| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this is a collection of pinball games that's a joy to play. But it can be addicting. What stopped you from playing pinball when you were younger was money. But your children can play forever for $30 cost of this game. Most will play each game a few times for about 15 minutes. But those who want to win everything or want to get high scores may end up playing one, three-ball game for as long as an hour. This is a good game for parents and children to explore together.
PINBALL HALL OF FAME: THE WILLIAMS COLLECTION anthologizes some of the best and most challenging pinball games of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Of the 10 games included, the most delightful includes "Funhouse." with its carnival theme; "Pinbot," with its science-fiction robot theme' and "Whirlwind," with its tornado theme.
Here, the Wiimote and Nunchuk act as your flippers and plunger. Shaking the Wiimote may save your ball from leaving the playfield. But shake too hard and you'll tilt the table. By winning at tables like Funhouse that start unlocked, you'll collect quarters, which will unlock the rest of the tables.
While the game's graphics come close to looking like the real thing and the environment feels like an old school pinball joint, the physics aren't quite as admirable. Sometimes, the ball moves too fast or moves weirdly. But that's a small gripe. Game play makes up for everything. For instance, once you carefully shoot a ball into the talkative dummy Rudy's mouth in Funhouse (to shut him up), you'll forget all about the minor physics issue.
Another plus of playing pinball inside a video game is that you can actually hear the sounds and music in the game, some of which is hummable like a jingle on TV. That is something that frequently goes unnoticed in a loud arcade. While there's no online play, up to four friends can compete during multiplayer at once. Since the game is easy to learn but hard to master, it just might see some of the popularity that Wii Sports has had. Mainly, though, The Williams Collection is a great way for parents and children to bond over playing a video game. The nice price, about $20 less than the average Wii game, is a real bonus.
Families can talk about how pinball games used to be very popular in the pinball arcades. For parents, were pinball games the equivalent of video games that are so popular with the current generation? Do you thing the interactivity in pinball games had anything to do with the invention of video games? Which form of entertainment is more enjoyable, pinball or video games? Families can share tips about how to aim and how to get multiball.
| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Arcade |
| Developer: | Crave Entertainment |
| Release date: | February 26, 2008 |
| Price: | $15-$30 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Animated Blood, Suggestive Themes |
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