really playable
The Good
Before Pinball Fantasies, the genre was immature without any notable exception. This game raised the standards to the point where it should have been with its realistic ball and table physics. The graphics and sounds are totally astounding. The game runs smoothly in 320x240 with MOD music on a 286/16. And if you have a 386 or better you can enjoy the cool looking 360x350 resolution which was a rarity in those days.
The Bad
Well, this game is one of the very few games that managed to do almost everything right. So, there's virtually nothing to complain about.
The Bottom Line
A must have for all pinball fans out there.
DOS · by IJan (1972) · 1999
Perfect conversion of a perfect game, this is the best pinball EVER.
The Good
Damn, I was just about to add this game... ah well, you win some you lose some :-)
Pinball Fantasies rules the Earth! Indeed a perfection conversion of an Amiga classic, this game is simply the best pinball simulator there is. As a sequel to the classic Amiga Pinball Dreams, this game simply adds greatness to greatness, bringing the level of gameplay to perfection.
The music in this game is simply the best you will ever hear, even better than the one in Pinball Dreams, a masterpiece by Olof Gustaffson. The graphics are simply amazing - especially considering the time it came out, perfectly convereted from the AGA version of the game on the Amiga. The physics model is the best I've ever seen, even from newer pinball games (such as Extreme Pinball) and the tables are AMAZING, each and every one of them, yesiree!
This is a perfect game, which could not have been done better. The conversion, which was done by the demo group The Space Pigs, is as perfect as they get, the best conversion of any game from the Amiga I've ever seen. It's perfect, runs 100% smooth on a 386 with a complex physics model and digital music - what more is there to ask?
The Bad
Nothing! Best pinball ever, and a great conversion!
The Bottom Line
A truly magnificent game, one of the few I would truly call perfect. There are no caveats in this one, and I've been in love with it ever since I first played it.
DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 1999
The Good
4 pinball tables, ball and flipper movings are well simulated.
Partyland is my prefered table. I like also stones n bones.
The Bad
Billion dollar and speed devils tables are with less interest.
The Bottom Line
If you like older pinball games, then take it.
DOS · by alain martinaut (1) · 2004
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation version | Lance Boyle (1519) | Oct 4th, 2016 |
Trivia
Attract mode
During each pinball table's attract mode, you can type words to get messages or enable/disable certain features. One such word is "credits", which will list the credits of the people who made and ported the game. Another word will turn the LED display into a scrolly, with a message out to all of Frontline Designs' demoscene friends.
Copy Protection
The PC DOS version has probably the worst copy protection ever. You have to enter a word from the manual, but you have unlimited tries! And word, line, and page won't even change after a wrong answer has been given. But this is moot anyway, since the pinball tables are separate executables. You can simply rename any of the tables (TABLE1.PRG to TABLE4.PRG) to INTRO.PRG and start the game as normal - bypassing the copy protection completely.
Release history
Party Land, Speed Devils, Billion Dollar (aka Billion Dollar Gameshow), and Stones -n- Bones were first released as Pinball Fantasies and later joined by the four tables of Pinball Mania and rereleased as Pinball Fantasies Deluxe. Then, in late 1996, 21st Century repackaged twenty of their tables, including Pinball Fantasies, as Pinball Gold. Pinball Fantasies was originally released on the Amiga, and according to some reports, it was an incomplete, buggy game because Digital Illusions rushed to get it out in time for Christmas. The PC version is free of just about all these bugs, though there remains one major rules oversight (no multiball).
-- excerpt taken from Erik Mooney's FAQ, Rules Sheet and Strategy Guide to Pinball Fantasies
Sales
After its release, the game went up to number one in the "All Formats Top-40" chart in England and has, as of 2004, sold more than 170,000 copies.
Version differences
When playing on the PSP, pressing Select makes the screen turn 90 degrees, so that you can play the game while holding the PSP in a vertical position.
Awards
- Amiga Joker
- Issue 02/1993 – #2 Readers' Special Price for 1992
- PC Gamer
- 1994 - Best Arcade Game
Information also contributed by B.L. Stryker, SonataFanatica and Trixter
Related Games
Released 1993 on DOS, 1994 on SNES, Game Boy...
Released 1994 on DOS
Released 2015 on Windows, Xbox 360, Macintosh...
Released 2016 on Windows, Xbox 360, Macintosh...
Released 2001 on Windows
Released 2010 on Xbox 360, 2010 on PlayStation 3, 2013 on Windows...
Released 2013 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows...
Released 1983 on ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, 1985 on Amstrad CPC
Released 1999 on Windows
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 571
- Wikipedia (en)
Contribute
Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history!
Contributors to this Entry
Game added by IJan.
PlayStation 3 added by Picard. SNES added by B.L. Stryker. iPhone added by Vesuri. PSP added by karttu. PS Vita added by Alaka. MeeGo, Amiga CD32 added by Kabushi. Amiga added by Terok Nor. PlayStation added by Parf. Jaguar added by quizzley7. Game Boy added by Shawn Gwinn.
Additional contributors: Timo W., Parf, Vesuri, Patrick Bregger.
Game added December 15th, 1999. Last modified September 30th, 2023.