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The Pinball Arcade

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The Pinball Arcade
File:The Pinball Arcade logo.jpg
Developer(s)FarSight Studios
Publisher(s)FarSight Studios
Crave Entertainment
Alience Digital Media
Platform(s)Android, iOS, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Kindle Fire, Ouya, PlayStation 4
Release
February 9, 2012
  • iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)
    Android OS
    Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
    PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita (PlayStation Network)
    OS X
    (Mac App Store)
    (Steam) Kindle Fire
    Ouya
    Windows (Steam)
    PlayStation 4
    (Retail)
    (PlayStation Network)
    Wii U
    Nintendo 3DS (Pinball Hall of Fame)
    Linux (Steam)
    Xbox One
Genre(s)Pinball
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

The Pinball Arcade is a pinball video game developed by FarSight Studios. The game is a simulated collection of real pinball tables licensed by Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, and Stern Pinball. Four tables were available initially with the game's launch: Black Hole, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and Theatre of Magic.[1] Additional tables have been and will be published as downloadable content (DLC) each and every month.

It is available for download on a number of devices through their respective online stores, such as those using the Android operating system (including derivatives e.g. Kindle Fire or Ouya) and for iOS devices, Windows (through Steam) and OS X computers, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Versions have been proposed for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Linux, and Xbox One.

The Xbox 360 version was removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace due to legal problems between Microsoft and Crave Entertainment.[2] A re-release is planned soon.[3] Although tables have to be purchased for each platform separately FarSight offer owners of the PS3 and PS Vita version a discount on the PS4 purchase[4] and buyers of the Steam version are able to play their tables on OS X and Windows.[5]

Screenshot of the table FunHouse from the PlayStation 4 version.

Development

The Pinball Arcade is being developed by FarSight Studios, which also developed Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection and Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection that were published by Crave Entertainment.[6]

FarSight Studios was taking part in the Steam Greenlight program to distribute The Pinball Arcade for Windows-based personal computers.[7] The game was successfully Greenlit on April 18, 2013.[8] From August until October 2013, the PC version of The Pinball Arcade was in beta-testing. The Windows version of Pinball Arcade was released on November 4, 2013, along with the first 19 table packs. A Macintosh version of the Steam release was released on December 16, 2013.

The option to buy a season pass for the whole season including unreleased tables in advance was cancelled in February 2014 across all platforms triggered due to violation of Apple's policies that do not allow sales of unreleased software.[9]

On April 1, 2014, FarSight released a patch that included stereoscopic 3D support for PlayStation 3. [10]

Announced

The third season of DLC will consist of 10 tables and will be released until September 2014. FarSight is beta-testing a Challenge Mode that is planned for early this year and a head-to-head online mode is currently in the design stages. A new, player-customizable user interface, support for virtual pinball cabinets, DirectX 11 support for the PC version, and stereoscopic 3D support for PS4 are also scheduled.

Due to the suggestive themes of the game, FarSight Studios announced on Christmas Eve that they are currently also working on a spin-off called "Pinball After Dark" using real world adult themed tables.[11]

Besides recreations of existing pinball machines, FarSight is also planning to produce its own original designed tables in cooperation with famous pinball designers from the past.[12]

Linux

On December 24, 2013, FarSight announced that they have begun working on the Steam Linux version of The Pinball Arcade.[13]

Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS version will be called Pinball Hall of Fame and will only feature non-emulated newly scripted electro-mechanical tables and tables using early alphanumeric and numeric displays from Williams and Gottlieb such as Big Shot, Black Hole, Black Knight, Central Park, Firepower, Genie, Space Shuttle, Pin*Bot, Gorgar, Goin' Nuts, Haunted House, El' Dorado: City Of Gold, and other future non-emulated tables.[14]

Wii U

A version for Nintendo's Wii U console is currently in development; initially planned for release as close to November 18, 2012 as possible,[15] the version was not submitted to Nintendo until December 2012.[16] Final submission was confirmed in late July 2013 and it was announced in June that it would release in September 2013. On August 27, 2013 FarSight Studios commented on their Facebook page that they were still working on the Wii U version and therefore it wasn't submitted to Nintendo yet.[17] FarSight had confirmed that final submission is in early 2014.[citation needed]

Xbox 360

The Pinball Arcade was previously published by Crave Entertainment for Xbox 360 on Xbox Live. Only the first ten tables were released for Xbox 360 when Crave Entertainment filed for bankruptcy in 2012. FarSight Studios has been unable to ship new tables for the Xbox 360 since then as they fight in court for the return of the publishing rights.[8] Microsoft terminated Crave's publishing license after the company emerged from bankruptcy, forcing The Pinball Arcade to be removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace in July 2013.[2] FarSight Studios is awaiting legal resolution between Microsoft and Crave, hoping to be able to update the Xbox 360 version in late 2013.[18] On April 11, 2014, FarSight Studios announced that Alliance Digital Media would be publishing The Pinball Arcade on Xbox 360 and that all previously released tables have been submitted to Microsoft for approval and release.[3]

Xbox One

In July 2013, Microsoft announced plans to relax its publishing requirements for independent developers on its then upcoming console, Xbox One.[2] At the time, FarSight Studios expressed an interest in developing for the console, but did not commit to doing so.[2] At the Game Developers Conference in March 2014, Microsoft stated that The Pinball Arcade would be one of the first releases in their "ID@Xbox" program, with FarSight planning for a June 2014 release for the front-end and all tables in Seasons One and Two.[19][20]

Kickstarter

FarSight Studios launched a Kickstarter project in order to cover the cost to acquire the necessary licenses to publish Bally/Midway's Twilight Zone table.[21] FarSight Studios pledged to also digitize Williams' Star Trek: The Next Generation table if the Twilight Zone project reached double its $55,000 goal ($110,000).[22] Funding of the Twilight Zone was successful. A total of $77,499 was raised to fund licensing for Twilight Zone. FarSight Studios President Jay Obernolte signed the license agreement for Twilight Zone on June 8, 2012. Surplus funds, after deductions from unfulfilled pledges and processing fees, were applied to a new Kickstarter project for Star Trek: The Next Generation that was launched August 17, 2012.[23] This project was also successfully funded.[24]

On June 21, 2013, FarSight Studios issued a Kickstarter to digitize Terminator 2: Judgment Day. As of July 21, 2013 it successfully surpassed the $59,000 goal with $62,360.[8] On July 11th 2014, Farsight Studios confirmed a Kickstarter for the The Addams Family pinball machine after being teased for so long.

Tables

Table packs 1 through 10 were released in the season one table pack and pro pack in May 2013 allowing players to buy all tables at once. FarSight Studios also released the season two pro pack and season two pack that ranges add-on packs 11 through 20 allowing players who purchase the pack pre-purchase upcoming tables before they release. Season Three officially started with the PC release of Fish Tales on December 16, 2013. Although tables are not necessarily released to all platforms and/or regions simultaneously, there are currently 48 tables.

Pro Menus

In late October 2012, FarSight Studios began to release "Pro Menu" upgrades for previously released tables. The upgrade lets the player control the camera to look around the table, control the ball, learn tips from pro players, and view the coin door and use the operator's menu. For Scared Stiff, it also grants the ability to turn off family mode with an uncensored voice-over.

Table key

Green tickY
 Table has been published for this platform
Red XN
 Table has not been published for this platform
P
 Pro Menu upgrade has been published for this platform.
(Pro Menus are not available on EM-based/non-DMD pinball tables because that mode didn't exist in real life.)

Published

Table Table Type Manufacturer Year Season Table Pack iOS AND WIN/ OSX STM PS3/ Vita PSN OSX MAS PS4 X360 XBLA Cur. N/A
Tales of the Arabian Nights Dot Matrix Display Williams 1996 1 Free Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP
Black Hole Numeric Display Gottlieb 1981 1 Core Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Dot Matrix Display Stern 2004 1 Core Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Theatre of Magic Dot Matrix Display Bally 1995 1 Core Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
The Machine: Bride of Pin•Bot Alphanumeric Display Williams 1991 1 1 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Medieval Madness Dot Matrix Display Williams 1997 1 1 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP
Cirqus Voltaire Dot Matrix Display Bally 1997 1 2 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
FunHouse Alphanumeric Display Williams 1990 1 2 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Gorgar Numeric Display Williams 1979 1 3 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Monster Bash Dot Matrix Display Williams 1998 1 3 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Black Knight Numeric Display Williams 1980 1 4 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Creature from the Black Lagoon Dot Matrix Display Bally 1992 1 4 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Harley-Davidson, 3rd Edition Dot Matrix Display Stern (Originally Sega) 2004 (1999) 1 5 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Taxi Alphanumeric Display Williams 1988 1 5 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Elvira and the Party Monsters Alphanumeric Display Bally 1989 1 6 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
No Good Gofers Dot Matrix Display Williams 1997 1 6 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Scared Stiff Dot Matrix Display Bally 1996 1 7 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN
Big Shot Electro-Mechanical Display Gottlieb 1973 1 7 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Twilight Zone Dot Matrix Display Bally 1993 1 8 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN
Star Trek: The Next Generation Dot Matrix Display Williams 1993 1 9 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN
Attack from Mars Dot Matrix Display Bally 1995 1 10 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN
Genie Numeric Display Gottlieb 1979 1 10 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN
Dr. Dude & HIs Excellent Ray Alphanumeric Display Bally 1990 2 11 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Firepower Numeric Display Williams 1980 2 11 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Cactus Canyon Dot Matrix Display Bally 1998 2 12 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Central Park Electro-Mechanical Display Gottlieb 1966 2 12 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Space Shuttle Numeric Display Williams 1984 2 13 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
White Water Dot Matrix Display Williams 1993 2 13 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Centaur Numeric Display Bally 1981 2 14 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
PIN•BOT Alphanumeric Display Williams 1986 2 14 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
The Champion Pub Dot Matrix Display Bally 1998 2 15 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Whirlwind Alphanumeric Display Williams 1990 2 15 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Flight 2000 Numeric Display Stern 1980 2 16 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Goin' Nuts Numeric Display Gottlieb 1983 2 16 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Dot Matrix Display Williams 1991 2 17 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Tee'd Off Dot Matrix Display Gottlieb 1993 2 18 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Haunted House Numeric Display Gottlieb 1982 2 18 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Victory Alphanumeric Display Gottlieb 1987 2 19 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Class of 1812 Alphanumeric Display Gottlieb 1991 2 19 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Cue Ball Wizard Dot Matrix Display Gottlieb 1992 2 20 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
El Dorado: City Of Gold Numeric Display Gottlieb 1984 2 20 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Fish Tales Dot Matrix Display Williams 1992 3 21 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYp Red XN
Black Rose Dot-Matrix Display Bally 1992 3 22 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYp Red XN
Black Knight 2000 Alphanumeric Display Williams 1989 3 23 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
WHO Dunnit Dot-Matrix Display Bally 1995 3 24 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
High Speed Alphanumeric Display Williams 1986 3 25 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Junk Yard Dot-Matrix Display Williams 1996 3 26 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
Lights...Camera...Action! Alphanumeric Display Gottlieb 1989 3 27 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN
High Roller Casino Dot-Matrix Display Stern 2001 3 28 Green tickYP Green tickYP Green tickYP Red XN Green tickYP Red XN Red XN

Future Tables

FarSight Studios has plans to release the following tables.

Table Table Type Manufacturer Year Season Table Pack Information
Diner Alphanumeric Display Williams 1990 3 29 Speculation.
The Addams Family Dot-Matrix Display Bally 1992 TBA TBA Confirmed via the monthly newsletter for a kickstarter.

Reception

The Pinball Arcade was well received by critics. It averages 84.83% for Xbox 360,[25] 81.67% for PS3[26] and 80.00% for PlayStation Vita[27] at GameRankings and 82/100 for Xbox360,[28] 79/100 for PlayStation Vita[29] and 82/100 for iOS[30] at Metacritic. IGN gave 9/10 for the PC and PS4 version of The Pinball Arcade and concluded: "For pinball fanatics or just those curious about gaming’s relatively low-tech past, Pinball Arcade is an excellent starting point for re-experiencing the golden days of quarter-munchers."[31]

The Pinball Arcade won best mobile game of 2012 in X-Play's Best of 2012 Awards and was also nominated for best remake/retro release in 2012.[32] The PC World website listed The Pinball Arcade at number 100 on their top 100 best products of 2012.[33]

A BBC News article described virtual pinball games such as The Pinball Arcade as a way to preserve pinball culture and bring it to new audiences.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nelson, Jared. "Video of Upcoming 'Pinball Arcade' Running on iPad 2." Touch Arcade. 12 January 2012. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Pinball Arcade Newsletter #17". July 26, 2013. Cite error: The named reference "TPANews-17" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "The Pinball Arcade: Newsletter 26". FarSight Studios. April 11, 2014. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ "Pinball Arcade Out Tomorrow on PS4 – PlayStation.Blog". Blog.us.playstation.com. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  5. ^ http://steamcommunity.com/app/238260/discussions/1/630799997711778855/
  6. ^ Matrarch. ""Pinball Arcade Developer Diary Released." TrueAchievements. 27 December 2011. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Steam Greenlight :: Pinball Arcade". Steamcommunity.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  8. ^ a b c FarSight Studios (June 21, 2013). "Pinball Arcade: Terminator 2 Judgement Day by Farsight Studios". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  9. ^ Nutt, Christian (14 February 2014). "Pinball Arcade developer yanks season pass, citing Apple policy". Gamasutra. Think Services. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  10. ^ https://www.facebook.com/pinballarcade/posts/722014217819641?stream_ref=10
  11. ^ "Pinball Arcade dev details 2014 plans, including season 3 tables". Polygon. 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  12. ^ a b Rubens, Paul (2014-02-03). "BBC News - Virtual games bring pinball to new audiences". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  13. ^ "Pinball Arcade News & FAQ". Pinballarcade.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  14. ^ 09:50 AM. "Pinball Arcade Fans". Pinball Arcade Fans. Retrieved 2014-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Ryan, Mike. "The Pinball Arcade: An Interview With Community Manager Rob Mann" Warp Zoned. 5 November 2012. Retrieved on 14 November 2012.
  16. ^ "Pinball Arcade Newsletter #10 EXTRA Edition". December 28, 2012.
  17. ^ "Can you please tell us if The Pinball... - The Pinball Arcade". Facebook. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  18. ^ "Pinball Arcade News & FAQ" Retrieved on 8 November 2013.
  19. ^ Steve Watts (March 18, 2014). "GDC: Microsoft Reveals First 25 ID@Xbox Games". ign.com. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  20. ^ "The Pinball Arcade". facebook.com. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  21. ^ "Pinball Arcade: The Twilight Zone by Farsight Studios." Kickstarter. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
  22. ^ "Pinball Arcade: The Twilight Zone by FarSight Studios: Update #5: Stretch goal for Kickstarter- Star Trek: The Next Generation!." Kickstarter. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
  23. ^ Farsight Studios (17 August 2012). "Pinball Arcade: Star Trek The Next Generation". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  24. ^ Farsight Studios (7 September 2012). "Pinball Arcade: Star Trek The Next Generation". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  25. ^ "The Pinball Arcade for Xbox 360 - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  26. ^ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation 3 - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  27. ^ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation Vita - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  28. ^ "The Pinball Arcade for Xbox 360 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  29. ^ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation Vita Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  30. ^ "Pinball Arcade for iPhone/iPad Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  31. ^ Osborn, Chuck. "Pinball Arcade Review" IGN. 18 November 2013. Retrieved on 21 November 2013.
  32. ^ "X-Play's Best of 2012 Awards Results - 2012 Game of the Year and More!". G4tv.com. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  33. ^ "The 100 Best Products of 2012". PCWorld. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
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