Customer Reviews

3-D Ultra Pinball Power

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pinball is a physical game. Its human versus machine, leaning over the table, jabbing the flippers, nudging without tilting.

It cant possibly work on the PC. You lose 90% of the experience and are left with a diversion more than a game.

Sierra realised this, and instead of making a PC replica of a real pinball game they added a load of features, subplots and novelties that make you forget that you have lost all the fun of real pinball.

Each game includes several linked table and features that build up over time. As a result you need to apply your brain and be strategic in order to get through to other tables and reach the ultimate goal.

The basics of the game - the ball movement, the flippers and the targets - work very well and it does have a good 'feel'.

Each table fits on one screen, avoiding the annoying scrolling of other computer pinball games.

If you just want to play a pinball replica, this is probably a tad too complicated, but for me 3-D ultra pinball is excellent!

Finally, Sierra has decided to bundle all of their 3D Ultra Pinball games into one outstanding collection. This set has 24 pinball tables from the original 3D Ultra Pinball, Creep Night, and The Lost Continent. Not only that, but they have bundled the full version of The Incredible Machine and several playable demos as well.

The graphics may seem a bit dated, but you will find that it doesn't take away from the amount of fun you'll have playing these games. The tables from the first two games are huge, and are composed of a main 'table' and one or more 'sub-tables'. All of the tables from the first two games have many games within the table that provide more challenges and can give big rewards. The third pinball game, The Lost Continent, is a huge adventure that will take you over 15 interlinked tables as you help a group of travellers escape a primeval island that is infested with dinosaurs.

Altogether, you get 24 great tables and The Incredible Machine, a game where you build crazy machines to solve puzzles, for one great price. Other pinball games only give you a single table, or abunch of tables with outdated graphics and cheesy music. You just can't go wrong if you pick up this collection!

Could not get the system loaded and although the add says 95/98, we called the distributor and we were told it is not compatiable with windows '98.

It says on this page that the game works on Windows Me, but when I got the software in the mail it said it was for Windows 95 and 3.1. It would not work on my Windows Me. We do have a computer in the house with Windows 95 on it and it works just fine on that computer. So if you have Windows Me, I would not recommend this game.

If you like to play pinball, and love a challenge, then this game is a MUST! Sierra makes some of the greatest games for families. Graphics are super, and the fun never ends!!

Based on "Jurassic Park", the graphics and animations in The Lost Continent are quite amazing. 15 tables are played in a sequence and are extremely versatile, although only three of the 15 tables will keep you busy for awhile with dinos to shoot, ramps to "climb" in a certain sequence, caves to dig out, etc. While the remaining 12 contain all different tasks, they are easy to figure out and get through, and you will be done with them very fast, to move on to the next table. I'd say, perfect for kids because of the story line associated with the game. However, serious pinballers might find it too simplistic. Biggest drawback: Some animations in the three main tables apparently use so much memory that the game slows down considerably at times (I have a 233mhz II with 64 mb ram). Also, while you can "practice" and chose any table you wish to play, the sequence of the tables is always the same, which becomes a little boring after a short time.

Creep Night lets you choose and switch between three different tables with plenty of things to aim and shoot at, e.g., goblins, monsters, skeletons, etc. It took me weeks to discover all the little built in challenges and tasks. Again animation and graphics are quite impressive, and in my opinion it's the best game in the package.

Ultra Pinball, like Creep Night, lets you play either of the three tables, or you can switch between them during the game. All three tables habe good graphics in a futuristic setting, though visually not as impressive as the other two games mentioned earlier. Nevertheless, either table gives you plenty to do with five different tasks to accomplish, and you'll be busy for some time.

Overall: I haven't been able to figure out why the package is advertised to contain 25 tables, I've only been able to find 21 - but maybe I missed something? Nevertheless, the game package gives you plenty of hours of pinball fun and is well worth purchasing.

I have Windows ME and have no problems with the software. It runs best in 256 color mode. There are four games in this "pack." "The Incredible Machine" is a total children's game. It is dealing with Science and experiments. "The Lost Continent" is okay. It has about 7 different tables, but only the first one is even remotely extensive. The "Creep Night" is fairly extensive. It contains 3 tables, each of which consists of 3 areas of play. It is chaotic and cartoonish. The "3D Ultra Pinball" itself, which is on the first disk, is great!! It consists of 3 tables, each having 3 areas of play, but it isn't chaotic. It is well organized and clear.

With all three actual pinball games, there is a final goal to achieve. "The Lost Continent" is something that my kids enjoy. I feel that the age range this was aiming for must have been 7-13 years old. The "Creep Night" seems to be geared toward 10-20 years old. The "3D Ultra Pinball" is seemingly geared toward 12-adult. I am basing these estimates on appearance, difficulty, and appeal.

I love Pinball and since the real pinball machines are hard to find these days Sierra pin ball series fills that void. The computer version of the game has different zone to go into based on a general theme and different tests you have to get through to get to the next level. Its thoroughly addictive.

Worked fine for me on Windows 98. Im running it with Service Pack 2, so that might be the important difference.