Dream Pinball 3D

Jun 1 2008 by Jon Omalley, Sunday Sun

I’M more of a pinball hazard than a wizard but, since playing my first game of bagatelle some time back in the last century, I’ve always been drawn to the bally table’s flashing lights and electronic cacophony.

So far, I’ve been less than impressed with attempts to emulate the real thing on screen . . . and Dream Pinball 3D has done nothing to change that.

The 3D claim was intriguing and, at first, enjoyable to explore . . . but it soon became clear that there was a major flaw in its design.

There are seven camera settings you can flip through in-game to keep up with the 3D action close-up or opt for a more traditional overhead view. But sticking with the overview will sometimes leave you blind to obscured secondary flippers and the intricacies of the table’s far end.

However, zoom in to see detail and play at the top of the table and you’ll find that your ball is often lost because it’s been flung back towards you faster than the cameras can respond . . . leaving you no chance to keep it in play with the flippers.

Aside from the flawed 3D and camera set-up, the rest of the game is pretty passable.

You can play with just the Wii remote or use your nunchuk as well to control one of the flippers. Both options allow you to nudge the table when needed although, just like the real thing, a tilt warning will see you lose your game.

There are six separate tables, each with their own theme — such as knights or dinosaurs — to choose from, with some offering more of a challenge than others.

Each has a multi-ball bonus where — after “locking” three balls in a row by hitting a particular hole — you’ll find yourself trying to keep four balls in play in a manic pinball blizzard.

And, hit the right bumpers and bonuses, and you can unlock a ball change, where steel can become, for example, ivory, stone or gold, which behave very differently to the usual metal missile.

You can also tinker with the difficulty levels, and the duration of bonuses, and there’s a colour filter should the intense flashing lights become a distraction. Note to the makers . . . the reflection of the backglass on the tabletop is very stylish, but also makes keeping up with the fast-moving ball much more difficult.

There are better pinball games out there for the Wii so, even though this game can be had for as little as a tenner, you might be better off nudging it to one side.