Basically a total filler video. An "I made this because I was bored" video, if you will. This is a quick little video showcasing Microsoft Pinball Arcade, a collection of seven emulated Gottlieb tables. This is not intended to be super in-depth, just something I figured I'd make off to the side. Most of the tables included aren't crazy either, so I figured it'd be fun to do this. Better emulations of these tables have been done since this game's release, but...why not? I should preface, I am not a pinball wizard. You'll pretty quickly realize all my missed opportunities to bump the table at very opportune moments. I apologize in advance. I also apologize about the resolution indicator in the top left corner when I switch tables; I have no way around that thanks to my VGA-to-HDMI adapter. Baffle Ball: This is less pinball and more pachinko. Though then again, how much do you expect 1934 technology to provide? Humpty Dumpty: Now we're getting a bit deeper, a game with actual flippers. However, it's still very much more pachinko than anything, as the flippers don't really bring the ball back upwards, they just help prolong its play somewhat longer. Knock Out: A boxing themed-table, though still not crazy deep. I tried being a lot more liberal with my table bumping in this stage, and I think I did somewhat decently. In addition I think you got to see pretty much every aspect of this table too. Slick Chick: Okay, if my assumptions about what kind of places hosted this table are correct (according to Wikipedia it was inspired by Playboy), I don't think I would have come within a fifty mile radius of one of these tables. Theming aside it's an okay table, but not one I'm going to come back to. Spirit of '76: An okay table. My first round went so poorly that I decided to give it another try, where I decidedly did a whole lot better. Haunted House: NOW we're talking! This is a fairly recognized table among pinball enthusiasts, most noted for its three levels of play gimmick that was quite ambitious back in 1982. Sadly I never reached the third level in this video, but it isn't as interesting as the first level where it goes under the glass, which I did reach, so I think it's all good. Cue Ball Wizard: Probably one of the most intricate and involved tables in this collection. I played this one several times to try and show off as much as I could, but unfortunately, this port suffers from one very fatal flaw -- the ramp (which you are constantly nagged to shoot, by the way) is way too hard to get. Even on the few occasions I do reach it, the ball tends to not have enough momentum and just comes right back down. And I've seen this table emulated on future arcade collections and played in real life, and it's nowhere near as bad as it is here. In fact, it's actually harder to shoot the ramp from the left flipper than the right, which makes absolutely no sense. Because of my lack of ramp shots, this video isn't as thorough as it could have been. Oh well. Hope you enjoy the video!
