Pinball games bring back a lot of memories. Some interesting times were had in the days when pinball machines were one of the main forms of entertainment in arcades, bars, diners and other leisurely centers of pleasure.
Growing up in the 80’s, even though video game arcades started to dominate the scene, pinball was still a fascinating, and sometimes frustrating experience for the game player. It took skills and quick reflexes to tame the best tables. And I always loved the sights and sounds of the pinball machines as they stood out in a room, beckoning you to add one more quarter. Some of the best pinball tables were made in my hometown of Chicago, birthplace of the pinball machine, and Williams entertainment was one of the pioneers.
Recently, I was visiting the forums at TeamXbox.com and came across a community discussion from last year about Pinball Hall Of Fame – The Williams Collection for the Xbox 360. They were extolling the games virtues and also how great a gaming value the game was for $10 new at Gamestop. Always looking for a good bargain and some good gaming, I filed the info away to memory.
Last week, I attended the Microsoft MVP Summit in Bellevue, WA. This year, I extended my stay in the pacific northwest to hang out with my good friend Peench, from PreGameLobby.com at his friend Pickle’s home along with ProphetOne, Rhino Chaser, Beau & Pickle’s awesome family. It was the annual PickleJam weekend of games, food, fun and mischief.
Needing an extra copy of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for our multiplayer, multi- Xbox fragging weekend, we headed out to the local Gamestop in Poulsbo, WA. While perusing the game wall and checking out the scene, a thought popped into my head…PINBALL GAME (why?, I have no idea). I asked the clerk if they had Pinball Hall Of Fame -The Williams Collection and indeed they did, one last copy.
When we got back to Pickle’s pad, we all hung out, ate, listened to some jams, played COD and the guys even played some poker. I had asked Prophet if he was interested in checking out pinball and he kinda chuckled and said…nah. So, while some of the crew were off of the main gaming TV I popped in the game to give it a whirl. At first I was little disappointed, cheesy intro, menu music and the annoying announcer made the game seem like a budget title. But I didn’t let that initial impression stop me. As I started to play the game I saw some old familiar favorites. Funhouse, in particular. Which had been a machine that was always a fun diversion in my college days at DePaul University, played really well and faithfully recreated the game I remembered many years ago
As I played alone, Pickle’s son came over to join me for two player action, then Peench came over and before you knew it, we were all gathered around the TV saying how awesome this game was. The sights, sounds and gameplay action took us on a trip back to our youth and it was a blast. Even the cynics among us (ProphetOne 
had to agree, this game was cool and for $10 new, an awesome deal.
So for anyone seeking that trip back in time to enjoy some pinball wizardry, check this game out. Hurry though, it’s quickly being snatched up and I believe it’s not going to be restocked at Gamestop after they’re all sold out. Check out the review of the game at Teamxbox.com for more info.