Pinball Games - ranked by preference
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Devil's Crush - TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine

Release Date: July 20, 1990 (JP)
Publisher: NEC Interchannel
Developer: Compile
Genre: Pinball
Devil's Crush very well might be my favorite video game pinball game. Even to this day, I still enjoy pulling Devil's Crush out and playing a few rounds. The game is technically only one table, but the ball physics are done so well and the environments and challenges are done equally well...Even with just one table, this is a fantastic game. I thought Alien Crush was a decent pinball game, but Devil's Crush is a great one.
ape's rating:

Kirby's Pinball Land - Game Boy

Release Date: November 27, 1993 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Hal Laboratories
Genre: Pinball
Kirby's Pinball Land is one of my favorite pinball games that I've ever played. You can traverse through three different tables, with boss fights and hidden rooms awaiting you. Each table is designed well enough where it takes a while before you get bored...And when you do get bored, you just have to manipulate Kirby enough in a certain area to trigger a star that will transport you to the table selection screen, where you can enter a new table. I wish more pinball games were as fun as this fantastic addition to the Kirby franchise.
ape's rating:

Dragon's Revenge - Sega Genesis and Mega Drive

Release Date: December 10, 1993 (JP)
Publisher: Tengen
Developer: Tengen
Genre: Pinball
This sequel to Dragon's Fury (Devil's Crush on the Turbografx-16) is proof that bigger isn't always better. While the pinball table is larger in scale, the design of the table just isn't quite the same quality as the original. Likewise, just because some of the bonus tables have scantily-clad ladies, it doesn't make the gameplay any more interesting. Thankfully, while it doesn't quite live up to the quality of Dragon's Fury, Dragon's Revenge is still a good pinball game worth playing if you're a fan of the genre...but Dragon's Fury should be your first choice.
ape's rating:

Alien Crush - TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine

Release Date: September 14, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: NEC Interchannel
Developer: Compile
Genre: Pinball
Alien Crush was a decent first-effort by Compile to make a pinball game on the TurboGrafx-16. The physics were okay and the one playable board wasn't bad...But it wasn't anything special, either. Compile later created Devil's Crush, improving on pretty much every element of this game...But for what it is, this is still a fairly solid choice if you're hankering for a game of video pinball.
ape's rating:

The Pinball Arcade - PlayStation Network

Release Date: April 10, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Farsight Studios
Developer: Farsight Studios
Genre: Pinball
The Pinball Arcade is different fron Zen Pinball 2 in that rather than having players play on original-for-the-game tables, the Pinball Arcade actually simulates real pinball tables that you may have played at your local pizza parlor, gas station, arcade, etc. This brings some nostalgia to it for pinball enthusiasts. Like, I got to play the Ripley's Believe it or Not pinball machine that I enjoyed at the local bowling alley a few years back. The downside is that while it may be a pretty accurate simulation, it's still nowhere near as fun as playing the real tables. That said, this is a good choice for a traditional pinball experience.
ape's rating:

Zen Pinball 2 - PlayStation Network

Release Date: September 4, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Zen Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball
Zen Pinball 2 is an interesting approach to pinball. It plays just like your average pinball game, but in Zen Pinball 2, it's like the tables are alive. Say you're on one of the Marvel tables, you'll see Thanos threatening you and Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock helping you out on either side of the table by pushing the ball back at certain times. Aside from the animated aspects, the pinball tables aren't particularly interesting...But the pinball physics are done well enough and the animated aspects of the game provide enough of an original experience that pinball fans will likely enjoy their time here.
ape's rating:

Rollerball - Famicom and NES

Release Date: December 20, 1988 (JP)
Publisher: Hal Laboratories
Developer: Hal Laboratories
Genre: Pinball
Rollerball is a so-so game of pinball. At first it comes across as being quite fun, with a table that spans across several screens...But after a while, it just gets old. There's only so many times that you can do the same thing on a pinball table before you start to get a little bored. Pinball fanatics may enjoy this game quite a bit more than I did, but for what it is, it's not terrible nor is it great...It's just passable.
ape's rating:

Mario Pinball Land - Game Boy Advance

Release Date: August 26, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Fuse Games Limited
Genre: Pinball
When most folks think of a Mario game, they usually think of quality. Unfortunately, sometimes the chubby plumber's games aren't really anything special, which is the case with Mario Pinball Land - a game that is just passable as far as gameplay is concerned. It's mildly fun if you like pinball games, but otherwise you might not want to bother with it. There are some quality Mario and pinball games on the Game Boy Advance, unfortunately, this fits into neither of those categories.
ape's rating:

Revenge Of The Gator - Game Boy

Release Date: October 18, 1989 (JP)
Publisher: Hal Laboratories
Developer: Hal Laboratories
Genre: Pinball
Revenge of the Gator is a solid, albeit bland, pinball game. The game plays decent, but there's not a whole heckuva lot of meat to this game. But still, I'd like to think that this game helped lay some of the ground work for Hal Labs' fantastic Kirby's Pinball Land that came out years later. If there was some more variety here, I'd bring the score up a bit, but for what it is, it's not too bad.
ape's rating:

Power Rangers Zeo Full Tilt Battle Pinball - PlayStation

Release Date: September 27, 1996 (JP)
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: Kaze
Genre: Pinball
While it's not the quality of similar action-based pinball games like Devil's Crush, Power Rangers Zeo Full Tilt Battle Pinball is still a passable pinball game. Basically, you just play pinball like normal, but try to hit the ball into enemies, bosses, and level exits after they open up. It's kind of fun, but the tables aren't varied enough to prevent boredom from setting in after a while - it essentially becomes the same formula over and over. But, like I said, it's still a passable game and all...Just don't expect it to be great.
ape's rating:

Muppet Pinball Mayhem - Game Boy Advance

Release Date: May 29, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: NewKidCo
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Genre: Pinball
Muppet Pinball Mayhem is a passable pinball game with mildly amusing tables to play on...But strip the Muppet license away and it's nothing special. That said, it surprises me that this is more of a "pure" pinball game, or one that emulates realistic tables, rather than it be more of a video game-y pinball game with Muppets wandering around on the table for the pinball to bounce into. When I think Muppets, I'd imagine a wacky pinball game...Not a realistic simulation. So, if you're a pinball purist and a Muppet fan, you might be in heaven here...But for the rest of us, this is an okay pinball game, but the GBA has better options in the pinball genre.
ape's rating:

3D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride - Game Boy Color

Release Date: December 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Left Field Productions
Genre: Pinball
3D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride lies to you. The game is not a thrillride. It's not 3D. The only thing ultra about it is that it's an ultra sellout to Hershey products. The only honest thing about the title is that it's a pinball game...Though not a particularly good one. The gameplay is boring, without a whole lot of interesting tidbits going on other than you simply trying to prevent your ball from falling beneath the bumpers. There's better alternatives on the Game Boy Color for your pinball needs, so I wouldn't even bother with this one unless you're a pinball nut and absolutely must play every pinball game that you find.
ape's rating:

Like the "ranked by preference" lists I do for systems, I'm doing for genres now as well. The comments and such are the same as found in those lists, unless the comment(s) were list-specific, in which case, I wrote up a new little diddy for it.
Games will be added regularly as I play 'em.
Games will be added regularly as I play 'em.
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Video Games - ranked by preference
(55 lists)list by ape
Published 13 years ago
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