Vectrex #1: Spin Ball

Developer: GCE

Publisher: GCE

Release Date: July 1983

Have you ever seen a Vectrex box before? I think they look nice.

 It seems like there’s always something stopping me from reviewing an entire library of games. There are a couple of problems reviewing Vectrex games. The first problem is that six of the games require peripherals that I don’t have access to. Alright, so I’ll review the other 22 games. That’s a very small amount. Well, it turns out that a Vectrex costs about 400 dollars on the low end these days so it’s time to emulate. I will admit that I am never going to get the true experience of a Vectrex by playing it on a modern tv with a modern controller. This was the console that came with its own tv and had a controller with a gaudy four action buttons in 1982. Still, I can judge if the games are good or not. So, what’s the problem now? The first game I picked out to play is the one that doesn’t emulate well. I was going to call Spin Ball an absolute mess. The ball traveled through walls, and it was all very flickery. Thankfully it’s not the game’s fault and without the emulation errors it turns out to be a playable pinball simulator.

Yep, this is about it

 Of course, this is a pinball game from 1982 so it’s not going to blow anybody away, but it does some things that I like. First, it’s one of the first pinball games to have a skill shot. If you hit the ball just right with the plunger you can have it knock over most of the drop targets. The drop targets lead to the game’s best feature. Knock them all over to reveal a special symbol in the lower part of the table. If you hit this symbol, you will trigger multiball. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first pinball video game with a multiball. As you would imagine it’s fast and frantic and it usually doesn’t last very long. It sure was a pleasant surprise though.

 

Unfortunately, after ten minutes or so of playing I had already experienced everything in the game. It’s about as shallow as you would expect for a 1982 pinball game. I will probably play it again because I love pinball, but it’s certainly not the Vectrex game to track down first. It doesn’t really show off the unique properties of the console either. The best Vectrex games had a very futuristic, pseudo-3D look to them, but Spin Ball looks flat and boring. So, despite its innovations Spin Ball is going fairly low on the list. It’s all the way down at #75 which is lower than I expected actually. That’s even lower than Pocketbike Racer. It’s not a good sign when your game is shallower than one sold alongside combo meals. So, I have 21 more Vectrex games to review, and this is probably the least interesting of the bunch. Get ready for some angular fun in the near future. 

Vectrex quality percentage: 0/1

(images are from mobygames.com)

Sorry no list today. The computer is acting funny and won't save the screenshot. Just trust me, it's #75 and it's right in the purple "okay" section.