Ruiner Pinball
Ruiner Pinball is two fantastic games in one! In Ruiner, a double-wide table provides challenging gameplay and real classic arcade feel as you strive to defend your country from a foreign attack and prepare a strike of your own. In Tower, the triple-length table is so eerie you'll think you've descended into Hell. The Sorceress and her wicked minions are after you. Casting three spells will bring the tower crashing down, but can you figure them out before it's too late?CATEGORY: Arcade/Pinball
PLAYERS: upto 4
PUBLISHER: Atari Corporation
DEVELOPED BY: Atari Corporation
At a glance...
| Category | Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
5 | |
| Sound/Music | |
5 | |
| Control |  |
4 | |
| Playability | |
4 | |
| Presentation | |
5 |
Ruiner Pinball - REVIEW
Who'd ever think that console pinball would be this fun?Plop in the cart and after an interesting RUINER logo demo, you have the option to select either the RUINER or TOWER tables. Each table provides its own set of goals and music.
In RUINER - the pinball tables are laid out side-by-side. Your goal is to reach DEFCON 1 (although this reviewer has made it down to DC3 so far -- Level: Hard). There are plenty of targets and objects to shoot at and overall the game is challenging and fun!
The table to the right I find is a bit scarce and a bit more difficult to play. However, if it's a challenge you want, it's there. The music in BOTH games is great! It doesn't interfere with game play, and I would almost compare it to some of Imagitec's earlier work.
Multiball in RUINER isn't too spectacular as compared to TOWER's however, that's not to say it's easy. Just try to play one ball on one table and the other ball on the next table simultaneously -- this will make your head spin!
I did find the RUINER table to be a bit 'busy' for my taste. Alas, the table is great fun and find myself playing it more often.
The TOWER table is a trip to be sure. Imagine a three-table pinball game stacked from top to bottom. Three sets of flippers mark the beginning and end of each section. Certain ramps can be used to teleport to the higher level and Mega-Multiball in this table is INCREDIBLE! The music is a bit more percussive here, and adds to the 'eerieness'. I also find this table for some reason to be a bit more tolerable graphic-wise so as not to be so confusing during gameplay.
Overall, this game was quite a surprise. Having been exposed to PC versions of pinball and being a pinball fanatic, I thought I had seen it all -- NOT! Leave it to the Jaguar to once again, prove me wrong. If you like pinball games, or think you've played AWESOME PC pinball, you ain't played nada until you plop this cart in.
This is a definite must-have for any pinball addict!
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