Williams Pinball Classics

Rating:
Summary: Nice but...
Review: Don't get me wrong. I've been a pin fan since I was a kid and this set contains one of my all time favs: Creature from the Black Lagoon. And it's a lot of fun to play these and explore the tables I'm unfamiliar with, even to the point of finding out that Tales of the Arabian Nights was a tough table.

And, yes, these are stellar conversions with impressive graphics and sounds and, barring the fact that I'm banging on shift keys to work the flippers, I could almost believe that I'm actually playing the game.

However (and you knew this was coming, didn't you) they all fall dreadfully short of the ProPinball series, which went a long way to establish what you could achieve in pinball emulation. And while this is impressive and it's a lot of fun to play these tables again, there are a lot of things that detract for me.

First, trying to duplicate an analog plunger in a digital medium is going to be tricky. But forget about trying for some of the skill shots in Arabian Nights because there simply is no way to manage the center shot. What was tricky in the arcade has become almost impossible. And what of the KISS skillshot in Black Lagoon? If you timed it right, you could take care of that requirement in one shot. Not so here, since the timing of the plunger and timing if the KISS lights are on two different rotations. Far better if they had used tables with the digital launch, like Theater of Magic or Attack From Mars.

These tables also do not come with replay or any sense of "credits". While I realize that these are fairly pointless in any emulation, I like them. It's a throwback to the tables and adds another element to the game that I think is essential to pinball. I never won free games at PacMan, after all.

Further complicating matters is the fact that unlike the ProPinball series, there is no adjustment to the table view nor is there an operator's menu. The view you have is static, with the score held transparent down below the flippers, further distancing me from what pinball is. This view is espeically tricky in games like Arabian Nights, where there is so much blocking your view of the ball at the top of the table. The operator's menu is another minor thing that added to the veracity of ProPin.

In the end, I'd much rather have the overabundance of options that allowed me to customize that ProPinball had. This is good, I like playing these tables, but I'd have been happier had they simply dropped Lost World and spent the time making this a more completely true pinball experience.

For ... I can't complain too much. It's fun... but it's not quite pinball for me.

Rating:
Summary: Nice but...
Review: Don't get me wrong. I've been a pin fan since I was a kid and this set contains one of my all time favs: Creature from the Black Lagoon. And it's a lot of fun to play these and explore the tables I'm unfamiliar with, even to the point of finding out that Tales of the Arabian Nights was a tough table.

And, yes, these are stellar conversions with impressive graphics and sounds and, barring the fact that I'm banging on shift keys to work the flippers, I could almost believe that I'm actually playing the game.

However (and you knew this was coming, didn't you) they all fall dreadfully short of the ProPinball series, which went a long way to establish what you could achieve in pinball emulation. And while this is impressive and it's a lot of fun to play these tables again, there are a lot of things that detract for me.

First, trying to duplicate an analog plunger in a digital medium is going to be tricky. But forget about trying for some of the skill shots in Arabian Nights because there simply is no way to manage the center shot. What was tricky in the arcade has become almost impossible. And what of the KISS skillshot in Black Lagoon? If you timed it right, you could take care of that requirement in one shot. Not so here, since the timing of the plunger and timing if the KISS lights are on two different rotations. Far better if they had used tables with the digital launch, like Theater of Magic or Attack From Mars.

These tables also do not come with replay or any sense of "credits". While I realize that these are fairly pointless in any emulation, I like them. It's a throwback to the tables and adds another element to the game that I think is essential to pinball. I never won free games at PacMan, after all.

Further complicating matters is the fact that unlike the ProPinball series, there is no adjustment to the table view nor is there an operator's menu. The view you have is static, with the score held transparent down below the flippers, further distancing me from what pinball is. This view is espeically tricky in games like Arabian Nights, where there is so much blocking your view of the ball at the top of the table. The operator's menu is another minor thing that added to the veracity of ProPin.

In the end, I'd much rather have the overabundance of options that allowed me to customize that ProPinball had. This is good, I like playing these tables, but I'd have been happier had they simply dropped Lost World and spent the time making this a more completely true pinball experience.

For ... I can't complain too much. It's fun... but it's not quite pinball for me.

Rating:
Summary: A nice collection.
Review: I wasn't expecting a whole heck of a lot from this, having never heard of Redoubt Software before, but I was pleasantly surprised. These tables are all fun to play; even the older "Lost World" table. "Lost World" has no background music however, which may be realistic, but it does sound empty compared to the others, which all have full music soundtracks.

And speaking of sound, the digital effects are all astounding, except for when the ball hits against a non-scoring item, like a side rail or a corner post. Then you get a lame tick-like sound that is scratchy and sounds like something is wrong with your sound card. But this quibble doesn't detract much from the overall enjoyment.

Graphics are first-rate. The tables are all very colorful and accurate renditions of the actual tables. My only other gripe would be that the angle of view is non-adjustable, and you can't see much of what is going on at the top end of the tables. Variable viewing angles would have been a very nice option.

Also, the physics engine is excellent, resulting in lifelike gameplay. Overall, a very worthwhile investment for all pinball fans. And if you like this collection, I also recommend "Pinball Madness 3", which contains 10 more tables from Redoubt Software in their earlier days along with some (...) tables from 21st Century. I would recommend "Pinball Madness 3" only for the Redoubt tables however; and be warned: "PM3" is difficult to get up and running on some computers. Conversely, "Williams Pinball Classics" installed beautifully.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent recreation
Review: I'm kind of confused by some of the other Amazon reviews. I actually bought this and one of the (much higher-rated) Pro Pinball PS2 carts. The Pro Pinball looked and played terribly, and after playing it once, I don't think I'll ever put it in my Playstation again. By contrast, this program is really excellent. Granted, Lost World is an incredibly boring table that was apparently included for contrast or something, but all four tables feel like real pinball machines. And Creature stands out as being a great recreation with very high replayability. I do agree with the one guy who sais that it would be nice if you could change the table view for a better look at what's going on at the top of the tables, but that's a minor complaint. And be warned I did have a problem loading the disc and had to download a patch off of the company website. After doing that, though, they worked fine. Here's hoping for a sequel with some of the other classic pinball tables.

Rating:
Summary: there are better pinball games out there
Review: if you like pinball game try visual pin mame you can download it for free and then you can load any machine you want on it all you need are the game roms. here is the link http://www.vpforums.com/vptables/tables.php#Files

Rating:
Summary: As close to your favorite smokey arcade as you can get.
Review: This software package contains 4 classic William's pinball games. I personally bought it for Tales of the Arabian Nights. Wasn't disappointed. It's as realistic as a computer game can get. Rich color detail and stereo sound. A true replica of the classic table. You can set the graphics as high as your machine can handle. The other tables are Black Rose, Lost World, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Can't testify to accuracy of these others, but Lost World is also incredible. So, rather than pay 2 grand for you favorite William's table, go this route and you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: This game could be a master piece but..........
Review: We (pinball fans) were anxiosly waiting for this title before it was relesed... I have mine today and I want to share my experiences with every tentative customer.
It's a shame that a game that could be a master piece of pinball somulation ends in a mediocre bundle of tables that has nothing to do with the real tables.
1. Ball Physics is horrible, unreal and boring... just shoot any ramps and the ball just end up at the top, also at times it moves extremely and unrealistically fast.
2. Sounds are not like the real tables, and are not high Quality.
3. The genie in TOTAN, is like a cardboard when you hit it
In summary, if you want to buy a real pinball simulation, stay with the Pro Pinball series, these are by far better...
This is another mediocre encore software.what a shame!