Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Reviews

• Feels like I'm back in college!

  
  By AC1YLEFC9AN5X on 2008-02-29
  I have been waiting for this game for months and I finally got my copy one day after release thanks to prime shipping from Amazon. The main reason I wanted this game was becuase of "Funhouse". I was addicted to that game back in my freshman year of college (1991-92) as we had it in our dorm's common area. That game caused many people to skip classes and skip dinner just so they could put Rudy to sleep and nail him in the mouth with the pinball! So much fun!
  
  So, to the game, my expectations were rather low due to the fact that it was delayed for so long. Usually, that means there are problems. Well, 5 minutes after opening it, I was back in college playing Funhouse again. Now, there is nothing like playing pinabll on a real machine but the physics employed by this game are rather astounding in my opinion. Everything that I remember about the original game was in this. The one thing that may have been different is the sound of Rudy's voice. Maybe its the simulated surround sound I am using on my home theater for the WII or maybe they just couldn't get the original Rudy!
  
  As far as the other games, I was not too familiar with them but I did play a few including Gorkon and Space Shuttle. I enjoyed them a lot and found them to have their own interesting set of challenges.
  
  The overall game has several modes to it. There is a simple go to the arcade mode where you can play most of the games (although I think some are locked). As you play, you have certain challenges to complete like get a certain score or hit this or that. When you achieve these, it may give you the opportunity to unlock another game or give you more credits (you need credits to play some games and you start with 20...but it is very easy to get more).
  
  I played the Challenge mode where you play each pinball machine where you have to achieve a certain score before moving to the next machine. You get three tries on each machine to get the score or the challenge ends. I made it to the fourth machine (Funhouse) but, ironically, I couldn't get the required score to move on.
  
  There is a tournament mode but I did not try that yet but it appears you can play with only one person. I assume you must play against AI somehow.
  
  There is another mode that I could not open as I hadn't built enough credits yet so I can't comment on that yet. I will post an update as I progress in the game.
  
  Overall, for $30, this is going to provide me with hours and hours of enjoyment. Funhouse alone is worth it to me but having the variety of games on there really increases the longevity of this game. The sounds make you feel like you are at an old arcade and the games seem to replicate the machines just like the originals.
  
  
  
  

• A must own for pinball fanatics

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2008-04-23
  Emulating pinball in the world of video games has never been an easy thing, but somehow, someway; all of the games included in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection, are emulated nearly perfectly, and perfectly capture the feel and enjoyment of the classic game. Featuring tables including Taxi, Gorgar, Black Knight, Funhouse, and Pinbot among others; Pinball Hall of Fame also features a variety of modes, unlockables, and goals to achieve to hold your interest. The pinball physics are dead-on as well, and the game's overall presentation is a pleasent surprise as well. The only real flaws with Pinball Hall of Fame is that more games weren't included on the disc. It just feels like more tables should have been included here, or at least something else. Other than that, the Wii motion controls work very well here, although one may wonder if that is reason enough to justify the price tag of the Wii version of the game being doubled. All that aside, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is a sheer blast, and for Wii owning pinball fans, you can't go wrong here at all.
  
  

• greatest collectiion Of Pinball games ever!

  
  By A1GWPAZBGMUAFJ on 2008-03-04
  Wow I love this game game, I ordered mine Sat the first of March and have gotten it today the 4th that's pretty amazing in itself. This Collection of pinall has some of the all time greatest pinball machines ever created, and it does them all well. I have played 9 of the ten machines selected here in real life. I have to say they are as close as I have seen in the video game medium. The controls with the Wii version are the best emulated pinball controls yet. Everything works perfectly with both hands controlling the action and shake of either the Wiimote or the Nun Chuck to shake the table. I also like that the games do not tilt as easily as the Gottlieb version of PBHF.
  
  The only gripe I have is I would like to see some of those acrade video games as unlockables or a hidden pinball machine or two, that is a fairly minor gripe as this is an amazing pinball collection. It just seems its awfully bare for an arcade and all those fake machines are kind of an annoyance. They could easily add a dart board or pool table as extra unlockables, just in case you want a break from Pinball. But hey this is pinball hall of fame, just putting out a few Ideas. Anyone who loves pinball owes it to themselfs to check this game out. It really is flippertastic! Well worth the full retail price.
  
  

• Pretty dang awesome!

  
  By A263TVEI6YL6IS on 2008-03-01
  I just spent the last few hours happily reliving memories from decades ago when I used to play some of the ten actual tables contained in this game during the golden age of arcades. I remember the last time I played Funhouse was just a few weeks before the arcade that had it was closed. I haven't played it again since until now, and thanks to the careful attention to detail paid by the games developers, it is just as I remember.
  
  The games controls are very well executed on the Wii Remote + Nunchuck. It takes no time at all to pick up and responds just like a real pinball machine. You can even shake the controls to shake the pinball machine...not too much though or you'll tilt!
  
  Event the original sound effects from each machine have been carefully reproduced and sounds exactly like they did on the actual machine, down to the early voice synthesis technology built into pinball games like "Black Knight". Even the LED scoreboards are there and behave exactly like the real thing.
  
  I really liked the main interface of the game. It's designed to look like the quintessential video & pinball arcade from your memories, complete with it's own loud rock music soundtrack-including a track that sounds very much like "Pinball Wizard".
  
  To up the replay value, the develops have added all sorts of goals on each game. On some tables you have to achieve certain scores, on others you must execute complex maneuvers to receive bonus credits, which you can use to unlock some extra features.
  
  I've been waiting for "Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection" to come out for a long time. Evidently, it was announced some time ago, but was subject to production delays and just now finally became available.
  
  Overall, I really like this game. If you're a big fan of Williams pinball machines, this is a great way to relive some of their best games from the 1970s and 1980s.
  
  I really hope the developers release a second volume containing Williams tables from the 1990s...there were some awesome tables made in that decade that'd I'd love to get the chance to play again.
  
  

• Best Video Pinball to date.

  
  By A76VQNP6A3OZ1 on 2008-03-03
  Being a pinball nut, I basically collect all things pin-related; videogame recreations of the silver ball game being one of them. Through the years, It has gotten progressively better with the Super Pinball series, the Pro Pinball series, and the incredible DIY future pinball and visual pinball releases. I've got to say, after having played this for a few hours, Pinball Hall of Fame: the Williams Collection is hands-down the best simulation to date. First and foremost, all camera and physics issues I had problems with in the Gottlieb collection have been taken care of - I've yet to feel that sinking feeling that the camera can't keep up with a ball hurtling toward the center gap - the "Smart Camera" truly is smart.
  The recreations themselves are spot-on. Having spent some serious time on most of the machines represented here in their actual form, I was pleased that almost all the tables held up (no experience personally with Jive Time - and really... that's the EM machine you choose out of all of them for this? seems bizarre.. ) to their real-life counterparts.
  The control in this game certainly raises VP games to a new level - the simple act of being able to have your hands seperated between the remote and nunchuk like you would on a real machine helps quite a bit, and being able to tilt the machine with gestures is just fantastic and really brings you into the game.
  Now, the most MAJOR improvement for me between this game and the gottlieb one is this: No more freakin' crickets in the background. What was the deal with that? In this version, you can choose to just hear the table itself, which is a godsend. The gottleb version had this amazingly annoying cricket just chirping in the background to add to the "realism"..>!!!! but with no option to step on it as you would want to in real life.
  While- of course, this is no substitute for the real thing, The Williams Collection does an impressive job of capturing the essence of the game as well as its addictive quality .. "just one more game..." Now - if Crave could just release more of these titles with the same engine!!!!! Maybe download more tables via Wii-Ware in the future? ah, we can only hope. Hopefully more than 5 people buy this, it's a great addition to the Wii library!!!!
  
  
• No-brainer for Pinball Fans
  By A2V1FO51ZJUBIE on 2008-03-01
  After only seeing screen previews at last year's E3, this game was finally released after several delays. The game contains 10 classic Williams pins from the 70's thru the 90's: Black Knight, Firepower, Funhouse, Gorgar, Pinbot, Space Shuttle, Taxi, Whirlwind, Jive Time, and Sorcerer. The game is a budget title for Wii, PS2 and PSP. I picked up the Wii version, which is probably the best version based on the control setup.
  
  Just some random thoughts:
  
  Anyone who was concerned that this is a budget price title, don't worry. The game is quality! The physics are excellent and the presentation is top notch. Well worth the $30.
  
  For the Wii version, you play with the both the remote and nunchuck. Triggers on each are your flippers, and a quick flick of each control is the nudge. The nunchuck stick pulls the plunger. Control feels very good and precise.
  
  There are several display options in terms of angle. The default is called "smart view" which pans and zooms the camera as needed. Multi-ball will always revert to a full-table view. There are a handful of different viewing options and I haven't given them all a try yet. The graphics overall are crisp and detailed, but this title just screams for a high-res update. Too bad this did not come out for the 360.
  
  Each table has an audio/video tutorial which is real nice, as well as a scan of the original flyer. There is an "ambience" setting which plays arcade sounds in the background. These sounds originate from several classic-era games: Missile Command, Centipede, Galaga and tons more. It is faint and in the distance, but a nice touch. Again, an all-around quality presentation.
  
  High scores ARE saved.
  
  There is a multi-player tournament option (which I haven't tried yet).
  
  If you are a fan of Williams pinball, this is a no-brainer. I was fortunate to live near an arcade in the mid-80's to mid-90's that had a pinball section that was always kept up to date. We got all the good stuff and Williams was by far the best in my opinion: Addam's Family, Pinbot (+ Bride), Funhouse, Taxi, Cyclone, Twilight Zone, T2, Indiana Jones, Dracula, Theatre of Magic, and the list goes on. My only small gripe is that this game is a retrospective and I am not familiar with some of the earlier titles. Funhouse and Taxi are some of my all-time favorites so I was thrilled to be able to be able to play them at home.
  
  
• Now THIS is gaming!
  By A1CY5O301C0SLX on 2008-03-02
  I agree with the other positive reviews of this game! I received it the day after it was released, and so far I am thrilled with the gameplay of the tables I've tried. The graphics, ball physics, and sounds are fantastic, and I am enjoying switching the various camera angles during play. I do believe this one will have longevity in my Wii catalog!
  
  
• Great graphics and easy to play
  By A2VTV46HU41S66 on 2008-03-06
  I have been playing video versions of pinball for many years, and this is the best yet. The graphics are outstanding. I am playing on a 46" LCD with the HD hookups. Sweet! The play off the flippers seems to be spot on. And because each pinball game is so detailed, I believe each presents a good challenge. Meaning they aren't overly simplistic pinball games. They are exactly like the originals. The Funhouse game is awesome.
  
  What I really appreciate with this release is that Crave includes the strategy instructions right in the game. It takes you through all the scoring rules and how to achieve all the bonuses. I have never found this type of instruction anywhere. Let's face it, in the arcade, you just put the quarter in and start playing. It's nice to know exactly what to hit and when. Lastly, this game is really easy to pick up and play and it priced right at $29.99. Very impressive release for Crave.
  
  
• Fun , Cool and just awesome !
  By A9YAQR56L1B92 on 2008-03-12
  I just recieved this game . I have enjoyed it so much ! The machines look just like the real ones .. sounds and all . Easy to play and hours of fun for anyone that likes pinball . I suggest giving it a try , great price also .
  I am a huge Black knight fan and was so happy to see and hear the machine I spent many hours in front of years ago .. and it was not changed in the least ! I suggest this for everyone , great kick back , relax and enjoy game .
  
  
• Very, very nice.
  By AWA0F6SF6MO7M on 2008-04-18
  I second what other reviewers have said. Great game.
  
  My father owns Gorgar. I have put in countless hours with this table while growing up. I think we've had the table for about 20 years or so. So, when I see a pinball "videogame" and it happens to have Gorgar in it, I use that as my test table to see if the game is a good simulation. I check to see if the game FEELS like Gorgar feels. I'm happy to report that this table feels like Gorgar. The ball bounces like it does on the real table. Actually, the only difference is that the physical table has little quirks...stuck drop targets, sensors that give double score, etc...The videogame version of the table is more "factory new"..;)
  
  A good collection of tables and overall very fun.
  
  
• A Must Have for the Pinball Enthusiast
  By A3UQR6FO6L8A0L on 2008-03-18
  What a great game! I've been looking for a good pinball game for PC or console for some time. I was astounded when I heard this game was being released, and even more astounded to how little fanfare it has received.
  
  I have experience playing three of the tables: Funhouse, Whirlwind, and Taxi. A buddy of mine owns Funhouse, and let me say, this Wii console port is dead on. The visuals, the sounds, the quirks are exactly how they are in real life. Quirks such as opening the crazy steps, then barely getting a ball up the ramp. When this sluggish ball drops it sometimes falls into the left flipper lane rather than the crazy steps. What might seem faulty is actually true to life. This is exactly how the real game plays sometimes when you really don't nail the ball up the ramp when the steps are open. I couldn't believe it when it happened on the Wii. Also, being able to lock a ball from the upper flipper by ricocheting it off the upper target above the Superdog. I've done this countless times on the real machine. Rudy is spot on, especially the audio. Simply put - they got Funhouse right.
  
  Taxi and Whirlwind are exactly how I remember them, too. Great sounds and visuals from the originals. Lots of fun to play. The Whirlwind spinning discs are exactly how I remembered them - the ball darting every which way.
  I originally thought playing the old machines wouldn't be much fun. I couldn't have been more wrong. The sounds on Gorgar really build the intensity, and the ramps and upper playfield on Black Knight seem ahead of their time. The older machines actually feel like older pinball machines... it's tough to convey this without actually playing them. They have a good classic pinball feel to them. Very addicting.
  
  One negative would be some of the physics, infrequently, seem spotty. But this is to be expected when trying to duplicate real physics. I think they've done as good a job as possible. There have been no ball movements that seem totally unrealistic.
  
  Great original rock songs between tables, with an option to have ambient arcade sounds during game play.
  
  Controls are solid and easy to learn. Multiple camera angles really help for upper playfield play.
  
  Table goals build an achievement level into the game, in addition to high scores being maintained. Also, jackpot building, such as in Taxi, remain from play to play even after you quit the game. This is a nice touch.
  
  Maybe the best feature to complement the game play is the instructions for each game. Provided is a user guided slideshow of each game and how to score points to maximize game play. It's a great way to walk through the game slide by slide with both text and audio to show the ins and outs of each table.
  
  Couldn't be happier with this purchase. Nothing will ever compare to the real thing, but for these ten tables, it's as close as it'll ever get. The level of detail and fun factor are unparalleled compared to any other video pinball game. If you enjoy pinball, then this game is definitely worth a look.
  
  
• Great game for all ages. Takes seconds to learn.
  By A2XAKGRUHIE2ZA on 2008-03-18
  Retiree here. This is my first video pinball. I was a pinball addict 50 years ago, but am not familiar with these games. Received it today, and played it for 2 hours. It's outstanding, and really is a must purchase for anyone having a Wii. Takes seconds to learn and entertaining for anyone.
  
  There is one negative. I have HDTV, and the Nintendo component cables, but found the graphics more blurry (less in focus), than other games. I suspect this is caused by the need to have a tremendous amount of detailed graphics, of many different colors, in a very compact area. I do have my Wii and TV set to the proper resolution. Other games, such as MLB Pro, and Super Swing 2 have great graphics, considering the Wii does not come in high definition. That said, the entertainment value of this game more than makes up for this deficiency, and it is still a must have game.
  
  
  
• Great Game, good use of Wii controls
  By A3RS8ZACKQJGLQ on 2008-04-24
  I don't usually write recommendations, but a good pinball game is so rare this deserves mention.
  
  The games are extremely accurate to the originals. Fun House, Taxi are 2 great games to play.
  The Wii controls were spot on. If you can imagine holding the controls about where you'd be on a real table the triggers are your flippers and if you shake your hands - you guessed it - the table shakes, and if you continue shaking the table - you tilt. Like I said, very real.
  If you like pinball and you have a Wii, get this game!
  
  I only hope they come out with more based on this engine. Very smooth game play, lots of fun!
  
  
  
• I Want More!
  By A2J8YEOMQRNEH3 on 2008-06-23
  When I bought this game for $20 I thought I was probably wasting my money but I was pleasantly surprised. My wife and I have spent many hours of fun unlocking the Wizard goals and enjoying the 10 different tables. I am very hopeful that Williams will relase a 2nd Edition with even more games including Star Trek TNG. I grew up playing in arcades and never appreciated pinball machines. After playing this game, I can't wait to find one and start throwing quarters into it. Thanks Williams (and developers) for putting out a great game.
  
  
• Great Graphics, Fair Game
  By A286BHBDCCWB78 on 2008-06-26
  I've been a fan of real pinball all my life and have played most of the popular tables. I've also played video pinball since the days of the early DOS based games. Quite frankly, this game has some of the best graphics I've ever seen, but the gameplay leaves me flat. Way too many balls are lost down the side after launch without any opportunity to hit them. It also seems that when you have a good ball, the program punishes you by having a bad ball right away. "Bumping" the table is of very little help. And if you're over thirty, you'll probably be looking for the audio option to turn the annoying techno-music between games down or off!
  
  The Williams tables are great, but I hope someone comes out with some of the old Bally tables next.
  
  
• Great Fun for Entire Family!
  By A17TNLW79U0NVK on 2008-04-01
  All the other reviews give excellent details about this fantastic game, but I just wanted to add that this is an awesome game for the whole family. We have a lot of fun trying to beat each other's scores! Space Shuttle is my favorite, but most of them are pretty entertaining. Looking for a 2nd edition with new pinball machines!
  
  
• WILLIAMS IS FINALLY HERE
  By A3L75Y3RAIRON4 on 2008-04-08
  FINALLY, Williams classics are brought to perfect life. Many of their best tables are included here, and even the weaker tables are better than almost anything in the Gottlieb collection. Amazingly, the phsyics and table layouts work exactly the way I remember from playing the actual tables. Now I just need "Williams 2" hopefully with TWILIGHT ZONE, INDIANA JONES, and WHITE WATER. I just hope it doesn't take another 15 years....
  
  
• Best Virtual Pinball Game Ever Made....
  By A2YBSAAIIOIVN1 on 2008-04-19
  I used to love pinball "back in the day", and I've tried a lot of virtual pinball games, but never really found one I've thought was "great". A few have been pretty good, but overall there hasn't been a standout. Pinball in VG's has been mostly disposable in the VG market to me at best.
  
  I saw this realeased for the Wii (and PS2/P) and started looking for it upon release. I finally picked this up from Amazon a few weeks back (couldn't find it anywhere locally) and had to post something about it.
  
  The Good :
  
  $29.99
  Best virtual pinball game I've ever played period. If you like Pinball, this is a must own (Wii version only)
  The Wii controls "feel" like pinball. The B Button on the Wiimote and Z button on the nunchuck are the flippers.
  You can shake the machine a bit, tilt is very close to the actually amount of shake it would take to tilt a real machine.
  Visually looks exactly like all the original machines.
  Way beyond the first entry in the series, the Gottlieb collection (looked good but was really boring).
  Actually has a game mode where you go through all the machines and get certain scores or achievements to get points and unlockables.
  One of the Top 15 rated games for the Wii on Metacritic.
  Has 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon's customer reviews.
  Includes Funhouse, Taxi, Gorgar, Black Knight, Pinbot, Whirlwind, Space Shuttle, and several others.
  
  
  The Bad :
  
  Made by Crave, master of Shovelware. But this is far from shovelware.
  Hard to find, I found from a GameStop employee that it might be exclusive to Best Buy, Target & Amazon.
  They COULD have used the Wiimote as the ball plunger, but used the stick on the nunchuck instead.
  No national or international online leaderboard. Not the end of the world, but would have been a nice touch.
  No other con's I can think of.
  
  Pick this up if you like pinball, you won't regret it. (If you don't like pinball get Okami!)
  
  From Metacritic:
  
  Wii : Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (2008) 81
  PSP : Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (2008) 76
  PS2 : Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (2008) 72
  
  Thew Wii controls really make the game. Pinball games don't usually get 81's from game critics. This title did, to read the reviews visit meta critic
  
  
  
• Great Value, Great Fun
  By A1FI4J3P8YDCL5 on 2008-06-20
  This is a great pinball game. Probably the best pinball video game ever. There are ten tables, these include according to the international pinball database: The number 6 (whirlwind),9 (fun house),15 (taxi),33 (space shuttle),36 (black knight),59 (firepower),66 (sorcerer),106 (pinbot), and 134 (gorgar) best tables of all time, all of these tables are at the very least very good and at the best great. Only Jive Time isn't fun but I think it is a nice addition and helps to show how far pinball has come. Without using licensed (like Star Trek or Indiana Jones) or very recent tables (Medieval Madness or Tales of the Arabian Nights) it is difficult to imagine them choosing much better tables than they did.
  
  The graphics are good, the controls are good, the physics are great, the sound is perfect. Really for 20 dollars it is one of the great bargains if you are a pinball fan. Even if you aren't it might make a pinball fan out of you.
  
  
• Not what I expected
  By A2KUT8CDZYCDJA on 2008-06-20
  I have been an avid pinball player and was excited to try this game. It was a letdown, there are a number of viewing angles, all of which are not very good. There should have been more instructions on how to play the game, it took me a while to figure out how to shoot the plunger so I could get started. All in all I was very dissapointed, it did not have the feel of a real pinball machine.
  
  
• My Favorite Wii Game
  By A1HYH206E18XVC on 2008-06-23
  I have over 20 games for the Wii and this is my favorite. I love pinball and have spent thousands of both dollars and hours over the past 30 years on pinball. I've always wanted to have my own personal arcade and this is the closest I'll get unless I win the lottery!
  
  In reality, this is probably better than owning the real machines since these are always in perfect condition and it doesn't take any time maintaining them. I'd say they feel ~95% like a real machine. For example, on real machines, if you time it correctly and know how much to smack the table, you can sometimes do a "bounceback" to get the ball back in play after it exits an outlane. I don't know how they did it, but this simulates that. I can do it about 1 out of 10 times--about the same as with real machines. The tilt is realistic. The plunger/skill shots are realistic, especially Funhouse and Pinbot. The multiballs are superb. Everything is near perfect. The only complaint is sometimes the ball "jumps" from the back of the flipper or slingshot. I've seen this in every video pinball simulation and it is less prevalent here, but it still happens.
  
  I like the rule sheets and extra features, although I'd still supplement them with others. The tournament and challenge modes are good and I'd play them more if I had the time to complete them. I also like the goals, both basic and wizard. They give this game a lot of replay value.
  
  The tables themselves are a good selection. Some people might not appreciate Jive Time, but it really simulates the electro-mechanical machines well. Those required more "english" and this games definitely does have a different feel to it compared with the others. All of the pre-1988 games seem to be in the book _Pinball: Lure of the Silver Ball_.
  
  Overall a great job and I hope Crave releases a follow-up soon.
  
  CRACK!
  
  
  
• RUDY RULES!!!
  By AGMYHVULFCVGD on 2008-03-13
  I was such a HUGE Fun House fan and dumped endless quarters into this years ago that I couldn't wait to play this. The wait was well worth it! I can't get over how close to the actual game this really is. The actions, the music and of course...RUDY!!! The others are great too. I was also big into Space Shuttle. All the tables are fantastic!
  
  Get this game and HAVE FUN!!!
  
  
• Love the game
  By A1KA3O5YTLDDMT on 2008-03-17
  The physics on the machines feel real (I've lost the ball off the edge of the table on Pinbot three times.) The controls are practically instinctive. I never got the chance to play Funhouse on a machine where all the gizmos actually worked, so being able to play it in this game was an absolute blast.
  
  Great game, and so far the one we've spent the most consecutive time playing.
  
  
• Pinball Hall of Fame: Wiiliams Collection
  By A14AR5VATXYITP on 2008-04-08
  If you like old school pinball, this is the closest you'll get to playing these classic machines, unless you're lucky enough to own the originals. I feel these video interpatations are some of the best I've played. The Wii controls are extremely responsive. When I've played full size pinball machines I really like to shake the machines without tilting so easily. On the Wii this is finally possible. Don't get me wrong if you shake the controls too much you will still tilt the machines. The difference I found was the Wii version felt more like a real pinball machine. With 10 machines available for play and different play modes, Don't hesitate this is well worth the money.
  
  
• Great game, but I need more titles!
  By APXPPZY9F8WTM on 2008-04-16
  A lot of fun to play. Definitely worth the money. I only gave it 4 stars because I really wanted it to have Black Knight 2000 (best audio of any pinball game) and Adams Family (top selling pinball game of all time). Maybe the sequel will have these games.
  
  
• Great fun for people all ages
  By ADR75NU6ZXF90 on 2008-04-18
  This is a great game for everyone in the house. The adults seem to like it even more because we used to have to stuff quarters in the machine to play. I was happy to see that the graphics were realistic and so were the sounds. The only thing missing are those pesky mechanical failures like the flipper that isn't working right or the missing ball (obviously I am happy that those are missing). You can play multiple player games and tournaments with up to 8 machines. It really is a blast and worth the cost.
  
  
• Just like the real thing
  By A32672S75TKN0G on 2008-05-05
  Growing up in the 70's and 80's, a good deal of my youth was spent in arcades. And while I always like video games, my favorite was always pinball. The behavior of the ball wasn't controlled by some algorithm that you could figure out, and you couldn't beat the game with a pattern you got from a game guide, it was just gravity, friction and luck vs. you and your two (or three or four) flippers. I was never a pinball wizard, but I always considered them a better investment of my quarter than their video cousins.
  
  Naturally, I've always dreamed of owning my own pinball machine, but could never justify the cost, not to mention the maintenance headaches. Sure, there were video game versions of pinball, but they pretty universally...what's the word I'm looking for...oh, yeah, sucked. Well, that era is now at an end. PHF: Williams Collection is like owning ten real pinball machines. That's it, I could end my review right there. The lights, sounds and feel of real pinball for the cost of a Wii + $20. At some point, I've actually played each of the tables in this collection in real life, and playing this game took me right back to Celebrity Sports Center (shout out to everyone from Denver who remembers that place) with the sounds of bowling in the background and the smell of chlorine drifting from the pool.
  
  I really like the instructional tutorials that take you step by step through all the scoring options on each table, in a way those little confusing cards never could. The Wiimote, numchuk combo controls feel perfect, especially how the Wiimote vibrates with the action. I do wish you could manually zoom in to see some of the fine details of the playing field. For example, there's no way to see what the S-H-U-T-T-L-E reward is in Space Shuttle - I only know what they are from memory of the original game (the two red rewards on the right are "Extra Ball" and "Extra Game" BTW). One thing I don't miss is broken flippers and bumpers that don't work.
  
  My big hope is that these guys are in talks with Bally/Midway to bring some of their classics to the Wii. Addams Family alone would be worth whatever they wanted to charge, but Twilight Zone, Attack from Mars, Doctor Who - I would love to play those again. Not to mention there are still scores of Williams machines (Elvira and the Party Monsters anyone?) available for a sequel.
  
  
• A Total Blast
  By A3RQLCP21QE4YC on 2008-05-07
  This game is a total blast; lots of fun. At first I hated it. I had the same problem as another reviewer with the slight time delay in when you press the flipper buttons to when they actually flipped on the screen. One of the comments talked about the video connections and I changed the connection from RCA cables through the VCR to direct through the TV with some new cables. WOW, what a difference. Thank you for the comments because now I really am having fun playing pinball.
  
  Most of the tables are fun - a couple are `eh... but most will rarely like everything contained in a collection. Space Shuttle and Pinbot are my favs - I remember playing them in an arcade called SilverBall in NJ. Those were days!
  
  
  
• Outstanding!! Worth every cent! Buy two and keep a backup copy!
  By A1R6MWZKLFAISD on 2008-05-19
  This game is AMAZING. The table graphics are dead-on. It even includes little touches like the reflections in the table-top glass as you watch your pinball(s) roll around beneath it. It's nearly as good as standing over the table, down to the little diagrams showing you how many plays you get for a quarter. Outstanding.
  
  The physics engine is top notch, the tables play VERY reliably and authentically (so far as I can tell, I've only been lucky enough to play 3 of the 10 tables modeled in real life). The sound is incredible, the front-end system of wandering around the arcade is top notch.
  
  The ONLY complaint I can level at this game is the credit system. Credits are gained very slowly and buying free-play on tables is very expensive. You have to spend credits to play the non-free-play tables until you unlock free-play, so you're actually working against yourself if you want to play some of the "better" tables in the collection. This is a small gripe but a valid one.
  
  I picked this up at Target for about 50% less than what Amazon is charging, and I would have paid double. The Wii controls make this game even more intuitive and immersive than it could ever be on the other consoles out there, or on the PC without specialized hardware.
  
  10 stars, if I could. This collection is outstanding. It makes me want to ebay one or two of the tables represented so that I can have them in my living room.
  
  
• Fun for all
  By AXQ54M3K7SSOQ on 2008-07-15
  Great pinball game with lots of realistic action!! Definately brings back memories of playing pinball as a kid. Well worth the money. rcc
  
  

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