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Ruiner Pinball
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| Developer: | High Voltage Software |
| Publisher: | Atari |
| Game Type: | Action/Pinball |
| # of Players: |  (alternating turns) |
Background:
About the Game
Ruiner Pinball is actually two different pinball games. The first game, Ruiner, is set in 1962 and has a post WWII
Nuclear War theme. The second game, Tower, has more of a demonic theme. Set in a tower, you will use "magic" power
ups to help defeat the evil sorceress and bring the Tower crashing down. The object of both games is to hit as many
targets, kickouts, and flying obstacles as possible. Each game has multiple sets of flippers. You lose the ball if
it falls through the bottom set of flippers and out of the hole at the bottom of the machine.
There is an Options menu with the following choices:
Number of players 1 to 4, alternating turns
Number of balls 3,5, or 7
TinyCam on/off Turns the picture-in-picture on or off
Textured/Normal Ball Select a solid silver ball or a ball with an imprinted skull
Easy/Factory/Hard Select the skill setting
Controls
You controll the Left flipper with Left, Up, or Down on the Joypad. The Right flipper is controlled by the B Button.
The A Button launches the ball. Button 1 (or Joypad Right) will give the table a left nudge. Button 3 (or C Button)
will give the table a right nudge. Button 2 will give a center nudge. Button 7 will instantly restart a game after
last ball. Button 9 will instantly restart a game at the same level. Pause will pause the game.
Planet Irata Review:
I found Ruiner Pinball to be below par. I tend to hold console pinball games up to the standard set by Devil's Crush
on the 16-bit TurboGrafix 16. I find Ruiner Pinball inferior overall to Devil's Crush. I'm sorry to say that an old
16-bit game is superior to this 64-bit offering from High Voltage and Atari. Despite it's failings, however, Ruiner
Pinball CAN be a somewhat enjoyable time-killer.
Gameplay
My first complaint with Ruiner Pinball is how the table is constantly moving/scrolling underneath the ball. It would
have been much better if the table would have been still while the ball is still on the current screen. As the ball
moves towards the top (or bottom) of the current screen, the table would THEN scroll upward (or downward). Instead,
the table is ALWAYS scrolling, even when the ball only moved a couple of inches. This is very distracting, and
makes it easy to lose track of what's going on.
Another annoying feature is the TinyCam picture-in-picture display. The TinyCam is distracting, and doesn't add anything significant to the game. Luckily it can be turned off from the Options menu.
Graphics
The graphics in Ruiner Pinball leave alot to be desired. The graphics in the Ruiner portion are very flat and look
like a poor 16-bit game. The Ruiner graphics are also too "busy", making it harder to follow the action. The
graphics in the Tower portion are considerably better, but still not what they should be on a 64-bit platform.
There is a definite 2-D feel, especially in the Ruiner portion, that makes the game look stale. The graphics in
the Tower portion are better, but still not great.
Sound/Music
One of this games highlights, the music is enjoyable and does not interfere with the gameplay. Each table
(Ruiner and Tower) has it's own music, with the Tower music being a bit more heart-pounding.
Fun Factor
Not nearly as fun as Devil's Crush, but can suck up an hour of your time if you're not careful. If you can manage
to overlook it's failings, it is possible to have fun with this game. I would recommend the Tower table over the
Ruiner table, mostly due to the sense of confusion on the Ruiner table.
Replay Value
Because this is a pinball game, it is possible to play again and again.
Summary
| Gameplay |   |
| Graphics | |
| Sound/Music | |
| Fun Factor | |
| Replay Value | |
| Overall Rating | |
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