A Milestone Addition to the Digital Roster
It’s time once again to plunge back into the archives as another set of classic pinball tables is added to the ever impressive Pinball FX roster. Aside from the many exciting collaborations with well known brands such as Marvel and Universal, the bread and butter of Pinball FX is the faithful recreations of the classic Williams tables.
These arcade legends have long featured in Pinball FX, but the tenth collection is something of a milestone. This bundle includes the Comet, Fire! and Diner tables. I don’t recall ever playing one myself out in “the wild”, but their transformation into the digital realm is once again wonderfully faithful in Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 10.
Serving Up High Scores on Diner
First up is Diner, and full disclosure, it’s my favourite. The aim here is to feed an eclectic line up of impatient customers and light up those D-I-N-E-R letters. It’s only then that you can unlock Dine-Time and bag serious points. This is one of those high scoring tables where you’ll rack up the points very quickly indeed.
There’s a couple of sweeping ramps, as well as the cash register behind which you can lock in your pinball. Your diners come equipped with a range of catchphrases, some of which will raise a smile. At times I did get flashbacks to my time working in hospitality, but let’s not go into that. Diner is frantic, fun and as a table, really well designed.
Fighting the Blazes on Fire!
Next is Fire!, a table based on The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Your role is to put out the fires, and save the locals. This table is a little unusual in the fact that it doesn’t have any sweeping loops, but instead just one horseshoe ramp at the top of the table. There are two other ramps here which send your ball shooting straight back down from where it entered. This is always a dangerous moment, because it puts your pinball on a path straight down the drain.
However, you can activate a red bumper which, for a brief time, prevents your ball from being lost. You’ll need to train yourself not to hit the flippers when the pinball hits said bumper (which feels instinctive) otherwise it can easily become trapped under them, and then diverted straight down the drain. I found Fire! challenging, and couldn’t quite get into my groove with it, despite the visual design and lighting being mighty impressive.
Riding the Midway Rails on Comet
Finally, we have Comet; a table that is older than the others, and you can tell. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, I actually found the lo-fi sound effects quite charming. Comet is set at the carnival, and centred around an out of this world rollercoaster. It actually makes an appearance if you ride the loop enough times which is a cool feature, an effect made only possible by the modern magic of Pinball FX.
Comet is the table I found most difficult, as my pinballs hit the drain quickly, and regularly. It also takes a while to build up a score, so you’ll need razor sharp reflexes and a sprinkle of luck. There is, however, a one million point trap up in the top right corner of the table which, when activated, will award you the jackpot. Despite being far from easy, after much practice I enjoyed myself with Comet, as well as finding the aesthetics rather pleasing.
Flipping the Rules
The tables in Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 10 come equipped with the usual modifiers fans of the game will be used to by now. When it comes to difficulty, you can toggle the physics between classic and realistic. You can also tweak play conditions as well as activating special abilities such as double points, and pinball slo-mo. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a pro, you can get involved in events and tournaments which is a battle of the high scores.
New themed items for your virtual museum, or “Pinhall” also come with Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 10. Whether it’s ornaments for the shelf, statues or a nice rug, there’s now even more choices in how you customise your own nostalgic pinball space.
As ever, a new collection of tables means there’s a new questline to get stuck into. For the uninitiated, these consist of a string of challenges, each with their own conditions. There is a maximum of three bumpers which can be earned in each challenge, and bagging these along with the associated XP will unlock items for your pinhall, and add to your levelling up efforts.
The questlines certainly mix up the gameplay, as these challenges will pit you against the clock, limit the amount of flips you can make, or even just give you one single ball. Not only is this a test of skill, but also means you’ll need to adapt how you play. For example, if you’re against the clock you can throw caution to the wind thanks to having an infinite amount of balls to play with (settle down at the back).
A Varied Pack Carried by a Standout Table
As ever, this add-on collection will set you back some extra pennies, £12.49 in this case. It still feels a little expensive, although free trials are available if you are unsure. The base game, Pinball FX, remains free of charge, and comes with three complimentary tables to get you going.
Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 10 revives three more tables from the archives, with each given the usual treatment. This collection is a little weaker than some of those which have come before, despite the excellent Diner standing out.
Important Links
Pinball FX – Williams Pinball Volume 10 Adds Three Classic Tables – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pinball-fx-williams-pinball-volume-10-adds-three-classic-tables/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/pinball-fx-williams-pinball-volume-10/9mz17dhv3vs7
