It was only a matter of time before Samus Aran wound up in some kind of Metroid spin-off - football/singing/civil engineering or something along those lines - and sure enough, here it is. Following in the slimy trails of Worms and the path of lint left by a certain type of Pocket Monster, Pinball is Nintendo's genre of choice to extend the franchise. For those who detect a note of cynicism already, hold that thought. Metroid Prime Pinball (MPP) - despite the inevitable sneering disillusionme ... more >>

It was only a matter of time before Samus Aran wound up in some kind of Metroid spin-off - football/singing/civil engineering or something along those lines - and sure enough, here it is. Following in the slimy trails of Worms and the path of lint left by a certain type of Pocket Monster, Pinball is Nintendo's genre of choice to extend the franchise. For those who detect a note of cynicism already, hold that thought. Metroid Prime Pinball (MPP) - despite the inevitable sneering disillusionment of the Metroid faithful - is everything you could ask for from a portable pinballer.

The dual screen facility shows off the largest non-scrolling playing area we've seen on a handheld pinball game, and there are plenty of tables to conquer, but not right from the start: you have to earn the right to play these tables, and MPP will make you work extra hard for it. Tables represent familiar Metroid regions such as Phendrana Drifts and Magmoor Caverns, and are populated by all your old favourites: Space Pirates, Metroids, Triclops, Thardus, Omega Pirate, Meta Ridley and Metroid Prime. Of course, any self-respecting pinball adventure wouldn't be complete without a host of special modes, and MPP does not disappoint. Gameplay is intuitive enough: the shoulder buttons work the flippers as you'd expect, but there's maybe a need for another finger or whole hand when you find that you can tap the touchscreen to nudge the table to keep the pinball in play. It's a tough gig, but one that makes you keep on coming back.

Part of the MPP package is a gratis Rumble Pak, adding another dimension to the gameplay with its habit of vibrating at all the right times and in all the right places. Download Play allows for a simultaneous eight-player game using just a single game card. << less