I think stating that I'm not a big pinball enthusiast is as easy as saying that I grew up in the 90s. I don't know if I would call the game of pinball a fad, but it was definitely a tool of entertainment at the time that it was popular. Video games we're on there rise to fame as I was born, so my loyalties lie with them. My fondest memories of pinball are limited to killing time in pizza parlors or as little distractions on vacations when I would leave my GameBoy in a hotel room. So, when I received Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection it was weird to have that feeling of, "Oh, Pinball, How you doin'?" My only other thought was, "Well, at least this game has an excuse not to innovate with the Wii-mote." And this time it didn't turn out to be a bad thing.

Pinball video games have a bit of a double-edged sword to work around. The ceiling for quality is not as high as other games, as the number of elements required for excellence is lower. Yet, there is only so much that a great pinball game can offer. The Williams Collection satisfies both requirements by simply delivering a solid portion of pinball action.

From the start there is the Arcade mode; a simple layout with the options to play all of the different boards. The atmosphere created is comfortable without excessive cheesiness as graphics aren't a huge priority. A pinball game on the Wii gets a free pass, as the only thing that could harm it would be truly awful jaggies and terrible clipping issues, and that wasn't the case here. The game visuals are quite flashy when you get into the groove of the different activators and bonuses in the pinball tables. It's pretty enough.

The audio is the real treat. Not only are all of the sounds from each pinball table painstakingly recreated to make sure the authentic experience is intact, but some of the old school sound bites that play when the table is started up belt out in all of their grainy-sounding glory. The collection finds the best pinball tables and is able to establish simple nostalgia. For the newcomer, listening to them now gives an appreciation of how Pinball entertained before video games. The obvious attention to detail of the development team shines through. This was a labor of love, and you'll feel the benefits throughout your gameplay experience.

The tables themselves are what matters most, and they do not disappoint on any level. Having actually played on two of the tables in the game previously, it was really cool to pretend to use a plunger to launch a ball across a shiny exuberant surface — a true testament to how well the game gets the pinball vibe down. The pinball tables more blatantly advertised, like Black Knight and Firepower, offer up a real feast for the eyes as you blaze down your trail of high scorage. To combine the kind of then-classic straight forward bravado in rules, and to mix it as the game has with a mini-set of goals on each table, really provides a neat little bundle of relaxed competition that is nearly to impossible balance with most games today.

With ten different tables it is mind boggling how much fun and distinguished each of them seem; and how quickly you'll lose yourself in them when trying each. Multi-balls find their way to half the tables, as do double sets of flippers, and ungodly amounts of littler nooks to increase multipliers that will really have you replaying for that high score just to feel that awesome sting of missing a ball and wanting to try again.

The ball physics themselves while not only incredibly hilarious, are spot on, akin to pixel perfection in platforming. Most pinball games fail in this respect, but the attention paid to recreating a true pinball experience is felt in the firm controls and perfect execution when handling the pinball. That will empower you as much as a person playing an emulation of a guy using flippers to hit balls around a mini fun house possibly could, and this game has the honor of only being the second time I've ever had to use the words empower and fun house in the same sentence.


With a cool bevy of tracks and audio delights for the ears, pleasing visuals for anyone interested, and the ability to play with up to four people in a tournament on the Wii, The Williams Collection offers as realistic pinball play as you'll get in a video game, with the same deserving love the tables got back in the day. I say with pride that this is a damn solid pinball game, and the only thing that was missing from a totally realistic experience was the Pizza grease on my hands and the fear of knocking over my soda because I was going to tilt the machine too hard. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is a must with anyone with a Wii and some free time on your hands, to make sure that they stay busy but nothing but the thrill of saving quarters and being ensnared by that playfully stupid GOOOOOOORGAAAAR. May your sessions be peppered with traces of The Who references.