Sonic Spinball

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
European cover of Sonic Spinball
Developer(s)	Polygames Sega Technical Institute Sega Interactive Development Division (GG & SMS conversions)
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, Virtual Console, PlayStation 2 Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PC, Dreamcast, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 iOS
Release	Genesis Game Gear Master System BRA 2010 iOS
Genre(s)	Action Pinball
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball is an pinball video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was originally released for the Sega Genesis in 1993 and later ported to the Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System in 1995.

The term "Spinball" is a portmanteau on pinball and "spin dash", a move Sonic performs. It, along with Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine were the only two Sonic games released to use characters and elements from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) cartoons.

Gameplay

Main game

Sonic Spinball is essentially a pinball simulation featuring Sonic as the "ball". The main difference from traditional pinball game is the ability to influence Sonic's movement somewhat while moving, although flippers are still the primary source of movement. In a few rare instances, the player can control Sonic on foot, but for the majority of the time he is rolled into a ball controlled by the flippers.

The game features four large pinball tables: a sewer level, a geothermal power station, a robot factory, and a launchpad system. The player must guide Sonic through each of the four levels and collect all of the Chaos Emeralds, then fight Dr. Robotnik. Once all of the Chaos Emeralds in a level are collected, Sonic gains access to the boss room and has to defeat a boss to advance onwards. Sonic will lose a life if he falls into certain traps such as lava, slime, or monsters, and the game ends when the player loses all their lives.

Sonic in The Machine Zone.

Special stages

At the end of each of the first three stages, Sonic gets to play a bonus round. These bonus rounds are set up like real pinball machines, with Sonic at the controls. The player is given a task to complete and three balls to play with. However, the the flippers are the only way to control the ball, it cannot be influenced otherwise, unlike the normal game with Sonic as the ball. Pressing all the flipper buttons at once will make Sonic shake the machine, though repeated shakes will cause a tilt and lock the flippers.

Completing the bonus stages are optional and serves only to increase the player's score.

Additionally, there is a hidden multi-ball bonus game, called "The Clucker's Defense". It can be played on any stage if the player manages to collect every ring in the level, and move Sonic a "star circle" hidden on the board. The object is to destroy a crab enemy who is protected by a pair of "Clucker" (chicken) enemies.

Story

Dr. Robotnik has assumed control of Mt. Mobius and turned it into a mechanical base, named the "Veg-O-Fortress. Utilizing energy produced by the magma flowing under the volcano, it has the power to transform helpless animals into robot slaves. Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower fly onto the scene, but Sonic is knocked off the wings of Tails' airplane by a blast from the fortress. He falls into the water, but survives and ends up in the Veg-O-Fortress. Sonic proceeds to work his way through it's elaborate "Pinball Defense System", while collecting the Chaos Emeralds, in order to destroy, and escape, the fortress.

Alternate versions and ports

8-bit version

In 1995, a downscaled version was released for the Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System.

Compilation releases

The Sega Genesis version of the game has been re-released on the Sonic Mega Collection (2004) compilation for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2010) for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Game Gear version appears as an unlockable game in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (2003) for the GameCube and PC, as well as Sonic Gems Collection (2005) for the GameCube.

Digital releases

The Genesis version was released on the Wii's Virtual Console on March 12, 2007 in North America and April 5, 2007 in Europe. The game is also available for iOS devices on Apple's App Store. In September 2010, it was released on Steam as well.

Reception

Reception for the (console) game has been mixed. IGN gave it a 7.5 out of 10, stating that "It's not a perfect game – there are aspects of the control that could have been tighter, and its difficulty level may be a bit too extreme for new players. But it's a good option for Sonic fans, or pinball fans." Pocket Gamer gave the game a 6 out of 10, stating that "while it isn’t a particularly good pinball game, it is a pretty decent video game." 1up called it "pretty awful" and that it "makes a fellow long for a real pinball table".

A common criticism of the game is it's choppy frame rate.

On the handheld version, however, the game was rated with negative reception.

Legacy

A second pinball game in the Sonic series, Sonic Pinball Party, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

In Staffordshire, England, a spinning rollercoaster of the same name, opened after a small refurbishment at Alton Towers in 2010, with a loose theme based on the game.