Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection $74.98

Pinball on a PSP - It probably doesn't get any better than this... As a lifelong player of pinball, collector, restorer and technician, I consider myself to be a pinball aficionado and an avid collector of all things Williams. That being said, this collection of Williams games is a pretty good variety of titles. It's a shame that they decided to deprive PSP owners and not include some of the other titles that are found on the Xbox version (like Medieval Madness). Regardless, this review will only refer to the PSP version. The good: The graphics are very good. I really have no complaints about the graphics or even the moving POV camera. Pinball machines are full of artwork and these "simulations" are very good representations of that art. Even most of the physics of the game play itself is very good - predictable and not very random, but good. I can say that the real games play almost identically to these sims. The bad: The original tables sound effects are nearly perfectly reproduced here. The real problem is the annoying added sound of the ball rolling on wood. Every game has this sound and on many of the tables, this sound is louder than the sound effects of the game. The only game where this makes any sense at all is on the Electro Mechanical game "Jive Time." In real life, you generally would never hear this sound unless you were playing with the playfield glass off. On some of the titles, like Firepower and Gorgar this sound almost completely drowns out the ultra cool digitized sound effects of the game. The speech volume is also horribly low. You can't hear the voices very good over this annoying ball rolling sound effect. Playing Firepower is really no fun if you can't hear Steve Ritchie's voice calling out "FIRE." Gorgar is really no fun if you can't hear his heart beating faster and faster as you play longer. If only you could control the volume of speech, sound effects and "ball rolling on wood" independently it would really help with this small but annoying issue. I think you should have control over all of the different adjustable features of the original games. You do not. You can't even adjust the number of balls per game. That is unacceptable. Otherwise, I would recommend this game for the PSP. Being able to play the table in "portrait" or "landscaped" orientation is a nice touch. This game will be moderately entertaining for any pinball fan. Rating: 4 (Steven J. Winslow, 2009-12-29) Product reviewed: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

The Best (and only?) Portable Pinball Sim I'm Aware Of I get hooked on pinball every now and again. Lately, I've been playing the very good "Zen Pinball" from the Playstation Network. So I wanted more, and I wanted something I could take on the go with me. After seeing many positive reviews of this title, I took the plunge. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection, promises realistic simulations of real pinball tables from the past catalog of Williams, probably the leading pinball company in the game's history (and a Chicago company, too). The menu system of the game is an "arcade," presented in 3-d graphics, in which you can move from one machine to another. You have a set number of "credits," and some tables require a credit to play, some are set up for "free play." You earn additional credits by meeting various goals for each table. Then, you can purchase "free play" on other tables, as well as unlock various options for play (special balls, mirror tables, etc.) The following ten tables are included: Jive Time (1970) - A very simple table with few extraneous features. Probably the most "old-timey" of the group. This table is a real "drain monster" though, and has been set to 5-ball mode by default to compensate. Gorgar (1979) - A relatively simple table with a few extras, such as a magnetic "snake pit." Well balanced and fun, but not overly complex. Firepower (1980) - a simple but compelling table with a ball lock and a ramp. Well balanced, cool sound effects. Black Knight (1980) - A fun, 4-flipper multilevel playfield with several ramps and two ball locks for multi-ball. Lots of fun. Space Shuttle (1984)- A fun table with an adjustable word slot array, two ball catches, two ramps, a space shuttle model, and a bonus readout on the table. Midway between the very complex tables and the more simple ones. Sorcerer (1985) - some cool ramps and an fun adjustable drop target make this a pretty fun table. The arrangement of targets is quite a bit of fun to hit. Pin*Bot (1987) - This table is a lot of fun. A Robotic "visor" lifts up during the game, allowing you to lock balls into the eye sockets for later multiball use. Several ramps and a skillshot mechanic off the plunger make this one a keeper. Taxi (1988)- This talking table strikes a nice balance between simplicity and gimmicks. A skillshot spiral is off the plunger, a two way ramp goes around the top, and two ballcatchers are on the sides. This one is good simple fun. Funhouse (1990)- a VERY fun table with loads of features. You work to advance a clock on the game field by hitting bumpers. A talking ventriloquist dummy gets whacked by the pinball and complains - if you advance the clock far enough, you can get the ball into his snoring mouth. Lots of ramps and special features, and a third flipper for multi-level play. Probably the best table in the game. Whirlwind (1990) - Incredibly fun, up there with Funhouse. This talking table gives you warnings of hurricanes/tornadoes. A third flipper makes this a multi-level game. A lot of cool ramps litter this one, and the middle of the playfield features "storm" pinwheels that alter the path of the ball. Check out the Internet Pinball Database (a great website!) for pictures and specs on each table. For nostalgia fans, the original sales flyer is viewable with each table. This is great - except you can't zoom in on them. Sigh. Good luck squinting to try and read the text. High scores are kept for each table, but only 5 slots each. I kind of wish the more robust scoring of a PSN-style game were available. But I guess it's authentic. **** Graphically, this game is a mixed bag. The table playfields look generally nice, though there are some jaggies to content with. The PSP's smaller screen is a bit too small in the normal orientation, but thankfully there is the option to turn the system 90 degrees and play in a better vertical orientation. The "arcade" itself is pretty rudimentary, almost PS1 level graphics. Load times are very tolerable for a disc-based PSP game. **** Music and sound effects are great. All the original voices and sound effects from the various tables are well represented. Cheesy metal (an authentic arcade touch) plays in the background of the arcade, but thankfully not during gameplay. **** Controls are adequate, but not terrific. This is more a fault of the PSP system than the developers. table bumping and plungers are mapped to the analog nub, and it isn't always responsive. In Horizontal gameplay, the bumpers are mapped to the shoulders, pretty standard. In vertical, they are mapped to X and Triangle - which is fine, except that now the analog nub is way on the top of the system. I wish that user-mappable controls had been included so that we could all figure out our own best layout. **** Overall, I love this game. I wish it had some more tables (something from before 1970 perhaps), and some more customizing options for controls. Due to these factors, I can't give it a perfect score. But you can't beat pinball for just the sort of gameplay that portables are made for - short, addicitive, pick up and play gaming. Rating: 4 (Matthew T. Weflen, 2009-08-15) Product reviewed: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

best pinball game ever I brought this game because i'm a huge fan of Williams pinball machines , and i must say it's the most played game i own , the game mechanics are as close to the original machines as you can get , and with a huge line up of tables on offer you wont be getting bored quickly . My favorite table would have to be fun house , and it looks and plays as close to the real life table , . This being my first ever review , i hope it helps others make their choice , i highly recommend it for any pinball fan out there . Rating: 5 (steve townsend, 2009-07-01) Product reviewed: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

Pinball Hall of Fame Great graphic's, fun games, many different one's to pick from, you do not have to play the same one over and over. If you like pinball games this is a good one. Rating: 4 (John D. Beard, 2009-04-02) Product reviewed: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

excellent game awsome graphics This game is very nice the graphic's is awesome very well design u can choose many type of pinball machines feels like youre in a real pinball arcade place. i recommended it if u are a big fan of pinball this is a true collection. Rating: 4 (J. Medina, 2009-01-26) Product reviewed: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection