Ruiner Pinball

Last issue we reviewed a game called Last Gladiators for the Saturn. It was the quintessential Pinball simulator, perfectly recreating the look and feel of the most classic of arcade games. And after having played (and played, and played...) that, being forced to give this game a whirl was like pulling teeth.

Ruiner Pinball resembles most pinball games on the 16-bit systems, from Dragon's Revenge to Crue Ball. The emphasis isn't as much on ball physics as it is on the various kinds of wackiness that are triggered by hitting a certain drop chute, or the like. There are plenty of flashing colors, strange noises and over-the-top reactions.

This cartridge contains two different pinball games. One is called Ruiner, where you play on a huge table, trying to avert an invasion by a foreign land. In The Tower, you must cast three spells in order to topple an evil sorceress' tower of...well, evil.

While this game is O.K., it doesn't deliver the goods. The stories aren't that compelling and the graphics are no better than a 16-bit system's. On top of this, Ruiner Pinball doesn't simulate the feeling of actual pinball play, and herein lies the game's greatest weakness.

Ruiner is a pinball game with a morbid theme. With several different boards and lots of cool ways to rack up points, this is a great way to play Pinball.

In one level, you must bounce the ball around demonic beings and bloody eyeballs. In another, nuclear annihilation is the theme. It is here that the flippers are drawn like nuclear missiles!

There are lots of bonus zones and ways to shoot your score into the atmosphere. There is nothing like relaxing with a good game of video pinball. Ruiner is warped, twisted and totally cool.