42 replies to this topic

[Shooby Doo]

It's featured on their home page. Here's the press release: http://www.cravegame...amsShipping.asp

Edited by Shooby Doo, 25 September 2009 - 01:56 PM.

[Gravy]

about time is all I can say...

They havent updated their PHOF mini site though I dont think.

[Ludicrous Gibs!]

I just got this yesterday, and wow. Excellent simulation, great table selection, and amazing graphics. Only two complaints: Medieval Madness seems to suffer from a few odd software glitches, where the point values for the different objects on a Catapult Slam are the same every time, and the maidens always appear in the same order (seductress->Jewish->Cockney, etc). Unless this game is based on a different revision than the table in my local arcade, that shouldn't be happening. Also, I wish they gave the option to create a table playlist for Tournament Mode, rather than a random series of tables.

Otherwise, my only complaint is that there aren't more tables in the collection! Eagerly hoping for more Williams collections, or maybe downloadable content. Getting the licenses for games like Addams Family and ST:TNG would probably be a legal nightmare, but there are still plenty of non-licensed Williams games begging for the same treatment.

[Shooby Doo]

Getting the licenses for games like Addams Family and ST:TNG would probably be a legal nightmare, but there are still plenty of non-licensed Williams games begging for the same treatment.

Steve Ellenoff said they tried their best to do "Monster Bash" but couldn't get in touch with the right people at Universal.

[TheMcD]

Only two complaints: Medieval Madness seems to suffer from a few odd software glitches, where the point values for the different objects on a Catapult Slam are the same every time, and the maidens always appear in the same order (seductress->Jewish->Cockney, etc).

Tourney mode where it should not be. At least that's what it sounds like to me.

The McD

[Ludicrous Gibs!]

Getting the licenses for games like Addams Family and ST:TNG would probably be a legal nightmare, but there are still plenty of non-licensed Williams games begging for the same treatment.

Steve Ellenoff said they tried their best to do "Monster Bash" but couldn't get in touch with the right people at Universal.

Well, that's too bad. Hopefully they can pull it off if/when they decide to make a Volume 2. Also, I can't imagine the Elvira license would be too difficult to get for Party Monsters and Scared Stiff, but then again, these things can be surprisingly convoluted.

[KEG]

I just got this yesterday, and wow. Excellent simulation, great table selection, and amazing graphics. Only two complaints: Medieval Madness seems to suffer from a few odd software glitches, where the point values for the different objects on a Catapult Slam are the same every time, and the maidens always appear in the same order (seductress->Jewish->Cockney, etc). Unless this game is based on a different revision than the table in my local arcade, that shouldn't be happening. Also, I wish they gave the option to create a table playlist for Tournament Mode, rather than a random series of tables.

Otherwise, my only complaint is that there aren't more tables in the collection! Eagerly hoping for more Williams collections, or maybe downloadable content. Getting the licenses for games like Addams Family and ST:TNG would probably be a legal nightmare, but there are still plenty of non-licensed Williams games begging for the same treatment.

The catapult slam works for me. I get different point values all the time. Maybe you are looking at the 100,000 you get in big bold numbers for every shot but underneath that it shows the true amount for the shot in a very small font. As far as the Maidens go you are right but I don't remember what order they went on the real thing. Only played the machine a few times on location.

[Shooby Doo]

I finally got my copy and played a couple hours last night. I didn't have time to play Space Shuttle, Jive Time, Firepower, or Black Knight, but I played Gorgar first and noticed right away that they did something different with the flippers. I can't say exactly what it is, but they feel a little nicer than the PS2 version. Bounce passing and post passing feel realistic.

The table reflections look really good. I always turned them off on the older version because they were distracting, but done very realistically here.

To me, the nudging is done perfectly. It's similar to the PS2 version in how it works, but much more realistic. It's easier to bounce off a wall as well as getting a slap save to actually save a ball.

The impression I got from Medieval Madness was that they studied the crap out of JP's version and made it 3D.

TOTAN is awesome. I would have bought it just for that.

I had never played NGG before, real or VP, and got a Grand Champion score on my first game. I don't know if that means I'm good or it's an easy table or how it compares to the real one. A lot of fun though.

There's something about the ROMS for the 3 new tables - I know they are the real ROMS, but I also know they've been altered, but I'm not sure exactly how. I don't think it effects play at all, but I'm curious as to what they did to them.

My only real beef with the game is the lack of ball reflections. They don't reflect the playfield or lighting or anything. You'd think the 360 could pull that off. That's a bummer.

I think it would also be cool to have an adjustment for ambient lighting so you could make them night tables. Or evening for that matter.

I've still got hours ahead of me to see how the rest play. I had to stop a game of Whirlwind at 40 mil because it was getting late and I wanted to play some other tables. I still had an extra ball too.

[KEG]

@Shooby There is ball reflections, play field and light. It's easier to see on some table's. Take a look at MM with smartcam 1 and trap the ball with one of the flippers and you will see them. Granted it's nothing like it was on the PS2 version, But IMO i thought the PS2 reflections were over done a lil bit. I think they may have toned them down a bit too much but they are there.

I agree they should have had a night and day option, That would be a great addition.
Now that they have true ROM emulation I thought they would have went back and changed the earlier tables to use the emulation, I'm sorry but pushing the a button to stop the match number is lame. I know it's a minor thing but it just bugs me..

I just hope it continues to sell well then maybe we will get some DLC in the future. Heard some rumors about a bally collection but I guess that depends on the sales of this one.

[Shooby Doo]

@Shooby There is ball reflections, play field and light. It's easier to see on some table's. Take a look at MM with smartcam 1 and trap the ball with one of the flippers and you will see them. Granted it's nothing like it was on the PS2 version, But IMO i thought the PS2 reflections were over done a lil bit. I think they may have toned them down a bit too much but they are there.

I don't have an HDTV, so I may be missing out. I was looking for more of a chrome/mirror reflection on the ball, maybe it's just dull. I'll take a closer look this evening.

I agree that it would've been nice if they would have redone those ROMS for the earlier tables. I noticed that both Funhouse and Whirlwind are tweaked a little at some spots. Overall, these are some really nice recreations, and I bet with the practice they had on these they could really do some justice to tables like Centaur and Cyclone and Xenon. Let's hope.

[Gravy]

KEG ... can you confirm ball reflections on the original set of tables ... not just the 3 newer tables they added? I was able to see reflections in just one screenshot I saw and I think it was MM. Screenshots of the ball in the older original table set appeared dull and I didnt notice any reflections.

The ball does look particulary dull, like its been left out in the weather or polished with rough sandpaper, kind of a cartoon effect really. I wonder why they did that when the central focus of a pinball game is actually the pinball itself.

Quirks aside, this sounds like a great game.

[KEG]

Yes Gravy, all the other tables have ball reflections. and yes as you pointed out the ball does look like it was polished with sandpaper. It is in no way a mirror finish. I guess that's the effect they were going for because I'm sure the 360's hardware could pull it off. Why they chose that I'll never know.

All and all it does not take away from the great game play. The tables in HD more than make up for the iffy ball image. I will have to take a look at the other dozen or so ball images you can unlock and see how they look. I unlocked them but have not tried any of them out.

[Gravy]

Unlockable ball images?? Hadnt heard about that either... nice.

Im guessing there has to be a soccer ball and an eyeball amongst those textures.

Just so we are on the same page when we are talking about ball reflections, Im referring to the ball itself mirroring what is on the playfield. Not a reflection of the ball seen in the glossy playfield. Is that what you mean as well?

Edit: Just looked at a video of TOTAN in action and can see the flashing lights reflecting off the ball when its trapped in the magent at the top.

Edited by Gravy, 02 October 2009 - 02:21 AM.

[KEG]

Unlockable ball images?? Hadnt heard about that either... nice.

Im guessing there has to be a soccer ball and an eyeball amongst those textures.

Just so we are on the same page when we are talking about ball reflections, Im referring to the ball itself mirroring what is on the playfield. Not a reflection of the ball seen in the glossy playfield. Is that what you mean as well?

Edit: Just looked at a video of TOTAN in action and can see the flashing lights reflecting off the ball when its trapped in the magent at the top.

Yes there are about 20 different balls ranging from an eyeball, tennis ball, basketball, beachball..etc you unlock all 20 when you beat the wizard goal for the table.
they can only be used with the tables that you get the wizard goals on. Also the mirror mode opens for that table and the option to turn off tilt for that table.

The reflection is mirroring what is on the playfield, but doing it on the "sandpaper" ball. the more I think about it... how many times do you play a pinball machine with a perfectly polished "Mirror" ball. real pinball do get pretty dirty over time. Would be nice to have that option for a nice glossy finish.

[Gravy]

Thank KEG... yep a little bit of polish on that ball would be nice... but its not the main thing and balls do get scratched and dirty over the years.

[Shooby Doo]

I played a bunch more last night and went through the Williams Challenge - took about and hour and 45 minutes to finish through it with the new tables. On my first game of Firepower I rolled the score over on my second ball and finished the game with about 1.4 mil. Never did that on the PS2. I'll say once again, the nudging works great and is realistic - I rely on nudging for some of my best scores.

It's well worth the 30 bucks. Now I need a thousand more for an HDTV so I can see the ball reflections.

[KEG]

I played a bunch more last night and went through the Williams Challenge - took about and hour and 45 minutes to finish through it with the new tables. On my first game of Firepower I rolled the score over on my second ball and finished the game with about 1.4 mil. Never did that on the PS2. I'll say once again, the nudging works great and is realistic - I rely on nudging for some of my best scores.

It's well worth the 30 bucks. Now I need a thousand more for an HDTV so I can see the ball reflections.

You need an HDTV to see the photo-realism of the tables. The ball reflections are nothing to write home about.. Or you could pick up a VGA adapter for your 360. I've seen them online for less than 20 bucks.

[Shooby Doo]

Having had some time to check this out now, I'm curious what everyone else thinks about the difficulty level. Do you think it's realistic? I haven't played these enough in real life to compare. I know I've been getting better, but I've never had such long games before. I can't do the Williams Challenge anymore because it took over 2 and a half hours to finish (284). I've flipped the scores on firepower, space shuttle, & sorcerer, 94 mil on MM, 80 mil on TOTAN. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying I've never done it before. I'm not complaining either, these are fun as hell!

Edited by Shooby Doo, 11 October 2009 - 12:59 PM.

[ravenriser]

I've got my copy..had it for about 5 days.


I'm pretty impressed with the sounds and the ball movement so far. I agree the Williams Challenge option takes way to long to go through...took me nearly three hours.

It's hard to say if the gameplay is accurate, I think they did a pretty good job.

Here's hoping that online tournaments will be coming!


Frith.

[KEG]

Having had some time to check this out now, I'm curious what everyone else thinks about the difficulty level. Do you think it's realistic? I haven't played these enough in real life to compare. I know I've been getting better, but I've never had such long games before. I can't do the Williams Challenge anymore because it took over 2 and a half hours to finish (284). I've flipped the scores on firepower, space shuttle, & sorcerer, 94 mil on MM, 80 mil on TOTAN. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying I've never done it before. I'm not complaining either, these are fun as hell!

I have played all of these tables (except Jive Time) at one point or another at various pinball shows and local arcades in the past. Granted I may have only played a few of these only one or 2 times. The one's I have played many times as a kid in the local arcade like Pinbot, Taxi, Funhouse, Space shuttle, Whirlwind. I would say they are very realistic to the recreations in PHOF. The difficulty is a hard one to answer because in the real world it's rare that you will find a pinball machine in "Perfect" condition all of the time like we have in this collection.

I have been getting much higher scores on these compared to their VP versions but I think allot of that has to do with me just playing these tables more than on VP.
VP has thousands of tables I find myself wanting to play them all. I also think the reason for my higher scores in PHOF is the fact that I nudge more do to the easy controller layout, in VP I never nudge. Also thanks to the great walk-through instructions for each table I now know exactly what to do for all the different modes for each table.

Last night I got 170 Million on MM, and for the life of me I still can not win the battle for the kingdom. That's the last wizard goal I have to complete on that table just can't seem to get it.