Metroid Prime Pinball

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Metroid Prime Pinball

Developer(s)	Fuse Games
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	October 24, 2005 October 24, 2005 January 19, 2006
Genre(s)	Pinball
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E CERO: All Ages OFLC: G PEGI: 3+
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Media	Cartridge, Nintendo DS Rumble Pak (Optional)
System requirements	1 Nintendo DS for Single player, 2 or more for Multiplayer

Metroid Prime Pinball is a pinball video game themed after the Metroid series. Specifically, the game uses the graphical style and various story elements from Metroid Prime. It was developed by Fuse Games (developers of Mario Pinball Land) for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in North America on October 24th, 2005, and while it has been featured in promotional material in Europe, it has yet to be given a launch date in that region since its original June 2006 launch was cancelled.

The game box contained an optional Rumble Pak accessory that fits into Slot 2 of the Nintendo DS.

1 Gameplay
2 Plot
3 Tables
4 Multiplayer
5 Trivia
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Metroid Prime Pinball uses the basic mechanics of pinball with an assortment of typical pinball items including flippers, spinners, bumpers and ramps, and adds quite a few new mechanics to the classic pinball formula that can't exist in real pinball, such as enemies that wander around the table, wall-jumping, shooting and colored targets that can only be dropped by hitting it with the same color ball.

[edit] Plot

The object of the game is to acquire 12 Chozo Artifacts across 4 tables, gain access to the Artifact Temple and finally defeat Metroid Prime in both forms.

Samus Aran herself serves as the ball in this pinball game, using the Morph Ball mode of her Power Suit (see Items in the Metroid series). The touch screen can be used to "push" the pinball machine and alter the ball trajectory. Multiball is available as two-ball Phazon-generated colored clones of Samus, along with up to three regular Samus clone balls. Samus can also unroll to biped form on the bottom screen, with the player rotating her left and right to aim her arm cannon at enemies.

[edit] Tables

An early screenshot of Metroid Prime Pinball.

The main game consists of six tables, all of which are based upon areas and levels from Metroid Prime. The game begins with two tables available for play. The Pirate Frigate and Tallon Overworld tables serve as the main source of Chozo Artifacts, where they are awarded as prizes for completing objectives. Access to two more tables is granted upon activating all the objectives within either table. Completion of these objectives is not necessary to move on.

In the next two tables, Phendrana Drifts and Phazon Mines, the player acquires a new ability on each table, along with battling a large boss creature. This boss is the source of one Chozo Artifact each and victory is required to move on to the next table.

Completing any objective will earn an artifact. Twelve artifacts are required to access the Artifact Temple. This table is unique in that you are given a 6-ball multiball and losing all the balls does not detract from your extra balls. To complete this table, one must hit twelve different targets scattered throughout the table. If six of the balls are lost in any way, be it they drain off the table or enemies destroy the balls, the table immedately ends after the 6th ball is lost. While a player will not lose any of the twelve artifacts they have collected, they will be forced to go back to a different table and complete it, before being allowed another attempt at the Artifact Temple.

Upon completing the Artifact Temple, access is granted to the final table, Impact Crater, where the final ability is held. The only objective is defeating Metroid Prime.

Once this objective is completed, the game starts again at greater difficulty, all the tables are available for single-table play, and expert mode is unlocked.

The first two levels contain game modes you are able to activate through various methods. These include "Gunship Multiball", "Metroid Mania", "Phazon Frenzy", "Space Pirate Panic", "Triclops Terror", "Wall Jump", and "Hurry Up".

[edit] Multiplayer

The multiplayer option requires only one copy of the game and allows for up to 8 players to compete in a race to reach a target score. This mode uses a seventh table, Magmoor Caverns, that does not appear in the main game.

In "Multi Mode" you cannot move to other tables and cannot obtain artifacts.

[edit] Trivia

It is considered by some fans as the spirtitual successor of Galactic Pinball for the Nintendo Virtual Boy. This is because both are space-themed pinball games and both are Metroid themed (Samus appears in a mini-game on the Cosmic board of Galactic Pinball).
There is a cow (a traditional form of pinball Easter egg) in the game.
The Space Pirate Frigate's background music is a remix of the original Brinstar's, whereas the "Parasite Purge" and "Triclops Terror" minigames have the music that goes with Hive Mecha, the second boss of the original Metroid Prime.