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Dream Pinball 3D Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Dream Pinball 3D Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Not Such a Dream, Really…

Pinball is one of the best and most rewarding kinds of arcade games, and it’s older than you think! The first version of a pinball-like machine was created in the 18th Century by the French and was called Bagatelle. There had been other kinds of table-based games since the 15th Century, always inspired by classic games like billiards, bowls, and croquet. The first actual pinball machine was created in America in 1969 by a British inventor named Montague Redgrave. Who knew pinball had such a history? Ever since then it’s done nothing but evolve.

Dream Pinball 3D screenshot

In the 1970s and 80s, despite its somewhat repetitive gameplay style, people couldn’t help but keep feeding these quarter-devouring machines, hoping to watch the ball go through hidden passages and bounce around until they set new records. The goal is to achieve high scores and play for as long as possible with bonuses and extra balls.

Time has passed, however, and that sort of entertainment has been replaced by other social activities like bowling and mini-golf, and indoor pastimes like video games. Even though you can still find new pinball tables made for the few, surviving arcades, they’re definitely not as prevalent as they used to be. It’s gotten to the point where it’s much cheaper to make a pinball video game than a real one, plus the video game has more chances to reach a wider audience.

Dream Pinball 3D is an attempt to bring fantasy and adventure back to the old-school arcade game. Real pinball tables have been created with different themes for years, hoping to keep the gameplay fresh. This new pinball video game has been designed with six interesting themes and plenty of power-ups, special combos, multipliers, etc. Each table is different: the bumpers are placed in different locations, as well as the ramps, kickers, targets, etc. The designs are inspired by medieval battles, dinosaurs, seascapes, monsters, and haunted mansions, etc.

Dream Pinball 3D screenshot

As interesting as the various designs sound, they don’t look too flashy or slick on the DS. This game was designed for PC, Wii, and DS, and the DS version is obviously the most unfortunate in the graphics department. Of course, you can see the different elements on the table, especially when the camera zooms in, and you will even perceive the intended three-dimensional look. However, the small DS screen is not quite enough to showcase an actual 3D game. Despite having two screens, the game utilizes the top screen to show the backglass area, which contains the score, the name of that specific table, and a drawing of the corresponding theme. Everything else happens on the bottom screen, where it looks crammed and jaggy. The camera tries to follow the ball as it bounces back and forth, and a few times while I was playing, the camera wasn’t able to follow it and the ball ended up invisible for a few seconds outside the screen!

The game is played exclusively with button controls. You won’t even be allowed to travel through the simple menus with the stylus! You’ll control the flippers with the left and right shoulder buttons, and that’s about it. When you’re selecting options in the menu interface, you’ll move up and down with the d-pad and select something with A. I didn’t find much of a problem in using this classic control style, as it’d be difficult to imagine playing actual pinball with the stylus. However, I did encounter the aforementioned problem with the camera, which means the game is not entirely flawless. The physics might be more advanced on the PC version, but they’re not quite there on the handheld counterpart.

Dream Pinball 3D screenshot

The menu options are also somewhat limited: you can change the camera views and swings, as well as where the gameplay happens (top or bottom screen). You can play classic or mission mode: the first one is plain old pinball, and the second one will challenge you to obtain goals like a 10x multiplier, an extra ball, multiball, super combo, etc. You can also play against up to three other people around you who have the game and challenge them to attain the high score or beat you in time trials. Other than that, you can select the game difficulty before starting a game, and that’s it.

Dream Pinball 3D screenshot

The best part about Dream Pinball 3D is the music and sound effects, as they suit the different themes perfectly and actually help them become much more alive than the graphics could ever do. When you pass by certain areas or hit combos, etc., you’ll hear sounds like bubbling water, women screaming, dinosaur growls, sword fighting, and a lot more. The background music also fits each of the themes nicely. However, when it comes to a video game, you need much more than nice sounds and music to have fun.

Dream Pinball 3D is truly not a dream; it’s just a decent pinball title to keep you busy during boring times. It’s not very entertaining or addictive, which makes it indeed a very forgettable game. If you’re looking for pinball fun on the DS, just grab a copy of Metroid Prime Pinball. I doubt any other pinball games will ever beat that on the DS, unless Nintendo and Fuse Games go back to the drawing board and redesign an even cooler version of Mario Pinball Land. Truth be told, the small DS screen and 3D graphics don’t quite go together. In spite of a few really nice 3D titles out there for the DS, we all know this piece of hardware can go much further with cool and innovative 2D graphics and drawings or sleek and colorful cell-shaded visuals.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.0 Graphics
The 3D look of the tables doesn’t work very well for the DS. It’s not flashy and cool, like it should be. Sometimes the ball gets lost in the hodge-podge of tiny pinball parts and colors in the background. 3.3 Control
Controls are not touch-driven. Everything’s done with the DS buttons, which works fine. The physics, however, don’t seem to be right-on in certain occasions. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
It’s the best part of the game. Each table theme has its properly themed background music and sound effects. They’re fun to hear while you’re playing. 2.9

Play Value
Unfortunately, playing Dream Pinball 3D is somewhat boring. There aren’t enough table themes, and the gameplay is very repetitive. The fun of pinball is in the flashy colors and ball-bouncing effects. The DS couldn’t replicate either one too successfully.

2.7 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Dream Pinball 3D boasts six different table themes.
  • Intense 3D visuals and ball physics.
  • Multi-ball power-ups and other combos.

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