Microsoft Pinball Arcade simulates a collection of real pinball machines made by Gottlieb between 1931 and 1992. The tables are photo-realistic and the sounds reproduce every aspect of the experience of playing these pinball machines. The physics are perfect. This is the most realistic pinball simulation I have ever played, including recreations of real pinball machines on modern video game consoles. The trial version features Haunted House, which was a groundbreaking game. There are three different playfields: the main level, a raised level (the attic), and a level under a window in the main level (the basement), giving the player eight paddles! Up to four players can take turns playing (only one player in the demo). The paddles stop operating when the player achieves a score of 200 000 in the demo, which can be done on a single ball with practice.

The pinball machines seem to have been chosen more for their historical novelty than their quality. Baffle Ball, from 1931, has no flippers; the only way the player affects the outcome is how far back they pull the plunger. The game didn't use electricity and had no moving parts. It was, more or less, a game of chance where the player hopes the ball will land in a valuable part of the table. Humpty Dumpty, from 1947, was the first pinball machine to include flippers. Humpty Dumpty, along with Knock Out, Slick Chick, and Spirit of 76, are electromechanical games and, thus, have simple gameplay and no music or voices. Haunted House, from 1982, is the only game from the Solid State era, using 9-segment displays for the score, and a CPU and ROM to enable music and more sophisticated objectives. Cue Ball Wizard, from 1992, is the only game to feature a Dot Matrix Display and voices. Every pinball era (as of 1998) is represented, but not equally so. There is one game that predates the Electro Mechanical era, four games from the EM era (1947-1978), one game from the Solid State era (1979-1989), and one game from the DMD era (1990-2012).

Tables: Baffle Ball (1931), Humpty Dumpty (1947), Knock Out (1950), Slick Chick (1963), Spirit of 76 (1976), Haunted House (1982), Cue Ball Wizard (1992)

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Microsoft no longer sells this game.

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Microsoft Pinball Arcade
Microsoft Pinball Arcade (Jewel Case)