Reviewed: 10/1996
Android, Excalibur, Pot Of Gold, Crash And Burn
Multi-table package with four different themes. Note that this package is the last one of the three that I picked up and this review is written after the two below. Pinball Pack 1 (and 2) is now shipped as an upgraded version (1995) and comes with Super Android instead of Android (improved sound, additional hole on left). All three packs in their 1995 version can now be installed into the same directory and integrate into one menu although the highscores from seperate installations can't be transferred. The manual also describes all tables from the three packs and features a brief history of pinball. Scrolling 2D full-screen planview. 3- and 5-ball play, upward nudge, fixed keys, records the top three scores. Options for fast/slow PC, table angle and sound volume. Plunger and nudge controlled with same key which could lead to 'accidents'. Super Android definitely stands out with its clear layout, crisp graphics and intelligent scoring system. Excalibur is an old-style mechanical machine. The other two are not bad but leave the impression of being fillers. The package continues in the Silverball tradition but improves on it. Yet it is definitely dated by now and the ball physics leave some things to be desired. The slingshots are just too powerful and especially in Excalibur often catapult the ball past the flipper in less than the wink of an eye. Generally, high acceleration is often too much too handle on a scrolling table (all three packs have a small table area compared to the large ball, too) and slow tables should not suddenly switch into overdrive anyway. The flippers do not allow for such refined manoeuvers as deflect passes or reverse pass flips. Most Pinball Pack tables let you try again if the ball drains without scoring points. This is flawed in Crash And Burn where the plunger often shoots the ball directly into the left outlane which scores 500'000, but also in other tables when the ball drains after hitting a measly 1000-point bumper or two without ever having been hit by a flipper. It is notable that the package was in large parts designed by one person, James Schmalz. The Epic Pinball Packs are still worth picking up if you want some casual pinball fun and have only a low-end PC (386/25MHz minimum). I ordered it for $29 from Epic and they sent me the other two packs in their latest versions for free.
Where Found: Epic MegaGames mail order, 09/1996
Released/Copyright: 1993, Epic MegaGames