GameOver Game Reviews

Game & Publisher Golden Logres Pinball (c) LittleWing
Overall Rating 67%
Date Published , , at (Pacific)


Divider Left By: mud Divider Right

I have loved computer pinball since the dawn of Pinball Contruction Set on the Commodore 64 and then the Amiga. It always seems that in pinball you have more control of your own destiny. Aiming at ramps and lights just happens to be a fun thing to me. This pinball game is a worthy effort from a relatively unknown Japanese company named LittleWing but it may not hold up when compared to some of the classics of the past in the world of computer pinball.

Graphics: 16/20

As far as a pinball game goes, this is one of the best I have ever seen in terms of graphical elements. It even takes advantage of 3D hardware for acceleration during play. The lights and layout of the board are both colorful and well thought out. There are no real negative aspects to this part of the game as far as I am concerned except possibly for the rather large ball size in relationship to the size of the flippers themselves.

Sound: 12/15

All the good pinball sound effects made it into this title. The sound effects also didn't lag behind the action like they did on Lost World from Sierra that was released almost a year ago. Sound effect quality was crisp and definitely a welcome addition to the overall gameplay.

Gameplay: 20/30

This is the area to me where the game falls flat on its face in comparison to long standing pinball classics like some of the ones that came out in late 1995 and 1996. The option menu NEEDS an option for the gravitational force on the ball. The ball acts as if it weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of two pounds. It thuds its way around the playing surface like a pinball table would act if the back two legs were raised up about a foot or so. Also the flippers themselves are built way too small to handle the rather large size of the ball. The early shots on the flipper that cause the ball to almost go opposite of the way the flipper is meant to shoot the ball are non-existent. This is one of my favorite tactics when playing real pinball in the arcade. There are a number of quality sub-quests and things to shoot for when you are hitting the ball around, but without the control of a normal pinball table these quests are pure luck if and when you can complete them.

There are three tables in the game. The first one is the default table you get when you start the game with the new game option. It is basically your run of the mill pinball with quests to find knights of the round table and to visit Stonehenge.

The second table is called Lands End. This is by far the most intresting table especially the nice use of color for presentation. You use famous knights such as Sir Gawain to rescue the kingdom from dragons and save people from capture.

The third table is titled Fischer King. The most boring table of the three, the layout of the obstacles and overall presentation of this table is completely lacking in quality. It seems almost like an afterthought that this table was included in the game at all.

Fun Factor: 12/20

The fun factor would have been way on up there in my book had the game employed some added options in the gravitational area of the ball movement. This makes the fun factor rating go way down because of the lack of control and pure randomness to some of the shots that are taken throughout the game. With a gravity option this game would deserve a MUCH higher score.

Multiplayer Play: 0/5

Not a bit of multiplay in this puppy. Enjoy your pinball solo if you want to play at all.

Overall Impression: 7/10

Overall impression is that this game falls short when it comes to the raw gut feel of real pinball. LittleWing Entertainment did a nice job of making the sounds and graphics very professional but they needed to hire a physycist for the correct ball movement on a real-to-life pinball game. That said, it is still something that is maybe worth your time if you are truly wanting to play a new pinball game on the PC and need a challenge.

Rating
67%
 
  

  
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