Review: The Pinball Arcade (Vita)

Pinball has never been high on my list of enjoyable gaming experiences. I rarely played physical pinball machines, and, aside from Sonic Spinball, the only virtual pinball game I ever played much of, or at all, was the 3D Pinball game bundled with Windows 95 forward. I still remember the space theme of the table, and I can still somewhat picture the table layout in my head. I never got into Pinball FX, or any of the other recent crazes, and that was fine by me. Then a code came my way for The Pinball Arcade on PS Vita, and I thought…why not?

I see a lot of people talking about table physics, ball weight, and more when comparing pinball games. I have absolutely no comparative experience to base those determinations off of, so what you’re going to see here is very simple: is it fun?

Yes. It plays like a fairly accurate version of my recollection of physical pinball machines, but in a digital handheld format that is comfortable and functional. The shoulders control the flippers, the right joystick controls the plunger, and the left joystick controls the tilt. Everything is where you would expect it to be, and works how you would expect it to work. The only problem you’ll run into when playing tables is trying to figure out the skill shots with each launch. The camera angle goes down to the plunger, and makes it very difficult to eyeball distances for skill shots unless you get a good feel for them during regular play.

The thing that sets The Pinball Arcade apart from its pinball competitors is that it provides real world pinball tables picked from some of the game’s finest selections. Not only does it give you real world replicas, it provides you with a great history of the table, from its origin to its claim to fame. Unfortunately, the game only comes loaded with four tables. More tables will become available for download in the future, of that I have no doubt. At what cost, if any, though, is anyone’s guess. There are, additionally, some gameplay features that are currently unavailable (like Tournaments). Whether these will be enabled in a future patch or if they are going to be made available for purchase is, again, anyone’s guess.

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For $9.99, you not only get the Vita version of The Pinball Arcade, but the PS3 version as well, which does add a great deal of value to the package. From what I’m assured are recreations of classic pinball tables to the detailed histories on each classic table, you get a pinball experience that should satisfy arcade pinball enthusiasts while entertaining and educating pinball amateurs. There are some camera angle issues, and the amount of content offered on launch is slim (only four tables and some currently unavailable game modes), but in spite of this it manages to make me enjoy playing pinball for the first time in the last decade or more. If the game came with more tables for the price, I’d easily rate it higher than what it’s currently getting, but there will be more tables forthcoming, so the cost may be well worth it for true pinball fans.