Developer: Spidersoft
Publisher: Computer West
Release Date: June 9, 1995
I love console pinball games, so I decided to check out Pinball Fantasies in order to rehabilitate Atari Jaguar somewhat. It's no secret that the Jaguar has had a very low batting average so far, and I have been focusing on many of the famously bad games because they are fun to write about. I'm still sitting on a few of the stinkers, but it's probably time to diversify and talk about some decent Jaguar games. In many ways Pinball Fantasies is the opposite of the Jaguar's other pinball game, Ruiner Pinball. While Ruiner Pinball featured outlandish effects that could only be done in video games, Pinball Fantasies strives for grounded, realistic play. I like how the two Jaguar pinball games are polar opposites, but I'm not sure which is the winner. Pinball Fantasies is definitely the type of game where there are good points and bad points which I need to be described in review form. Well, it's a good thing I am here then, because that's just what I do.
Pinball Fantasies is certainly the more generous of the two games. It has four tables compared to Ruiner's two. They are not officially based on any particular pinball machines, but their themes would be very familiar to anyone who remembers the days before tables were all licensed properties. The themes are amusement park, car racing, cheesy game show, and spooky. I think it's a law that you have to throw in a spooky table in your pinball video game. At the very least it should be. However, the tables are not quite as distinct as they could be. The two tables in Ruiner Pinball look like they could be from completely different worlds, but the tables in Pinball Fantasies all look a bit similar. It's not too egregious, but pinball tables usually feel fairly unique. I'm sure that there are common pieces that get used over and over, but I appreciate the illusion. Still, if I didn't know what any of the tables were called, I would still be able to figure out the themes. So, presentation still leans slightly positive.
The tables do have a bit of sameness to them, but I can't deny that they are fun to play. Pinball Fantasies definitely went for accuracy over frills and for the most part it works. If you are only familiar with modern pinball machines then the ones offered here might seem primitive, but they remind me of some of my favorite mid 80s tables. They are full of ramps and light-up targets. I'm sure I could play each table for hours and hours without doing everything there is to do, and for the most part I would want to. This is a game that I wanted to play more than just for my review. That's a big compliment for a Jaguar game thus far. Considering I could write a whole book about how bad most of these games have been and Pinball Fantasies leaves me at a bit of a loss for words is a good sign. It's a pleasantly bland game. I could see me and my family having a lot of fun with it back in the day.
I just wish I had more to say about Pinball Fantasies. Jaguar reviews have been some of my favorite to write so far. They are always weird and interesting, and many of the games I have written about so far have been of the hilariously bad type. Funny reviews of poorly made media is what keeps reviewers like me in business. Pinball Fantasies is just a decently made game that I enjoyed. It doesn't stand out, but it doesn't make any serious errors either. I almost hate to say it, but this perfectly normal game is the best one I've played on Jaguar so far. Hopefully something weirder will dethrone it eventually, but every console needs a good comfort game, and on Jaguar I suppose this is it. It's ranking at #75 on the overall list and of course #1 on the Jaguar list. I hope there are some more good Jaguar games, but sadly there aren't any more pinball games. Will they be able to succeed at another genre? Only time will tell.
Jaguar Quality Percentage: 2/9 or 22.22%
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