 Came for Midevil Madness, stayed for the rest. |
| Review Date: March 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: rhosler, |
| I'm a midevil madness junkie, and this game scratched that itch wonderfully. It's incredibly faithful even to the point where the only thing you notice missing is that everything on the table works correctly. You never see that on a real table because some relay is always stuck or broken. The other tables are really well done too. All in all a great and faithful pinball sim. |
Notes from a longtime pin fan
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| Review Date: March 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: korova, Varosha |
Many reviewers have already covered PHoF's features and gameplay extensively, so I'm just going to talk about a few things I've noticed as a long-time fan of physical and digital pinball.
*PHoF has outstanding graphics and sound. Go ahead, compare the digital tables to the real-life machines...pretty much everything, down to the backglass, thumper bumpers, and spinners, is exactly as it should be.
*Digital pinball veterans may recall how realistic Microsoft Pinball Arcade was, especially given it came out in 1999. PHoF has even better physics, better sound, and a superior selection of machines (I've always dug Williams and Bally more than Gottlieb, even as a kid).
*Arabian Nights and Gophers suffer a bit from camera angle problems. The stationary cameras in Gophers are pulled fairly far back, so it's difficult to get a good view of what's going on. Arabian Nights has the opposite problem. The camera angles are too flat, making it difficult to see the upper parts of the playfield. Players who prefer the dynamic cameras, of course, won't be bothered by any of this. In any case, both tables are still fun to play.
*The Trophies are pretty easy to earn and almost seem like a hastily added afterthought to the main game.
Bottom line: despite minor camera issues on the more complex tables, PHoF is tons o' fun and well worth picking up. Anybody who loves pinball, especially those who don't have regular access to the real thing, will not be disappointed. |
Not as good as Zen Pinball
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| Review Date: February 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: SherBear, Florida |
| The graphics were not as good as Zen Pinball. And Zen has addon content at the ps store. |
Great addition to game library
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| Review Date: February 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Fuzzbox66, Right Side of My Mind |
This title slipped by me totally. Caught it on a "customers who bought this also bought" scroller. Great collection, a must have especially for Pinball Wizards abound. What a great collection of old and newer pinball games that have great physics, sound effects and excellent graphics. It's obvious the developers/coders took great pride in this collection, reproducing the look and feel of each table. My only complaint would be that after a game, you have to return to a sub-menu to play again. Not a big deal really. A+ title. I LOVE game collections like this, especially to break the monotomy of more engrossing games. Got a spare 15 minutes to kill? This works well, play a few rounds and shut down. What we need are more HD collections of old classic games, done with care as to not alter the originals. It's easy to do with video game collections, but pinball is so different and harder to reproduce without the game being modified or a straight port that can often get boring in this day and age of gaming. Pinball stands the test of time and never gets old. More more more collections like this! 5 stars for the love put into this collection...
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A pinball arcade in your very own room
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| Review Date: February 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: D@rkFX, |
Was thinking about buying a real pinball machine but seeing how cheap this is compared to the real thing I couldn't resist this and bought it.
The graphics, sound and physics are excellent and the board variety is satisfactory. There's a plethora of boards to choose from and easy trophies to get. I'm not sure why this had to be distributed on Blu-Ray when the game is not that "big" like Resistance 2, Killzone 2 or something else that would require a large storage media for distribution but it makes a good addition to your physical game collection. |
Best Pinball
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| Review Date: February 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Jackson, WNC |
I am a pinball freak and have bought every pinball video game offered from Sony 1 to Sony 3 and PC. This is the BEST one of them all. The table selection is grand, the movements and sound are on key. To have "Black Knight" tell me to "Please play the Black Knight again" brings back many memories of playing the real thing at the mall.
Good thing I don't have any neighbors because when I play I crank up the surround sound and the house starts rumbling.... with Gorgar playing someone would wonder "what band am I listening to"! haha.
I hope they come out with another game with more tables or maybe Bally will make one with a Xenon table... If that only came on Xbox I would go out and buy and whole Xbox system just to be able to play it. |
Good physics, image definition and lots of fun
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| Review Date: February 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: G. Dombiak, |
I liked playing pinball since I was a kid and when I found this game on the PS3 I knew I had to try it. I read several reviews and people were happy with this game so I went ahead and bought it. And I'm so glad I did.
The game has a lot of pinball tables. As you achieve goals you get access to more tables. You can even tilt and move the tables just like you would do in the real world. The physic rules are very very realistic. The quality of the image too. Each pinball table has its own music that is just like the one you used to hear back then. I had some doubts about the PS3 controller and the user experience but I can say now that it feels like you are playing for real.
I used this game to introduce my 6 years old son to the pinball world and he loved it. We started to go to arcade stores and he says: 'just like the one we play at home...'. Overall, this is an excellent game and if you love pinballs then you will not regret you got this game. |
Improvement over PS2 version & easy to win trophies
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| Review Date: February 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Verified Purchases Only, New York, NY |
This game was improved over the PS2 version by adding trophies, higher resolution graphics, and more tables. The dualshock sixaxis controller seems to work better also. You will feel every bump and vibration which makes this game super realistic. It really does feel like playing a real pinball game. I think what pulls me back to playing this title regularly is the trophies. They aren't too difficult to achieve or impractical. If you get a high score on a machine(not too difficult), you win a trophy for that machine. Earn all of the trophies for each table, and take the Williams Challenge and win, and you win 100% of all the trophies. Earn the high score, win a trophy. Simple and logical.
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Much Better than the PS2 version
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| Review Date: February 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: H. Marquis, Dallas, Tx |
I love the fact it has more tables for the ps3 version. I only wish in challange mode it would random the tables like it does in tournament mode.
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Needs more old school
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| Review Date: February 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Gonsalves, |
| The friend I got this for told me he got beat by his brother on the newer pinpall machines in this game, and was used to the old school ones, but sounds like just an excuse to me! He really liked it overall. |
no brainer
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: P. Hartman, Missouri, USA |
If you are a fan of pinball's, buying this game is a no brainer. The game looks beautiful at 1080p and they did a great job with the physics - this has to be the most realistic pinball simulator to date. You get 13 tables so there is plenty of replay value. It only took me about 6 hours to get 100% of the trophies, but there are lots of table level goals that give you something to strive for. Also there are unlockables for each table like mirror mode, custom ball and the pinball's sales flyer.
The only thing I have to say negative about this game is they did not include any online play... there is a PSN leaderboard, but the interface is slow and obnoxious. I would have loved to be able to play multiplayer games with others online.
I really hope they release more tables for this, they are setting the bar for other pinball games to follow. |
Brings back memories
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: StoogeMoe, Poconos, PA |
Playing pinball is what we used to call skill. Every Friday and Saturday night it was a trip to the local mall to pick up chicks and play some skill. When there were no chicks that dug us, we'd spend more time playing skill. Needless to say, we became very good at playing pinball. The site of walking into that arcade will never be repeated. Three rows of machines lined up side by side at least 20 deep. The pesky and annoying video games were just starting to show up, but were in their own little area. They ruined pinball like MP3's ruined hard media. I remember playing Gorgar and Firepower at the mall and these are on this game.
As far as the game play goes, this game is done really well. It takes a little getting used to the PS3 controller instead of using buttons on the side of the machine. And shaking the machine is different too, but much less tiring! But other than that, the ball physics are very realistic and I can almost feel myself regressing back to those golden times in the arcade. Even the music is somewhat appropriate because we were metal heads. The best machine on this game is Funhouse. There's nothing like a wise cracking dummy egging you on to keep the game exciting. I don't think I could ever tire of it.
The only knocks on the game I have are that the replay should have been the traditional "thwack" sound that a solenoid produced when hitting the side of the cabinet. In the game it's just a cash register sound. The other thing I would have liked is the ability to view the play field under my control so I can examine every square inch of it. The instructions show you most of it, but it's not under your control. Also they don't show much of the back glass. The back glass was always a work of art and usually had some large breasted babe somewhere on it.
Now we just have to lobby for them to come out with Bally collection and redo the Gottlieb collection. Then there will no need to ever leave the house. This is an excellent game and would highly recommend it. Time for some skill! |
Takes me back to the arcade
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: John D. Steere, Silver Spring, MD United States |
| With the absence of real pinball machines in most arcades, this game is a real treat. I have both the Wii version and the PS3 version of this game, that's how much I like it. When you don't want to get spend a lot of time in gunfight, racing, or the other types of games for those systems, this is so much fun just to pick a pinball machine and flip the ball around. I like the controls a little better on the Wii version of the game, but the graphics are better on the PS3. Also there are more pinball machines on the newer PS3 version. I'm a 47-year-old gamer who likes many new games but sometimes I yearn for the games I used to play back when a person had to actually go to an arcade to have this kind of fun. I like how you can change the camera angles -- on some games, it helps to be able to follow the ball around the table, and on other games it helps to have an overhead view without the camera moving so that you can aim to hit targets. I only hope they do another version with more tables. |
great game
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| Review Date: January 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Thomas H. Redfern, |
| this game if you are a pinball lover is the best pinball game on the market. recommended purchase. you wont be disappointed. |
Great game!
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| Review Date: January 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Olson, |
This game is much better and funner than I thought it would be.
I have been playing it for hours now.
Great pinball game, great graphics, and worth the cheap price. |
Pure Perfection
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| Review Date: January 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: GamePlayer30, Baltimore, MD |
| This game is perfect. The graphics(for pinball) are top notch. The physics are spot on and table choices are just about perfect. This is a must own game for any PS3 owner. I do like the wii version the best because the controller feels more like you are playing a feel machine, but the PS3 version comes with 3 more awesome tables. |
Frickin' sweet!
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| Review Date: January 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jack Farnsworth, The Gloryroad |
| I bought this game for my wife for Christmas. Ha! Good luck getting me to put the controller down! For plain old arcade style fun this game can't be beat. Imagine my wife's surprise when she recognized the Pin-Bot table she used to play in high school! |
Best Pinball Simulation
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| Review Date: December 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Andrew J. Heininger, Corning, NY United States |
I love pinball simulations and picked up a copy of this game for X-mas. The PS3 version is awesome! The machines are rendered in high res and the frame rate is exceptional. If you like pinball, look no further. Not sure what a previous reviewer was saying about flipper lag, this is not the case, there is none.
On top of this, the game has a decent price. Enjoy! |
EEEEEE-HA!
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| Review Date: December 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Don E. Atzman, battle creek, mi |
| This is a AWSOME game! ALL THE FUN ONES! Good gameplay! Exciting-just like the real thing!!! IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! BUY IT & HAVE FUN!!! |
Best video pinball game I've ever played!
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| Review Date: December 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mr. I, |
I used to love playing pinball in the arcades, but arcades have all but disappeared nowadays. I've played many different video pinball games, and this game is head and shoulders above all others, when it comes to accurately portraying physical pinball machines. I tried the Zen Pinball demo on PS3, based on positive impressions, but the ball physics just didn't feel right. It was as if the ball was weightless, as it just zipped off the flippers. The ball physics in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is very realistic. The real table recreations look great, and there's a great selection of tables available. My most anticipated table was Funhouse, but I love at least half a dozen tables in this game.
If you loved playing pinball in the arcades, this title is a must buy! |
Timeless gameplay in a decent package
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: The Breadmaster, San Francisco, CA |
| If you are the type of person who likes video pinball then you will love this - simple as that. If you're not a fan, I don't think this game will change your mind. It is purely a love letter to the hardcore. It faithfully emulates some of the all time classics of the solid state pinball era. If you ever played a real Funhouse, or Earthshaker, or Medieval Madness, you will find the simulations offered here great fun. The only negatives is that everything except the actual pinball gameplay is pretty janky. The menus are cumbersome and ugly, the way the game instantly cuts off the end music from the real machine and switches to its own faux-80's soundtrack is irritating, the online leaderboards are barely adequate. Luckily the core gameplay of flipping and bumping the tables is spot on, and that's all that really matters. I love this game to death but I recognize it is a niche title. |
Slow Flipper Response
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Rene Gonzalez, San Antonio, TX USA |
Am I the only one who has noticed the flippers have a split second delay after you press the R1 or L1? I own the PS2 version and my friend just got the PS3. On PS2 the flipper timing is fine. When you press; the flippers hit the ball instantly. On PS3 however, when you press; the flippers wait a split second before flipping. Is anyone else having this problem or is it just a problem with my buddy's PS3?
Other than this, what a great collection of pinball games! Beautiful graphics and realistic game play. Other than the delayed flipper buttons. |
Pinball Fans Rejoice!
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| Review Date: December 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Grady Cole, |
| Pinball Hall of Fame for the PS3 is outstanding. I love virtual pinball almost as much as the real thing, maybe even a bit more because it doesn't suck up all my quarters. PHoF lovingly recreates 13 of Williams' best-known (non-licensed) tables; it's a true simulation. Having had the opportunity to play a number of the real games in the past, I can say that they did a great job recreating the feel of the tables. Unfortunately the PS3 version has a few bugs, like a problem where the controller momentarily looses connection to the game, causing your flipper to drop for a split second, and if you're trapping the ball it'll flip back up and your ball will be off somewhere else. There are local and global high scores for each table, though the implementation could be a bit better. Overall the game is a solid 4/5 (maybe 4.5), but these few bugs (and not using the Circle button for "back") keeps thr game from receiving top marks. I hope to see some DLC tables in the future, and I'd gladly pay a premium for some licensed tables. I highly recommend this for any pinball fans out there. |
Forget first person shooters...
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| Review Date: December 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: PACS Admin., Memphis TN |
I picked this up on Amazon a few weeks ago, and it hasn't come out of my PS3 Console since.
Each of these tables has been lovingly recreated, and for any fan of the old school pinball machines, this game is an absolute must. And you want to talk about replay value? Forget the first person shooters, this is one mission you won't be completing anytime soon. Once you get a few scores on the leader boards in the top 100 you'll find yourself looking for a few extra minutes at lunch, after dinner, at 2am, just trying to improve on those scores. I played Gorgar last night for hours, just trying to keep the ball alive long enough to get in the top 10. 16 was the best I could do, but what a blast it was to do it.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this game. It'll be the easiest 30bucks you spend all year, and it'll save you a butt-load of quarters.
My only constructive criticisms of the game (because there should always be at least one!) The leaderboard interface is clunky, and has no "friends" filter. Really needs to have the ability to play 2 player split flipper (who didn't do this back in the day?) using two separate controllers.
Yopp! (such a supple wrist!) |
Classic Pinball Tables for the PS3
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| Review Date: November 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Alexander DINORCIA, Toronto, Canada |
As a kid in the 80's I dumped a lot of quarters into the pinball machines at the local corner store. In 90's I dumped a lot of quarters into the pinball machines on campus and at the pub. The last time I tried "computer" pinball was something on windows95 and I wasn't really impressed.
When ZEN pinball came out on the PSN, I picked it up and was impressed with the quality, but the tables were fictitious. One of my lasting memories from the 80s was taking turns on the Black Knight table at the corner store. It was the first pinball machine I played that talked to you and it had magna-save. I looked around online and found that Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection not only existed, had real world pinball tables but it also had Black Knight!
I really enjoyed this game. The tables (those I had played in real life) are just as I remember them. The default high scores are not too high to register. The "Williams Challenge" was tough, but not impossible to unlock Jive Time.
If there are more "Pinball Hall of Fame" games for the PS3, I will certainly pick them up. I might even get the Gottlieb collection but it's a PS2 game and I'd prefer a 1080p HD version. |
Almost like real pinball
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| Review Date: November 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bergman, Netherlands |
I recently bought The Williams collection on Playstation 3.
It's a great game. Very realistic. Even if you're not a fan of pinball,
You will like the game. If You don't have room or money for a real
pinball machine, this is a good replacement.
First I downloaded Zen Pinball on Playstation 3. This is also a very
realistic pinball game. But it's faster and the tables are more complicated
then the Williams collection.
The Williams collection contains 13 pinball tables, from easy to very difficult.
I'm not that pinball expert, but I can see the creaters of this game, have
done everything to make this game to a succes for Playstation-pinballers.
The tables look very realistic, and also the sound is like it should be.
The speed is just right.
I hope there is going to be a sequel, because there are enough pinball-tables
left to fill another game.
Greetings from Paul from the Netherlands |
Fun, Addictive and Challenging
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| Review Date: November 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. P. Rec Jr., |
This is simply the best pinball game available today. Given as much time I have spent on this game, at ~$30 I dare say it is the best value for *ANY* X360 or PS3 game (across all genres). It is fun, addictive, and challenging.
I am a huge fan of pinball, and I have personally played 9 of the 13 tables you get in this game. Physics are spot on, too. I am no scientist, but I can tell you that that the table "feel" is just amazing. There is a particular shot in Taxi (Joy-Ride) that I cannot hit consistently to save my life. However my son can, but struggles with other shots on the table. Hilarity ensues as certain ironies are realized, and we generally have a great time playing that table in the local sub shop. We loaded up Taxi right out of the box, and we have the exact same experience. Just incredible.
One of the only unrealistic aspects of playing this game is that the tables are in immaculate condition, which is quite difficult to find in real life these days. Flippers are full power, all slingshots and bumpers pop beautifully, and the ramps work well. I cannot really complain about that, obviously! If you nudge (what real pinball player doesn't nudge?), then you will be in heaven - trust me.
You simply cannot go wrong buying this game. I cannot wait for downloadable content, nor will you once you play it.
There is an on-line leader board that greatly magnifies the replay value already inherent for pinball lovers and newbies alike. Enjoy!
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Much cheaper than collecting pins.
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| Review Date: November 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Grisle, California |
| I have to admit that while this game is great it by no means can compare with playing an actuall pinball machine. That being said it is really expensive playing machines unless you've got a buddy who has them. This title has a few really great games and it seems like they cared enough about them to recreate them in this form spot on. I've played for several hours and I have yet to experience any glitches...I know that's just because I've been lucky. There will be glitches, but there are also glitches on a regular machine. All in all it's a cheap title and super fun so that makes it a win win. |
Excellent game! Very addictive.
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| Review Date: November 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Hodsdon, St. Paul, MN USA |
I dumped a ton of quarters into several of these tables growing up... Mainly Pinbot, Medieval Madness, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Funhouse and Taxi. It's stunning how accurately they've reproduced them here. I've picked up most of the great $60 games that have been released recently and I can honestly say none have as much non-stop action or replay value as the $29 Williams Collection.
I've already got more hours into this title than all of my other games combined!
My only wish would be for the ability to play against friends online but for 29 bucks (new) I'm not complaining.
Check out the reviews on all of the gaming sites. Even the hardcore pinball fanatics agree that this game is fantastic!
The guys who made it obviously love these tables as much as I do. Even if you haven't played the real pinball machines,
I would highly recommend this title. |
Words from an arcade tech........
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| Review Date: November 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mr. Tunes, |
| I was there when most of these games were brand new and have played them all for real and I can say without hesitation that these are very good represntations of the originals. There are a few glitches that arise occaisionally, such as, I've seen the ball leave the playfield and roll off the screen (oops), but overall the gameplay is very good. The ball physics are also slightly off ( the ball is always moving even when it should be standing still ). I also noticed that some of the tables have mistakes in the sound effects, which doesn't effect gameplay, I just happen to know first hand that they got it wrong. Overall, the graphics are outstanding, sound is good, the gameplay is good, and I have no regrets making this puchase. My one pet peave with every pinball simulation is the fact that they never duplicate the machines original feature ajustments such as difficulty levels, number of balls per game, etc. The closest I've seen to that was the Pro Pinball series for the PC, but even those do not include playfield adjustments, which all of these machines had. Maybe one day, someone will do it 100% right, but as simulations go, this one is not too bad at all. |
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