Microsoft Pinball Arcade (Windows - 1998)

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https://www.myabandonware.com/game/microsoft-pinball-arcade-cnn
>My Abandonware > Action > Microsoft Pinball Arcade
>Microsoft Pinball Arcade
>Windows - 1998
>Alt names Microsoft Pinball Arcade: Sept flippers qui ont fait l'histoire,
> Microsoft Pinball Arcade: Seven Tables That Made Pinball History,
> Microsoft Pinball Arcade: Sieben Meilensteine in der Geschichte
> des Flipperspiels
>Year 1998
>Platform Windows
>Released in United States (1998)
> Mexico (2002)
>Genre Action
>Theme Pinball
>Publisher Microsoft Corporation, Ubi Soft Entertainment Software
>Developer Mir Dialogue
>Perspective Isometric
>4.65 / 5 - 40 votes
>Download 32 MB
>Description of Microsoft Pinball Arcade
>Pinball games have been around forever it seems, and the Microsoft team has
>acknowledged this by creating the game Microsoft Pinball Arcade. Spanning
>right through the century from 1931-1992, Microsoft Pinball Arcade contains
>seven differently themed tables from the vertical tables of the 1930's to the
>more modernly themed ones of the 70's and 80's. Also included is the mandatory
>90's table with its flashing lights, fancy sounds and multi-trillion scorelines!
>Pinball machines were part and parcel of most arcades in the late seventies and
>early eighties and, although they never got as much recognition as arcade
>machines, the demand was always there. And now, as we approach the new
>millennium, their popularity hasn't waned at all with pinball machines still one
>of the most addictive machines available to play.
>Microsoft has been very clever in their approach to this collection,
>concentrating wholly on the differences in pinball rather than simply releasing
>seven of the same. Here's a rundown of each table and the comparisons/changes
>through the years: -
>Buffle Ball - 1931
>Most people will not remember these when they first came out (those that do will
>no doubt deny it anyway), but basically, this was the first ever pinball machine.
>Standing upright and looking like a cross between an old wireless and a jukebox,
>the idea is that as the ball shoots up to the top (as in normal pinball) the
>player must redirect the ball down into one of the colored slots. The balls are
>all colored differently so obviously the more red balls that go in the red slots
>will reward you with more points.
>Another significant feature (or not as the case may be) was that the flippers
>were not included, instead the ball would land in one of the slots at the bottom
>(all with different scores). There are ten balls in all and only one real bonus
>option. Buffle Ball is actually surprisingly good and highly addictive, although
>next to the more recent machines it does look a little lifeless.
>Humpty Dumpty - 1947
>Humpty Dumpty is the first recognisable pinball game included in Pinball Arcade,
>although the flippers are situated on the sides from top to bottom. There are
>three on each side, which does take a lot of getting used to.
>Due to the fact that this table was one of the first which included flippers,
>the playability is somewhat limited and it can get pretty boring.
>Knock Out - 1950
>A more traditional table with a boxing theme, Knock Out was the first Gottlieb
>table to include the two flippers at the bottom. It also included a sub-game
>which consisted of a boxing ring at the top of the table in which, when a
>certain score is acquired, a 'knockout' is achieved and one of the boxers would
>fall over. This sort of feature went on to become an important part of pinball.
>Although the table does has the two flippers at the bottom, they are extremely
>far away from each other with a metal bar in between them. This is included to
>make the game much harder as, when a player reaches a score of 300,000 the bar
>will disappear leaving a wide open space for the ball to fall into. It's a
>pretty enjoyable table though, apart from the impossibility of keeping the ball
>on the table after the bar has gone.
>Slick Chick - 1963
>As the sixties went a-swinging, then so did the pinball. Slick Chick kept the
>flippers at the bottom and opted for a much smaller gap between them, resulting
>in a much faster and more hectic game.
>Out of the seven tables featured, this one (apart from Baffle Ball) is probably
>the one which requires the most skill as the ball travels very fast around the
>table. Really nice artwork on the table as well.
>Spirit of '76 - 1976
>Celebrating America's bicentennial year with pictures of the astronaut John
>Glenn and folk singer Davey Crockett, this table set the trend of pinball tables
>for the future. This table is much more playable then its predecessors mainly
>because of the more strategically placed flippers and bigger and better bonuses.
>Spirit of '76 is easily the most original table featured in Microsoft Pinball
>Arcade. It is also worth noting that this table featured the new option of four
>players.
>Haunted House - 1982
>The pinball explosion! The eighties pushed the pinball phenomenon further than
>ever with arcades all over the world including them alongside the likes of
>Pac-Man and Asteroids. Haunted House is the first game in the pack to feature a
>game inside a game. In the middle and top of the table is a pinball game all of
>it's own in which you can double or even triple your score.
>Haunted House is also the first table to include some funky music (I can't
>decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing) as well as some more clever
>bonuses and power-ups. Another notable difference between this table and the
>last is the ball physics which are of a really high standard. You actually feel
>as though you are in control of the ball instead of simply thrashing at it.
>Very enjoyable.
>Cue Ball Wizard - 1992
>The final pinball table, Cue Ball Wizard has everything: accurate ball physics,
>great sound, loads of bonuses, ridiculously high scores, and even speech telling
>you where you should aim the ball next.
>Cue Ball Wizard is definitely the best and most playable table of the lot,
>although it's not really surprising as it's the most up-to-date.
>So, having played all seven tables, I feel as though I've been in a pinball time
>machine! Joking aside, if you are really into your pinball games and fancy
>taking a trip down memory lane then Microsoft Pinball Arcade is definitely the
>game for you.
>Review By GamesDomain
>External links
> PCGamingWiki MobyGames
>Captures and Snapshots
> Windows
> Microsoft Pinball Arcade 0
> ...
> Microsoft Pinball Arcade 10
>Comments and reviews
>Comments and reviews
>Chris 2023-03-13 1 point
>I was able to make an installation CD from Abby's BIN/CUE 7z image file
>downloaded from "archive.org." The program installs on the latest Windows 10
>version 22H2 (64 bit OS) running on my Lenovo T420 i5 laptop (64 bit CPU).
>(Install using Win XP Serv Pack 3 compatibility mode.) Everything seems to
>work okay, but do need to have the installation CD in the drive for the music
>as it plays off the CD.
>Thanks Abby !
>Chris 2023-03-11 0 point
>re: "this program doesnt work for 64 bit"
>It installed and worked in my Lenovo T420 64bit machine hosting the Windows 10
>OS version 1115. (Used compatibility mode.) However, I had to upgrade the OS to
>be able to install & run TurboTax. The MS Pinball was prevented from re-installing.
>(Dont remember the message - think it was something like "this program cannot run
>on this computer.") The upgraded Windows 10 version now is the 22H2. It is possible
>that some kind of DRM associated with the 22H2 OS version is blocking the
>installation, but it's not per se because of 64 bit hardware/architecture.
>Abby 2022-12-14 5 points
>The disc image on this site does not include the game music. I have tested it. I
>have even burned it on to a blank CD with no luck.
>I have gone ahead and bought the game second hand and created a proper image in
>bin/cue format that includes the game and the music tracks. I have tested it in
>Windows XP with the image mounted via Daemon Tools 3.47 and have working music. I
>compressed the bin/cue using 7zip and uploaded it to archive.org here:
>https://archive.org/details/pin-arcade.7z
>Have fun! This game is great, and the music is part of the experience. Reupload to
>other places to your heart's content and share alike.
>rambo 2022-10-31 1 point
>does not work for 64 bit windows.
>CHRIS 2022-10-26 1 point
>Download the ISO, then extract the ISO to CD (makes CD full installation disk)
>then install program(s) from the CD. Everything worked perfectly.
>Phenomenal graphics, audio & audio game effects. Phantastic motion physics. What
>more do you want ? !
>Cosmo 2022-09-24 1 point
>A few tips:
>This remains one of the best pinball simulations ever. Microsoft knocked it out of
>the park on this one way back in the 90s. My father and I played Spirit of 76 in
>our local bowling alley back in 77, and I bought this disc for him for Father's Day
>when it was first released.
>The data portion for the entire game is only about 64MB. If you have an ISO file
>that's much larger, then you probably have the music tracks. If I recall correctly,
>the audio tracks are Redbook, meaning that the disc is a hybrid data/music disc.
>Other games like this were Warcraft II and the original Half-Life. I could never
>never get disc images to play music, but they would play when in physical CD form.
>If you can't get the music to play, then try burning to a disc if you still have a
>drive. The music really does enhance the experience, with each track matching each
>machine's era.
>Good luck
>Aim Tallin 2022-08-04 0 point
>Heads up, the iso doesn't work for 64 bit
>PCGAMER90 2022-06-07 1 point
>For those asking if this game works on newer systems, the answer is YES! Played
>this on both Win 7 and Win 10 and it performed great. :)
>Zet 2022-05-30 0 point
>me again, does anyone knows if this ISO has the background music files for the
>tables Baffle Ball, Humpty Dumpty, Knockdown, Slick Chick and Spirit of 76?, in
>which folder?
>Zet 2022-05-30 0 point
>Is there any way to make the tables(not Haunted or Cueball Wizard) play its music?.
>See older comments (13)
>Download Microsoft Pinball Arcade
>We may have multiple downloads for few games when different versions are available.
>Also, we try to upload manuals and extra documentation when possible. If you have
>additional files to contribute or have the game in another language, please contact
>us!
>Windows Version
>Download
>RIP Version English version 32 MB
>https://www.myabandonware.com/download/miq-microsoft-pinball-arcade
(Microsoft-Pinball-Arcade_Win_EN_RIP-Version.zip / 32.1 MB / 5 Files), extracted . . .
(microsoft-pinball-arcade / 32.3 MB / 5 Files)
>Download
>Disc Image
>With Music English version 472 MB
>https://www.myabandonware.com/download/15xj-microsoft-pinball-arcade
(Microsoft-Pinball-Arcade_Win_EN_Disc-Image.zip / 471 MB / 2 Files), extracted . . .
(MS Pinball Arcade / 572 MB / 2 Files / "SETUP.EXE" 313 KB), installed, works great . . .
(C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Pinball Arcade / 81.6 MB / 34 Files, 1 Folder)
>Download
>ISO Version
>No Music English version 400 MB
>https://www.myabandonware.com/download/mir-microsoft-pinball-arcade
(Microsoft-Pinball-Arcade_Win_EN_ISO-Version.zip / 400 MB / 1 File), extracted . . .
(PIN_ARCADE.iso / 500 MB / PIN_ARCADE / 237 MB / 681 Files, 24 Folders)
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