The Pinball Arcade

The Pinball Arcade

Developer(s)	FarSight Studios
Publisher(s)	FarSight Studios Crave Entertainment Alliance Digital Media
Platform(s)	Android, iOS, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Kindle Fire, Ouya, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release date(s)	February 9, 2012 iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad) ^WW February 9, 2012 Android OS ^WW February 10, 2012 Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade) ^WW April 4, 2012 PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita (PlayStation Network) ^NA April 10, 2012 ^EU July 11, 2012 OS X (Mac App Store) ^WW April 16, 2012 (Steam) ^WW December 16, 2013 Kindle Fire ^WW August 16, 2012 Ouya ^WW June 25, 2013 Windows (Steam) ^WW November 4, 2013 PlayStation 4 (Retail) ^NA December 10, 2013 ^EU February 21, 2014 (PlayStation Network) ^NA December 17, 2013 ^EU December 18, 2013 Xbox One ^WW November 25, 2014 Wii U ^WW TBA Nintendo 3DS (Pinball Hall of Fame) ^WW TBA Linux (Steam) ^WW TBA
Genre(s)	Pinball
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Distribution	Digital download, Blu-Ray

The Pinball Arcade is a pinball video game developed by FarSight Studios. The game is a simulated collection of real pinball tables licensed by Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, and Stern Pinball. Additional tables have been and will be published as downloadable content (DLC) each and every month.

The game is available for download on a number of devices through their respective online stores, such as those using the Android operating system (including derivatives e.g. Kindle Fire and Ouya) and for iOS devices, Windows (through Steam) and OS X computers, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Versions for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Linux have been proposed, even advertised, but never released. The Xbox 360 version was removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace due to legal problems between Microsoft and Crave Entertainment.^[1] A re-release was announced in the 1st quarter of 2014, but as of March 2015, is still not available.^[2]

All released tables are available for free limited demo play on Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, Ouya, PlayStation platforms, and Steam. In addition, every month, an ad-supported select table is available for unlimited free play until the next table add-on pack is released. The table of the month is only available on Android, iOS, OS X and Steam.

Screenshot of the table FunHouse from the PlayStation 4 version.

Development

The Pinball Arcade is developed by FarSight Studios, which also developed Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection and Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection that were published by Crave Entertainment.^[3] Four tables were available initially with the game's launch: Black Hole, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and Theatre of Magic.^[4]

FarSight Studios took part in the Steam Greenlight program to distribute The Pinball Arcade for Windows-based personal computers.^[5] The game was successfully Greenlit on April 18, 2013.^[6] From August until October 2013, the PC version of The Pinball Arcade was in beta-testing. The Windows version of Pinball Arcade was released on November 4, 2013, along with the first 19 table packs. A Macintosh version of the Steam release was released on December 16, 2013. Although tables have to be purchased for each platform separately FarSight buyers of the Steam version are able to play their tables on OS X and Windows.^[7]

The option to buy a season pass for an entire season, including unreleased tables in advance, was cancelled in February 2014 across all platforms due to violation of Apple's policies that do not allow sales of unreleased software.^[8]

On April 1, 2014, FarSight released a patch that included stereoscopic 3D support for PlayStation 3.^[9]

Besides recreations of existing pinball machines, FarSight is also producing its own original-design tables - some in cooperation with famous pinball designers from the past.^[10] A Ghostbusters-themed table was released in late October 2014 as a stand alone application using the same layout as Haunted House. The application was initially distributed at no cost, but required the use of tokens that regenerate by four daily. Pinball Arcade users received eight tokens per day. Later the table was made available for purchase with unlimited play. The Ghostbuster theme song was removed in this version.

In July 2013, Microsoft announced plans to relax its publishing requirements for independent developers on its then upcoming console, Xbox One.^[1] At the time, FarSight Studios expressed an interest in developing for the console, but did not commit to doing so.^[1] At the Game Developers Conference in March 2014, Microsoft stated that The Pinball Arcade would be one of the first releases in their "ID@Xbox" program.^[11]^[12] On November 25, 2014, The Pinball Arcade was released on Xbox One's Games Store with all Season One, Two and Three tables.^[13]

Announced

A new, player-customizable user interface, support for virtual pinball cabinets, DirectX 11 support for the PC version, and stereoscopic 3D support for PS4 are currently scheduled.

Due to the suggestive themes of the game, FarSight Studios announced on December 24, 2013 that they are currently working on a spin-off called Pinball After Dark using real-world adult-themed tables.^[14]

Linux

On December 24, 2013, FarSight announced that they have begun working on the Steam Linux version of The Pinball Arcade.^[15]

Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS version will be called Pinball Hall of Fame and will only feature non-emulated newly scripted electro-mechanical tables and tables using early alphanumeric and numeric displays from Williams and Gottlieb such as Black Knight, Space Shuttle, Pin*Bot, Gorgar, Taxi, Funhouse and Whirlwind.^[16]

Wii U

A version for Nintendo's Wii U console is currently in development; initially planned for release as close to November 18, 2012 as possible,^[17] the version was not submitted to Nintendo until December 2012.^[18] Final submission was confirmed in late July 2013 and it was announced in June that it would release in September 2013. On August 27, 2013 FarSight Studios commented on their Facebook page that they were still working on the Wii U version and therefore it wasn't submitted to Nintendo yet.^[19]

Xbox 360

The Pinball Arcade was previously published by Crave Entertainment for Xbox 360 on Xbox Live. Only the first ten tables were released for Xbox 360 when Crave Entertainment filed for bankruptcy in 2012. FarSight Studios has been unable to ship new tables for the Xbox 360 since then as they fight in court for the return of the publishing rights.^[6] Microsoft terminated Crave's publishing license after the company emerged from bankruptcy, forcing The Pinball Arcade to be removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace in July 2013.^[1] FarSight Studios is awaiting legal resolution between Microsoft and Crave, hoping to be able to update the Xbox 360 version in late 2013.^[20] On April 11, 2014, FarSight Studios announced that Alliance Digital Media would be publishing The Pinball Arcade on Xbox 360 and that all previously released tables have been submitted to Microsoft for approval and release.^[2] Apparently approval takes more than a year because as of April 21, 2015 there still hasn't been an update to the Xbox 360 version.

Kickstarter

FarSight Studios launched a Kickstarter project in order to cover the cost to acquire the necessary licenses to publish Bally/Midway's Twilight Zone table.^[21] FarSight Studios pledged to also digitize Williams' Star Trek: The Next Generation table if the Twilight Zone project reached double its $55,000 goal ($110,000).^[22] Funding of the Twilight Zone was successful. A total of $77,499 was raised to fund licensing for Twilight Zone. FarSight Studios President Jay Obernolte signed the license agreement for Twilight Zone on June 8, 2012. Surplus funds, after deductions from unfulfilled pledges and processing fees, were applied to a new Kickstarter project for Star Trek: The Next Generation that was launched August 17, 2012.^[23] This project was also successfully funded.^[24]

On June 21, 2013, FarSight Studios issued a Kickstarter to digitize Terminator 2: Judgment Day. As of July 21, 2013 it successfully surpassed the $59,000 goal with $62,360.^[6]

A Kickstarter was underway for The Addams Family to be digitized to The Pinball Arcade for February 2015. The "Gold Collector's Edition" is to be a Kickstarter reward as DLC for a $100 Pledge. The $97,640 goal was reached on October 7, 2014, with $115,276, excess funds being designated towards acquiring their next big-license table.

Tables

Table packs 1 through 10 were released in the season one table pack and pro pack in May 2013 allowing players to buy all tables at once. FarSight Studios also released the season two pack and Pro Menu pack containing add-on packs 11 through 20. The fourth season of DLC tables began on October 10, 2014, when FarSight Studios released Phantom of the Opera, the first Data East table to be re-released as a Stern machine (Data East's pinball division was acquired by Sega before they sold their pinball division to Gary Stern). The Addams Family Special Collectors Gold Edition (the Addams Family table with gold accents.) is available through "Gold Mode" Exclusively to Kickstarters who donated over $100. Although tables are not necessarily released to all platforms and/or regions simultaneously, there are currently 59 tables.

Pro Menus

In late October 2012, FarSight Studios began to release "Pro Menu" upgrades for previously released tables. The upgrade lets the player control the camera to look around the table, control the ball, learn tips from pro players, and view the coin door and use the operator's menu. For Scared Stiff, it also grants the ability to turn off family mode with an uncensored voice-over.

Exclusive tables

In February 2015, along with the The Addams Family table, its 1994 Special Collector's Gold Edition was released exclusively to gold backers who donated to the table's Kickstarter campaign.

Table key

Y	Table has been published for this platform
N	Table has not been published for this platform
^P	Pro Menu upgrade has been published for this platform. (Pro Menus are not available on EM-based pinball tables because that mode didn't exist in real life.)
^E	Table is available on this platform exclusively via special distribution (Kickstarter awards, etc.)

Published

Table	Table Type	Manufacturer	Year	Season	Table Pack	iOS	AND	WIN/ OSX STM	PS3/ Vita PSN	OSX MAS	PS4	X360 XBLA	XONE
Tales of the Arabian Nights	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1996	0	Free	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P
Black Hole	Numeric Display	Gottlieb	1981	1	Core	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ripley's Believe It or Not!	Dot Matrix Display	Stern	2004	1	Core	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Theatre of Magic	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1995	1	Core	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
The Machine: Bride of Pin•Bot	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1991	1	1	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Medieval Madness	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1997	1	1	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P
Cirqus Voltaire	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1997	1	2	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
FunHouse	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1990	1	2	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Gorgar	Numeric Display	Williams	1979	1	3	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Monster Bash	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1998	1	3	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Black Knight	Numeric Display	Williams	1980	1	4	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Creature from the Black Lagoon	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1992	1	4	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Harley-Davidson, 3rd Edition	Dot Matrix Display	Stern (Originally Sega)	2004 (1999)	1	5	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Taxi	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1988	1	5	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Elvira and the Party Monsters	Alphanumeric Display	Bally	1989	1	6	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
No Good Gofers	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1997	1	6	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Scared Stiff	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1996	1	7	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Big Shot	Electro-Mechanical Display	Gottlieb	1973	1	7	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Twilight Zone	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1993	1	8	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Star Trek: The Next Generation	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1993	1	9	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Attack from Mars	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1995	1	10	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Genie	Numeric Display	Gottlieb	1979	1	10	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Dr. Dude & His Excellent Ray	Alphanumeric Display	Bally	1990	2	11	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Firepower	Numeric Display	Williams	1980	2	11	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Cactus Canyon	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1998	2	12	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Central Park	Electro-Mechanical Display	Gottlieb	1966	2	12	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Space Shuttle	Numeric Display	Williams	1984	2	13	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
White Water	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1993	2	13	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Centaur	Numeric Display	Bally	1981	2	14	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
PIN•BOT	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1986	2	14	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
The Champion Pub	Dot Matrix Display	Bally	1998	2	15	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Whirlwind	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1990	2	15	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Flight 2000	Numeric Display	Stern	1980	2	16	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Goin' Nuts	Numeric Display	Gottlieb	1983	2	16	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1991	2	17	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Tee'd Off	Dot Matrix Display	Gottlieb	1993	2	18	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Haunted House	Numeric Display	Gottlieb	1982	2	18	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Victory	Alphanumeric Display	Gottlieb	1987	2	19	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Class of 1812	Alphanumeric Display	Gottlieb	1991	2	19	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Cue Ball Wizard	Dot Matrix Display	Gottlieb	1992	2	20	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
El Dorado: City Of Gold	Numeric Display	Gottlieb	1984	2	20	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Fish Tales	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1992	3	21	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Black Rose	Dot-Matrix Display	Bally	1992	3	22	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Black Knight 2000	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1989	3	23	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
WHO Dunnit	Dot-Matrix Display	Bally	1995	3	24	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
High Speed	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1986	3	25	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Junk Yard	Dot-Matrix Display	Williams	1996	3	26	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Lights...Camera...Action!	Alphanumeric Display	Gottlieb	1989	3	27	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
High Roller Casino	Dot-Matrix Display	Stern	2001	3	28	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Diner	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1990	3	29	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Bram Stoker's Dracula	Dot Matrix Display	Williams	1993	3	30	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Phantom of the Opera	Alphanumeric Display	Stern (Originally Data East)	1990	4	31	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
The Party Zone	Dot-Matrix Display	Bally	1991	4	32	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Earthshaker	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1989	4	33	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
Starship Troopers	Dot Matrix Display	Stern (Originally Sega)	1997	4	34	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
The Addams Family	Dot-Matrix Display	Bally	1992	4	35	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P
The Addams Family Special Collector's Gold Edition	Dot-Matrix Display	Bally	1994	N/A	N/A	Y^E	Y^E	Y^E	N	Y^E	Y^E	N	N
Cyclone	Alphanumeric Display	Williams	1988	4	36	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	N	N	N
Jack•Bot	Dot-Matrix Display	Williams	1995	4	37	Y^P	Y^P	Y^P	N	Y^P	N	N	N

Original tables

This is a list of original-design tables created as standalone applications by Farsight. The application is distributed at no cost, but requires the use of tokens that regenerate by four daily. Pinball Arcade users receive eight tokens per day. The table is now available for purchase with unlimited play. The Ghostbuster theme song was removed in this version.

Table	Table Type	iOS	AND	WIN/ OSX STM	PS3/ Vita PSN	OSX MAS	PS4	X360 XBLA	XONE	Information
Ghostbusters	Alphanumeric Display	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	Ghostbusters themed pinball machine based on Haunted House

Future Tables

FarSight Studios has plans to release the following tables.

Table	Table Type	Manufacturer	Year	Season	Table Pack	Information
Xenon	Numeric Display	Bally	1980	4	38	May 2015 release.

Pinball videos

Some pinball videos are available for individual purchase on Android, iOS, Kindle Fire and OUYA. The available videos include the documentary History of Pinball and the pinball instruction video Pinball 101.

Reception

The Pinball Arcade was well received by critics. It averages 84.83% for Xbox 360,^[25] 81.67% for PS3^[26] and 80.00% for PlayStation Vita^[27] at GameRankings and 82/100 for Xbox360,^[28] 79/100 for PlayStation Vita^[29] and 82/100 for iOS^[30] at Metacritic. IGN gave 9/10 for the PC and PS4 version of The Pinball Arcade and concluded: "For pinball fanatics or just those curious about gaming’s relatively low-tech past, Pinball Arcade is an excellent starting point for re-experiencing the golden days of quarter-munchers."^[31]

The Pinball Arcade won best mobile game of 2012 in X-Play's Best of 2012 Awards and was also nominated for best remake/retro release in 2012.^[32] The PC World website listed The Pinball Arcade at number 100 on their top 100 best products of 2012.^[33]

A BBC News article described virtual pinball games such as The Pinball Arcade as a way to preserve pinball culture and bring it to new audiences.^[10]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Pinball Arcade Newsletter #17". July 26, 2013.
↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Pinball Arcade: Newsletter 26". FarSight Studios. April 11, 2014. |accessdate= requires |url= (help)
↑ Matrarch. ""Pinball Arcade Developer Diary Released." TrueAchievements. 27 December 2011. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
↑ Nelson, Jared. "Video of Upcoming 'Pinball Arcade' Running on iPad 2." Touch Arcade. 12 January 2012. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
↑ "Steam Greenlight :: Pinball Arcade". Steamcommunity.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 FarSight Studios (June 21, 2013). "Pinball Arcade: Terminator 2 Judgement Day by Farsight Studios". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
↑ http://steamcommunity.com/app/238260/discussions/1/630799997711778855/
↑ Nutt, Christian (14 February 2014). "Pinball Arcade developer yanks season pass, citing Apple policy". Gamasutra. Think Services. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
↑ https://www.facebook.com/pinballarcade/posts/722014217819641?stream_ref=10
↑ 10.0 10.1 Rubens, Paul (2014-02-03). "BBC News - Virtual games bring pinball to new audiences". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ Steve Watts (March 18, 2014). "GDC: Microsoft Reveals First 25 ID@Xbox Games". ign.com. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade". facebook.com. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
↑ Jeff Rubenstein (November 24, 2014). "The Pinball Arcade is Now Available for Xbox One". majornelson.com. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
↑ "Pinball Arcade dev details 2014 plans, including season 3 tables". Polygon. 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ "Pinball Arcade News & FAQ". Pinballarcade.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ "Pinball Arcade Fans". Pinball Arcade Fans. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ Ryan, Mike. "The Pinball Arcade: An Interview With Community Manager Rob Mann" Warp Zoned. 5 November 2012. Retrieved on 14 November 2012.
↑ "Pinball Arcade Newsletter #10 EXTRA Edition". December 28, 2012.
↑ "Can you please tell us if The Pinball... - The Pinball Arcade". Facebook. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
↑ "Pinball Arcade News & FAQ" Retrieved on 8 November 2013.
↑ "Pinball Arcade: The Twilight Zone by Farsight Studios." Kickstarter. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
↑ "Pinball Arcade: The Twilight Zone by FarSight Studios: Update #5: Stretch goal for Kickstarter- Star Trek: The Next Generation!." Kickstarter. Retrieved on 18 June 2012.
↑ Farsight Studios (17 August 2012). "Pinball Arcade: Star Trek The Next Generation". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
↑ Farsight Studios (7 September 2012). "Pinball Arcade: Star Trek The Next Generation". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade for Xbox 360 - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation 3 - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation Vita - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade for Xbox 360 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ "The Pinball Arcade for PlayStation Vita Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ "Pinball Arcade for iPhone/iPad Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
↑ Osborn, Chuck. "Pinball Arcade Review" IGN. 18 November 2013. Retrieved on 21 November 2013.
↑ "X-Play's Best of 2012 Awards Results - 2012 Game of the Year and More!". G4tv.com. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
↑ "The 100 Best Products of 2012". PCWorld. Retrieved 2014-03-20.

External links

The official Pinball Arcade website