Software:Pinball Illusions

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 video game
Pinball Illusions
Developer(s)Digital Illusions CE
Publisher(s)21st Century Entertainment
Programmer(s)Andreas Axelsson
Artist(s)Markus Nyström
Composer(s)Olof Gustafsson
Platform(s)Amiga 1200 / 4000, Amiga CD32, MS-DOS
ReleaseOctober 1, 1995
Genre(s)Pinball
Mode(s)Single-player

Pinball Illusions is a pinball video game developed by Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published by 21st Century Entertainment in 1995 for the Amiga and MS-DOS.

Gameplay

Players can choose between playing with 3 or 5 balls, adjust the slope of the table, the maximum number of multiballs allowed, and the number of nudges before tilting. One of the views shows players the entire table on screen.[1]

The LED-style display includes animations such as coppers chasing robbers.[2]

Tables

"Law n'Justice" is based on police in a future city. "Babewatch" is based on performing a variety of tasks to attract women, and includes a jukebox with a choice of music. "Extreme Sports" includes bungee jumping, free-fall, cliff-diving, and off-piste. "The Vikings" involves collecting various Viking themed objects, and the Norse Gods Odin and Wotan.[1][3]

Development

As with prior pinball games developed by DICE, Pinball Dreams and Pinball Fantasies, the game was designed to have four tables, but The Vikings was unfinished for the Amiga versions and only appears in the PC CD-ROM version. This is the only one of DICE's three pinball games to require an AGA chipset, supporting 256 colours. The PC version had support for 800x600 resolution with the floppy disk release otherwise similar to the Amiga version. The CD-ROM release in addition to having the fourth table uses redbook audio instead of the MOD music in the other versions.[3] Unlike the two earlier games, it features multiball.[2]

It also had a later 1996 MS-DOS release as one of five games in the Pinball Gold compilation.[4]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PC Gamer87%[5]
Pelit91%[6]
Amiga Power89%[7]
PC Power90%[8]

PC Gamer said "The four tables may not be enough variety for some gamers, but this is as good as pinball gets on the PC -- and you don’t need quarters, so you won’t even have to take a hammer to your piggy bank"[5] Maximum scored the PC version three out of five stars. They said the four tables are "all excellent in their own way" but that the game lacks the imagination and innovation of other pinball video games. They concluded it to be "solid, if uninspiring, entertainment."[9] Amiga Power enjoyed the multiballs and all three tables, although disliked the music on Extreme Sports.[2] PC Power found the graphics to be immaculate and the ball behaved realistically, with the tables "fiendishly addictive".[1]

The game was ranked the 23rd best game of all time by Amiga Power in 1996.[10]

True Pinball

The same four tables were used for True Pinball which released in 1996 on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hill, Steve (November 1995). "Pinball Illusions". PC Power (23): 51. https://archive.org/details/pc_power-issue_023-1995_11/page/n49/mode/2up?. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Davies, Jonathan (November 1994). "Game Reviews - Pinball Illusions". Amiga Power (43): 38-40. https://archive.org/details/amiga-power/AmigaPower43-Nov94/page/n37/mode/2up?q=%22pinball+illusions%22. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "21st Century Pinball". http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/21stpinball/21stpinball2.htm. 
  4. ↑ "NEW! Pinball Gold Pack!". http://www.21stcent.com/goldpack.htm. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vaughn, Todd (January 1996). "Pinball Illusions". Archived from the original on February 26, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000226011228/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/814.html. Retrieved August 7, 2025. 
  6. ↑ "Pinball Illusions" (in fi). 1995. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160728063035/http://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/pinball-illusions/. Retrieved August 7, 2025. 
  7. ↑ "Game Reviews - Pinball Illusions". Amiga Power (43): 38-40. November 1994. https://archive.org/details/amiga-power/AmigaPower43-Nov94/page/n37/mode/2up?q=%22pinball+illusions%22. 
  8. ↑ Hill, Steve (November 1995). "Pinball Illusions". PC Power (23): 51. https://archive.org/details/pc_power-issue_023-1995_11/page/n49/mode/2up?. 
  9. ↑ "Pinball Illusions CD". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (Emap International Limited) (1): 161. October 1995. https://archive.org/details/maximum-the-video-game-magazine-issue-1-october-1995-uk/page/160/mode/2up?. 
  10. ↑ "The Ultimate Amiga Power all-time top 100". Amiga Power (Future Publishing) (64): 23. August 1996. https://archive.org/details/amiga-power/AmigaPower64-Sep96/page/n23/mode/2up. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Template:21st Century Entertainment Pinball series



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Pinball_Illusions&oldid=3954505"