Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Developer: FarSight Studios
Genre: Pinball
Release date: September 22, 2009

Who doesn’t like pinball? Just the thought conjures up the glory days of the arcades, smoky bar rooms and bowling alleys of my childhood. When games like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Final Fight were occupied, you could always find me belly-up to the nearest machine, anxiously paying too much attention to where the ball was, instead of where it was going. Thankfully, Crave Entertainment and FarSight Studios were paying full attention, and released Pinball Hall of Fame: the Williams Collection on the PS2 and the Wii to solid reviews. Why stop there, though? Current generations need their silver ball, too, right?

PBHoF: The Williams Collection, for those needing an introduction, is a collection of 13 classic Williams tables, all recreated in high definition, featuring lights, sounds and graphics from the original machines. Players are set loose in an arcade and given 20 credits to spend on (almost) any machine they like. Through the process of playing and completing goals (which are specific to each table), more credits are earned, giving players options like purchasing machines for free play. Online leader boards and offline multiplayer modes are also included, so you can fight for the high score with friends or try to trump another player’s top score.

Legendary pinball machines like PinBot and Funhouse are in included, along with other fan favorites such as Black Knight, Space Shuttle, Taxi and Gorgar. The cool thing is that 360 and PS3 owners not only get upgraded visuals, but two exclusive tables (Tales of the Arabian Nights and Medieval Madness) added to the stable for players to test their skill on, too. There’s also a museum-like quality to how the tables are chosen by setting all of them up in a cool little arcade, complete with an old-school change machine. Apart from that faithful inclusion, it’s all pinball, with fictional game cabinets to fill out the rest of the room.

What I enjoyed the most about Pinball hall of Fame: The Williams Collection was its attention to detail. Sure, each table was a joy to behold, both in terms of graphics and sounds, but there were also some true-to-life table conditions, like the spinners in Whirlwind that were a little off-center, just like the real thing. Reflections gleam off of the glass as you flip, and the lights are almost seizure inducing. The ball physics were also impressive, allowing me to coerce the chrome any way my limited skills would allow me to. I made a few plays here and there that had my jaw agape at how realistic it felt. Now, all I need to do is attach a couple of arcade buttons to the sides of my 360 and I’ll be all set!

On the flip-side, the metal soundtrack that accompanies each table proved to be more than a little grating at times, so I opted to turn it off and take in the natural sounds and voices from each machine instead. The accuracy goes all the way in this department. Voices are all buzzy sounding, just like the original machines, and I can finally pick out those subtle arcade noises I remembered hearing in my younger, more arcade going days. Somewhere along the line, though, there was a mistake made in that the game loads too fast. I know, it sounds stupid of me to say that, but the hints and tips that accompany each load screen seem to only exist for a fraction of a second before the table is loaded. It looks like there was some useful info in there, too.

Despite its minor shortcomings in the loading department (if they can even be called that), Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is without a doubt the best pinball game available for 360 and PS3 owners. The visuals are a treat, the physics work like they’re supposed to, and the table sounds are right on par with the real thing. I hope that FarSight and Crave decide to re-release their other Hall of Fame classics like Gottlieb, or maybe even give us a whole new game featuring the Bally/Bally-Midway releases someday. For right now, though, this is the pinnacle of pinball perfection for both fans and casual players alike.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation: