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Inside Mac Games Volume 6 #3
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IMG Volume 6, Issue 3
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TEXT_153.txt
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1998-06-12
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176 lines
  
 
 
 
 
 
by Jay Winchester
Empire Interactive, $30. Requirements: PowerPC, 10MB RAM, System 7.1,
CD-ROM. Contact Empire at http://www.empire.co.uk
To say that Empire Interactive’s Timeshock, the company’s latest entry in
its Pro-Pinball game series, is a digital pinball game is equivalent to saying
Einstein’s theory of relativity is a mathematical equation. Both statements
gloss over the fact that a lot of critical thought, creative inspiration and
determined energy went into establishing both enterprises. This is not to
say that playing Timeshock is as difficult as figuring out Einstein’s equation.
But solving this arcade wonder is, in its own way, just as challenging as
tackling the great equation.
What draws arcade fans-and pinball players, especially-are the challenging
ramps, the circular orbits and the mesmerizing combination of gleaming
chrome, polished wood and neon-bright lights. Playing the game is simple:
The player hits the plunger, sending a spinning chrome ball out onto the
playing field where, through the skillful application of side flippers and
table nudging, the player steers the ball through a dizzying maze of pre-
determined paths, scoring points all along the way. Play continues until
either the player maxes out the points (good luck making that happen…does
the phrase "repetitive motion syndrome" have any meaning for you?) or the
balls all exit the playing surface (called "draining" in pinball parlance).
That’s the essence of the game. But again, it understates the game’s
brilliance, because Timeshock is really a role-playing game masquerading
as an arcade attraction! No, really…you read that right.
Every aspect of Timeshock has been lovingly and skillfully constructed
around the following scenario: A scientist discovers that the nature of time
is crystalline, meaning it flows from the future as liquid, crystallizes in the
present and becomes solid and immutable as the present becomes the past
(okay, nobody said the game had any basis in real science…it’s a game!!
We’re all in this for the fun, right?). Unfortunately, crystal can be
shattered. And it’s the discovery that his work on the future has released a
temporal shock wave of anti-time that drives the scientist’s quest. And just
what is his quest? To find the Holy Grail…no, wait..that’s another game
entirely…It turns out that, on its journey to the past, the wave is crossing
our present. The only way to stop it from continuing to the dawn of time and
destroying history is to reach that era before the wave arrives. Once there,
the scientist can gather together the crystalline elements of the future and
create a counter-shock wave.
Unfortunately, time travel requires a time machine. Fortunately, the
scientist has one (although he’s apologetic about its rather crude
construction…he must be a British scientist, because only the British are
mannered enough to apologize for the appearance of a machine that might
very well save the world). Unfortunately, it takes two people to fly the
craft-one to pilot and one to navigate the time stream-and his assistant is
missing. Fortunately, you’ve just bought Timeshock, loaded it into your Mac
and discovered that your love of pinball makes you an ideal candidate to
replace the missing assistant (see…we told you it was a role-playing game).
Together, the two of you must travel through four different time zones in
search of the crystal fragments. Of course, in order to unlock the time
zones, you’ll need to explore several continents, accomplish Herculean feats
and survive terrible dangers to find enough Tachyonium (a rare metal) to
unlock the zones. These explorations and time travel scenarios include:
• Chariot racing in ancient Rome.
• Battling futuristic robots in South America.
• Escaping stampeding herds of dinosaurs in the distant past.
• Climbing the face of Mount Rushmore.
These are just four of the tasks awaiting game-players. The successful
completion and/or survival of these various explorations and scenarios is
predicated on the player’s ability to complete the different series of shots
and orbits each requires. Activating these time and travel zones, as well as
ringing up the high point totals and collecting the random awards attached to
them, is totally dependent on the player’s skill. As with any game, a certain
amount of luck is involved, but in Timeshock, skill is the dominant success
factor. As one might guess, this all must be accomplished with a limited
number of balls (at first) and against a ticking clock. As the player’s score
rises, opportunities for extended play are offered. Along the way, it’s
possible to collect an assortment of random awards. Save them. Although
what you collect may or may not appear to have any useful connection, you
might be surprised. And the developers have sprinkled a generous helping of
Easter egg surprises throughout the game. Just be aware! Finding the cow
may not be as easy (or as simple) as it seems to be.
Gameplay is possible in four modes: Novice (guaranteeing a minimum two
minutes of pulse-pounding action while making some of the more advanced
features easier to reach); Regular (the game being discussed here);
Challenge (a multi-player level so innovative, the company refuses to
discuss it); and Tournament (the master level; no extra balls or random
awards allowed).
Looking at the pinball table itself, which is really the one and only
component you need to play Timeshock, it’s tempting to find one’s self
thinking, "Yeah, right. Where do I accomplish this quest? And how do I see
what’s going on?" Those are two good questions, which the developers have
solved with one good answer. Like most any modern pinball game, Timeshock
comes equipped with its own Dot Matrix display, found at the far end of the
table. The action involved in the explorations and time travel scenarios in
this game within a game are all projected here.
The display can be set in several optional modes. The player can make it
appear solid, which makes for better viewing of the information and action,
but screens out any pinball action which might take place during the game. A
second option allows the screen to become partially transparent. In this
mode, the player can see both the information or action on the screen as well
as any balls passing behind it. Lastly, the display can be set to automatically
come on when any event of importance is underway. If you don’t want to see
the display until you have to see the display, you can have it your way.
Timeshock offers an extensive menu of audits and controls, enabling players
to track their progress, gather statistics and alter some of the features that
have been pre-set by the factory. If a player wants to know what percentage
of his flipper strikes have taken place using the right flipper, he can find
out by chasing that stat through the menu’s branching structure. The
operator’s menu also allows players to "service" their tables by testing the
lights and solenoids which enable much of the game-play. Lastly, the menu
allows players to examine in-depth the quality construction and artistic
merit of the board itself. Timeshock’s playing surface is a work of art, each
chrome tube, wooden panel, and decorative accessory lovingly and
painstakingly crafted by master designers. In fact, the design and
mechanisms behind Timeshock’s table are so authentic that real-world table
designers have used blueprints of its structure in building actual pinball
machines. This isn’t a game put out by some software-enabled dweebs in the
hope of cashing in on a big pay day. Timeshock is a game designed and
developed by people who care, actual pinball owners who delight in sharing
the wonders they’ve discovered with others. During gameplay, the table can
be viewed from any one of four possible viewing angles.
Even the sounds come across as authentic and carefully crafted. Transmitted
in Dolby Surround Sound, the audio portion of the game is crisp and clear.
The game’s musical score features over 30 digital audio tracks, composed
and recorded by Bruce Foxton and Jake Burns (of The Jam and Stiff Little
Fingers fame). Now there are those pinball purists out there who insist that
music is mostly a distraction for players. But this score adds another layer
of enjoyment, enhancing and enriching the gameplay experience. Heck, it’s
great music to drive by, much less play by.
Included in the packaging are two beautifully rendered and concisely-
written manuals. The Table Manual describes the game scenario, the table
features and the various paths and orbits players must follow in order to
save time itself. There’s even a section on tips for better gameplay, written
by Jonas Martinsson, Worldwide Grand Champion of Pro-Pinball, The Web,
Empire’s previous arcade offering. If you’ve always thought that pinball
was nothing more than flipping little chrome balls around while the machine
eats your money/tokens, read it. You’ll be shocked at all the strategy and
subtlety you’ve missed. The Technical Manual describes the table’s in-game
options, details its graphic compositions and resolutions, and offers
configuration and technical support information.
If you’re into pinball, get Timeshock and see just how far this game will
push your skills. If you’re not into Pinball, get the game anyway. Its
addictive nature will have you hooked in no time! And your friends and
family see how much you love to play Timeshock. they’ll be singing this odd
little tune under their breaths whenever you’re around: "They call him
Flipper, Flipper…."
 
