Pro Pinball: The Web
Developer(s)Cunning Developments
Publisher(s)
SeriesPro Pinball
Platform(s)PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 9x, Sega Saturn, Macintosh (Mac OS 9 or earlier)
ReleasePlayStation
  • EU: July 1996
  • NA: 30 September 1996
PC
Sega Saturn
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)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

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, and features Red Book CD-DA audio tracks.[5]

Gameplay

Pro Pinball: The Web was the first of the Pro Pinball series of realistic computer pinball simulations.

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.[6] 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.[6]

Reception

The PlayStation and Saturn versions received mixed reviews. While critics praised the realistic pinball graphics and physics[9][10][12][2] and the wide variety of scoring opportunities,[9][10] they criticized the voice samples[9][12] and the absence of a directly overhead view.[9][10] Some also concluded that with only one table, the game would get old very quickly,[9][10][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."[12] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot concluded that it "is a convincing simulation of pinball, but it falls short when compared to other video pinball games."[10] 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."[9]

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."[11]

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."[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. Archived from the original on 1997-02-27. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ "Pro Pinball". 1997-06-06. Archived from the original on 1997-06-06. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. ↑ "Compatibility - Pro Pinball: The Web - CodeWeavers". www.codeweavers.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  5. ↑ "Pro Pinball - The Web - Technical Specifications". Archived from the original on 1999-05-01. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  6. 1 2 "Pro Pinball: Weaving a New Kind of Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 232.
  7. ↑ Ottoson, Joe. "Pro Pinball (Sega Saturn) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  8. ↑ Brett Alan Weiss. "Pro Pinball (PlayStation) Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Review Crew: Pro Pinball". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 80.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gerstmann, Jeff (December 1, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  11. 1 2 Soete, Tim (September 26, 1996). "Pro Pinball: The Web Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Pro Pinball". Next Generation. No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. pp. 122, 124.
  13. ↑ 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.
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