ASK Homework has just updated its Zaccaria pinball app, adding three new tables. This got me a little bit worried. With the recent release the total of Zaccaria tables simulations reaches 41, very close to the total of 47. Does this massive release mean that those are the last Zaccaria pinballs we are going to see? I am aware that some Zaccaria pinballs do have licencing problems, which might mean that ASK Homework may not be able to release them in digital form. Anyhow, let's wait and see.
The three tables are, Cine Star
Wood's Queen
and, Nautilus
Of the three the only one I did really appreciate is Wood's Queen. Of course, I find that the sluggish ASK Homework simulation settings are spoiling the gameplay. Still those low-lying right targets suffice in order to get you hooked. Don't take my word for this, try it.
Believe it or not, we have reached another milestone. Three years ago I started the blog in order to preserve the Mac-pinball history I have been writing for the Tower of Pin (now defunct). Along the way, having entered the post-PC era, the blog evolved into a site with news on digital pinballs mainly for the iPhone and the iPad. (I had a shock when, visiting the App store, I found a pinball app for the Apple Watch. Fortunately it is not a pinball simulation but just an app that helps discovering real pinball machines in a neighbourhood. I cross my fingers and hope that nobody tries to cram a pinball in the watch screen).
Three years later with 180 posts and more than 19000 page views I feel vindicated. Moving my Mac-pinball history to a blog-style, lighter, organisation, was the right choice. I can maintain the site quite easily and with a fast response, whenever new pinballs make their appearance. So let us celebrate this anniversary and look forward to more digital pinballs to come.
Farsight completed their season 4 collection with another gem by Pat Lawlor. Safecracker is a very special pinball game. It is timer based rather than one with a fixed number of balls.
In this game you play the role of a bank robber out to collect as much money as possible. You start by playing on the normal table in order to break into the bank (via the rooftop, the cellar, or the front door).
Once inside the game switches to an interactive board game on the backglass. There you have to roll dice and move around while being chased by the guard. If you manage to reach the safe you are rewarded by a magic token from the bank vault. Magic tokens allow one to activate a separate game mode: assault on the vault (a four-ball multiball game).
In the historical notes one learns that this machine was smaller in size than a normal pinball. However on the digital version one does not feel this. The pinball is a typical Lawlor masterpiece: original, interesting and amusing. Do not hesitate a single instant before grabbing the game.
With Safecracker, Farsight has released their 61 pinball table. (When you visit their site Safecracker is numbered as Table 40 but this is pure sloppiness: they are counting the season 1 & 2 packs as one and they do not count the launch titles at all). It is an impressive collection and now we can look forward to season 5.
