Great pinball game. Try different tables.Since the age of glory of Pinball Fantasy and Pinball Illusions, it seemed that 21st Century Entertainment had been plunged into some kind of lethargy. Even though Pinball World, Total 3-D Pinball and Absolute Pinball, had all a certain originality, the latest releases from the company lacked the addictive game play found in the previous games. With SlamTilt however, it is no longer true. The PC conversion of the Amiga game of the same name is simply one of the best pinball the company has ever released. After Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions, SlamTilt is the third title from 21st Century Entertainment to enter into the pinball legend.
SlamTilt features dazzling graphics that will inevitably feast your eyes. Each table offers a complex design mixing ramps, lanes, ball-traps, flashing lights, lamps and an impressive number of targets, all inspired around a central theme. The first table, Mean Machines, goes to the exploration of the road mechanics world. This fast-moving table has its elements taken from Formula One, Offroad and Rally racing, not forgetting dragsters and monster cars. With the second table called "The Pirate", SlamTilt will send you back at the time of the buccaneers where you can expect fierce battles, swordfights, and mutinies, and dig up well hidden treasures. The next table, "Ace of Space", will take you into a journey through space. Asteroids, alien attacks, space races and plenty of other challenging missions will await you in this frantic table. The last one, "Night of the Demon", brings the world of horror onto your screen with vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches and other night creatures haunting the table.
Regarding the display modes, SlamTilt is not in rest. In addition to the two SVGA modes (640x480 and 800x600), the auto-zoom option automatically switches to a VGA mode with vertical scrolling during the game, and return to the SVGA mode during multi-balls. If the auto-zoom option is turned off, the entire table will be visible on the screen with a minimal scrolling, but the size will be of course drastically reduced. For the best experience, I strongly recommend to use the 800x600 mode, with the auto-zoom feature turned on. The last graphic option you can choose in SlamTilt, is the size of the display panel between large or small, the only difference apart the size of scores and animation, being a slightly larger tables view with the small panel size.
If it is extremely fun playing with SlamTilt, the sounds and music of the game are also great to listen to. The seven audio CD tracks included in SlamTilt will only play during tables presentation and while menus are displayed. During the game, they will be replaced by MOD files played by the sound card on your computer. However, while not as good as Pinball Illusions soundtrack, the music in SlamTilt is quite entertaining, and provides players with the right mood for each track. For example, hard rock will accompany the "Mean Machines" table, while a creepy and eery tune will surround the "Night of the Demon" with a surreal atmosphere.
