Описание игры, скриншоты, видео

Очередная версия старого доброго пинбола с массой огоньков и фишек.

Требования конфигурации компа к игре - минимальны.

Fox Interactive is once again combining some of its most lucrative science fiction franchises into one game. Most recently the company developed a first-person shooter called Aliens versus Predator, which pitted the two titled species of vicious E.T.s against one another. In Sci-Fi Pinball, the aliens are back, this time alongside TV heroine Buffy the Vampire Slayer and creepy scientist Seth Brundle, the main character in David Cronenberg's The Fly remake.
Our Pick: B
Each of the four SF properties gets its own digital pinball table in this game (Fox has also included a computerized version of the original The Fly arcade machine as a bonus). The tables are set up much like a real pinball game, with a big metal ball bouncing around a variety bumpers, ramps, targets and ball locks. Each board is designed around the SF world it's based on, so there are plenty of familiar sights to see. For instance, on the Buffy table players will find the nightclub The Bronze, the Sunnydale cemetary, the school library, and other Buffy locales.
Like most modern-day pinball games, there are plenty of special goals to shoot for, with rewards ranging from multi-ball play to extra games. For example, on the Predator table, players can light up targets that spell T-R-A-C-K, H-U-N-T and S-E-T, which will eventually activate the Predator's Lair. Then it's a simple matter of following the blood trails up the ramps in order to get the jackpot and transform the Lair into the Slaughterhouse. What fun! Some of the tables will actually metamorphose into new configurations if players complete certain tasks.
Lock three balls to launch escape pod
Computerized pinball games have been around virtually since the dawn of the PC era, so it's no surprise that the Fox developers have the game mechanics of Sci-Fi Pinball down pat. Playing any of these tables feels like playing an honest-to-goodness pinball machine, complete with the ability to nudge the table in order to influence the movement of the ball (although, as in real life, anyone who nudges the table too much will risk tilting the game).
Fox has also done a good job when it comes to developing the various SF pinball boards. For instance, the Aliens table has lots of ramps and tubes that harken back to the air ducts that the aliens like to hide in. Each table also features video clips and sound bites from the movie or TV show it's based on, which means players can actually hear wacky old Dr. Seth Brundle become increasingly incoherent as he mutates into BrundleFly.
About the only down side to Sci-Fi Pinball is, oddly enough, the computer game element. When actual pinball games started using LED readouts for their scoreboards, the designers began adding primitive digital games to their machines. Hitting a series of targets in the right order might activate a miniature version of Space Invaders or Breakout that could be played using the flipper buttons. These games were usually pretty horrendous, and Sci-Fi Pinball has, unfortunately, copied them faithfully. On the other hand, players looking for an authentic pinball experience will probably love this touch.
Nitpicks aside, Sci-Fi Pinball is a pretty fun way to waste a lunch hour, and it's definitely a nice break from the usual SF shoot-'em-ups put out by the game studios. Better still, players won't have to fork over a quarter every time they want to fire up one of these tables.