Thankfully the lack of control schemes is the only glaring problem with this game. Pinball Hall of Fame does a lot right, especially when it comes to the single player challenges and multiplayer modes. While you might not think that pinball can be a competitive multiplayer experience, Pinball Hall of Fame does a good job to try and change your mind with the tournament mode. The good news is that no matter how many people you play with you will only need one Wii remote (and nunchuk). The tournament probably won't stop you from four-player Smash Bros. sessions, but it can be a lot of fun if you're around a bunch of old school pinball fans.
On top of the multiplayer mode are the single player challenges, which have you trying to earn specific achievement to unlock a whole bevy of extras. Some of the challenges are easy, but if you're the kind of person that wants to do everything in a game, then completing all of these tasks could take you a good long time ... not that you won't have a lot of fun doing it.
The game's presentation is also spot-on. Pinball Hall of Fame offers quite a few camera angles, including everything from one that travels alongside the ball to one that shows the entire machine. While some of the camera angles seemed unnecessary, you should have no problem finding a look that works for you.
The truth is that these days a pinball video game is a hard sell, no matter how good the product is. The kids of today aren't looking to be taught the ins and outs of classic pinball machines, they want to shoot stuff or drive a go kart. But maybe there's enough room on the Wii to have both kinds of games, especially when Pinball Hall of Fame is so good. It's hard to imagine a better pinball game than this, but I challenge Crave to top this with whatever they have in store for us next. Pinball Hall of Fame is a worthwhile addition to any Wii library, and when it comes right down to it that's just about the best thing you can say about a $30 pinball game.
A-
You may think I'm crazy, but Pinball Hall of Fame: The William Collection is easily one of the best games on the Wii. This game not only recreates ten of the best pinball machines of all time, but it also offers some of the best pinball physics around. Pinball Hall of Fame is not to be missed!
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