After venturing into the Twilight Zone and then getting caught up in a Whirlwind, the latest Williams pinball table wants you to boldly go where no man has gone before – the Star Trek universe. That’s because Zen Studios have given the Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation table the digital treatment for Pinball FX.
So let’s find out whether Star Trek: The Next Generation is going to live long and prosper in your Pinball FX library, or will lose your attention faster than you can say ‘beam me up, Scotty!’
The Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine first emerged in 1993 under the Williams brand. Based on the popular TV series of the same name, it was designed by Steve Ritchie, who previously devised famous tables such as Black Knight and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The concept on this particular table is for you to fight alongside Captain Picard against formidable foes including the Romulans, the Cardassians, and the Borg.
It gets off to a flyer with various awards handed out simply for launching the ball and, better yet, you can choose which one you want. Starting a mission immediately, locking a ball for future multiball possibilities, and cranking up the speed of the U.S.S. Enterprise to warp factor four, are all viable options. The coolest of those on offer gives you the ability to load the ball into one of two cannons situated upon the slingshots. As it rotates, the timing of the release to hit the highlight target is important and it’s satisfying to succeed.
There’s no doubt that this opening gambit already makes Star Trek: The Next Generation welcoming to even the most hopeless of Pinball FX players. Helping matters further are the main missions, which are activated by sending the ball towards a sinkhole. That’s all there is to it, so don’t worry about missing out on anything. Then you just have to follow the on-screen objectives to try and complete them, which is where the more skilful folk will thrive.
Not only is it easy to trigger features, but on top of that, scores obtained through completing fairly straightforward actions are very, very, generous. Increasing the warp factor via the outer loop lane is a sure-fire method to raise the points awarded for other activities. On my worst attempts, I achieved six figure sums, which is certainly beyond the high scores set on other tables, and it’s the kind of thing that will keep someone like me – bang average at pinball – coming back for more.
As it is a fairly old table, the missions themselves aren’t as exciting as those found in the modern day offerings, however that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun. They’re all space themed, naturally, and there’s even a battle simulation where you keep firing the ball out of the aforementioned cannons at specific targets. It’s perhaps the most enjoyable one, whereas an asteroid related one is not so good if you have the digital enhancements on because the asteroids look rubbish.
In fact, Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball seems better without the enhancements on the whole. Whichever you choose though, the audio is the same, featuring cool space sound effects and voiced lines from the actual actors of the TV show. I only recognised the legendary Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, but Brent Spiner (Data), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Michael Dorn (Worf), and a few others can be heard too. The sound quality does suffer a tad due to being in its original form, but it’s still worth having for the added authenticity.
The overall layout is great thanks to a lengthy playfield, providing plenty of time for you to react as the ball heads back towards the main flippers. While most of the standup targets, bumpers, ramps and sinkholes are reachable through whacking the ball with the standard pair of flippers, a third one is in place for the tougher areas. It’s quite easy to get the hang of where everything is and understand what the purpose of each part is.
Ultimately, as an honorary Starfleet officer, I must tell the truth. Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation for Pinball FX is pretty darn enjoyable and provides fun even for those unfamiliar with the source material. It’s easy to grasp, full of missions that are very on-brand, possesses authentic sounds and lets you go for massive high scores. The price is a bit steep however, so you’ll have to weigh up whether the original table is worth it considering the enhanced visuals are cheap looking.
I suggest you set the speed to warp factor nine and go buy Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Star Trek: The Next Generation immediately!
