Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection Hands-On

Last year, Crave released the acclaimed Pinball: Hall of Fame for both the Wii and PSP, but Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners can get in on the action when the game's released for both systems this September. We got a chance to take the 360 version for a test-drive and find out what's changed since its last outing.

After grabbing the controller, we had the choice of one of 13 pinball tables, three of which are completely new to this version, including Medieval Madness and Arabian Nights. The process of selecting a table is actually quite cool because they're scattered around a virtual arcade, including some in an upstairs area and a back room. It's a small touch, but one that really conveys the authenticity that the developer clearly strives for.

We decided to go hands-on with Medieval Madness first. Not only was it one of the new tables, but the developer also had the original pinball machine nearby for a direct comparison (awfully gutsy, guys). Well, the gamble paid off because it's clear that the developers took much care in ensuring that the tables play as close to the original as possible. The physics seemed spot-on, with the ball having just the right amount of momentum and rebounding off of the various obstacles in a realistic manner. And every detail of the table seemed to be meticulously re-created, down to the smallest detail, such as forcing the castle's gate open with repeated hits.

Perhaps one of the subtlest but most important elements when playing pinball is the feel, which is pretty hard to replicate at home, short of owning an actual pinball table. Thankfully, the sturdy nature of the Xbox 360 controller almost makes it feel as if you've wrapped your hands around a physical table, with the triggers controlling the left and right bumpers respectively. The control stick is smartly used to pull the plunger back and snap it into the ball, just like the real thing. Finally, you'll feel every jostle with the controller vibrating just perfectly as the ball bounces around the table. We unfortunately weren't able to try the PlayStation 3 version, so we're curious as to whether the controller's ergonomics impacts the game's immersive feel at all. Sadly, it seems that there won't be any Sixaxis support--a missed opportunity for tilting the table, which has instead been relegated to one of the control sticks.

In addition to straight-up Pinball, the game features leaderboards and a challenge mode called Wizard's Goals, which provides objectives tailored to each table. Completing them all unlocks the special hidden mode, which should add a good amount of replayability to the game.

If you're an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 owner and love Pinball, The Williams Collection should be on your radar when it launches September 1st.