The next best thing to having one in your dining room.

When I was a teen I loved the lights and sounds of the pinball games in the arcade. I was tickled when I ran across Wii Pinball for only $20. I put it down and picked it up a few times because we haven't liked any $20 Wii games yet. My curiosity got the best of me and this time I was in luck.

Overview
Wii Pinball is a collection of 10 Williams pinball tables. The tables include: Gorgar, Pinbot, Funhouse, Black Knight, Space Shuttle, Whirlwind, Firepower, Taxi, Jive Time & Sorcerer. A controller and Nunchuck is required for game play. Rated E for everyone, ages 10 an up.

Players
This is a 4 player game which is nice because it's easy enough to play with visitors without explanation or a learning curve. However, the game does require the Nunchuck controller for each player. It is a little inconvenient, but it is possible to play multi-player by passing the controllers.

The more players, the longer it is until you get a turn. It can take forever for the other person to have their turn and I just can't get into the opponents game play like I can with other games. It is nice to have the option to play in a group but I prefer playing alone.

Kids
Our 14-year-old son has interest in the game and seems to think he knows what a pinball machine is though I questioned it. Come to find out he had been playing a version on the computer for some time which explains his high score. This is one of the only games that we have for the Wii that my son likes.

The younger kids have no interest in this game and have not even asked to play it.

How to Play
Game play feels very natural. Flip the plunger on the Nunchuck to launch the ball. Use the left and right flippers on the bottom of the controllers to move the arms on the game. Moving your hands tilts the table. The movement is very sensitive so if you don't tilt in moderation you'll lose your turn. Four of the tables are available at start up, the others must be unlocked by gathering credits. The high scorer has the opportunity to add their initials to the score board.

If you're not familiar with the games you can read a paragraph about the table in the instruction manual. In just a few sentences it will tell you where to shoot to collect the most points.

Sounds/Graphics
I can't get over how true-to-life the game is. The lights and sounds are dead on. My only complaint is that the graphics are poor. I would also like the option to zoom in on the board or have different angles for game play. There are some options for other views but not the ones I had in mind. The table takes up the whole screen. The camera angle changes automatically as the ball rolls around. You can even see the plastic reflection on the screen (can be turned off if desired).

When choosing the next game it looks like you are walking around in an arcade room. There are a lot of games in the room but you only have access to 10 of them. There are no other arcade games or modern day takes on pinball. Personally, I'd rather focus on the tried and true games anyway.

Flashing lights and fast moving screens often give me a headache. I did not get that feeling with this game. My husband did comment that extended play tends to hurt his hands while playing. There have been times when I have had very sore muscles on the bottom of my arm the next day from playing the Williamson Challenge a bit too long. The pointer finger is used exclusively in this game.

Williams Challenge
The player must reach the target score before moving on to the next table. Once the points are achieved the player has the option of replaying or moving on.

Practice Arcade
This is where the individuals can practice on the tables of their choice by themselves or with other players.

Tournaments
This is the standard format for championships. The first replay score of each table is divided by 10 and equals one tournament point. The highest combined score wins.

Replay Value
I initially would have said that this wasn't a game that we could play all night. After more tables were unlocked and I had some practice it became very addictive. I'm not a teenager anymore so the flashy lights and loud noise takes it toll. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking out of a casino.

My Thoughts
It takes a lot of game play to unlock more tables and only having access to 4 of the 10 tables really stinks. There are 10 tables which will keep me busy for awhile. My husband and I both mention on a regular basis that we wish there were more options. Some of the beauty of this is that they have not altered the game play or updated it to features that would ultimately interfere with the nostalgia.

I think the graphic quality could be better, it bothers me a lot that things like the numbers are so hard to read. This is a very good take on Pinball but it's still not exactly the same as standing over the game.

This is actually my favorite game. This is the only game that has me "addicted".

We get this game out when we have visitors and everyone has absolutely loved the game and has vowed to buy it.

Overall
I think this game does a really good job of taking the player back to the 70's and 80's. This is a must-have for sentimental reasons, great replay value, and a great find for $20.