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Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

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9.3 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 25 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Crave Entertainment

Developer: FarSight Studios

Genre(s): Pinball

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: February 20, 2008

Summary

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection faithfully recreates eight of the most memorable tables from the golden age of pinball in photorealistic 3D. Working closely with Williams to ensure authenticity of each of the games, the collection is highlighted by some of the most popular and innovative Williams pinball tables, including Gorgar, the first-ever talking pinball machine, Black Knight, which introduced "Magna-Save" and Bonus Ball, and Space Shuttle, which took the pinball industry by storm in 1984. Every table has been meticulously recreated to bring players the visuals, sound effects and gameplay that made these games legendary successes. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection harkens back to the arcades of the 1980s. Players begin Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection with access to four pinball tables, and the remaining four tables are unlocked as the game progresses. Players can spend as little as two minutes on a quick pinball challenge, or delve deeper into the game, gaining rewards in a token-based system as they unlock each of the pinball tables. Single-player Arcade and Challenge modes provide hours of solo entertainment, and a Multiplayer mode lets players face each other head-on. [Crave Entertainment]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Gaming Age

Not only does it play a fantastic game of pinball, but has the best collection to date.

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Gaming Nexus

You may think I'm crazy, but Pinball Hall of Fame: The William Collection is easily one of the best games on the Wii.

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Worth Playing

All this whining and pining for bygone days aside, Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is an entertaining game you'll pick up and put down, quite possibly for years to come.

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ZTGameDomain

Overall, this is a must have for those of you who would like to take the journey to gaming past. It’s like a trip to a time before fanboyism, bloging, global warming, and reality Television (cringe).

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NintendoWorldReport

Pinball Hall of Fame is unapologetically faithful to its source material, and doesn't offer any olive branches to those who have never found pinball compelling. Nevertheless, FarSight Studios has crafted a wonderfully authentic pinball experience.

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Game Informer

It's a hell of a lot of fun, and hardcore pinball fans will appreciate the special achievements and unlockables like hidden tables and original promotional pamphlets. [Apr 2008, p.95]

GameZone

Whether you own the first game or not, if you love pinball, this is a can’t-miss release.

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GameShark

If there’s a complaint, it’s just that we’re left wanting more – where’s Comet and Cyclone and High Speed? Let’s just hope that Crave is saving them for Pinball Hall of Fame Volume 2. Until that game is released, this is definitely one game that I’ll keep playing – it’s highly recommended.

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Game Revolution

Unless you’re rich enough to buy up a bunch of old machines, completely refurbish them, and open up your own private rec-center, Pinball: Hall of Fame is probably the closest you’re going to get to a true pinball arcade experience.

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Console Gameworld

An excellent pinball title and a perfect dose of retro action that won't get old fast.

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GameDaily

More tables would've been ideal, but this Pinball Hall of Fame is still worth multiple visits.

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G4 TV

The Williams Collection is a top-tier set of pinball tables that fans should not pass up.

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IGN

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection was made for pinball wizards: it's a fantastic fan service of the game's recent past that puts excellent attention to the detail of the genre.

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GameSpot

This collection of 10 pinball tables offers more than enough variety to justify the price that you pay for infinite credits.

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Nintendo Power

If you do like pinball, you're in luck--Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is as close to owning a real pinball table as most people are going to get. [Apr 2008, p.90]

Games Radar (in-house)

But let everyone, regardless of skill level, have the tables you’ve written on the back of the box with no strings attached. They paid for them.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tim S. gave it a9:
The best console pinball game ever. Only complaint, I wish there was a little more background history on each of the tables. Buy this now!!

Chris J. gave it a10:
This game really surprised me. I bought it because of the positive review and it only being $20 at Best Buy didn't hurt. I am a huge pinball fan and was very skeptical that this would be even remotely fun. Turns out, it is very fun. Does a very good job of replicating the physics of real world pinball and recreates the games in all of their original glory. I have played Taxi and Fun House in real life and they appear here exactly as I remember. Plus with this version, you don't have to worry about an unlevel table or worn out parts.

Malcolm M. gave it a10:
Great collection of pinball games. The graphics aren't that good, but the playability is tops. One or two of the oldest tables are not worth playing much, but there are lots of gems here - highly recommended.

Dervacumen gave it a9:
As a pinball nut, the intuitive integration of the nudge technique using the controllers puts this sim far, far ahead of any other pinball game. The only reason I didn't give this a ten was because you can't take out your frustration by causing an intention tilt after the ball drains. C'mon, how the heck to I kick the darn thing?

Eric S. gave it a9:
I'd consider myself only a moderate pinball fan, but this game is the definition of addiction. Throughout the years I've played many video game pinball games, beginning with the NES version of Pinbot, but never before has a real pinball table been translated to a video game so well - let alone 10 of them. At 3 bucks a table, you can't afford to pass this one up if you're a pinball fan in the least. Also,.. I'd like to point out that the GamesRadar review is wrong in it's gripe about unlocking tables. At least on the Wii version, you can unlock them by completing the 5 table goals, OR 4/5 of the wizard goals(which are not as hard as GR implies), OR by spending 100 credits. You earn a handful of credits for each goal you complete, as well as 1 for each after-game match and free ball earned. Anyone spending a relatively average amount of time playing this game should have no trouble unlocking everything in a matter of a few hours(in a 4 hour session on Taxi, I was able to complete all 10 goals, unlock 2 tables, and unlock Taxi's secret options). ..as well as earn over 100 credits which translates to a third unlocked table. There's half of the unlocks right there. Bottom line.. buy it.

Seth M. gave it a9:
A fantastic collections of tables with very realistic physics and sounds.

Douglas M. gave it an8:
If you miss playing on real pinball machines, you're lucky. This is like a simulator. But for video games I expect more interaction and features on a pinball game.

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Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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