Software:Pro Pinball: The Web

From HandWiki
Short description: 1996 video game
Pro Pinball: The Web
Developer(s)Cunning Developments
Publisher(s)
SeriesPro Pinball
Platform(s)PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 9x, Sega Saturn, Macintosh (Mac OS 9 or earlier)
ReleasePlayStation
  • EU: July 1996
  • NA: 30 September 1996
PC
Sega Saturn
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pro Pinball: The Web (Pro Pinball in North America) is a pinball simulation video game developed by Cunning Developments for PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 95 and Sega Saturn. It is the first game in the Pro Pinball series.

Background

Pro Pinball: The Web uses graphics pre-rendered from an intricate 3D model.[4] Consequently, the game had superior graphical capabilities to other popular pinball games of the time, while playing at full speed on MS-DOS. The Web supports screen resolutions up to 1024x768 with 32,768 colours at 60 frames per second, and features Red Book CD-DA audio tracks, and sampled mechanical sounds.[5][6] The developer had initially tried to obtain the license for Star Trek: The Next Generation, but were unable to do so. The preliminary demo was reworked for this game, mirroring the layout. Elements from Rollergames and Black Knight 2000 were also incorporated.[7]

Gameplay

Pro Pinball: The Web was the first of the Pro Pinball series of realistic computer pinball simulations.

Pro Pinball: The Web is a pinball simulation in which players operate a virtual pinball table. Players can score extra points by making combos, i.e. performing a move twice in a row.[8] Hitting targets at the far end of the table activates the game's missions, in which the player must hit lighted ramps or bumpers to score bonus points. Completing a mission results in a huge point bonus.[8]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame4.5/5 (SAT)[13]
3/5 (PS1)[14]
EGM5.125/10 (PS1)[9]
GameSpot5/10 (PS1)[10]
7.4/10 (PC)[11]
Next Generation3/5 (PS1)[12]
PinGame Journal8/10 (PC)[5]
Sega Saturn Magazine70% (SAT)[3]

The PlayStation and Saturn versions received mixed reviews. While critics praised the realistic pinball graphics and physics[9][10][12][3] and the wide variety of scoring opportunities,[9][10] they criticized the voice samples[9][12] and the absence of a directly overhead view.[9][10] Some also concluded that with only one table, the game would get old very quickly,[9][10][3] though Next Generation remarked, "While many developers have tried to wow gamers with multiple tables, Empire went the other way - giving the player one table, but doing it right."[12] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot concluded that it "is a convincing simulation of pinball, but it falls short when compared to other video pinball games."[10] Rob Allsetter of Sega Saturn Magazine assessed that "All in all, this is a decent enough interpretation of the game itself, let down only by the exclusion of different table to variate the action a little",[3] and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly said, "It's a great board, but it'll get old real quick."[9]

Reviewing the PC version, Tim Soete highly praised the game's realism and summarized that "its high-resolution graphics and true table physics combine to make it one of the most immersive pinball titles out there."[11] Although the game is compatible with Windows 95, it was found by PinGame Journal to run with less jerkiness under MS-DOS. The ball behaved realistically, and the multiple layers of game play were praised with both short and long shots at numerous targets.[5]

The Web was named the 64th best computer game ever by PC Gamer UK in 1997. The editors wrote, "Nothing else has quite come close [...] to Pro Pinball's utterly convincing physics and slick presentation."[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. http://www.ogr.com/news/news1096.html. 
  2. ↑ "Pro Pinball". 1997-06-06. http://www.sega-saturn.com/saturn/software/propinball.htm. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Allsetter, Rob (August 1996). "Review: Pro Pinball The Web". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (10): 86–87. 
  4. ↑ "Compatibility - Pro Pinball: The Web - CodeWeavers". www.codeweavers.com. http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name?app_id=3327. Retrieved 2010-11-29. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Carlton, Bruce (July 1997). "A Review of Epic Pinball "The Web"". PinGame Journal (52/53): 62. 
  6. ↑ "Pro Pinball - The Web - Technical Specifications". http://www.empire.co.uk/propinball/theweb/techspec.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-29. 
  7. ↑ Crable, Noah (January 23, 2025). "Another Cunning Development: A Retrospective on the Pro Pinball Series" (in en). https://www.kineticist.com/post/pro-pinball-retrospective. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Pro Pinball: Weaving a New Kind of Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (88): 232. November 1996. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 "Review Crew: Pro Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (88): 80. November 1996. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Gerstmann, Jeff (December 1, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pro-pinball-review/1900-2548973/. Retrieved 15 November 2017. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Soete, Tim (September 26, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pro-pinball-the-web-review/1900-2545910/. Retrieved 15 November 2017. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Pro Pinball". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (26): 122, 124. February 1997. 
  13. ↑ Ottoson, Joe. "Pro Pinball (Sega Saturn) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7758&tab=review. 
  14. ↑ Brett Alan Weiss. "Pro Pinball (PlayStation) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2241&tab=review. 
  15. ↑ Flynn, James; Owen, Steve; Pierce, Matthew; Davis, Jonathan; Longhurst, Richard (July 1997). "The PC Gamer Top 100". PC Gamer UK (45): 51–83. 

Template:Pro Pinball series



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