The ball lock involves feeding the dragon a steel ball for which he will display his fire breathing trick. Hit the targets and the ants disappear leaving a lit skull in their place. I think they even snuck a few Arnold as Conan lines into the sound effects, like 'Feel my steel!' One mode involves killing the attacking giant ants. BarbarianĬonan would be flattered by this take-off on this fantasy/medieval table. Replicator is the multiball mode and 'Feed the Beast' is one of the bonus modes with involves feeding your ball to this hideous green slimeball. The atom smasher requires a good amount of force to hit the caged balled into the target. One of the coolest features is the 'accelerator' which rockets your ball around the table.

This three flipper table features a multitude of biohazard related modes and skill shots. Ramps mutate as they change direction, and the ball gets swallowed by bumpers only to be regenerated elsewhere on the table. With the theme of an evil scientist's lab, Mutation's playing surface lives up to its name. Here's a run down of the selection: Mutation Balls of Steel contains five tables with a variety of themes and styles of play. Full screen is most important when you need aim at a target way at the top of the table. Even that game Tilt! from Maxis fits a full screen option inside a window and it seemed easier to see than Balls of Steel. Even on a 17 inch monitor the table is just too small. The only problem is that I have been spoiled by the game Hyperactive Pinball which sported some incredible photo realistic graphics and an intense 3D full screen view mode that seemed to be the perfect solution for players who can't get used to the scrolling screen.īalls of Steel does include a full screen option but it is squeezed onto one side of the screen. The scrolling screens are simple enough to get used to - after all, in the real tables you have to learn where your flippers are because you can't always keep your eye on the ball when it picks up speed and fires towards your flippers. Sure, the graphics are excellent but it's still that scrolling screen that we've seen since the beginning of computer pinball. With that said, Balls of Steel doesn't really add much to what has come before. (The only thing missing is the physical element of pinball including putting your weight into a nudge or being dazzled by the distracting lights). With the computerized version you can learn how to score major bonus points via bonus modes and learn skills such as subtle nudges on the table and flipper skills such as trapping the ball. Game designers have done an excellent job of late recreating the pinball experience on the computer - and not having to worry about how many quarters you are spending on the game adds a lot to your skill level. Unlike some of my fellow reviewers at GDR, I happen to enjoy computer pinball. Balls of Steel is the latest pinball game to hit the market.

3d pinball computer game