User Reviews (1 - 11 of 15)

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Just Not Good Enough

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 14
Date: March 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a pinball expert or anything but I always enjoyed video game pinball ( not the simulations of real machines ) and I thought I should give this a try anyway despite the fact that this is, afterall, a sim. I was wrong. Only two of the tables are any fun ( Black Hole and Tee'd Off ) and I just don't care about the history of the machines in general or Gottlieb in particular. Some may argue the older tables ( 50's, 60's ) require more skill and finesse, but I just found them to be dull and somewhat tacky. And only two worthwhile tables for $20 just doesn't cut it. I recommend these instead: Extreme Pinball for The Playstation, Pure Pinball for the X-Box, The Pinball of the Dead for the GBA ( macabre and creative! ), and even Dragon's Revenge for the old Sega Genesis.

Family Fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This was an inexpensive and enjoyable family game. Easy to play for all ages and even a little addictive for it's scoring.

Not as Good

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If given the choice, I would take the Williams collection over this one. For the most part, these were very plain game tables, with only a couple of really good ones. There are only 7 games, as opposed to the Williams 8. The two main reasons I like the Williams better is the choice of camera angles, and the rumble feature which makes playing the game seem more realistic. This is a fun, though a bit pedestrian effort. Go with the Williams if you have to choose one.

The best pinball sim yet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I first purchased this game, I wasn't sure what to expect given how poorly older videogames have been emulated in compilations recently released and how unrealistic most pinball sims released for the PSone were, but I was pleasantly surprised by this diamond in the rough.

Having played all but 2 of these pinball games on real machines and having owned one of them in the past, I can tell you from experience that the ball physics are more accurate than any pinball sim that's come through before. Each game has its own unique challenges from the randomness of early games like Aces High to the finesse games like Genie and Black Hole.

The start up menu is very well designed, there is extensive information about each machine, and the extras like the love meter, slide show and fortune teller are nice bonuses. The machines are very easy to navigate through and the designers did an excellent job in selecting pinballs that helped define Gottlieb over a 40+ year span.

My only gripe about this game and the only reason I didn't give pinball hall of fame a 5 out of 5 is that there is an annoying glitch on tournament mode where if you beat the high score, you have to enter your initials for each individual point you have beaten the high score by which can be very cumbersome when you score 403 points and the high score is only 138. Otherwise, I would consider this one a must have for anyone into pinball.

Not Good Enough

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I wanted to like it so much more because graphics look fantastic, and it looks like the awesome pinball machines that I grew up with. And secondly there hasn't been a good true collection of the pinball experience.

But the ball is alittle toooooo slow moving! I don't recall the real pinball machines have turtle moving balls. I was actually yawning and waiting for each ball to come about.

Fun, but there's a couple things that bug me.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Maybe it's just me becuase I didn't see anyone else comment about it; The ball seems to not last very long in this game in a turn, I mean when I Play the actual pinball machine I can keep it going forever but in this game it seems to always find some way to slip by. ALSO, I didn't notice anyone comment about this either but I played this game from brand new and no scratches, in 'Black Hole' when the ball falls from the right side to the bottom, it's like the game doesnt know that It fell, and a new ball should come. I kept tilting it for 3 minits and it never read it to start a new ball. And it does this every time it falls over there, so 'Black Hole' is just not an option for me though it looks cool. I like the different camera angles I can choose from and the different choices of games to play. and that I can choose my own style ball, that's always fun. I did buy this game in a 3 pac for $10 at Sears so I don't have room to complain too much about the things I don't like. I'd have to say if you're getting this for $3.35 like I did instead of this $15 on Amazon, it's worth getting.

-VickyGeez

Pinball

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Great game. Really didn't get into the whole game thing until I saw they had pinball. Played it a lot in college.

Pinball Hall Of Fame

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Pinball Hall Of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection for Playstation 2 is a neat collection of classic Gottlieb pinball games, brought to you by Crave Entertainment: "Ace High" (1957), "Central Park" (1966), "Big Shot" (1974), "Genie" (1979), "Black Hole" (1981), "Victory" (1987) and "Tee'd Off" (1993). You begin by selecting your pinball game in a virtual retro gameroom. Once you get the high score on any game, you may begin saving your data on a PS2 memory card.

In my opinion, all the games were ported nicely - not bad for a home version for your TV. Each game has voice/text tutorials and game history, a huge scan of the original ad flier to view, among other little features. The flipper controls are easy to use, and you can easily change camera angles during gameplay if you want. Those looking for many of the sounds and music from the original machines will be pleased with this collection as well.

As you meet specific goals set for a few of the games (such as accumulating a certain number of credits/replays on a game), you'll unlock some extras in the gameroom you previously couldn't access: "Xolten" the fortune teller, a "love meter", a video tour of the Gottlieb factory, custom pinballs to use in future games, a tournament mode, and some other cool additions.

For the price I paid ($5 brand new), I really can't complain, as it has tons of replay value if you're into pinball games. There is a big difference between the real thing and the games on this collection though, so hardcore pinball gamers might not care for it. Too bad that Q*Bert (a Gottlieb arcade classic from the early 80's) is in the gameroom, but is unfortunately unplayable - just there for the "ambience" I guess. That would have been a fun unlockable, as it's one of my most favorite 80's coin-op's.

Overall, PHOF is a fun game that belongs in your PS2 collection. No plots or storylines, just classic arcade fun.

Excellent 128-bit pinball simulator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: November 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

PS2 owners waiting patiently for a 128-bit pinball simulator have finally got their game! Pinball Hall of Fame features seven classic Gottlieb tables with an unlockable eighth table, along with unlockable Xolten the fortune teller, Gottlieb's Love Meter, and more. The graphics are excellent, and the sounds come from the real tables. Contrary to what you may have heard, the ball physics are right-on, and each table has its own special challenges and rewards. If you like pinball, you will find a lot to like in this game; for the money, it's a no-brainer purchase!

Awesome Pinball collection!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: January 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game simulates pinball machines from 50s to 90s. At first I was suspicous about this game because it featured really old tables like 1950-1970s. My idea of a pinball machine are those over the top ones made by Midway during the 90s. Many evolved into more of a spectacle machine while losing 'gameplay'. This is pretty much the only pinball game for ps2. I really like the fact that these machines really exist.

This game blew me away. Right when I saw Genie, Black Hole, Victory, and Tee'd off.... I was like I played and watched people play this before! Brought back memories that otherwise would be forgotten forever.

The graphic and sound for this game is excellent. You will feel like you own the machines. There is voice tutorial and history info for all the tables. The camera angles are excellent. The ball physics very real. The menu screen is nice, all the pinball machines are placed in an old-fashioned arcade and you select them. There is simulated 'background arcade noise' during gameplay, it can't be toggled but its cool. The glass 'shines' effect during gameplay makes the tables look even more real. The gameplay design is SUPERB! Gottlieb knows how to design and make pinball games! Here are the machines:(Name, year, comment, rating.)

Ace high 1957 - a simple but well designed pinball game. Decent.
Central Park 1966 - another simple but well designed pinball game. Good.
Big Shot 1974 - excellent game, beatifully blends pool and pinball together. Great.
Genie 1979 - very popular back then, one of the best single plane pinball machine ever. Great.
Black Hole 1981 - The first pinball game to feature a 'underground' table, or a mini-table built within a pinball table. Great. Pinball machine designs during this time is evolving big time as seen in this table.
Victory 1987 - Very popular back then. Excellent gameplay and ramp design which allows 'double' ramping/looping. Here we see how pinball machines are evolving into little amusement parks. Great.
Tee'd Off 1993 - blends golf and pinball together beautifully. A classic 'basic' over the top pinball machine. Great.

There is a unlockable table called Play-Boy but I haven't unlock it yet. Another unlockable is Xolten the fortune teller machine.

Overall this game is a must buy for all pinball fans!

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