QuickAdvice: Get a New Perspective on an Old Favorite with PinballYeah
August 13, 2010
PinballYeah/HD by Hugo Borba ($4.99) is a pinball game available in an iPhone as well as separate iPad version (non-universal binary).
For those that are pinball lovers, then this game will surely brighten up your day. Instead of the traditional take on pinball that most games have created, PinballYeah takes on a fresh perspective by combining pinball with its own 'world,' like a fantasy. There are 4 total tables in the game so far, and 3 of them are complete immersive worlds that don't look like your traditional pinball table. From fending off pirates and a kraken in Pirate Cove, to getting beers and peanuts in the Irish pub 'Liquid Bread', to getting submersed in a Tron-like world (this is actually the hardest table, I think) with A.i, or going back to the basics with CodeRunners (the only traditional looking table), there's something in here for every pinball fan.
In fact, this game is also original in that there are certain objectives you should attempt for in each level. These objectives can be viewed in the 'Table Info' page on the menu, and this adds a whole new twist on your traditional pinball game. But these objectives are not needed to enjoy the game - you can play this game like you do with any other pinball game. The objectives are just an extra challenge provided that give you a goal to strive for.
A certain music theme and sound effects are in each table, so each one is unique with music and sound, and even little visual touches every now and then. I really did like the green clovers splash effect in the Liquid Bread level, though I don't remember how to activate that. The dancing little leprechaun in Liquid Bread was also a great touch.
If you prefer not to have the music or sound effects, they can be turned off in the settings. You can also change the controls of the game with the two different control schemes (mostly similar with small differences). The orientation of the game can be changed here as well, if you do not like the default orientation.
The graphics appear better on the iPad for me though, because it looked like the iPhone version didn't take advantage of the Retina display on the iPhone 4. The game does take a bit to load the levels, but I would think that is because that each level is pretty graphically intense. For only having four people on the development team, this is a really great game.
If you enjoy pinball in any way, shape, or form, then PinballYeah is definitely a game that you should check out. Your $5 will be well spent with the amount of playability and various levels in the game. The version depends on what you have - if you have both an iPad and an iPhone, I'd just opt for the iPad version. What puzzles me is why this couldn't be a universal app, since it's pretty much the same on both versions.
Let's get your pinball on! By the way, you launch the ball in the Coderunners level by hitting the bottom right bumper above the flipper (it took me a while to figure out).
UPDATE: The games have been pulled due to an issue with low framerates and flipper delay. I did experience this problem slightly on my iPhone 4 running iOS 4.0.1 but I did not think much of it. The developers have pulled the app and are submitting an update to address these issues. Hopefully Apple will approve it in a timely manner.
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