Pure Pinball

Xbox console exclusive

Pure Pinball contains three different 3D tables with their own themes (Racing, War and Trains) each featuring multiple flippers and special game modes. The game can be played from any of 12 different camera setups (for instance complete overview, ball close-up, ball follow or traditional scrolling style). This has been made possible through use of real-time 3D graphics. The game also features spot-on flipper control featuring a multiball enabled physics engine that calculates the ball movement more than 1500 times per second.

Released: 28 May 2003
Platforms: Windows Xbox
Genres: Pinball Pinball machine
Developers: Legendo Entertainment AB Simon & Schuster
Publishers: Legendo Entertainment AB
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Warfare
Country: Sweden
Age ratings: ESRB E
Languages: English

About

Pure Pinball is a series of pinball simulation video games developed and published by Legendo Entertainment The single-player games feature several themed pinball tables, each with different mechanics and game modes. The game engines mimic the physics of real pinball machines. The player can choose from several different camera angles to follow the gameplay.

The first game in the series, Pure Pinball, was released for Microsoft Windows in May 2003 and for Xbox in August 2004. An enhanced version, Pure Pinball 2.0, was released for Windows in February 2005. To celebrate the first game's tenth anniversary in 2013, it was released on iOS as Pure Pinball: T-Rex Savage. The most recent game, FCB Pinball, was released for iOS in June 2014 as the official pinball game for FC Barcelona. A reboot is currently in development and due for release in 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.

Keywords

tank
airplane
digital pinball
leaderboard

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

Sweden-based studio Legendo Entertainment first announced Pure Pinball in March 2003, with a release set for the second quarter. Development ceased by April 30, 2003, when the game was submitted for manufacturing. It was released for Microsoft Windows on May 28, 2003. In July 2004, XS Games entered an agreement with Take-Two Interactive to publish Pure Pinball in North America for the Xbox; it was released on August 5, 2004.

In October 2004, XS Games partnered with MC2 France for French distribution. It was published in the United Kingdom by Simon & Schuster. Each of the four tables features different actors: Sophie Aldred for Excessive Speed, Csaba Nagy for World War, Harry Ditson for Runaway Train, and Sam Coughlan for HyperSpace.

Reception

Pure Pinball received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic, with an average score of 68 out of 100 for Xbox. Paul Kautz of 4Players considered the game the best pinball simulator to date, while Dale Nardozzi of TeamXbox called it "the best iteration of a classic ball and flipper game out there". Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot concluded that, "if you're a fan of video pinball, Pure Pinball has what you need".

Critics praised the game's physics. Official Xbox Magazine wrote that the "ball physics are outstanding—every hit feels like it has real weight". Gerstmann of GameSpot felt that the game "does a fantastic job" in regards to the ball's movements and reactions. IGN's Hilary Goldstein called the game's physics its "greatest success", noting that "there's never a moment where the ball is doing anything unnatural". TeamXbox's Nardozzi found the physics "quite amazing", comparing the game to a real pinball machine.