Overall 8.2 Graphics 7.7 Sound 7.7 Addictive 8 Depth 7.3 Difficulty 6
7.5
So much wasted potential uusretrohippi
In the early 2000's my friend had this game for his Gameboy color, and I thought it looked awesome. Sadly I never got to play the game longer than for about 15 minutes. Now over 10 years later I thought that I should check out if the game still holds up. Let's begin
Graphics & Sound: I'm not going to gloss over these because it's freaking GBC. Even back in the day I thought that they sucked big time, but heck that's all we had. That said I think this game has rather good color-palette when compared to other games on the system, but that's about it. Sound gets rather irritating after a while so I recommend that you mute the game and listen to something awesome instead.
Addictiveness: This is actually one of the saddest things about this game. It almost completely undermines whole idea of Pokemon. Sure there are Pokemon here and there in the background and the objective is as usual to catch 'em all, but there's actually not much you can do with them. You get to catch the pokemon and later evolve them, but that's pretty much it. There's no difference in how you catch them, or how they act and you don't get to level them up. In the end every single Pokemon could be as well have been
replaced by numbers or other objects and not much would be different outside visual appeal. For that reason alone I have to drop the score for a few points. Back in the day just the mere sight of seeing Pikachu would probably have hooked me in, but I guess I've become more cynical later on. Moving on
Story: The game has no story and that's a damn shame. I wouldn't really expect a game called Pokemon Pinball to have a plot comparable to Kingdom hearts, but heck they could have had different stages unlockable after you've beaten gym leaders instead of the roulette. That way there would have been some object to put your mind to. Also some actual Pokemon battles could really have elevated the game.
Depth: I guess we all have a little completionist inside us, and that's precisely the point where Pokemon Pinball (and the franchise in general) has always aimed to. I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't have some craving for catching every single Pokemon, even after my previous proclamation about their uselessness.
Difficulty: Well this one is difficult to determine. Essentially the game is a timewaster so there's not really a frustration aspect that stems from dying over and over. Perhaps I could say that sometimes Pokemon catching is rather difficult so I guess 5 is a fair number. I won't count it in my overall score.
Other things: Perhaps the most disappointing thing that really made me lower the score is the fact that there's essentially only 2 different background in the game: Red and Blue (unless you count ministages involving Meowth, Seel and Mewtwo). I'm not sure if it's just because of technical limitations of GBC but I think it's mostly because of laziness. At the very least every single town with Gym should have a separate background with different mechanics, but now it's just these two. This is essentially the difference between Pokemon adventure and Pinball game with Pokemon as a background and it was absolutely disappointing thing to see. Also the game's mechanics feel a bit iffy, but I'm willing to let that slide because - once again - it is GBC.
Overall: The game is essentially a rather fun little timewaster, but it had a potential to be much more. Implementing different stages with different rewards that include leveling and fighting Pokemon would have made this game so addicting I wouldn't have had time to write this review from playing it. As it stands it's just a rather fun game, and that is really quite sad. So yeah, I'd recommend this game if you have a hour or two to spare, but also suggest to rather play Pokemon Gold or Silver from same console instead.
Graphics 7 Sound 6 Addictive 6 Depth 8 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 01-26-14
Review Replies: 1
8
Pokemon Pinball is awesome! sillysoul
I have so much to say about this game. At first I intended to give Pokemon Pinball a quick try and then move on to other games, yet somehow I've played it every evening for this entire week. Like me, many gamers must think that there's too many franchise related pinball games out there but personally I'm glad that Pokemon Pinball was made. It may not interest those not into the Pokemon franchise, but who knows? Perhaps Pokemon Pinball is just the game that will make you fall in love with the Pokemon world.
Graphics 8
If you like the graphics in the regular Pokemon games released for the Game Boy Color you will probably enjoy the graphics in Pokemon Pinball as well. Gladly the Pokemon aren't copied straight from the roleplaying games but instead have been designed exclusively for Pokemon Pinball. For me that actually meant a lot and many of the familiar Pokemon looked even cuter than in Pokemon Gold and Silver, that were released only five months before Pokemon Pinball.
Sound 9
Many of the tracks in Pokemon Pinball are variations of the original soundtrack of Pokemon games. Variety is always a good thing within a franchise in my opinion and I bet no one would enjoy listening to the original Pokemon Anthem through their entire gaming experience. The downside of listening to 8-bit music for a long time is developing an awful headache but that aside the soundtrack is actually quite pleasant. During the many hours I've played Pokemon Pinball I've become especially fond of the music in the Blue stage.
Addictiveness 10
If you're gonna catch 'em all, you won't let go of this game! I've never been too interested in competing in scores but Pokemon Pinball has made me a high score addict. The number one score in the list of high scores is a point amount of 500,000,000 and I'm sorry to tell that I haven't reached anywhere near that score. My goal is to beat that score in the future but I'm confident to tell that it is going to take plenty of time, patience and even a bit of luck! If you pick this game up and decide to play casually you're still going to get addicted to the Pokemon catching system. You are able to catch Pokemon in different environments by completing certain requirements and every single caught Pokemon and its information is then added to your Pokedex. Sounds easy enough, but after catching three Rattata in one game you will realize that catching them all is going to be a long process. And wait till I tell you about how to evolve your caught Pokemon...
Story
Perhaps a story would be too much for a casual game like Pokemon Pinball so fortunately there is none.
Depth 9
You will not get bored with this game! As I've already said, Pokemon Pinball is not only about competing for high scores but the main idea is to catch as many Pokemon as possible. The Pokemon catching system is the reason why I kept playing this game even though I had planned to try the game once or twice. Just trying to hit the wild Pokemon that appears in the middle of the playfield with your Pokemon ball shaped Pinball is great fun in all of its simplicity. After a while you will also notice that hitting the middle of the screen can be awfully difficult! And by the way, there are only two stages. If you're like me you will notice that Red stage is absolutely awful and you will probably stick to the Blue stage only. Even though I've been playing the same stage over and over again it never gets boring. And wait till you get to the bonus stages. I've only tried the Meowth and Seel bonus stages but I've heard that there are more. In my opinion the bonus stages are an absolute blast!
Difficulty 7
You are probably surprised why I gave such a high score for difficulty, right? Well let me explain. The game in itself is very simple. You move the flippers and you can also bump the machine from both sides. But like I already mentioned above, beating the high score in my opinion is rather difficult. And if you're trying to catch all Pokemon you will notice quickly that evolving is no easy task. You see, you can only catch base Pokemon. It's easier to explain the difficulty of evolving if I give you an example. Let's say you you catch a Bulbasaur and you want to evolve it all the way to a Venusaur. I am not sure what the requirements are, but once in a while you get the opportunity to evolve those Pokemon you have caught within that single game. I've noticed that this doesn't happen too often. To evolve your Pokemon you have to hit certain targets and gather either experience points or pieces of evolving stones that appear around the playfield. Sometimes catching experience points fails and you have to wait a while before your Pokemon is strong enough to try again. When you've caught enough experience a hole appears in the middle of the playfield and hitting it is not an easy task. You see, even if you try to be gentle you hit the ball hard anyways! When the ball drops through the hole your Pokemon evolves. Now your Bulbasaur has evolved into an Ivysaur, but that is only half way from Venusaur! It is not guaranteed that you will get another chance at evolving and if you fail to get a Venusaur, you have to start all over again with catching a Bulbasaur in another game! Oh, I forgot to tell that there's always a time limit in catching and evolving Pokemon. All in all, catching every single Pokemon and adding its data into the Pokedex is what makes this game difficult to complete. When I made my latest high score I was inches away from evolving an Ivysaur into a Venusaur! I've never gotten so far into getting a final form and normally I score so low that I don't even get to evolve my Pokemon... I think there's less than a 5% chance that I will ever do so well again! I could add one detail that on the other hand makes this game easier at times. If you smash all the buttons at the same time there is a small chance that you can save your pinball from dropping into the drain. This small bug refutes all laws of physics but when your final ball is saved from certain death you can be happy that it exists.
All in all, I'm very happy that I gave Pokemon Pinball a try. I was a huge Pokemon fan back when Red and Blue version were released and I'm proud to say that I still am! Taking into account that I've had a blast playing this game in adult age, I think it's a shame I never had Pokemon Pinball as a kid. If I did, I probably would've lost my mind! My overall score for this game is as high as an 8, but I'm in no way over-exaggerating. Pokemon Pinball is awesome, after all!
EDIT: I'm terribly sorry but I don't know how to not use this layout of mine... If someone could help me I would be glad!
Graphics 8 Sound 9 Addictive 10 Depth 9 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 04-05-14
Updated: 04-05-14
Review Replies: 4
7.4
Gotta Tilt 'Em All Someone70
When people think of Pokemon, the first thing that probably pops into their minds is the yellow mouse that we all know as Pikachu. Next, if
they knew anything more about Pokemon at all, they'd know that Pokemon are caught in Pokeballs and that many of them undergo evolution in order to get into a stronger form.
Pokemon Pinball manages to take this idea to a whole new level by adding in flippers, bumpers, and bonuses. The resulting package is a fun, though somewhat frustrating, spinoff of the series.
Graphics: 8
The two boards of Pokemon Pinball are set up like most normal pinball machines. You have your flippers on the bottom, some bonuses you can trigger on the side, bumpers on the top, a launcher near the bottom, as well as a few other gimmicks. Of course, everything has been replaced in one way, shape, or form with Pokemon. For example, the bumpers on the Red stage are Voltorbs and the side pocket savers is a Pikachu that zaps the ball out of the pocket. The ball itself, of course, is a Pokeball. It's a creative twist on the
already-established pinball setup, and keeps the game running Pokemon.
Voltorbs, Dittos, and Bellsprouts oh my!
In addition to the Red and Blue boards, there are bonus stages that you can enter every time you catch a multiple of three Pokemon. The bonuses are also Pokemon related, and range from stealing coins from a wandering Meowth to an epic showdown against Mewtwo. All of the bonuses involve hitting some sort of target, though it can get frustrating trying to position yourself just right so you can hit them.
Although the graphics themselves aren't very groundbreaking, the fact that they were so creatively made and fit together rather seamlessly makes them remarkable on the Gameboy Color.
Sound: 8
First of all, don't try to expect something great in terms of sound. After all, it's a pinball game. With that being said, the sound is decent for a game of its type. Each of the boards and the bonus stages has its own music to go with it. You'll be hearing the music for the main boards the most, but it's nothing unbearable in that sense.
If you land on Pikachu, he'll say "Piiikaaaa!"
The sound effects also work decently with the game. There are a few sfx that come from the original game, but they’ve mostly been redone for the pinball version of the game. You have little ball clicks and beeps when you hit targets. The only other sfx that you’ll recognize are the Pok�mon cries. But since the sounds are unfamiliar, it feels like a good spinoff rather than a complete ripoff of a game.
Addictiveness: 7
For a pinball game, Pokemon
Pinball pretty addicting compared to the rest. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much happening, but once you get into the game, you’ll be hooked for hours. If you practice enough and can keep the ball going for a long time, you’ll find yourself playing to see if you can beat your high score. Even before then, you’ll want to get better at the game so that you can see all the way to the prestigious Mewtwo bonus stage.
The game also comes with a Pokedex so that you can keep track of the Pokemon you’ve seen and caught throughout your plays. True Pokemon masters will try and get all 151 Pokemon like in the regular games. Of course, this isn’t necessary at all and you don’t get a special bonus for completing the Pokedex.
Try to catch 'em all!
Story: N/A
Pinball + Pokemon ≠ Story
Depth: 7
Like I said before, Pokemon Pinball is more addicting than most pinball games go. The reason comes from its depth in the pinball system. Like the mainstream Pokemon games, there is more that goes on than what first meets the eye.
As soon as you start the game, you get the chance to randomly select your location. This location doesn’t seem to do much, but what it does is affect the type of Pokemon you will find during the Pokemon catch phase.
If you time it right, you can start the game from any location.
You occasionally get the opportunity to travel to a new location, but it’s important to take note of where you are right now so you don’t miss a
potentially valuable Pokemon.
Besides travelling, there are bonus games, catching games, evolution, board gimmicks, hole slots, the Pikachu system, all of which I don’t have nearly enough text to explain. There is a lot to note, but once you get a feel for all the game has to offer, you’ll be gathering plenty of points in no time.
The game is deep, but it’s not full-on RPG deep. However given the fact that it’s a pinball game, there really isn’t much that can be done about it.
Difficulty: 8
Even though this game is fun to play, there are a few bugs and limitations that give it a bit of a frustrating quality.
The game is only for the Game Boy Color, so it was more or less part of the pioneer of games. For people nowadays, that means frustrating controls. Sadly, the pinball physics don’t quite work as intended. The fact that the Pokeball is a bit big for a pinball might be part of the problem. Either way, when you’re trying to hit targets under a time limit, and you keep missing it left and right, you might be tempted to hit something.
The board isn’t quite fair either. When you’re aiming for the hole in the center for a slot, bonus, or anything, it won’t go directly in. See, the hole has some sort of force field around it that deflects the ball, so in order to make it go in, you have to shoot it straight in and with enough force*. And these are only a few of the difficulties you’re likely going to have with the game.
Just make it in already!
Final Score: 7.4
Overall, the game is fairly enjoyable for a Pokemon spinoff. It doesn’t quite have the qualities that make it an outstanding game, but it’s worth a good shot. The game is simple enough to pick up and play right off the bat, but there are some deep qualities to the game that can help you improve your high score.
A word of warning before you play this on the Vizzed site, or any emulator. You have to switch the controls for the D-pad and A/B buttons because each side controls each side of the flipper (think about how a GBA looks).
* shut up, I know what you’re thinking
Review Rating: 4.2/5
Submitted: 08-15-11
Updated: 08-15-11
Review Replies: 6
7
noj94's Review noj94
Lately I had a vacation with my family and the it was a 10 hour drive and this is one of the games I rediscovered and now I"m going to tell you what my feelings are for this game.
Summary: The point of the game is to succeed in two goals; the obvious one being that you want to get as many points as possible to get the high score, the second being the Pokémon part of Pokémon Pinball in which you..."gotta catch 'em all!". Before the game begins you have a choice between the "Blue Version" pinball machine or the "Red Version" both have strengths and problems so it's really a matter of opinion which one you choose. The choice you make will NOT be a permanent choice so you can try both and decide for yourself. Also, to the best of my findings you can get all of the original Pokémon in both styles of pinball machine unlike the traditional Pokémon games. Once you choose which version you want to play a little screen will randomly go through settings in the original Pokémon games stopping at a place as soon as you send the ball flying. The goal, as I said, is to get the high score and get new Pokémon, to get Pokémon you need to (depending on which version you are playing) need to get the ball into Bellsprout's mouth or into Cloyster's shell that's when it's time to start catching them. Once you do so your next goal is to hit the shellder/ voltorbs 6 times, once you do so, certain Pokémon will appear which is predetermined by the setting you are at. When the Pokémon appears you need to hit it four times with the pinball and then you have the Pokémon. You will never get a chance to catch second or third evolutions in "the wild", if you want to get them you then have to evolve them by throwing the pinball into Slowpoke's mouth or into the hole Ditto is guarding. If you caught multiple Pokémon it will give you a list of the Pokémon you caught. If the Pokémon has a star my them that means they can't evolve anymore, though if you select them it will let you try though in the end it won't work. Once you have selected the Pokémon then the pinball reappears and you need to collect experience or element stones. To get them you need to hit certain targets to reveal the needed experience/stones. Eevee's evolution is randomly selected and you have no choice in the matter between Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon. Once the game is over then you will be able to see them in the Pokédex (you don't get to keep the them). Don't ever expect to get all of the Pokémon though, it's next to impossible in my opinion because so much is based off of chance and it's hard to get second evolutions let alone thirds. I know some fool will try to prove me wrong just because they can. I would have given this game a very low difficulty number if it weren't so hard to "catch 'em all". This is not a game for the hard core gamer who feels a need to complete every game.
Graphics: The Pokémon are recognizable and they have their own reaction to the hit of the pinball; Pikachu (you have to charge him with a spinner) will launch the ball off of his head with an electric shock that you can feel with the original game pack that comes with buzzer, voltorb buzz when hit, psycuck looks around stupidly when disturbed from his nap but will look PO-ed when hit too many times. There are some Pokémon that are less that pleasing when they get hit. Abra, for example, spazzes and flashes like a knocked lamp. Pikachu is unproportional to the rest of the Pokémon around the machine (evidently he's shorter than Psyduck's forehead) and I think they could have done a better job with that though I know that they won't try to make Onix proportional or others. The physics for the pinball is questionable. Rather than spinning along the bottom/background of the pinball machine the ball just drops and loses the sensation of a pinball machine. The most major problem I have though with the graphics is what I like to call...(pause for effect)...THE BLACK HOLE THROW OF DOOM (horrific/nightmare music playing in the background), sometimes...scratch that... alot of the time the Bonus Hole will open and instead of falling in like a pinball should they've given it the affect of a black hole. The pinball spins around the hole as if it has gravity and it goes on for awhile getting faster and faster and if you are unfortunate enough the ball will be released straight to the end of the game. The game has a half and half use for the game, once your pinball is at the upper-half of the pinball machine then the screen will change to that and it does the same for when you reach the bottom-half, this works reasonably well most of the time but when the ball is going back and forth between the two halves it becomes extremely difficult to play. The graphics at it's absolute worst is when you are having... THE BLACK HOLE THROW OF DOOM... mixed with the fact that you can't see you pins to prepare for the launch because the hole is right smack in the middle of the two.
Sound: The first time I played the game I was surprised to find out that it has its own soundtracks, though I welcome the optimistic music I would have wished they gave you the option of playing classic tunes. Do you want a game that has music that sounds like there isn't a problem in the world and then (even when you had a fantastic game) turns into a depressing song of sorrow for finishing the game? No, I didn't think so but someone thought it would work, which it normally would have just not the way they worked with it. After each ball they check up on your score and while they go through your accomplishments/points the music is gone giving the impression of a mean teacher looking over your work (it feels like you always get an F too). The Pokémon use the noises from the original two Pokémon
games except Pikachu (he’s the star of the show man!).
In the end I gave this game a 7 because it has lots of charm and is a great casual game to play for any Pokemon fan. If you are the type who insists on winning every game you don't want to start this game because it may be the last you'll ever play.
Graphics 8 Sound 8 Addictive 8 Depth 5 Difficulty 6
Review Rating: 3.5/5
Submitted: 08-22-11
Review Replies: 1
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