Pro Pinball Ultra
- July 21, 2016
- Barnstorm Games
Get on Steam"Pro Pinball Ultra: Timeshock!" is a pinball simulation game with ultra-realistic physics and stunning 4K graphics. The game features a top-class soundtrack, customizable game settings, and various game modes like multiball and wizard modes. Enjoy challenging yourself with global high score leaderboards and explore the table's numerous interactive elements for an immersive experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Incredible graphics and lighting that enhance the overall pinball experience, making it visually stunning.
- The physics are highly realistic, providing an authentic pinball feel that many players appreciate.
- Deep gameplay with numerous modes and challenges, ensuring long-term engagement and replayability.
- The game only features one table, which may disappoint players looking for variety.
- There are significant download requirements for different views and resolutions, which can be frustrating and time-consuming.
- The developers have seemingly abandoned the game, with no updates or support for promised features, leading to concerns about its long-term viability.
- graphics64 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in this pinball simulation have received widespread acclaim for their stunning, photo-realistic quality, particularly with the use of pre-rendered visuals and advanced lighting effects. While some users note that the graphics may not fully meet modern standards, they are still considered exceptional for a pinball game, enhancing the overall nostalgic experience. Additionally, the game offers customizable settings to optimize visual performance across various resolutions, although some users have reported slow download times for graphics files.
“Incredible visuals.”
“The graphics are amazing, and the table does look very realistic.”
“The pre-rendered graphics and lighting effects are virtually photo realistic and look better than the 3D graphics in other pinball games.”
“And mostly... the game has to download graphics files from a very slow server every time you install it or change graphics options.”
“Sometimes the ball will freeze for a moment especially if the game graphics resolution is not at the optimal setting.”
“While the results are detailed, overall I don't like the aesthetic.”
- story25 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is intricately woven into its gameplay, featuring time travel and artifact collection across various missions, including two significant finale challenges. While some players appreciate the complexity and integration of the narrative with gameplay mechanics, others find the story less engaging and sometimes repetitive, with a preference for the action over the storyline. Overall, the story adds a layer of depth to the experience, but its impact varies among players.
“The game even features a bit of a story that is deeply integrated into its gameplay.”
“There is indeed a story, and yes, even two special finale missions (dawn of time where you use the crystal fragments to create the counter-timeshock wave to rescue the universe, the official end, and the end of time in which you go for the ultimate global domination after rescuing the universe).”
“Also, I find myself without the urge to follow the game's 'storyline' and even avoid aiming for certain lanes as it means I will be dragged out of my pinball trance and forced to play another tedious mini 'video game,' which really gets repetitive after the 10th time or so.”
“I didn't find it (FYI - you press the 'S' key!) so I exited, then saw the instructions (and story!) under a little icon on the (mostly empty) main menu.”
“Offers a complex story about time travel and the acquisition of artifacts from the varying periods visited.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is praised for its deep integration of story elements and realistic physics, making it one of the best pinball experiences available. While some players note that it feels slightly sluggish compared to its '90s predecessor and has been abandoned by its developer, the overall mechanics and depth of gameplay are highly regarded. Despite some criticisms regarding input lag and design choices, many players appreciate the game's engaging features and visual presentation.
“The game even features a bit of a story that is deeply integrated into its gameplay.”
“This is an excellent pinball game showcasing stellar physics modeling and amazing gameplay.”
“In terms of gameplay, this remains one of the most interesting, deep, and well-crafted 'narrative' pinball tables ever made.”
“Most probably one of the best pinball tables ever conceived, but the game is clearly abandoned by its developer, and the gameplay is a little more sluggish than the '90s original game.”
“This is absolutely ridiculous...should have stayed away, as the gameplay is not worth these shortcomings.”
“It used too many feature lamps on the matrix, actual accurate switch location design was not really considered, and the physical mechanics were not directly feasible (time crystal, ramp alignment, etc.) based on what was included in the virtual game among other factors.”
- music16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its awesome soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and keeps players engaged without feeling repetitive. While some users noted the absence of sound settings, the faithful restoration of the music from the original version has been well-received, eliminating previous quality issues. Overall, the soundtrack and sound effects contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in the pinball genre.
“Timeshock is a masterpiece of a table, with very fun objectives to achieve, awesome soundtrack and very cool gimmicks.”
“I was very happy to find that the music has been faithfully restored as well, even better without the old quality/crackle issues and CD music-loading lag of the original.”
“The soundtrack, the challenges, the frenzy modes, the lighting presentation... it has everything that pinball players really want.”
“This game has no sound or music level settings.”
“The sound and music were not upgraded, but still do the job nicely.”
“The guitar music soundtrack is a matter of taste; I personally like it a lot.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report excellent performance with consistent frame rates, others experience stuttering and issues related to resolution settings and forced downloads for different camera views. Users express a desire for further improvements to enhance overall performance and restore original gameplay angles.
“Performance is excellent; I've never dipped below 60 fps, even during intense multiballs.”
“I hope they will still be able to improve and optimize performance of the game and also add the angles the original game had.”
“Those games were optimized for fundamentally 2D gameplay, using non-proportionate balls and playfields and hand-tuned pixel art made to fit the screens of the time.”
“Picking your video resolution is kind of strange because the game just shows several views in the menu without telling you what resolution they're optimized for. What's worse is that every time you pick a different camera view, the game forces a couple of gigabytes to download so you can use that view.”
“But after the Windows 10 64-bit installation, my old game and the ultra edition are stuttering sometimes even in low settings.”
“I hope they will still be able to improve and optimize the performance of the game and also add the angles the original game had.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by frustrating mechanics, such as the ball unexpectedly bouncing off the lowered flipper, which can lead to player disappointment and diminished enjoyment.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it disrupts their immersion and becomes repetitive, particularly when forced to engage in mini-games that detract from the overall experience. This leads to a lack of motivation to follow the storyline or pursue specific objectives.
“I find myself without the urge to follow the game's storyline and even avoid aiming for certain lanes, as it means I will be dragged out of my pinball trance and forced to play another tedious mini 'video game,' which really gets repetitive after the 10th time or so.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged with the overall experience.”
“After hours of grinding, I still feel like I'm not making any real progress, which is incredibly frustrating.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by a captivating blend of rock elements and time-travel mystery, enhanced by visually striking light effects that add to its allure.
“It is perhaps my favorite part of this game -- a wonderfully atmospheric mix of rock and time-travel mystery -- aside from the light show and 'ooo, shiny' appeal.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusingly over-the-top voice acting, which, combined with a stellar soundtrack, effectively lifts the overall experience and brings joy to players.
“This may make you frown, but the stellar soundtrack and the hilariously hammy voice acting will turn that frown upside down.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud at every turn.”
“The humor is so cleverly woven into the gameplay that it keeps you engaged and entertained throughout.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game offers significant depth and replayability, surpassing the combined value of multiple pinball tables from other popular franchises. This suggests a rich experience that encourages players to return for more.
“There's more depth and replay value in this one table than in all of the Pinball FX and Pinball Arcade tables put together.”
“There's more depth and replay value in this one table than there is in all of the Pinball FX and Pinball Arcade tables put together.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game remains stable and visually impressive even after nearly 20 years, benefiting from enhancements like improved reflections, dynamic lighting, and support for modern resolutions and operating systems, making the £10 update a worthwhile investment.
“Still looks and runs great today, despite being almost 20 years old. The much improved reflections, dynamic lighting, and support for larger resolutions and modern operating systems make this £10 update completely worth it.”
