Pro Pinball: The Web (Pro Pinball in North America) is a pinball simulation video game developed by Cunning Developments for PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 95 and Sega Saturn. It is the first game in the Pro Pinball series.
Pro Pinball: The Web | |
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Developer(s) | Cunning Developments |
Publisher(s) |
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Series | Pro Pinball |
Platform(s) | PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 9x, Sega Saturn, Macintosh (Mac OS 9 or earlier) |
Release | PlayStation
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Genre(s) | Action |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Pro Pinball: The Web uses graphics pre-rendered from an intricate 3D model.[1] Consequently, the game had superior graphical capabilities to other popular pinball games of the time, while playing at full speed on MS-DOS. The Web supports screen resolutions up to 1024x768 with 32,768 colours, and features Red Book CD-DA audio tracks.[2]
Pro Pinball: The Web is a pinball simulation in which players operate a virtual pinball table. Players can score extra points by making combos, i.e. performing a move twice in a row.[3] Hitting targets at the far end of the table activates the game's missions, in which the player must hit lighted ramps or bumpers to score bonus points. Completing a mission results in a huge point bonus.[3]
Publication | Score |
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AllGame | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
EGM | 5.125/10 (PS1)[6] |
GameSpot | 5/10 (PS1)[7] 7.4/10 (PC)[8] |
Next Generation | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sega Saturn Magazine | 70% (SAT)[10] |
The PlayStation and Saturn versions received mixed reviews. While critics praised the realistic pinball graphics and physics[6][7][9][10] and the wide variety of scoring opportunities,[6][7] they criticized the voice samples[6][9] and the absence of a directly overhead view.[6][7] Some also concluded that with only one table, the game would get old very quickly,[6][7][10] though a reviewer for Next Generation remarked, "While many developers have tried to wow gamers with multiple tables, Empire went the other way - giving the player one table, but doing it right."[9] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot concluded that it "is a convincing simulation of pinball, but it falls short when compared to other video pinball games."[7] Rob Allsetter of Sega Saturn Magazine assessed that "All in all, this is a decent enough interpretation of the game itself, let down only by the exclusion of different table to variate the action a little",[10] and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly said, "It's a great board, but it'll get old real quick."[6]
Reviewing the PC version, Tim Soete highly praised the game's realism and summarized that "its high-resolution graphics and true table physics combine to make it one of the most immersive pinball titles out there."[8]
The Web was named the 64th best computer game ever by PC Gamer UK in 1997. The editors wrote, "Nothing else has quite come close [...] to Pro Pinball's utterly convincing physics and slick presentation."[11]
Pro Pinball series | |
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