Reviewer: Agent K
Company: Rare 1991
Rarity: B, rare
Expertise: Decent 5,466,000 points
This is a pinball game. More impressively this is a real pinball machine that one can find in an arcade. The only problem is that Pinbot is not all that great of a real pinball machine. However much I may wish they had chosen a different pinball machine to make into a NES, this is the one they chose. They did a great job with this game, it feels very similar to the arcade version. The main problem being that it is easier to do many things like catch the ball and shoot the ball up the ramp. Also they added some features which I don't like. For instance when you advance levels creatures start appearing that will eat your ball. Now I'm quite sure that's not in the arcade version! The graphics are pretty good, but everything seems a little muddy at first until you get used to sorting out what's what. The big problem with all real pinball machines is that you really need to know what's going on, what are you shooting for. Just slapping the ball around is mildy fun, but having a goal is much better. I highly recommend reading the instruction booklet which is available online. The basic goal is to light up the center grid causing the Pinbot to be "Under your control" and then shooting the balls into his eyes when the visor pops up. Once that is done you do other things to advance levels and you can also advance planets. Like I said look at a manual for this game. Each level has a different color scheme and like I already said, creatures will start eating your ball so be careful. Basically this is a pretty cool version of an arcade pinball machine. Now if you hate arcade pinball machines then steer clear and maybe go for old fashioned Pinball. However, if your like me and really dig pinball then this game is pretty darn cool.
Positives:
One of only 2 real emulations of a pinball table on the NES that I'm aware of and by far the best of the 2.
Glaring Negatives:
A bit too easy to do some things. The creatures make pinball, which is hard to begin with, that much harder.
Graphics and Sound: Decent
The graphics are fine once you get to know the board and the colors are pretty cool. The voice is so horrendus that it's quite funny. In fact you'll need to consult the manual to even know what the heck it's saying.
Gameplay and Controls: Good
It's basic pinball, flip away. My only problem is with how easy it is to catch the ball.
Features: Not too much
There's only a couple of tasks. Try to light up the center for multiball or try to advance the planets with the left side targets. However there is the ramp and the eject hole on the left as well.
Fun?: Yeah
This is one of those depends on the person kind of things. If you love pinball this game is great. If you like platformers and nes Pinball then you might not. Agent J who does not really dig real arcade pinball machines, doesn't really dig this game either.
Challenge: Pretty Hard
Out of 8 levels I've gotten to level 5, but that was a pretty good game. Like real pinball this game is hard. You really have to master a couple of shots before you can start having a lot of fun.
Replay: Good
Pinball is all about replay. Mastering the shots is only the beginning. Once you've got that down, you've got to figure out when to shoot them where and be able to do it under pressure. Also you get to deal with pinball quirks like, oh crap the ball just went right down the middle and there was nothing I could do about it.
2 Player: Good
Up to 4 players can play at once. The players alternate every ball. This is fun because you can root for or against the other players.
Online Manual?: Yes
This is very important. If you want to enjoy the game read the manual! I gave the game a B- until I read the manual and fully understood what I was doing.
Bottom Line: Probably
It's a fairly rare game which is cool and it's a very high quality adaptation of a real pinball machine.