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PRO PINBALL: TIMESHOCK! (PC)
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Publisher: Empire Interactive.
Developer: Cunning Developments. Released: September 1997. Genre: Pinball. Other versions: PS. Posted 12th August 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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At the time of its release in 1996, Pro Pinball: The Web was simply in a different league to other pinball simulations. It rewrote the rulebook on what we could expect from the genre. But what felt at the time like a definitive pinball simulation was, as it turns out, merely laying the groundwork for something even greater still. Just a year later, Timeshock! would blow it out of the water. At the heart of it, a superlative table delivered what was, and very possibly still is, the greatest pinball video game experience there’s ever been.
It seems utterly preposterous that this game can be 23 years-old. Seeing it in motion, it’s no stretch whatsoever to believe it a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 era release. Whilst the majority of pinball games of the time were still opting for simple, low-resolution layouts, Timeshock!’s extraordinary detail and clarity appeared startlingly realistic.
Do not adjust your TV sets: this game really was released in 1997.
Like its predecessor, Timeshock! is an anorak’s dream; an incredible labour of love. It goes to remarkable lengths to make the player feel like they’re kitted out with an epic pinball machine. There are endless adjustments that can be made within the table’s visual display. You can tweak play settings to your heart’s content, pore over endless game statistics, even test the myriad lights, bumpers, slingshots and flippers. Whilst for most gamers, this isn’t a selling point as-such, it gives you some idea of Cunning Developments’ dedication to the finer details.
The physics are so real. Unerringly smooth and fast, the game demands your full attention, whilst cat-like reactions are paramount to earning a good score, as the pinball jackknifes between slingshots and bumpers, occasionally breaking free and rocketing back around the table. You’ll need to remain focused, especially if you want to make the most of the jackpot rounds where there are sometimes four or five balls in play at once. The rapidity of the action is just incredible, making for a uniquely challenging and engaging pinball sim. It’s challenging, but fair, and incredibly satisfying when you manage to link combo ramps or ace a couple of quickshots, landing you with tens of millions of points.
The physics are so real. Unerringly smooth and fast, the game demands your full attention, whilst cat-like reactions are paramount to earning a good score, as the pinball jackknifes between slingshots and bumpers, occasionally breaking free and rocketing back around the table. You’ll need to remain focused, especially if you want to make the most of the jackpot rounds where there are sometimes four or five balls in play at once. The rapidity of the action is just incredible, making for a uniquely challenging and engaging pinball sim. It’s challenging, but fair, and incredibly satisfying when you manage to link combo ramps or ace a couple of quickshots, landing you with tens of millions of points.
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I’ve been blabbing on about the realism factor, but it bears reminding that a lot of simulations fall into the trap of obsessing over small points of accuracy, whilst forgetting to deliver the most important ingredient: fun gameplay. But Timeshock!’s single most definitive improvement over The Web is the table itself. That’s saying something: the original Pro Pinball featured a very playable layout and one that’s still well worth checking out. Timeshock! is a connoisseur’s dream, the table you wish was real. There’s more of everything, but also an ethos that allows an incredible variety and freedom to how you go about scoring and progression. No two games are ever entirely alike.
There’s a vast number of ways in which to rack up points. Typically, the aim is to utilise the two lower ramps to power a time drive, which in turn allows the player to ‘travel’ to different time zones including the distant future, Ancient Rome and the Prehistoric age. Some of these will require hours of practice and planning to uncover. Each has its own unique set of challenges and characteristics, from brawls with giant robots to scaling Mount Rushmore via the various ramp routes. Elsewhere, there’s a video mode which allows you to play a mine-dodging game on the score display screen, using the flippers. This in itself is decent fun, and learning the layouts is crucial for bagging big points and those all-important extra balls.
Its depth is staggering. There was always an easy, go-to complaint levelled at the Pro Pinball games during the nineties: a single table means it cannot represent good value for money. I wonder about this, now. I’ve spent more than eighteen hours playing this one. That’s more than the entirety of many platformers, shooters or sports games of the time.
There’s a vast number of ways in which to rack up points. Typically, the aim is to utilise the two lower ramps to power a time drive, which in turn allows the player to ‘travel’ to different time zones including the distant future, Ancient Rome and the Prehistoric age. Some of these will require hours of practice and planning to uncover. Each has its own unique set of challenges and characteristics, from brawls with giant robots to scaling Mount Rushmore via the various ramp routes. Elsewhere, there’s a video mode which allows you to play a mine-dodging game on the score display screen, using the flippers. This in itself is decent fun, and learning the layouts is crucial for bagging big points and those all-important extra balls.
Its depth is staggering. There was always an easy, go-to complaint levelled at the Pro Pinball games during the nineties: a single table means it cannot represent good value for money. I wonder about this, now. I’ve spent more than eighteen hours playing this one. That’s more than the entirety of many platformers, shooters or sports games of the time.
Are you better at pinball games than TPE's Tom? If you've beaten 621,935,440 points on Timeshock! then yes, you are.
It plays beautifully and hasn’t aged a day. Like the best high-score orientated games, its addictive and rewarding. Perfect for a quick game, perfect for a longer session. It’s incredibly absorbing and a huge amount of fun. Flippers react quickly, whilst the usual nudge options help. Worthy of mention is the rather nifty ‘magnosave’ feature which in-effect, with a bit of practice and foresight, allows the player to save a ball from dropping through the out lane. A simple, but brilliant addition and again, something you could imagine on a real table.
Not only does it look impossibly good, Timeshock! also sports some fantastic and remarkably eclectic music, which pivots effortlessly between energetic guitar riffs, tension-building percussive beats and sci-fi wails. There’s a bit of everything, Jake Burns’ compositions are a perfect fit. All the little details sound spot-on too, from the satisfying clunks of the slingshots and bumpers, to the blips of the switches and the rolling of the pinball.
Years later, this best pinball games still stand out for their quality design. Devil’s Crush delivered a dizzying rush of sci-fi creativity, using the gaming medium to add factors that real-life pinball couldn’t reproduce, whilst Amiga classic Pinball Dreams is always at the forefront of any conversation on pinball classics for the sheer fun and variety its four tables offered. But Pro Pinball: Timeshock! is in a class all of its own. Every facet comes together perfectly, with endless fun to be had unearthing new tricks, bonuses and avenues of scoring through expended play. Stunning visuals, incredible table design and astonishingly smooth physics mean it’s everything a fan could want. With the genre having slipped from prominence, at least from the full-price market, it may never be bettered.
Not only does it look impossibly good, Timeshock! also sports some fantastic and remarkably eclectic music, which pivots effortlessly between energetic guitar riffs, tension-building percussive beats and sci-fi wails. There’s a bit of everything, Jake Burns’ compositions are a perfect fit. All the little details sound spot-on too, from the satisfying clunks of the slingshots and bumpers, to the blips of the switches and the rolling of the pinball.
Years later, this best pinball games still stand out for their quality design. Devil’s Crush delivered a dizzying rush of sci-fi creativity, using the gaming medium to add factors that real-life pinball couldn’t reproduce, whilst Amiga classic Pinball Dreams is always at the forefront of any conversation on pinball classics for the sheer fun and variety its four tables offered. But Pro Pinball: Timeshock! is in a class all of its own. Every facet comes together perfectly, with endless fun to be had unearthing new tricks, bonuses and avenues of scoring through expended play. Stunning visuals, incredible table design and astonishingly smooth physics mean it’s everything a fan could want. With the genre having slipped from prominence, at least from the full-price market, it may never be bettered.
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VERDICT
"Stunning visuals, incredible table design and astonishingly smooth physics mean it’s everything a fan could want. Pro Pinball: Timeshock! is in a class of its own." OVERALL: 9/10 |