One
principle piece of advice the founding fathers passed down (I'm writing on
the Fourth of July) was to "question authority." So, after
editor Santulli, a leading authority on videogames, described Rollerball
as a winning pin sim for the NES, I ran down to Funcoland, bought the
cart for four bucks, and checked it out. After playing for a couple of
hours--cursing much of the way--I concluded that our editor is correct. Rollerball
is surprisingly good. The graphics are by no means stunning, and the
game features only two main boards. But the ball movement and flipper
action are remarkably realistic and the game presents a real challenge.
Quite a bit is packed in here. One set of drop targets, for example, sets
a series of images on another target in motion. The game will be affected
in different ways depending on which image is showing when you hit the
target: the key offers you a chance to reach a bonus screen, other items
provide big points, one reverses the flippers, another makes the flippers
invisible and so on. The cart also includes several other games that
remind me too much of 2600 Video Olympics; pinball is clearly the
main attraction here, and it's very well done.
Rollerball |
NES |
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Review by Jeff Cooper |
HAL |
Pinball |
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Graphics: ? |
Sound: ? |
Gameplay: ? |
Overall: ? |
As much as I like Rollerball, comparing that NES pin sim to TG16's Time Cruise is sorta like comparing 2600 Realsports Soccer to EA's FIFA '96. Time Cruise is one of the best video pins out there. It features seven interconnected main boards (a three-tiered board in the center, not unlike Devil's Crush, and a two-tiered board to either side) and a ton of bonus screens. Somehow, it all holds together without leaving your head spinning like a pinball. The bonus screens are extremely well done and some are very imaginative. One sends you back to caveman times for a crude game of golf. Another features a medieval theme. Another, set in the future, is like those old labyrinth games in which you try to tilt a ball bearing through a maze. My favorite is sort of a bizarre tribute to Salvator Dali, melted clocks and all. The graphics, colors, gameplay, and music are all first rate. My only criticism of the game is that it's too easy. I can beat some of the bonus screens every time, and it's gotten to the point where I try to see how well I can do on just one ball. The TurboExpress handheld unit rips through a set of batteries in about three hours, and with practice you could easily spend that long on one game of Time Cruise. Still, chalk up a winner from the programmers at FACE. If the lack of difficulty doesn't scare you off, this one is worth mailing away for at retail price. Add it to Devil's Crush and you have two great pins for the TG16 that rival any other.
