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Ruiner Pinball

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Ruiner Pinball
Cover art by Steve Lang
Developer(s)High Voltage Software
Publisher(s)Atari Corporation
Designer(s)Mike Baker
Scott Corley
Programmer(s)Scott Corley
Artist(s)Mike Baker
Platform(s)Atari Jaguar
Release
  • NA: November 6, 1995
  • EU: December 1995
Genre(s)Pinball
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Ruiner Pinball is a 1995 pinball video game developed by High Voltage Software (HVS) and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. The game features two different pinball tables: the nuclear war-inspired Ruiner, and the medieval-themed Tower. Each table contains targets for the player to hit with the ball, increasing their score before the ball is lost. It was marketed as the first title to support the ProController, a redesigned Jaguar controller that added three more face buttons and two triggers.

As long-time fans of pinball games, HVS proposed the Ruiner pinball concept to Atari, who later requested a second table in the game. The game earned disapproval from game critics, who took issue with the game's audiovisual elements, controls, and unrealistic physics. Later reviewers were mixed on the game's reception, in retrospect. In 2022, it was included in the Atari 50 compilation.

Gameplay

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Ruiner Pinball includes two pinball tables: Ruiner (left) and Tower (right)

Ruiner Pinball is a pinball game that features a choice of two different pinball tables: Ruiner and Tower.[1][2][3][4][5] Ruiner is a double-width table with four flippers on each side, the style of which is inspired by the impending nuclear war of the 1960s.[2][4][5][6] Tower is a three-screen high table with a set of flippers on each area, styled as a medieval fantasy setting with an evil sorceress.[3][4][5][6]

Each table has its own main objective: in Ruiner, the player must lower the DEFCON level from 5 to 1 and launch an attack against an enemy country, while navigating the ball using interconnecting ramps to travel between sides. In Tower, the player must defeat the sorceress by casting three magic spells in order to destroy the castle and escape.[1][3][4][5][6] The player's score increases by hitting special targets before the ball is lost.[1][4][5] Both tables also have features such as extra balls and multi-ball play.[4] The player can select from three difficulty levels, as well as setting the number of players, and the number and texture of the ball(s).[4][6]

Development and release

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Ruiner Pinball was created by High Voltage Software (HVS), which previously worked on a video game adaptation of the 1992 sports comedy film White Men Can't Jump for Atari Jaguar.[7][8][9] The game was programmed by Scott Corley as his first work in the video game industry.[6][9] Corley entered the gaming industry in 1993 as one of the first members to work at HVS before becoming the company's vice president of software development.[10][11][12] He was also designer of the Ruiner table, while artist Mike Baker designed the Tower table.[6][9] HVS proposed a pinball game to Atari Corporation, as many of the company's staff were pinball fans.[9] According to Corley, the game was named "Ruiner" after the song of the same name from the album The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails.[9] As development continued, Atari requested a second table.[9] Baker created the game's artwork on a large hand-painted board, which was scanned into Deluxe Paint slowly, part by part.[9] The cover art was illustrated by Steve Lang.[13]

The game was first showcased at the 1994 Summer Consumer Electronics Show, announced for release in the second quarter of 1995 under the name Ruiner.[14][15][16][17] It made additional appearances at tradeshows such as the 1995 ECTS Spring event and E3 1995.[18][19] The game was later scheduled for an August release date and was also showcased during an event hosted by Atari dubbed "Fun 'n' Games Day" under its final title, Ruiner Pinball.[20][21][22] It was first published by Atari in North America on November 6, 1995, and later in Europe in December 1995.[23][24] The game was marketed as the first to support the ProController, a redesigned Atari Jaguar controller that added three more face buttons and two triggers.[25] In 2022, Ruiner Pinball was re-released for the first time as part of the Atari 50 compilation, porting the game to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs.[26][27]

Reception

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Ruiner Pinball received generally unfavorable reviews.[35][36] Reviewers compared the game unfavorably to other contemporary pinball games such as Crüe Ball, Dragon's Fury, and Dragon's Revenge.[1][32][34] Game Zero Magazine criticized the game's visuals, music, and ball physics, instead recommending pinball titles for rival consoles.[32] Writing for Ultimate Future Games and The Atari Times, Andy Robertson lambasted its audiovisual presentation, controls, and limited number of tables, stating that "Ruiner is not even a very good pinball".[31][33] The Electric Playground's Shane Garber described the gameplay as tedious, while criticizing the busy visuals for obscuring the ball's position.[29] MAN!AC's Robert Bannert also described how several game elements are lost in the hand-drawn backgrounds, and additionally criticized the lack of bonus rounds.[1]

Véronique Boissarie of Consoles + praised Ruiner's colorful graphics and playability, feeling that it was an overall well-designed and original pinball game.[28] Marc Abramson of the French ST Magazine faulted the game's audiovisual presentation, controls, and unrealistic physics.[2] VideoGames felt that the game failed to simulate the feeling of a real pinball game, while criticizing the graphics and layout of both tables.[34] GamePro described it as an enjoyable but unexceptional title, saying that it "looks like a plain old 16-bit pinball game".[37] Next Generation described how the animations and multi-level tables made good use of the video game format, but felt that these elements were "superfluous" due to the flawed gameplay and physics.[30] Atari Gaming Headquarters' Keita Iida wrote that "Ruiner Pinball resembles most 16-bit pinball games like Alien Crush and Crüe Ball in that realism is discarded".[3]

Retrospective commentary for Ruiner Pinball has been mixed.[38][39][40] Retro Gamer labelled it as a fun homage to Dragon's Fury and Alien Crush, while PCMag called it the best pinball game on the Atari Jaguar.[41][42] Author Andy Slaven praised the game's colorful visuals, but felt that the unrealistic physics failed to capture the feeling of pinball.[38] In a retrospective review for The Atari Times, David Sherwin felt that the audiovisual elements for the Ruiner table were much stronger than the Tower table.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Bannert, Robert (January 1996). "Spiele-Tests: Ruiner Pinball". MAN!AC [de] (in German). No. 27. Cybermedia. p. 69. (Transcription Archived 2020-10-25 at the Wayback Machine).
  2. ^ a b c d Abramson, Marc (February 1996). "Cahier Loisirs / Jaguar: Interrogation Écrite". ST Magazine [fr] (in French). No. 102. Pressimage. pp. 57–58.
  3. ^ a b c d e Iida, Keita (2001). "AGH Jaguar Review: RUINER PINBALL". Atari Gaming Headquarters. Archived from the original on 2001-03-03. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Scholeri III, Joseph (1998). "Ruiner Pinball - Overview". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  5. ^ a b c d e Nils (November 6, 2020). "Ruiner Pinball im Test" (in German). neXGam. Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Ruiner Pinball (Game Manual) (International ed.). Atari Corporation. 1995.
  7. ^ "Atari Jaguar Development". High Voltage Software. 1996. Archived from the original on 1996-11-05. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  8. ^ Casamassina, Matt; Fische, Blake; Kagotani, Christophe; Lundrigan, Jeff; Preston, Jim; Russo, Tom; Tittel, Jorg (October 1995). "Cover Story: Got Talent?". Next Generation. No. 73. Imagine Media. pp. 56–75.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Corley, Scott (gpumgr) (July 15, 2014). "Hello again from Scott". 3DO Zone Forums. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  10. ^ "About Red Mercury". Red Mercury. 2000. Archived from the original on 2000-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  11. ^ "Classnotes". Computer Science Alumni News. Vol. 2, no. 4. University of Illinois Department of Computer Science. January 2001. pp. 22–27. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  12. ^ Blancato, Joe (August 20, 2007). "Wideload Shorts' Scott Corley on the Business of Making Funny". The Escapist. Themis Media. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  13. ^ Auffret, Dominique (November 13, 2024). "Steve LANG". VGDensetsu. Archived from the original on 2024-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  14. ^ Scamps, Olivier; David (July 1994). "Dossier CES - Jaguar: Living On The Edge". Player One [fr] (in French). No. 44. Média Système Édition [fr]. p. 56.
  15. ^ "1995 Video Game Preview Guide - All The Latest Games From The Summer CES: Jaguar". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 61. Sendai Publishing. August 1994. p. 161.
  16. ^ Funke-Bilu, Tal (producer); Guy, Travis (producer) (1994). AEO at SCES 94. Atari Explorer Online (VHS). United States: Subspace Publishers. Event occurs at 39m18s. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  17. ^ Norwood, Jeffrey (February–March 1994). "part 3: 1995 SOFTWARE PREVIEW". Jaguar Journal. (Transcription by JustClaws. Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine).
  18. ^ "Spring '95 - Frühjahrs Messe ECTS". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 43. Magna Media. June 1995. pp. 6–18.
  19. ^ "E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! - Jaguar". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 7. DieHard Gamers Club. July 1995. p. 35.
  20. ^ "Release Liste: Jaguar". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 45. Magna Media. August 1995. p. 43.
  21. ^ Gore, Chris (August 1995). "The Gorescore - Industry News You Can: Upcoming Jaguar Software Titles". VideoGames. No. 79. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 14.
  22. ^ "Atari's Fun 'n' Games Day". GamePro. No. 78. IDG. January 1996. p. 60.
  23. ^ "Atari Corp. presents pinball like you've never seen it before; Ruiner Pinball for Jaguar 64 hits retail shelves". TheFreeLibrary.com. Business Wire. November 6, 1995. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  24. ^ Abramson, Marc (January 1996). "Cahier Loisirs / Jaguar: c'est Nöel!!!". ST Magazine [fr] (in French). No. 101. Pressimage. pp. 54–57.
  25. ^ Rat, The Lab (February 1996). "GamePro Labs - Player's Guide to Power Peripherals: Feline Friends". GamePro. No. 79. IDG. p. 22.
  26. ^ Machkovech, Sam (September 12, 2022). "The 103 classic games that did, and didn't, make the Atari 50 anniversary cut — Retailer leak suggests games from arcade to Jaguar; surprises apparently still await". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  27. ^ McFerran, Damien (October 27, 2022). "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Trailer Shows Jaguar Games In Action - The cat is back". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on 2022-10-29. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  28. ^ a b Boissarie, Véronique (February 1996). "Jaguar Review: Ruiner Pinball". Consoles + [fr] (in French). No. 51. EM-Images SA. p. 116.
  29. ^ a b Garber, Shane (January 5, 1996). "Reviews: Ruiner Pinball". The Electric Playground. Elecplay.com Productions. Archived from the original on 2002-05-18. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  30. ^ a b "Finals: Ruiner Pinball". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. pp. 86–87.
  31. ^ a b Robertson, Andy (August 1996). "Jaguar Mini-Reviews: Ruiner Pinball". The Atari Times. No. 4. Gregory George. p. 5. (Transcription by The Atari Times. Archived 2014-10-29 at the Wayback Machine).
  32. ^ a b c E.Phoenix; R.I.P. (December 1995). "The Final Word game review - Double Exposure: Ruiner Pinball -- Atari/High Voltage". Game Zero Magazine. Game Zero. Archived from the original on 1998-01-21. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  33. ^ a b "Ultimate review sector: Will Ruiner ruin you or will you ruin Ruiner?". Ultimate Future Games. No. 13. Future Publishing. December 1995. p. 74.
  34. ^ a b c "Reviews: Ruiner Pinball". VideoGames. No. 85. Larry Flynt Publications. February 1996. p. 88.
  35. ^ "Test: Ruiner Pinball". ReVival (in French). No. 2. ABCD Dire. March 1998.
  36. ^ Karels, Ralph (August 1999). "Special: Atari Jaguar - Komplettübersicht Jaguar-Modul-Games". Video Games [de] (in German). No. 93. WEKA Consumer Medien. p. 56.
  37. ^ "ProReview: Ruiner Pinball". GamePro. No. 80. IDG. March 1996. p. 68.
  38. ^ a b Slaven, Andy; Barnes, Lucus (2002). "JAG - Atari Jaguar". Video Game Bible, 1985-2002. Vol. 1. Trafford Publishing. pp. 47–53. ISBN 9781553697312. Archived from the original on 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  39. ^ a b Sherwin, David (April 2004). "Jaguar Reviews: Pinball Fantasies & Ruiner — Two pinball games for the Jaguar 64". 2004 Compendium. The Atari Times. pp. 1–102. Archived from the original on 2004-03-30. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  40. ^ Gaternt, John (2001). "Jaguar Reviews: Ruiner Pinball". Jaguar Front Page News. GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2002-11-04. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  41. ^ Hawken, Kieren (July 18, 2013). "Minority Report: Jaguar Special - Ruiner Pinball". Retro Gamer. No. 118. Imagine Publishing. p. 45.
  42. ^ Edwards, Benj (February 11, 2017). "7 Forgotten Atari Jaguar Classics". PCMag. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
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