Import Report: Metroid Pinball

Now I warn all ye, I have not played a pinball game in a very long time. I even missed that Mario one on the GBA which someone told me was good.

Metroid Pinball is superb. People will bash it because it doesn't use the touch screen very much. Piss off. It doesn't really need to. We're emulating a pinball machine here, so what is the most logical thing to do with the screen? Make it nudge the bloody machine in the direction you move your finger! And it works, oh boy does it work.

The actual game is great too, you control the flippers with the shoulder buttons or you can use other buttons like left on the D-Pad and the A button. Either works but I've come to prefer the shoulder buttons. There's weapons too! Drop Bombs with B and Power Bombs with Y in a fashion that would make idiot DJ Westwood cry with joy.

During a normal pinball session you will find yourself collecting the regular power ups like multipliers and so on. But when you collect all of the 12 artifacts you can collect the special in the centre of the bottom screen. Here comes Samus out of her ball and starts automatically shooting dead ahead. You control her aim with the shoulder buttons and rip into anything that moves.

I cant stress how much I am enjoying this game at the moment. Don't go wondering off to get that princess peach we looked at last week.. THIS is the game to keep you occupied even if for 2 minute sessions or 2 hour train journeys. It does it all and I really want to try this multiplayer stuff - it supports eight people with one cart!

Final point, something a lot of people were stressing about after IGN complained that the supplied rumble pack was too noisy - well it isn't really. I don't get it. If you have the volume turned up you just don't notice. Given if you're wearing headphones on a bus then the local old person seated next to you may stir, but its unlikely. I really don't know what was wrong with them, they must have delicate hands.

VERDICT: Go get it, Play.com reckon its not out till January in the UK and that's just stupid. Its the only game that's pulled me away from Nintendogging, and has stopped me from even ripping the cellophane from my Revenge of the Sith DVD.

BOUGHT FROM: Lik Sang @ 27.56 including P&P

oh samus, let me count the ways...
hang on, isn't that buffy?
wondered where she'd gone to