NBrid

Pinball games have been around for ages, and for good reason: they're fun. One of the many classic NES games emulated in Animal Crossing is Pinball. Let's take a detailed look at this version and how it stacks up.

Let me first say I can't believe people used to pay upwards of and including for these games. Maybe I've been spoiled by more recent games, but these "classic" games are so simple one person could churn it out in a week (and often did). And people wonder why there are fewer game releases these days.

Pinball is a 2-screen pinball "machine", and there is no scrolling but rather it jumps from screen to screen. Each half of the "machine" has its own unique layout and its own set of flippers. If you miss the ball in the top half, it falls into the bottom half. You control the right flipper with 'A' and the left with the d-pad (any direction). This seems odd, but it works since this means much like a real pinball machine, each hand operates one of the flippers. You can also use the analog stick, but that doesn't change anything.

Protip: Much like in real pinball, never 'flip' both flippers at the same time.

Neither half is really all that interesting and if this was a real pinball machine, I'd never bother to play it. And not just now, it would be uninteresting for 1983 when it was released in the arcade. It really is just a small set of pinball bumpers and a few other elements that you can hit to earn points. No 'aiming' of shots. No taking advantage of the fact this is a videogame without those annoying laws of physics. The only options there are is a game 'B' where the ball moves faster then in mode 'A'.

The top half has a line of "Pac-Man" dots that you can grab which then causes a pair of seals to start juggling a ball. There is also a small side chute that if you roll through it causes a trio of penguins to "spin" different numbers. Hitting a moving platform above these stops the numbers. This is as exciting as the top half gets.

The bottom half is a little more interesting. There's are 5 cards you can uncover for a Royal Flush. It isn't easy to do, but if you do you are rewarded with a protection bumper between your flippers to help keep you from losing your ball. Of course you can lose it through two 'classic' unprotected side-chutes that you can do nothing about if the ball happens to fall down it (the top half has one of these too). You can break three eggs to gain protection bumpers for these though. There are also 7 numbers you can hit that will open an 'exit'...

The only way the game takes advantage of the fact it's a videogame is in its "mini-game". In the bottom half there is a 'hole' that you can fall into and be taken to this game. In it you are Mario who must move a platform back and forth "Break Out" style to keep a ball bouncing. The goal is to free the Princess who is trapped at top before you miss the ball and are returned to the top half of the main game. However, if she falls and you don't catch her, it's game over.

Protip: Never give up on the ball. See if you can help it 'bounce' back up after it falls below your flippers or platform.

That's really everything there is in the game. You just play it over and over and over to try and get a higher and higher and higher score with your 3 balls (you can get an extra ball at 50,000 points). As a diversion in Animal Crossing it can be a lot of fun. One of the more fun NES games included in fact. But as a game on it's own, who ever bought this thing? At least in the Animal Crossing version it saves your high score. Just beware if you manage to score over 100,000 points...