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''Pinball Fantasies'' is a 1992
pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
originally developed by
Digital Illusions EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', ''Mirror's Edg ...
and published by 21st Century Entertainment in Europe for the
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
home computers Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...
. It is the sequel to ''
Pinball Dreams ''Pinball Dreams'' is a pinball simulation video game developed by Digital Illusions and originally released for the Amiga in 1992. It spawned several sequels, including ''Pinball Fantasies'' and ''Pinball Illusions''. The MS-DOS port was digita ...
'', which was released earlier in the same year on multiple platforms. In the game, players can choose between any of the four available playfields, both of which have their own thematic and main objectives in order to obtain the highest score possible. ''Pinball Fantasies'' was created by the same team who previously developed ''Pinball Dreams'' and although it was initially released for the Amiga computers, the title was later
ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desig ...
to other
computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...
s and
console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
s including the
Amiga CD32 The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32) is a home video game console developed by Commodore as part of the Amiga line, as well as the final hardware to be developed by the company. Released in September 1993 in Europe, Australia, Canada, and B ...
,
Atari Jaguar The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. It is in the fifth generation of video game consoles, and it competed with Fourth generation of video game consoles, fo ...
,
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
,
MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
,
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
and
Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
, with each one featuring several changes and additions compared to the original version. Upon its release on the Amiga, ''Pinball Fantasies'' was met with critical acclaim from
video game magazines Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
and garnered praise for several aspects such as the presentation, visuals, audio, gameplay and overall improvements from its predecessor. Other versions of the game were met with a mostly similar positive response from reviewers, with some publications like ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' regarding it as one of the best video games of all time. A follow-up, ''
Pinball Illusions ''Pinball Illusions'' is an Amiga and MS-DOS pinball video game developed by Digital Illusions CE (DICE) in 1995 as a sequel of ''Pinball Fantasies'' and '' Pinball Dreams''. The original Amiga release featured three tables. The PC CD version ...
'', was released in 1995.


Gameplay

Like ''Pinball Dreams'', ''Pinball Fantasies'' is an
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...
-style pinball game featuring four types of pinball tables and each one has their own main objective, gameplay mechanics and thematic.''Pinball Fantasies'' manual (Amiga, EU)''Pinball Fantasies'' instruction booklet (Game Boy, US)''Pinball Fantasies'' instruction booklet (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, US)''Pinball Fantasies'' game manual (Atari Jaguar, US) The game has various levels of difficulty and the player can set the number of balls for play, among other gameplay options. In certain versions of the game, high-scores and other settings made by the player are automatically kept via the cartridge's internal
EEPROM EEPROM or E2PROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) is a type of non-volatile memory. It is used in computers, usually integrated in microcontrollers such as smart cards and remote keyless systems, or as a separate chip d ...
, as well as reset the internal memory of the cartridge to erase saved high-scores and personal settings.


Tables

"Party Land", the table included in the
shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer. ...
release, is oriented around an
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
where the letters of either "PARTY" or "CRAZY" must be lit to start a high-scoring event. "Speed Devils" is focused on
car racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
and the players must overtake cars to take the lead position. "Billion Dollar Gameshow" is a
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
-style table where players attempt to win prizes by achieving certain combinations of ramps. "Stones 'N Bones" is based on a
haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property ...
, where players must light eight successively more rewarding modes by completing a bank of targets marked "STONE-BONE" and then cycle continuously through the modes. All four tables award one extra ball at the instant the highest score on the list is exceeded, and when the match at the end succeeds. Each table also has one special ramp (Speed Devils has two), which keeps track of the number of hits as a running total of Cyclones (Party Land), Miles (Speed Devils), Skills (Billion Dollar Gameshow) or Screams (Stones 'N Bones). The first shot counts for two. Each of these shots is worth 100,000 points in the bonus. With the exception of Party Land, the tables also award special awards at specific numbers. Each of the four tables has one or two high-scoring rounds that can be started by achieving certain objectives. Specific numbers of Miles and Skills trigger their respective tables' rounds. The scores for these modes, excluding "Tower Hunt", are awarded as part of the bonus though not multiplied and can be lost if the game is tilted.


Development and release

''Pinball Fantasies'' was created by the original team who previously developed ''Pinball Dreams'' at Digital Illusions. Producer Barry Simpson led the project's development process, with
Fredrik Liljegren Fredrik Liljegren, also known as Fredrik Liliegren, is a Swedish programmer and businessman. He has worked at Red Jade, RedJade and co-founded the studio Digital Illusions and the demogroup The Silents. Early life and education Liliegren was born ...
acting as manager and chief. Andreas Axelsson and Ulf Mandorff served as
programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...
s, while Olof Gustafsson composed the
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
and created the
sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...
s. Markus Nyström acted as the game's sole
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
. The game was first released for the Amiga by 21st Century Entertainment in Europe in October 1992. In September 1993, an Amiga CD32
conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...
was released, based upon the improved
Amiga Advanced Graphics Architecture Amiga Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) is the third-generation Amiga graphic chipset, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. Before release AGA was codenamed Pandora by Commodore International. AGA was originally called AA for Advanced Archit ...
(AGA) version for the
Amiga 1200 The Amiga 1200, or A1200 (code-named " Channel Z"), is a personal computer in the Amiga computer family released by Commodore International, aimed at the home computer market. It was launched on October 21, 1992, at a base price of £399 in the ...
and
Amiga 4000 The Amiga 4000, or A4000, from Commodore is the successor of the Amiga 2000 and Amiga 3000 computers. There are two models: the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a M ...
. It was later ported to
MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
computers by FrontLine Design, offering multiple audio options. The DOS port was digitally re-released by
Rebellion Developments Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford. Founded by Jason Kingsley (businessman), Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for ''Sniper Elite'' and multiple games in the ''Lis ...
on 22 February 2011 on
Good Old Games GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt, based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through ...
with support for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. It received an
OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
build on 23 April 2013 and a
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
build on 19 August 2014 respectively. A compilation including the tables from ''Pinball Mania'' was released for DOS as ''Pinball Fantasies Deluxe''. In February 1995, versions for both the Game Boy and Super Nintendo Entertainment System were developed by
Spidersoft Rockstar Lincoln Limited (formerly Spidersoft Limited and Tarantula Studios) is a British video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of ...
and released in North America and Europe by
GameTek GameTek was an American video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida, known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing ri ...
. The Super NES port contains all four tables and the same music as the Amiga version, but suffers from a limited color palette. The SNES version was also published in Brazil by
Playtronic Playtronic Industrial Ltda. is a Brazilian video game company. Its original iteration was also a toy manufacturer and was based in Manaus, Brazil, and was a joint venture between companies Gradiente Industrial S.A. (consumer electronics compa ...
in February 1996. In June 1995, an Atari Jaguar conversion by Spidersoft with extra colors was co-published by 21st Century Entertainment and Computer West in North America and Europe. The Jaguar port was also distributed in Japan by Messe Sansao. A PlayStation compilation created by Spidersoft titled ''Pinball Fantasies Deluxe'' was published exclusively in Japan by VAP on 25 October 1996, which also includes the ''Pinball Mania'' tables but these have to be unlocked first. A
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
version of the game, under the title ''Pinball Challenge Deluxe'', with tables added from ''Pinball Dreams'', was released only in Europe by
Ubi Soft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include ''Anno (video game series), Anno'', ' ...
. On 20 July 2009, an
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
version was released by Cowboy Rodeo. Between October and December of the same year, a
PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
version was released by Cowboy Rodeo for
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
. A
Nokia N9 The Nokia N9 (codename '' Lankku'') is a flagship smartphone developed by Nokia, running on the Linux-based MeeGo mobile operating system. Announced in June 2011 and released in September, it was the first and only device from Nokia with MeeGo, ...
version was released 20 July 2011 by Cowboy Rodeo in the
Nokia Store Ovi () was the brand for Nokia's Internet services from 2007 to 2012. It was designed to be an umbrella brand as Nokia attempted to expand into software and Internet services instead of just mobile hardware. Ovi focused on five key service area ...
. In 2012, a 3D/ HD rendition was released for iOS by Cowboy Rodeo.


Reception

''Pinball Fantasies'' was a major commercial success, and among its era's highest-selling games. ''
GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...
'' panned the Super NES version. The reviewer remarked that though there is a large number of tables, the scrolling is so jerky that the game is almost unplayable. He further criticized that the graphics are dull and fail to make the ramps and obstacles of the tables stand out from the backgrounds. ''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' also found the fact that the Super NES version displays less than half of the table at a time to be a problem, in part because of the poor scrolling, but also because "Since a lot of the scoring devices are near the top of the table, it means that most of the time you're shooting blind." ''GamePro'' gave the Jaguar version an only slightly more positive assessment. The reviewer praised the graphics but assessed the game to be completely lacking in fun due to the limited gameplay, stating that "anybody who thinks a $60 video game should offer some imaginative surprises will be severely disappointed." In 1994, ''
PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
'' named ''Pinball Fantasies'' the 33rd best computer game ever. The editors hailed it as "the best and most realistic pinball action ever seen on a PC screen". That same year, ''
PC Gamer UK ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...
'' named it the 19th best computer game of all time. The editors wrote, " Pinball's your thing, there's currently nothing on the PC (or any home system, for that matter) better than this". In 1995, ''PC Gamer US'' presented ''Pinball Fantasies'' with its 1994 "Best Arcade Game" award. The four reviewers of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' gave the Game Boy version a 4 out of 10, citing a lack of excitement in any of the tables, overly simplistic graphics, and annoying sound effects.


References


External links

*
''Pinball Fantasies''
at
AtariAge AtariAge is a website focusing on classic Atari video games. The site features gaming news, historical archives, discussion forums, and an online store. It was founded in 1998. Taking its name from the 1982–84 '' Atari Age'' magazine, the site ...

''Pinball Fantasies''
at
GameFAQs GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active Internet forum, message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom (website), Fandom, Inc. since October ...

''Pinball Fantasies''
at
Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time (maga ...

''Pinball Fantasies''
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinball Fantasies 1992 video games Amiga 1200 games Amiga CD32 games Amiga games Atari Jaguar games Cowboy Rodeo games Digital Illusions CE games DOS games Game Boy games Games commercially released with DOSBox GameTek games IOS games Multiplayer and single-player video games Pinball video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Vita games Spidersoft games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Video games developed in Sweden Video games scored by Mark Cooksey Video games scored by Olof Gustafsson 21st Century Entertainment games