Overall 8.6 Graphics 7.5 Sound 7 Addictive 7.7 Story 5.5 Depth 6.4 Difficulty 8
8
Sonic Spinball: an OK adventure janus
Sonic is (well, was) definitely Sega’s mascot. His franchise probably received the most attention, always producing games that improved from the previous one. Until Sonic Spinball. The game was enjoyable but it was a setback compared to other Sonic games on the Sega Genesis.
Graphics: 5/10
Yes, the rating might seem quite low, but that’s because the graphics are rather disappointing even with respect to other Sega games.
When compared to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which was released the same year, the graphics in Sonic Spinball are rather bland. Sonic himself looks barely better than his Game Gear self – even Sonic the Hedgehog 1 looked better. His color is duller, there are several lags in his movement – especially when doing unusual actions like rowing in a barrel – and his expressions (death, impatience) are unoriginal.
The levels themselves are rather dark and lack details. Be it the Toxic Caves, the plant level, inside the Veg-o Machine or the final level, you will really feel like you are trapped inside a machine from which you can’t escape. Now the “front” part of the level is good, especially in the plant and Veg-o machine levels. You get to see all those pistons moving you around, along with flippers you sometimes have to move around in order to reach higher altitudes. However the backgrounds, especially in the Toxic Caves, are simply dark; Sonic the Hedgehog 1 for Game Gear had more details.
The few enemies you will come across in the machines are also unimaginative. In the Toxic Caves you will see big, er, head-like structures on which you must bounce several times in order to defeat. The second level has those ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING mechanical chicken flying around.
However Robotnik was given a little attention and his various forms. From a giant spider to his duplication into lava-spewing faces, he probably received the most graphical attention in the whole game. You can always recognize his face; you can see him entirely in his final form, where his weather socks will keep you from hitting him. I liked his Veg-o machine; finally you see how he transforms the poor people of Sonic’s world into evil robots.
Another (and the only other one) graphical success can be found in the bonus levels at the end of each zone (accessible anytime? By the number of rings you collect? I can’t remember). You see Sonic’s reflection and his hands holding the flippers where you must destroy certain things in the pinball machine in order to gain more points. THAT didn’t have any lag, which was much appreciated. The pinball ball had a realistic-ish size and the movements were fluid.
Music: 6/10
Although better in comparison than graphics, the music is still sub par with other Sonic games.
One of the main problems is the lack of variety. There are only 4 zones in the game, the bonus round and the boss theme. While the Toxic Caves theme is memorable, the other themes won’t get stuck in your head. The 3rd level (the Veg-o machine) was much too synthesized, a little like the bonus round in Cool Spot for the Super Nintendo. That being said, the boss theme, while also highly synthesized, did have an enjoyable beat to it.
On their side the sound effects, with respect to the whole game, were actually done well. Other than the annoying chicken in the second level, the sounds were actually realistic. The flippers sound genuine, getting an emerald sounds almost like the one you get in Sonic 3 (getting the final emerald has a different sounds, which I found appropriate) and other sounds just sound appropriate: the “steam” pushing you up in the second level (or the planks you “destroy” to get the emeralds), the rowing sound in your barrel in the Toxic Caves or the cart run where you can get rings.
Addictiveness: 8/10
If you like pinball games then Sonic Spinball is definitely the game for you.
Of course, as with all Sonic games your goal is to defeat Robotnik in order to advance to the next level, but it’s done in quite an original way for the time – even the only Kirby, er, “pool game” I tried wasn’t as enjoyable.
You can’t complete the game by merely flipping your flippers. You will have some walking (and even spin dashing) to do in order to get the several emeralds that will give you access to the boss room – unless, of course, you can find the glitches that make that research futile (find the speedrun to see what I’m talking about). Also, if you want extra points, you can collect many rings; you even get a substantial bonus if you can collect them all (and it IS possible, unlike more Sonic games where you can get them all only if you walk through walls). That will require quite a bit of exploration, and it won’t be easy as levels like the Veg-o machine look the same all over.
Also, thanks to their smooth designs, the bonus levels will hook you even more. Despite their obstacles they are manageable and you can complete them to get more points.
Story: 5/10
It’s not the scenario of the century but there is a thread more visible than most Sonic games before Sonic 2.
Robotnik has once again intruded in Sonic’s world to wreak havoc. This time, he robotized the inhabitants with the dreaded Veg-o Machine and trapped them inside infernal pinball machines. You need to save them!
Depth: 4/10
While the structure of the game is interesting, it unfortunately doesn’t offer much.
As I said above there are only 4 levels, and completing the regular game is actually quite easy. You do need to explore to find the emeralds but the levels are so small that it won’t take you much time to find them.
Difficulty: 6/10
The difficulty level is actually quite balanced.
The Toxic Caves is definitely the easiest ones; should you fall between the flippers (or on either side) you can fall onto something that will save you – that’s actually how you can the first few emeralds. But starting in the second level, and especially in the Veg-o machine, you get at most one chance to avoid instant death. Most of the time, you will fall in the lava/ into the cogs and die.
The bosses are challenging but not impossible, at least before the final zone. That one proved to be quite frustrating; if you fail to hit Robotnik quickly enough he will deploy his weather socks and expel you from the boss room. I’ve never been able to complete the game without savestates so I could have a better control of my movements and finally destroy him.
I think that the largest challenge is the bonus level. Since the playing space is so small there is no room for mistake – you have only 3 tries. And since there are plenty of obstacles bouncing you off you will need to master those flippers very well – you can’t control the ball like you control Sonic during the regular gameplay.
In short, despite disappointing graphics and music Sonic Spinball is a game every Sonic (and especially pinball) fan should try. Its very original design, rarely found nowadays, will challenge y
Graphics 5 Sound 6 Addictive 8 Story 5 Depth 4 Difficulty 6
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 07-31-15
Review Replies: 2
8
Sonic Spinball (Sega Genesis/Megadrive) Review. Eddy88
Speedy Pinball.Pinball machines... Who hasn't heard or played one of these machines? Fun and simple to play. Born in the late 1700 in France, as a variation of the billiard... Along with the progress of the technology, the machines changed it's shape and operation... Flippers and Spring launchers were added to the same, changing and modifying the game's aspects and gameplay. Of course, Pinball were adappted to several video game systems. While many games were just a digital version of a real Pinball, other games were more creative and had a plot or a protagonist. One of these games is: Sonic Spinball, which was released for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1993, and then was ported for the Game Gear and Master System. This game destaques by one thing: The blue hedgehog is the ball, and we must help him to accomplish his mission by using the Flippers. So... Interested? As usual, I'll invite you to read the today's review.Story: If there's something we could admire of Dr. Robotnik, is with no doubt, his perseverance... He's back, and this time he assumed control of Mt. Mobius, the most dangerous volcano of the planet, and bulit his base (named "Veg-o-Fortress") inside of the same. Now he's using the power of the Lava that flows on it to turn animals into his robot slaves. As usual, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend Miles "Tails" Prower fly to the base to stop Robotnik. But, then, a blast comes out of the base and knocks off Sonic from the Plane's wing, falling into the ocean. Luckily, Sonic manages to infiltrate into the base through the sewers of the base... Now he has to bypass through the "Pinball defense system" of the same, find the Chaos Emeralds that keep it stabilized, free the animals, and stop the evil madman. (7/10)Graphics: Good... Every stage has many details on it, for example, at Toxic Caves you can see the rocks covered with Slime, and the same changing of color. Sprites are okay. A bit tiny... But considering that the stages are bigger, I guess it's okay. Animations aren't really good. Only a few enemies, objects and bosses are animated. They could have done a way better work here. (8/10)Sound: It's okay... The soundtrack is not very good like in the previous games... It's pure noise more than music. However, there's always an exception. (Toxic Caves and the Bonus stages) Same goes for the SFX. Not even close to the SFX of the other games of the saga. (6/10)Depth: Let's check this part... Since it's a Pinball based game, the buttons will control the Flippers ("A" controls the left flipper, "B" controls the right one, and "C" moves both at the same time). However, The thing that makes this game special, is that you can control Sonic (Both being in ball shape, and when standing on a platform). The objective of all the stages is collect the Chaos Emeralds that are hidden on different spots of the same. Once we get them all, we'll be able to battle the boss of the zone. (Sounds simple, right? Well, it's not that simple... Usually, you'll have to press certain buttons or search around the entrance to the place where the Emerald is hidden...) Once the boss is defeated, we'll pass to the next stage... However, before playing the next stage, we'll have to play a Bonus round, which consists of destroying a certain objective. There are also Multi Ball rounds... To play these, you must grab all the rings of the stage, and enter in one of the portals that appear in the stage. The only bad thing is that the game is very short (only 4 stages). (7/10)Difficulty: Very hard... You have to react and think faster, specially if Sonic speeds up after hitting something. This title requieres all your concentration to beat it. (9/10)Final Rating: 8Not so good, not so bad... This is a game that is worth playing, no matter what, it's pretty fun and original. Just give it a chance, if you can.-Eddy out-
Graphics 8 Sound 6 Addictive 7 Story 7 Depth 7 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 4.8/5
Submitted: 12-31-12
Review Replies: 3
8.6
On of the best pinball video games ever Yargishner
There was never before and there probably will never be another game like sonic spinball (unless Sega doubtfully makes a sequel). This game was on of a kind. When it comes to video games most pinball games try to emulate an actual table with a few little visual effects here and there. However this game is on of the few innovative pinball video games out there, although pinball purists may or may not like it as much but sonic fans should definitely try this game out. This game instead of actually having a pinball you still play as sonic but he curls up in a ball like hes doing his famous spindash into pinball flippers. Spinball has only 4 levels however there a lot longer then the normal sonic games and the last 2 are very challenging to beat unless you practice a lot.
graphics
The graphics in this game is ok nothing to fancy I think its kinda a step down from the normal sonic games and you can tell that this game had a slightly smaller budget than most of the other sonic games by the graphics alone. With that being said the graphics do keep the game running smooth just don't expect it to look as sharp as Sonic 3?
sound
again like the graphics the sound effects are no where near as good as the normal sonic games at the time. While most of the games soundtrack is awesome (few tracks being some of the best sonic music) the option menu music and some of the sound effects will make your ears melt off. Again by the sound you can tell the had a tighter budget with this game.
Addictiveness
although from a hardware point of view even for the genesis I may have made it sound bad in fact this is in my opinion the most fun sonic game on the genesis (although I like all of them) I find this on easier to come back to for a few short rounds and to play threw the first level as fast as possible. In other words this game is really fun, however younger or inexperienced gamers may be put off by the extremely hard difficulty.?
story
The story is pretty generic but sonic games don't really need much story to be fun basically Robotnik turned all the animals into robots again but this time it takes place all in eggmans base. Also a fun fact this game does not take place in the same universe as the games but instead takes place during the animated series. However even though tails appears in the opening cutscene sonic is the only playable character.
overall
If your a fan of both sonic and pinball or perhaps one or the other than I think you should try this game while it has its shortcomings and the last few levels really spike the difficulty up a lot this game is fun and even though you lose you will want to keep coming back even after you pull out all of your hairs off your head.?
Graphics 8 Sound 6 Addictive 10 Story 5 Depth 8 Difficulty 10
Review Rating: 4.3/5
Submitted: 08-13-14
Updated: 08-14-14
Review Replies: 0
8.7
Sonic Spinball review for the Sega Genesis! G@mehe@d
Sonic Spinball is a very fun game that adds a whole new element to pinball. I always enjoyed Pinball and I always enjoyed so I couldn't resist trying it out on my Sega Genesis. It's a pretty sweet game, it combines the fast action of a Sonic game and the excitement and addictiveness of Pinball.
STORY: Dr Robotnik is once again trying to capture innocent animals and turn them into robots. He built a gigantic volcano on Mt Mobius called the Veg-O-Fortress, and uses it to transform the animals into robots. Sonic and Tails come to the rescue and then suddenly. Their airplane gets shot by a cannon on the fortress. Sonic then falls off and sinks in the water and then gets rescued and arrives at the bottom of the Pinball defense system at the bottom of the volcano. Where he works his way up the volcano to defeat Dr Robotnik.
GRAPHICS: The levels are packed with traps, bumpers, and enemies. They are colorful and have a distinct personality. The graphics are also smooth and detailed making this a very good looking game.
SOUND: The sound is not as good as the previous titles. I think that the soundtrack is not as good and the sound effects are not nearly as good.
ADDICTIVENESS: There was a time where I spent all night on this game trying to beat it. Like all Pinball style games, it's addicting and very fun.
DEPTH: Pinball games are not supposed to have a bunch of variety. This game has 4 huge pinball stages that are the size of 20 pinball tables, which is my estimate. There's even a boss stage in every level. However the game could have used some more pinball tables.
DIFFICULTY: The game is very hard. You have to do things perfectly which gets pretty annoying over time. It took me months to beat this game because of the difficulty.
OVERALL RATING: 8.7
Review Rating: 3.8/5
Submitted: 07-23-12
Updated: 11-03-12
Review Replies: 3
9.5
Sonic Spinball qwerty1234567890
The game takes place on 4 pinball sized worlds, where the object is to go into the worlds, retrieve the chaos emeralds, then defeat a boss at the end of the game. The levels involve hitting targets to complete fairly simple puzzles (and even if you’re clueless, a big flashy banner along the top of the screen resembling the dot matrix will tell you what you need to do), to eventually get your hands on the chaos emeralds. Letting a ball drop into the water (hey, I thought sonic could swim ?), toxic waste or lava at the bottom of the screen results in you losing a life. Lose 3 lives and it’s game over. And that’s it. It’s actually a pretty tough game but I really like it. Also There is a weak story behind it, Dr. Robotnik has taken control of a mountain, and has constructed an elaborate “Pinball Defense System” to keep Sonic from destroying his plans to take over the world. Sonic – who is not adverse from curling up into a ball and attacking things, does so once again to defeat Robotnik. Well that’s the story, what’s the game like .Anyway that about wraps up my review on Sonic Spinball. I would not recommend that you get this game if you like the fast-paced Sonic games, though if you are in the mood for a mellow, fun gaming experience accompanied by a good soundtrack then I would highly recommend it. This game would also make an excellent edition to your SEGA Genesis game collection.
BY QWERTY1234567890
Graphics 10 Sound 9 Addictive 10 Story 7 Depth 8 Difficulty 4
Review Rating: 2.9/5
Submitted: 02-26-13
Updated: 02-26-13
Review Replies: 3
8.9
MAN THIS GAME TAKES TIME!!! patjust
Gosh this game is so hard it takes me a hole day to beat it then the levels are so long to get the chaos emerald's its like man how long is this game you need to be a pinball master to beat this game or your lose that proves how hard the game is but its a good game you should make harder spin ball games just like this one but in had and a better plot this game would be the best game ever made in mankind think about it peps like to play spin bal so you should make more copies to this
Graphics 5 Addictive 4 Story 3 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 2.8/5
Submitted: 11-02-12
Review Replies: 1
8.5
Sonic in pinball? Stevie 764
What if you mixed sonic and pinball together? This!
Graphics - 9
It looks pretty amazing and polished for its time, it is very good, which results in a 9.
Sound - 8
The music is great on sega genesis, but unfortuantly, it is loud so mute the music in the options menu, which this gets a 8.
Addictiveness - 7
The game is a good find for your collection and it is a fun pinball game which results a 7.
Story - 6
You need to stop robotnik by using sonic's pinball ability to stop robotnik, and it gets a 6.
Depth - 5
There's only 4 levels, that's pathetic for the genesis. There isn't more levels than that which gives that a 5.
Difficulty - 10
This game gets hard really, really, fast, which results a 10 because it doesn't have continues and it just has death traps in it.
Overall - 8.5
This game is good, it isn't that bad, but it is fun to play, you could try playing months and then you can beat it. That wraps up this review.
Overall Rating: B-
Graphics 9 Sound 8 Addictive 7 Story 6 Depth 5 Difficulty 10
Review Rating: 1.8/5
Submitted: 04-16-12
Review Replies: 2
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