Pro Pinball: The Web
| Pro Pinball: The Web | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Cunning Developments |
| Publishers | |
| Series | Pro Pinball |
| Platforms | PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 9x, Sega Saturn, Macintosh (Mac OS 9 or earlier) |
| Release | PlayStation PC Sega Saturn |
| Genre | Action |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Pro Pinball: The Web (Pro Pinball in North America) is a pinball simulation video game developed by Cunning Developments for PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 95 and Sega Saturn. It is the first game in the Pro Pinball series.
Background
[edit]Pro Pinball: The Web uses graphics pre-rendered from an intricate 3D model.[4] Consequently, the game had superior graphical capabilities to other popular pinball games of the time, while playing at full speed on MS-DOS. The Web supports screen resolutions up to 1024x768 with 32,768 colours at 60 frames per second, and features Red Book CD-DA audio tracks, and sampled mechanical sounds.[5][6] The developer had initially tried to obtain the license for Star Trek: The Next Generation, but were unable to do so. The preliminary demo was reworked for this game, mirroring the layout. Elements from Rollergames and Black Knight 2000 were also incorporated.[7]
Gameplay
[edit]
Pro Pinball: The Web is a pinball simulation in which players operate a virtual pinball table. Players can score extra points by making combos, i.e. performing a move twice in a row.[8] Hitting targets at the far end of the table activates the game's missions, in which the player must hit lighted ramps or bumpers to score bonus points. Completing a mission results in a huge point bonus.[8]
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 4.5/5 (SAT)[9] 3/5 (PS1)[10] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 5.125/10 (PS1)[11] |
| GameSpot | 5/10 (PS1)[12] 7.4/10 (PC)[13] |
| Next Generation | 3/5 (PS1)[14] |
| PinGame Journal | 8/10 (PC)[5] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 70% (SAT)[2] |
The PlayStation and Saturn versions received mixed reviews. While critics praised the realistic pinball graphics and physics[11][12][14][2] and the wide variety of scoring opportunities,[11][12] they criticized the voice samples[11][14] and the absence of a directly overhead view.[11][12] Some also concluded that with only one table, the game would get old very quickly,[11][12][2] though Next Generation remarked, "While many developers have tried to wow gamers with multiple tables, Empire went the other way - giving the player one table, but doing it right."[14] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot concluded that it "is a convincing simulation of pinball, but it falls short when compared to other video pinball games."[12] Rob Allsetter of Sega Saturn Magazine assessed that "All in all, this is a decent enough interpretation of the game itself, let down only by the exclusion of different table to variate the action a little",[2] and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly said, "It's a great board, but it'll get old real quick."[11]
Reviewing the PC version, Tim Soete highly praised the game's realism and summarized that "its high-resolution graphics and true table physics combine to make it one of the most immersive pinball titles out there."[13] Although the game is compatible with Windows 95, it was found by PinGame Journal to run with less jerkiness under MS-DOS. The ball behaved realistically, and the multiple layers of game play were praised with both short and long shots at numerous targets.[5]
The Web was named the 64th best computer game ever by PC Gamer UK in 1997. The editors wrote, "Nothing else has quite come close [...] to Pro Pinball's utterly convincing physics and slick presentation."[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. Archived from the original on 1997-02-27. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Allsetter, Rob (August 1996). "Review: Pro Pinball The Web". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 10. Emap International Limited. pp. 86–87.
- ↑ "Pro Pinball". 1997-06-06. Archived from the original on 1997-06-06. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ↑ "Compatibility - Pro Pinball: The Web - CodeWeavers". www.codeweavers.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
- 1 2 3 Carlton, Bruce (July 1997). "A Review of Epic Pinball "The Web"". PinGame Journal. No. 52/53. p. 62.
- ↑ "Pro Pinball - The Web - Technical Specifications". Archived from the original on 1999-05-01. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
- ↑ Crable, Noah (January 23, 2025). "Another Cunning Development: A Retrospective on the Pro Pinball Series". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- 1 2 "Pro Pinball: Weaving a New Kind of Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 232.
- ↑ Ottoson, Joe. "Pro Pinball (Sega Saturn) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ↑ Brett Alan Weiss. "Pro Pinball (PlayStation) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Review Crew: Pro Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 80.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gerstmann, Jeff (December 1, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- 1 2 Soete, Tim (September 26, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 "Pro Pinball". Next Generation. No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. pp. 122, 124.
- ↑ Flynn, James; Owen, Steve; Pierce, Matthew; Davis, Jonathan; Longhurst, Richard (July 1997). "The PC Gamer Top 100". PC Gamer UK. No. 45. pp. 51–83.