When I first saw screenshots of this game, I wondered why it didn't take advantage of the DS' design and stretch the pinball tables over both screens like in Metroid Prime Pinball. However, when I received the game, and saw that the tables are fully polygonal, with an active camera that follows the ball during play, I immediately understood why the action is limited to one screen instead. This title sports six unique pinball tables (medieval, underwater, horror, helicopter, dinosaur, and fantasy themed ones) which are all pretty fun to play. The tables don't look spectacular when they're zoomed all the way out, but, once the camera gets close, the six tables are pretty impressive in appearance. The table-themed music and voice/sound effects are very nice too and really get you into the mood. The L and R buttons trigger their respective flippers, the d-pad is used to nudge the table, and the face buttons launch the ball and switch camera angles. Thankfully, there are no touch screen controls, yay! The only negative things I have to say about this game are that sometimes the camera has a hard time keeping up with the ball when it's really going fast which can sometimes cause you to lose a ball. And it can likewise be difficult to keep track of things during multi-ball with so much going on at once. If you like pinball, you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of this game, trying to beat your high scores, and six tables in one cartridge is a great value. There are four different difficulty settings (which affects how many balls you get per game and how long the ball saver lasts), so, individuals of different skill levels should be able to find a setting that compliments their abilities. Recommended!

After being released in Europe for quite some time, Dream Pinball 3D has finally hit North American shores, for the PC, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii. Having recently purchased the DS version of the game from my local Gamestop, I cannot help but wonder what went into the developers minds when creating the DS port of the game. First off, the selection of tables is nice. You get six of them. Each of them with their own distinct theme. Each of the games have their own objectives too. But unlike a real pinball machine, the game's balls change based on progress in the game. Each ball is made out of a different material and can affect the way the ball behaves on the table. Ball movement however seems realistic for the most part. The graphics are a little bit to be desired. When comparing it to the Wii and PC versions, this one is graphically inferior. The textures are low resolution to the maximum, and the game's display colors have the display effect of a 256 color monitor. It's washed out and grainy, especially on the Aquatic Table. It reminds me of Sony PS1 graphics from the old days. The different views in the game do not help in this aspect. Pixelation is a big notice on every table. The sound is alright, and retains most of the PC and Wii's speech calls, sound effects and musical sound track, however because of hardware limitations on the DS, sometimes certain audio effects get cut out while others are being played. Surprisingly though, the music is nice and clear. The controls are responsive, but the button layouts in the game are a little awkward, and there is no way to reconfigure the buttons to your liking. The flipper buttons are naturally bonded to the shoulder buttons. Overall, this is a pinball game with a mixed bag of issues which makes it uncertain if the game has more negatives than positives. It's fun to play and may seem to get addicting at times, but it will always leave you thinking alternative thoughts not in the game's favor. There are better alternatives out there, while they may not be 3D, they appear more colorful, less washed out, and more playable.