Software:Pinball Dreams

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Pinball Dreams
Developer(s)Digital Illusions
Publisher(s)21st Century Entertainment, GameTek (Game Boy, Game Gear, SNES)
Producer(s)Barry Simpson
Designer(s)Olof Gustafsson
Programmer(s)Andreas Axelsson
Artist(s)Markus Nyström
Composer(s)Olof Gustafsson
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari Falcon,[1] DOS, Game Boy, GBA, Game Gear, GP32, iOS, OS X, PSN, SNES
Release1992[2]
Genre(s)Pinball
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pinball Dreams is a pinball simulation video game developed by Digital Illusions and originally released for the Amiga in 1992. It spawned several sequels, including Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions. The MS-DOS port was digitally released by Rebellion Developments along with its sequel and Pinball Mania on February 22, 2011 on GOG.com with support for Microsoft Windows.[3] It received an OS X build on April 23, 2013;[4] and a Linux build on August 19, 2014.[5]

Gameplay

The game's four tables each had a theme, as do most real-life pinball & Panchinko machines. The version of Pinball Dreams bundled with the Amiga 1200 had a bug which rendered most of Beat Box's advanced features non-functional.

  • "Ignition", themed around a rocket launch, planets, and space exploration. The Expert Software's Pinball 2000 port of the game renamed this table "Rocket".
  • "Steel Wheel", themed around steam trains and the Old West.
  • "Beat Box", themed around the music industry, charts, bands and tours.
  • "Nightmare", themed around a graveyard, ghosts, demons, nightmares and generally evil things. Unlike the other tables in the game, the name of the table in the menu did not reflect the name displayed on the table itself—"Graveyard". Some ports of the game (notably the GameTek port to the Game Boy) name this table "Graveyard" in the menu as well.

Development

The ball moves according to reasonably realistic physics, and the game was restricted to using table elements which would also be possible to build in reality. Sound and music were realized with Module files, with this technology several music tracks could be included on the limited space of floppy disks.[1]

Ports:

  • Atari Falcon
  • Commodore 64: A preview was released at the Breakpoint demo party in April 2006.[6]
  • Game Boy
  • Game Gear
  • Game Boy Advance: Under the title Pinball Challenge Deluxe, with tables added from Pinball Fantasies.
  • GP32: Released in October 2002.
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System: A mostly accurate conversion, including all four tables and near-perfect sound. However, the red "blood" under the top bumper in the "Nightmare" table has been changed to blue and the crosses were removed.
  • PC: A conversion for DOS based systems by Spidersoft.
  • iPhone/iPod Touch: Released in January 2009 by Cowboy Rodeo as Pinball Dreaming: Pinball Dreams.
  • PlayStation Network: Released in November 2009 by Cowboy Rodeo.
  • iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: Released in July 2011 by Cowboy Rodeo as Pinball Dreams HD.
  • OS X: Released in August 2011 by Cowboy Rodeo as Pinball Dreams HD.
  • Amstrad CPC: Released in October 2019 by BG GAMES.[7]

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Power Unlimited80/100(DOS)[8]

Pinball Dreams was a commercial success, selling more than 650,000 copies in its debut year.[9]

Pinball Dreams was overall received positive by press reviews.[10][11][12] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Game Gear version a 5.8 out of 10, commenting that "Pinball never really worked well on portable systems and Pinball Dreams is no exception. The boards are huge, but the game is a little slow."[13]

In 1993 Computer Gaming World criticized the PC version of Pinball Dreams as having "the worst physical model" of four reviewed games, and disliked the "jerk[y]" scrolling.[14] The magazine said in June 1994 that Pinball 2000 "is an average title at a better than average price".[15] In 1996 the magazine ranked Pinball Dreams as the 119th best game of all time, stating, "Smooth scrolling and great ball physics made this Amiga game a wizard's choice."[16] In 2011, Wirtualna Polska ranked it as the fourth best Amiga game.[17]

Sequels and spin-offs

Pinball Dreams 2

An alternate PC-only sequel, Pinball Dreams 2, was released in 1995 by 21st Century Entertainment (like Pinball Dreams) but was developed by Spidersoft.

It includes four tables:

  • "Neptune", themed to underwater exploration.
  • "Safari", themed to an African safari.
  • "Revenge of the Robot Warriors", themed to a battle against robots.
  • "Stall Turn", themed to aerobatics.

Composer Andrew Barnabas did not have access to the game while writing its music, and was instead given only a list of song titles and a copy of the original Pinball Dreams. He complained that "I couldn't even see what the game looked like. It was like composing in the dark."[18]

Pinball Mania

Pinball Mania is a 1995 DOS game based on Pinball Dreams. While "Digital Illusions was not involved in the fourth title in 21st Century's pinball series" it was instead developed by Spidersoft. The game featured 4 tables: Kick Off, Jail Break, Tarantula, and Jackpot. PC Games (Germany) gave the game a 69 out of 100, while High Score gave it 3 out of 5.[19] A Game Boy port was published by GameTek UK Ltd. Consoles Plus gave it 80 out of 100, while Total! (Germany) gave it 3 out of 6.[20]

Absolute Pinball

Absolute Pinball is a 1996 DOS game based on Pinball Dreams. It was developed by Unique Development Studios AB and published by 21st Century Entertainment Ltd. on Sep 01, 1996. Joystick (French) gave it 80 out of 100, Coming Soon Magazine gave it 76 out of 100, PC Games (Germany) gave it 75 out of 100, PC Player (Denmark) gave it 70 out of 100, PC Player (Germany) gave it 3 Stars, High Score gave it 3 out of 5, PC Joker gave it 55 out of 100, and Power Play gave it 54 out of 100.[21]

Pinball Builder

Pinball Builder: A Construction Kit for Windows is a Windows 3.x 1996 game developed by Spidersoft and published by 21st Century Entertainment. Based on the Pinball Dreams/Fantasies series, the game is a "pinball construction kit for Windows". Mobygames explains "This package was included in Encore's "Pinball Madness 2" collection in 1999." PC Player (Denmark) gave it 70 out of 100, Gamezilla gave it 58 out of 100, PC Games (Germany) gave it 53 out of 100, PC Player (Germany) gave it 2 Stars, Power Play gave it 34 out of 100, and High Score gave it 1 out of 5[22]

Total Pinball 3D

Total Pinball 3D is a DOS game released in 1996 by 21st Century Entertainment and developed by Spidersoft.

A Next Generation reviewer criticized that the view of the table in 2D mode is too small due to it being restricted to one side of the screen, and concluded, "There is a lot of variety in play style, difficulty, and theme, and the graphics are sharp, but compared to the high level of detail and originality in recent titles, the tables here look bland. ... much better games like Hyper 3-D Pinball and Pro Pinball now come to mind." He scored it two out of five stars.[23] Coming Soon Magazine gave it 81 out of 100, PC Games (Germany) gave it 68 out of 100, GameSpot gave it 5.8 out of 10, Power Play gave it 42 out of 100, and PC Player (Germany) gave it 1 Stars.[24]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pinball Dreams - Atari Falcon". fatal-design.com. 2001. http://fatal-design.com/pinball/. 
  2. ↑ Verburg, Kenneth. "Fredrik Liliegren, CEO of Digital Illusions about Rally Masters". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816073556/http://www.simracingnews.com/pittalk/interviews/fredrikliliegren/index.shtml. Retrieved June 14, 2023. 
  3. ↑ "New release: Pinball Gold Pack". CD Projekt. 22 February 2011. https://www.gog.com/news/new_release_pinball_gold_pack. "First of all, you get five games - Pinball Dreams 1 and 2, Pinball Fantasies, Pinball Mania, and Pinball Illusions, each featuring four pinball tables." 
  4. ↑ "Mac Game Update: 22 New Additions". CD Projekt. 23 April 2013. https://www.gog.com/news/april_mac_game_update_22_new_additions. 
  5. ↑ "GOG.com Now Supports Linux!". CD Projekt. 24 July 2014. https://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_now_supports_linux. 
  6. ↑ Pinball Dreams Preview c64
  7. ↑ Pinball Dreams 100% Amstrad CPC
  8. ↑ "Power Unlimited Game Database" (in nl). 1993. Archived from the original on October 20, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031020134027/http://www.powerweb.nl:80/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query%5border%5d=datum&ending=ASC&query%5bstart%5d=100. Retrieved November 24, 2022. 
  9. ↑ Hawken, Kieren (2016). "From the Archives: 21st Century Entertainment". Retro Gamer (151): 56–61. 
  10. ↑ Braun, Peter (1992-03-01). "Pinball Dreams: Flipper ist unser bester Freund!" (in de). Amiga Joker. http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=475. "Eine der besten Flippersimulationen für den Amiga!" 
  11. ↑ Rückert, Lars (1992-04-01). "Pinball Mania" (in de). Aktueller Software Markt. pp. 104. http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=4022. "Gut." 
  12. ↑ Gollert, Knut (1992-04-01). "Pinball Dreams: Flipperträume" (in de). PowerPlay. pp. 104. http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=3214. "Naja." 
  13. ↑ "Review Crew: Pinball Dreams". Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM Media, LLC) (55): 46. February 1994. 
  14. ↑ Lombardi, Chris (December 1993). "Bumper Crop". Computer Gaming World: 110–114. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113. Retrieved 29 March 2016. 
  15. ↑ "Taking A Peek". Computer Gaming World: 168–172. June 1994. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=119. 
  16. ↑ "150 Best Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World: 64–80. November 1996. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 
  17. ↑ 4. Pinball Dreams - 30 najlepszych gier na Amigę - Imperium gier, WP.PL (in Polish)
  18. ↑ "Making Tracks: The Noble Art of Game Music". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (3): 52. March 1995. 
  19. ↑ "Pinball Mania for DOS (1995)". http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/pinball-mania. 
  20. ↑ "Pinball Mania for Game Boy (1995)". http://www.mobygames.com/game/pinball-mania_. 
  21. ↑ "Absolute Pinball for DOS (1996)". http://www.mobygames.com/game/absolute-pinball. 
  22. ↑ "Pinball Builder: A Construction Kit for Windows for Windows 3.x (1996)". http://www.mobygames.com/game/pinball-builder-a-construction-kit-for-windows. 
  23. ↑ "Total Pinball 3D". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (21): 158. September 1996. 
  24. ↑ "Total Pinball 3D for DOS (1996)". http://www.mobygames.com/game/total-pinball-3d. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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