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Pinball Prelude Effigy Software grade

Reviewed: 1997 

- The game

A very strange, unique and fun game. It scrolls vertically and horizontally (in low-res, there is a high-res mode too), the music is mystic and wonderful and the ball is to fast. This game is rather unique in many ways, first there are very few games that scroll sideways and second the layout is very, well... different. The game gets its grade thanks to that it is fun to play and have a atmosphere, but the feeling could have been better. I usually throw away games that have absolutely non feeling, or feeling that is very bad.... simply because the feeling is the bottom in all pinballs. Here I give the game a three and high place on the list since... well read below.


- The tables

All three tables are good in the way they are made, but bad in the way they make you wonder if there is a meaning behind them, but since that's what makes a table good... The table layouts and themes are amusing and it is just plain fun to sit down a while and play them.

- The Past

In the middle of the table there is a more or less living dinosaur, at the left there is a water fall and at the top there are some old domes. As you probably can imagine it's a very different table. Not ordinary with visible walls and red shining bumpers. The game is fed up with time travels and of course "the Past". It takes time to get in to the table and to figure out what to do. At the first look at the table you might think there is very little to do, which might be true, but the things to do take time, and are challenging. If they had not been hard to manage the tale (yes tale :) would have been boring. As it is now you just play and play trying to understand the table, and since the music in the background is really great it all gets very... ah, fun.

- Present

I didn't think this table had the same atmosphere as the other two, so it does a great job catching the situation today (I'm ironic). To briefly describe the table, it has a football arena where you make goals and, I don't know what but, lots of small things. The table is probably more challenging then the other two but not as mystic and strange. What makes it great is that it has lots of places, weird places, to score points.

- Future

Light sabers, dark areas and strange looking objects makes this table the most psychics table of them all...

This table became my favorite, the background music was so pulsating that it made the table even better =). This one also has, as the other two, a strange theme that you wont figure out the meaning behind. Well maybe you will sometime. The table is just plain fun to sit down and play.


- The feeling

The feeling is good in the way you can handle the ball. But since the ball often accelerates to a way to high speed it is very lousy. The feeling is not the best or something near it, it is good enough to fulfill what you need when playing these tables.


- The whole

Even though the pinball haven't got the best feeling I have rated it rather high because even tough the feeling is bad it is fun to play the pinball. It is absolutely not a simulator in the way others try to act as real pinballs. It is more artistic. Since it's not a simulator I guess I can go easy on the feeling (just for this pinball) since the atmosphere and table layout is so mystic and strange that you just can't help loving it, I ranked it as I ranked it.

As Starball it is unique, strange and fun to play (until you complete it I guess). If you have all the best simulators this game is worth taking a look at because of its atmosphere and fun level (fun level, were did that word come from). I do admit the game is not the best but since It was so enjoyable to play I gave it a nice grade (I kind a loved it!).


system requirements

Platform: PC
Operating System: DOS

Also available for: -


Screenshots:
  • Past
  • Present
  • Future
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