Sonic Pinball Party
{{Short description|2003 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Sonic Pinball Party
| image = Sonicpp.png
| caption = European cover art, depicting Sonic, Nights and Amigo
| developer = Sonic Team
Jupiter
| publisher = Sega{{vgrelease|EU|THQ}}
| series = Sonic the Hedgehog
| platforms = Game Boy Advance
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|May 27, 2003{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=May 27, 2003 |title=Sonic Pinball Party Ships |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/27/sonic-pinball-party-ships |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=IGN |language=en}}|JP|July 17, 2003|EU|October 31, 2003}}
| modes = Single player, multiplayer
| director = Akinori Nishiyama
| producer = Yuji Naka
Hatao Ogata
| artist = Yuji Uekawa
| composer = {{ubl|Tatsuyuki Maeda|Teruhiko Nakagawa|Yutaka Minobe}}
}}
{{nihongo foot|Sonic Pinball Party|ソニックピンボールパーティー|Sonikku Pinbōru Pātī|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a celebration of sorts for Sonic Team featuring many references to its previous games, mostly prominently Sonic the Hedgehog, Nights into Dreams, and Samba De Amigo. There was also a release on a Twin Pack cartridge bundled with Sonic Battle and Sonic Advance respectively in 2005.
Plot
The story is set in Casinopolis (in Station Square), where Doctor Eggman turns the people gambling into robots, and brainwashes Miles "Tails" Prower and Amy Rose. Sonic must rescue his friends by winning a pinball tournament called the "Egg Cup Tournament."
Gameplay
Sonic Pinball Party is a pinball video game with the objective being to earn as many points as possible. During both the Story and Arcade Modes of the game, the player starts each match with three pinballs, each one shot onto the playfield from the plunger. When the pinball rolls into the hole on the bottom of the table, the player loses a ball and must try again with another. Losing all three pinballs ends the pinball match. The player can control each pinball on the table using the two flippers set on the lower part of the table or the lone flipper placed in the upper right side of the table, and has the ability to shake the pinball table in three directions. With these methods, the player can make the pinball sling and hit one of the pinball tables' targets in order to gain points.{{CN|date=December 2024}}
Story Mode features five different matches, while the basic goal of Arcade Mode is simply to gain points until the player has run out of balls. The player's best scores from Arcade mode will be listed in the Rankings if they are high enough. Rings/Blue Chips collected in either Story or Arcade Mode can be used to purchase Chao Eggs and similar objects in the Tiny Chao Garden or as wagers in the Casinopolis minigames.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=2003-05-29 |title=Sonic Pinball Party |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/29/sonic-pinball-party |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031003704/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/29/sonic-pinball-party |url-status=live }}
Development and release
Sonic Pinball Party was published by Sega and developed by Sonic Team. The game was first announced in January 2003 by Sega of Japan.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-announces-sonic-adventure-dx-pinball-party/1100-2908413/|title=Sega announces Sonic Adventure DX, Pinball Party|last=Varanini|first=Giancarlo|work=GameSpot|date=January 9, 2003|access-date=December 20, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220050506/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-announces-sonic-adventure-dx-pinball-party/1100-2908413/|url-status=live}}
The game was released in the United States on May 27, 2003.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/27/sonic-pinball-party-ships|title=Sonic Pinball Party Ships|last=Harris|first=Craig|work=IGN|date=May 27, 2003|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214064858/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/27/sonic-pinball-party-ships|url-status=live}} It was sold exclusively at Target stores.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/11/sonic-pinball-party-target-exclusive|title=Sonic Pinball Party Ship|last=Harris|first=Craig|work=IGN|date=June 10, 2003|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214064856/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/11/sonic-pinball-party-target-exclusive|url-status=live}} The game was later re-released in 2005 in compilation collections for the Game Boy Advance with Sonic Advance, Sonic Battle, and Columns Crown.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-puts-out-a-pair-for-portables/1100-6140027/|title=Sega puts out a pair for portables|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|work=GameSpot|date=November 17, 2005|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214064903/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-puts-out-a-pair-for-portables/1100-6140027/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/thq-and-sega-bring-double-doses-of-sonic-to-pal-territories|title=THQ And SEGA Bring Double Doses Of Sonic To PAL Territories|author=GamesIndustry International|work=GamesIndustry.biz|date=November 8, 2005|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220044655/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/thq-and-sega-bring-double-doses-of-sonic-to-pal-territories|url-status=live}} In Europe, the game was co-published by Sega and THQ, with the latter holding exclusive distribution rights as well.{{cite web|last=Calvert|first=Justin|date=September 11, 2003|title=THQ to copublish Sega Europe GBA games|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gba/action/sonicbattle/news.html?sid=6074923&mode=recent|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121544/http://uk.gamespot.com/gba/action/sonicbattle/news.html?sid=6074923&mode=recent|archive-date=September 29, 2007|access-date=July 24, 2021|website=GameSpot}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
}}
Sonic Pinball Party received generally positive reviews from critics and journalists alike; on Metacritic, it has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 15 reviews and on GameRankings it has a score of 79.38% based on 16 reviews.{{Cite web |url= https://www.metacritic.com/game/sonic-pinball-party/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance |title= Sonic Pinball Party |publisher= Metacritic |access-date= 25 June 2016 |archive-date= 16 September 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160916234057/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/sonic-pinball-party/critic-reviews |url-status= live }} GamePro praised the graphics and the gameplay, stating it to have "enough extras to keep any Sega fan enthralled."{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/30035.shtml |title= Review: Sonic Pinball Party |publisher= GamePro.com |access-date= 26 June 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071001202026/http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/30035.shtml |archive-date= 1 October 2007}} Frank Provo of GameSpot praised the game's overall gameplay and the artistic quality of pinball tables, while also saying that the multiplayer mini-games were "welcome additions to the overall conglomeration that composes Sonic Pinball Party, even if they don't really fit the premise of standard pinball."{{Cite web |last=Provo |first=Frank |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/sonic-pinball-party-review/1900-6030602/ |title=Sonic Pinball Party Review |publisher=Gamespot |date=25 June 2003 |access-date=26 June 2016 |archive-date=17 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517204344/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/sonic-pinball-party-review/1900-6030602/ |url-status=live }}
Craig Harris of IGN praised the game for the "virtual" aspect of the pinball gameplay and offering a huge amount of content, but criticized its lightweight physics which made it difficult to pull off skilled, bulls-eye shots, and the Casino mini-games for not being balanced very well. His overall statement was that Sonic Pinball Party was "a great game, but not quite a must-have."{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Craig|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/29/sonic-pinball-party|title=Sonic Pinball Party Review|publisher=IGN|date=28 May 2003|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-date=10 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210191825/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/29/sonic-pinball-party|url-status=live}} Christian Nutt of GameSpy was not completely satisfied with the game, stating that it was "serviceable enough pinball romp that's too focused on presenting a pseudo-realistic game without the technical clout to back it up."{{Cite web|last= Nutt |first= Christian |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/august03/sonicppgba/ |title= Sonic Pinball Party (GBA) |publisher= GameSpy.com |access-date= 26 June 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060107031609/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/august03/sonicppgba/ |archive-date= 7 January 2006}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Sonic the Hedgehog}}
{{Sonic Team}}
{{Portal bar|Video games}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Crossover video games
Category:Game Boy Advance games
Category:Game Boy Advance-only games
Category:Video games produced by Yuji Naka
Category:Jupiter (company) games
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
Category:Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff games
Category:Video games developed in Japan