Way before gaming became popular in the 80s there was another form of entertainment that ruled arcades everywhere and that was pinball.  The idea of pinball is exceedingly easy.  You just use two flippers to keep a ball bearing in play for as long as possible and amass as many points as you can by hitting various bumpers and other things.

But in arcades now it is hard to find real pinball machines which would explain why the digital version of pinball has become so popular.  I remember playing the awesome Pinball Dreams on the Amiga and then the sequel which proved to me just how innovative and addictive pinball could be and it was even popular enough to spawn a hit song which is of course ‘Pinball Wizard’ from The Who.

As soon as you start Gottlieb Pinball Classics you instantly hear that same song although it has been remade a little differently because it is not licensed and it sets the tone of the game well.  In case you did not know Gottlieb were one of the major pinball machine manufacturers back in the day and this title gives you all their best tables in one package.

The game features a plethora of gaming modes.  The first one is Practice Arcade where you can simply pick a table and play to learn how each table operates and what gives you the most points.  Gottlieb Challenge gives you challenges to perform on each of the tables such as getting a certain amount of points or only surviving on a certain number of balls each turn.  This is rather addictive and I found myself happily wasting away many hours trying to beat some of the harder challenges.

The game features nine classics Gottlieb pinball tables to play on as well as other Gottlieb attractions to experience such as the classic Love Meter and Xolten which featured in the movie ‘Big’ with Tom Hanks. To practice each table or use the attractions costs one credit and you start off with a set amount of credits and can earn more by progressing through the various game modes.

You also use these credits in the Table Goal mode.  Here you pick a table and you have to achieve set goals such as get a set amount of points with only one ball which is similar to Gottlieb Challenge in some respects but concentrates more on activating table specifics than on the resulting high score.  You can even unlock extras such as the tilt function and custom balls if you manage to perform well enough.

Graphically the game is well polished and it offers a variety of viewpoints from which to view the action meaning that you can easily find a viewpoint whilst playing that suits you.  The controls are simple.  The analog stick acts as the plunger to launch the ball and the Left and Right triggers act as the left and right flippers respectively.  The secret of a good digital conversion of pinball is how realistic the ball physics and tables are and Gottlieb does not disappoint on this front.

As you play each table you begin to appreciate just how far pinball has progressed over the years and even though some of the earlier tables only allowed you to get a maximum high score of 9,999 it never made them any less challenging and there will be times when you will launch a ball into play only to have no control over it and watch it fall out of play.  This can become frustrating but real pinball was just as cruel.

Gottlieb Pinball Classics features a wireless multiplayer mode as well as the ability to play a tournament against a friend using one PSP.  I prefer playing wirelessly and this is actually great fun as you battle against a friend over all the available tables.  The game offers each victor a set amount of points depending on whether they got the highest score and the winner of the tournament is the person with the highest points total overall.

I have to say that this is one title with universal appeal simply because it is so easy to pick up and play and that it also offers both great single and multiplayer modes.  If I had to say something bad about the game it would be that pinball is not everyone’s favourite game and that some of the tables are actually quite bland in terms of what they offer.   Plus some people may get bored quickly because the number of tables on offer when compared to how many Gottlieb actually made is not actually that much.

Overall though Gottlieb Pinball Classics offers a great pinballing experience for PSP owners.  It is ideal for both newcomers and those who want to experience fond memories of a smoky arcade without all the screaming children and cigarette smoke.  This is one game that is easy to pick up but definitely takes a long time to master if you want to become the next pinball wizard.

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