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Kiss Pinball July 15, 2002 Price $10 (full retail packaging)
I will never forget the first time I saw KISS. No, I never saw them in concert; I merely saw their images on an extra-large bandana that was thumb-tacked into the ceiling of my friend George's room. Coming from a house where things were ever orderly and Christian-like, all I could think was, "damn that's cool." So despite knowing more about the band's appearance and various personalities than their music, I will attempt to fairly gauge the worth of their game, KISS Pinball (which was released first on PC and then directly to the bargain bins of the classic PlayStation console, as well). Computerized pinball games are usually divided into two camps: those which seek to accurately reflect the real world physics of pinball and those which use the new medium to take the game to a different level, such as Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island. Each route has its own pitfalls. Pinball "simulations" can be dreadfully dull--without the thrill of an actual silver ball, a vital component of the spirit of the game is irrevocably lost. Games that seek to use all the advantages that video gaming allows often forget that Pac Man was invented to do just that. After all, why would a player purchase and play pinball game that is not about pinball? Rather than selecting another game that makes full use of the electronic medium instead of arbitrarily copying physical restraints created by flippers, gravity, and rubber bumpers? Fortunately, KISS Pinball finds a middle ground. Both of its two tables could be largely duplicated in real life (and visually contain the screws and bolts necessary to accomplish such a thing) yet computer effects such as pyrotechnics on ramps are also included. The tables are depicted with 8bit color (256 colors) only, but with resolutions up to 1600x1200, the small pixel size eliminates any problems that might be caused by dithering. Higher resolutions seem to slow play down to a more manageable and realistic level as well, though I found no way to document this or discern whether it was tied to CPU power or the refresh rate of the monitor (which usually increases as resolutions decrease). The game can either be played with a camera that pans the length of the table, allowing a close up view of the action, or with a fixed view of the full table (placed on the left side of the screen while the LED score display is on the other). The latter mode is preferable for those serious about their pinball and is necessary if one wants to play in a resolution of 1280x1024 and above, as scrolling is not supported.
Last Stop: Oblivion The first KISS Pinball table is all rock and roll. Players assume the role of managing a tour, playing shows, and even that of fans trying to win a back-stage pass to a show. The theme is pervasive: hitting the "guitar ramp" several times in a row will raise the level meter of the amplifier into the red and another target can trigger a "guitar frenzy." Bumpers disguised as high-hats will similarly bring upon a "drum solo." The combination of artistic representation and game play are outstanding. Skilled players can undertake the quest of completing shows in all six countries, shows that become progressively harder where players have to hit certain lighted targets (sometimes shown with computer graphic additions, rather than lights under the table) within a specified time period. The after show bonus is determined by the kind of transportation the band brought with them--whether they walked there or have advanced to a KISS-mobile, tour bus, limousine, or even private jet. Computer effects are most evident in the Statue of Liberty, whose face is transformed into a skull to initiate a multi-ball mode (the multi-ball itself being covered with spikes) and the "crowd-surfing" tab which catches balls that drop into the left-hand gutter and keeps them in play, provided that the light was enabled by hitting the guitar ramp a few times. The video-mode, which takes place on the LCD panel, is called "Gene Splicing" (after Gene Simmons, natch) where three faces are divided into four pieces each and then scrambled. Solving the puzzle is relatively easy considering the reward of 7-10 million points, though it does break up the momentum of the game.
Netherworld The alternate KISS Pinball table allows players to do battle against the alter-egos of KISS themselves ("Star-child," "Beast," "Demon," and "Celestial"). Each band member has his own ramp and sculpted portrait which are used primarily to enable "ball locks" for other bonuses. By enabling "Soul Searching" in the "Pit," players can choose a number of souls that they must then collect by striking the skeleton bumpers that many of times to win the desired reward, such as a weapon to use against the band. These skeleton bumpers are placed in a position that looks deceptively accessible but is indeed challenging, especially considering the high numbers required by the more impressive prizes. Lighting up "MAYHEM" triggers a magnet under the central playfield which rotates, throwing balls in random directions or even causing a slow moving one to hover about eerily. A "fireball" saves left-hand gutter balls, just as the "crowd-surf" works in Last Stop: Oblivion, but is wholly computer animation--making it look less convincing. The video mode is a rather simple game where players attempt to shoot skeletons on the LCD display, pressing the left or right flipper once for nearby foes and twice quickly for ones on the far left or right. It is short and amusing. Of the two tables, Last Stop: Oblivion, is the true winner. Its solid design ethic reflects both its license and the desire to make a long-lasting table that offers plenty of game-play, making it one of the best pinball machines in computer gaming. Netherworld, on the other hand, caters more to KISS fans than mere rock and roll fans. It plays a bit too fast in the main-field and has ramps placed at unintuitive angles--it is very hard, unless a certain exploit is found, allowing players to rack up tens of millions of points in a few seconds. The table is clearly unbalanced and cannot compete with its sibling, though it is exciting enough if taken on its own terms. There are many reviews on the net denouncing KISS Pinball as
utter dreck, nearly all focusing on the PlayStation version. While
I will concede their point that the game cannot possibly look impressive
when sampled down to a TV resolution and am largely ambivalent to
the fact that no KISS music was included with the game, most also
felt that the two tables were insufficient for the price point of
$10. To that, I heartily disagree. Last Stop: Oblivion would
be worth that much by itself. The Netherworld is merely bonus.
Both tables reward risky play and offer challenge to all levels of
players. It is better to rule an amazing table than to merely survive
(by keeping the ball in play) on a dozen ones of mediocre design.
I also believe that different demographics are at work: those playing
on a console have to insert a CD to play. Those of us on PCs merely
have to click "KISS" instead of Word--something that is
all too attractive, I have discovered. by Richard Leader |
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