This review was kind of difficult to write, mainly because of the difficulty I encountered in separating the Pokemon license from the actual game. I myself have not played the Pokemon games in some time, but a license this big will attract some people and turn others off by its very nature. Does the game hold up on its own merits or does the Pokemon brand have to pick up a mediocre game's slack?
Background: Pokemon Pinball came out for the Game Boy Color in 1999. It was developed by Jupiter and published by Nintendo. The controls are quite simple; left on the D-Pad and A operate the left and right flippers, respectively, while Down, B and Select nudge the table left, right and up, respectively. The object of the game is similarly straightforward–you want to catch as many Pokemon as you can, hopefully managing to capture the fabled 151st Pokemon, Mew.
Tables: There are two tables, each corresponding to one of the two original Pokemon games, Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. Red tends to flow a little better, since all the important targets are out in the open, whereas Blue's targets are off in strange sideways lanes that don't look like you should be able to hit them directly. The right loop on each table is your most important target, since it lets you actually start capturing Pokemon by lighting the Catch 'Em arrows. The left loop on each table activates Evolution mode, which is the mode where you evolve your Pokemon, obviously.
Modes: There are 3 main modes in Pokemon Pinball–one each for catching Pokemon, evolving captured Pokemon and moving to a new area to catch other Pokemon. Catch 'Em Mode is the easiest to activate–simply shoot the right loop at least twice, then shoot either Bellsprout (Red; the flower) or Cloyster (Blue; the mean-looking oyster) to start it. Once you start it, a silhouette of a random Pokemon from the area you are currently in will appear, hit the bumpers (Voltorb on Red or Shellder on Blue) 6 times to reveal it, then hit the revealed Pokemon 4 times to capture it.
Once you have at least one Pokemon, you can enter Evolution Mode. To do this, simply hit the left loop three times, then either hit the hole that was blocked by Ditto (Red; the pink blob) or the Slowpoke (Blue; the cross-eyed pink sloth) to start. Hit the green arrows until you find enough items to evolve your Pokemon, then hit your ball into the Bonus Hole at the top of the bottom screen of the table to complete the evolution. This also activates a bonus stage at the Cave hole.
The third and final mode, Map Move, whisks you off to another part of the the world of Pokemon to find new monsters to catch. You can activate it by repeated hits to either the Diglett (Red; the moles) or Poliwag & Psyduck (Blue; the tadpole with a hypnosis swirl on its belly and the yellow duck's head) targets at the bottom of the table. Complete a hurry-up shot to open the Cave hole, then go into the Cave hole to enter a new area. You have to do this five times to reach Indigo Road, the final area, which is the only place you can find Mew, so don't ignore this mode.
Other Features: There are two sets of rollovers, one in each screen of the table. The top set increases your playfield multiplier for a short while and also changes your pinball (which is normally a basic Poke Ball) into the more advanced forms of Poke Ball you find later in the game, while the bottom rollovers spell C-A-V-E and reveal the Cave hole for a mystery award, which can include points, a ball save, automatically starting a mode or bonus stage and several others.
There are two targets with numbers on them on the bottom screen of each table. The numbers actually represent your bonus multiplier, hitting both targets will increase it. However, I find these targets to be too dangerous to aim for directly, so hope the ball caroms onto them (it should do so often if you're having a good ball).
The bonus stages are probably the best way to get big points in Pokemon Pinball. Each table has two bonus stages–Red has Diglett and Gengar, while Blue has Meowth and Seel. However, both lead to the same destination–a showdown with Mewtwo, the imperfect clone of Mew and the 150th Pokemon. With secondary targets scoring either 1 million or 5 million points each and the main targets of most bonus stages scoring 50 million per hit, the points really do add up quickly here.
My Verdict: This table definitely has its charms, with the inclusion of both nudging and a mini-wizard mode being quite welcome, but five things hold this game back from true greatness. First off, time has marched on and made the roster here quite obsolete–Pokemon will start its sixth generation soon, so it's come a long way from what you see here. In addition, some shots can feel very awkward–the left orbit in Red is nearly impossible for me to hit without backhanding, for example. Finally, there is a LOT of woodchopping involved in doing well on this table, with Catch 'Em Mode and Evolution Mode showing up frequently and repetition of Map Move also being necessary to fill out your Pokemon collection. Fourth, the transition between screens is extremely jarring and can throw your concentration just long enough for the ball to drain. Finally, the incredible generosity of the game where ball saves are concerned may turn some more hardcore players off–ball save is activated every time you start Catch 'Em or Evolution Mode and can be won from the Cave hole as a mystery award.
Still, I do get substantial enjoyment from this game and appreciate how ambitious it was for the time, so I give it 3.5 pinballs out of 5, with an extra half a pinball if you played a lot of Pokemon in the '90s and a full pinball if you're still an active fan. It is definitely one of the better pinball games for its platform and time either way.
Hints: Catch 'Em Mode should be the heart and soul of your strategy here. Each panel you flip over in the Pokemon's silhouette scores 1 million points, while each hit to the Pokemon itself scores 3 million points the first three times and a jackpot once you catch it.
The spinner is your friend! Each spin adds to your end-of-ball bonus, so hitting it frequently can get insanely lucrative if you have a good multiplier going
Bonus modes are your main source of big points, so get good at Evolution Mode in order to keep a healthy loop of bonus modes going.
Next time on the Pinball Apprentice: Rock, Rock, Rock 'N Rollerball!
Background: Pokemon Pinball came out for the Game Boy Color in 1999. It was developed by Jupiter and published by Nintendo. The controls are quite simple; left on the D-Pad and A operate the left and right flippers, respectively, while Down, B and Select nudge the table left, right and up, respectively. The object of the game is similarly straightforward–you want to catch as many Pokemon as you can, hopefully managing to capture the fabled 151st Pokemon, Mew.
Tables: There are two tables, each corresponding to one of the two original Pokemon games, Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. Red tends to flow a little better, since all the important targets are out in the open, whereas Blue's targets are off in strange sideways lanes that don't look like you should be able to hit them directly. The right loop on each table is your most important target, since it lets you actually start capturing Pokemon by lighting the Catch 'Em arrows. The left loop on each table activates Evolution mode, which is the mode where you evolve your Pokemon, obviously.
Modes: There are 3 main modes in Pokemon Pinball–one each for catching Pokemon, evolving captured Pokemon and moving to a new area to catch other Pokemon. Catch 'Em Mode is the easiest to activate–simply shoot the right loop at least twice, then shoot either Bellsprout (Red; the flower) or Cloyster (Blue; the mean-looking oyster) to start it. Once you start it, a silhouette of a random Pokemon from the area you are currently in will appear, hit the bumpers (Voltorb on Red or Shellder on Blue) 6 times to reveal it, then hit the revealed Pokemon 4 times to capture it.
Once you have at least one Pokemon, you can enter Evolution Mode. To do this, simply hit the left loop three times, then either hit the hole that was blocked by Ditto (Red; the pink blob) or the Slowpoke (Blue; the cross-eyed pink sloth) to start. Hit the green arrows until you find enough items to evolve your Pokemon, then hit your ball into the Bonus Hole at the top of the bottom screen of the table to complete the evolution. This also activates a bonus stage at the Cave hole.
The third and final mode, Map Move, whisks you off to another part of the the world of Pokemon to find new monsters to catch. You can activate it by repeated hits to either the Diglett (Red; the moles) or Poliwag & Psyduck (Blue; the tadpole with a hypnosis swirl on its belly and the yellow duck's head) targets at the bottom of the table. Complete a hurry-up shot to open the Cave hole, then go into the Cave hole to enter a new area. You have to do this five times to reach Indigo Road, the final area, which is the only place you can find Mew, so don't ignore this mode.
Other Features: There are two sets of rollovers, one in each screen of the table. The top set increases your playfield multiplier for a short while and also changes your pinball (which is normally a basic Poke Ball) into the more advanced forms of Poke Ball you find later in the game, while the bottom rollovers spell C-A-V-E and reveal the Cave hole for a mystery award, which can include points, a ball save, automatically starting a mode or bonus stage and several others.
There are two targets with numbers on them on the bottom screen of each table. The numbers actually represent your bonus multiplier, hitting both targets will increase it. However, I find these targets to be too dangerous to aim for directly, so hope the ball caroms onto them (it should do so often if you're having a good ball).
The bonus stages are probably the best way to get big points in Pokemon Pinball. Each table has two bonus stages–Red has Diglett and Gengar, while Blue has Meowth and Seel. However, both lead to the same destination–a showdown with Mewtwo, the imperfect clone of Mew and the 150th Pokemon. With secondary targets scoring either 1 million or 5 million points each and the main targets of most bonus stages scoring 50 million per hit, the points really do add up quickly here.
My Verdict: This table definitely has its charms, with the inclusion of both nudging and a mini-wizard mode being quite welcome, but five things hold this game back from true greatness. First off, time has marched on and made the roster here quite obsolete–Pokemon will start its sixth generation soon, so it's come a long way from what you see here. In addition, some shots can feel very awkward–the left orbit in Red is nearly impossible for me to hit without backhanding, for example. Finally, there is a LOT of woodchopping involved in doing well on this table, with Catch 'Em Mode and Evolution Mode showing up frequently and repetition of Map Move also being necessary to fill out your Pokemon collection. Fourth, the transition between screens is extremely jarring and can throw your concentration just long enough for the ball to drain. Finally, the incredible generosity of the game where ball saves are concerned may turn some more hardcore players off–ball save is activated every time you start Catch 'Em or Evolution Mode and can be won from the Cave hole as a mystery award.
Still, I do get substantial enjoyment from this game and appreciate how ambitious it was for the time, so I give it 3.5 pinballs out of 5, with an extra half a pinball if you played a lot of Pokemon in the '90s and a full pinball if you're still an active fan. It is definitely one of the better pinball games for its platform and time either way.
Hints: Catch 'Em Mode should be the heart and soul of your strategy here. Each panel you flip over in the Pokemon's silhouette scores 1 million points, while each hit to the Pokemon itself scores 3 million points the first three times and a jackpot once you catch it.
The spinner is your friend! Each spin adds to your end-of-ball bonus, so hitting it frequently can get insanely lucrative if you have a good multiplier going
Bonus modes are your main source of big points, so get good at Evolution Mode in order to keep a healthy loop of bonus modes going.
Next time on the Pinball Apprentice: Rock, Rock, Rock 'N Rollerball!
