Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators

Last updated
Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators
Sega Saturn Digital Pinball - Last Gladiators cover art.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s) KAZe Co., Ltd.
Bexide (iOS)
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Norio Nakagata
Producer(s) Jason Elias
Joann Perritano
Designer(s) Takashi Kobayashi
Programmer(s) Kunihito Hiramatsu
Artist(s) Akiko Nakamura
Bryan A. Golden
Hiromi Seino
Writer(s) Mina Handa
Composer(s) Naoto Shibata
Yusuke Takahama
Platform(s) Sega Saturn, iOS
ReleaseSega Saturn
  • JP: June 23, 1995 [1]
  • EU: September 1995 [2]
  • NA: November 1995
iOS
  • WW: April 22, 2010
Genre(s) Pinball
Mode(s) Single-player

Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators [lower-alpha 1] is a video game developed and published by KAZe for the Sega Saturn. Its working title was Pinball Arena. [3] A successor, Digital Pinball: Necronomicon, was released in 1996 for the Saturn. An updated version, Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators Ver.9.7, was released in 1997 for the Saturn. Last Gladiators was ported to iOS in April 2010 as Last Gladiators Ver.2010. [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators has four pinball tables, [5] each with its own themes; Gladiators, Knight of the Roses, Dragon Showdown and Warlock. Points are earned by hitting various targets, lanes, ramps and bumpers in the playfield. Before launching a ball, players have the option to choose between three bonus options of varying nature, e.g. starting the currently lit bonus round, super kickback, activating the extraball and/or a random bonus target, 2x playfield, super jets, activating the deathwatch (out hole) bonus and various point bonuses. In addition to multiball rounds, each table has nine special bonus rounds culminating into an "Ultimate Round" when all bonus rounds have been completed (”Gladiator Show" for Gladiators, "Necromancer" for Knight of the Roses, "Banzai Showdown" for Dragon Showdown and "Last Judgment" for Warlock). The game ends when the player loses three balls in succession and/or any extraballs earned. The player's high scores for each table are then displayed in the "Last Gladiators Hall of Fame".

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the Saturn version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and praised Last Gladiators' "excellent programming" and 'convincing faithfulness' to a real pinball machine, further praising the game's bonuses and skill shots. Next Generation expressed that Last Gladiators is 'more accurate' than other virtual pinball games, and summarized the game as "a great deal of fun". [5]

GamePro reviewed the Saturn version of Last Gladiators, criticizing it as "unimaginative" but 'fine', praising its sound effects and "slick" animations, and concluded by recommending the game to "hard-core" pinball fans. [7] Mean Machines Sega gave the Saturn version of Digital Pinball an overall score of 67%, calling the game "beautifully presented", praising its "crisp" graphics and "stylish" UI, as well as its "crystal clear" sound effects. Mean Machines further calls Digital Pinball "a remarkably close interpretation of real pinball", but criticized its table design; while praising the themed visuals of each table, Mean Machines calls them "cramped" and "uninspiring", summarizing the only goal of the game as 'gaining points', and criticized the lack of bonus effects as the player gains points. [6]

Reviews

Notes

  1. ↑ Dejitaru Pinbōru Saigo No Ken Tōshi (Japanese: デジタルピンボール ラストグラディエーターズ). Also known simply as Last Gladiators in North America and Digital Pinball in Europe.

Related Research Articles

<i>Virtua Fighter</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Virtua Fighter is a fighting game created for the Sega Model 1 arcade platform by AM2, a development group within Sega, headed by Yu Suzuki. An early prototype version was location tested in Japan by August 1993, before the complete game was released worldwide in December 1993. It was the first arcade fighting game to feature fully 3D polygon graphics. The game was ported to Sega Saturn as a global launch title in 1994 and 1995, and also received a port to the Sega 32X.

<i>Theme Park</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Theme Park is a construction and management simulation video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1994. The player designs and operates an amusement park, with the goal of making money and creating theme parks worldwide. The game is the first instalment in Bullfrog's Theme series and their Designer Series.

<i>Sonic Spinball</i> 1993 pinball video game

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, also known as Sonic Spinball, is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It is a spinoff of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who must stop Doctor Robotnik from enslaving the population in a giant pinball-like mechanism. The game is set in a series of pinball machine-like environments with Sonic acting as the pinball.

<i>Pinball Fantasies</i> 1992 video game

Pinball Fantasies is a 1992 pinball video game originally developed by Digital Illusions and published by 21st Century Entertainment in Europe for the Amiga home computers. It is the sequel to Pinball Dreams, which was released earlier in the same year on multiple platforms. In the game, players can choose between any of the four available playfields, both of which have their own thematic and main objectives in order to obtain the highest score possible.

<i>Primal Rage</i> 1994 arcade video game

Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games for arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven prehistoric beasts, that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home video game consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. More than 1.5 million copies of the game were sold.

A glossary of terms, commonly used in discussing pinball machines.

<i>Virtua Fighter 2</i> 1994 arcade video game

Virtua Fighter 2 is a 1994 fighting video game by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter (1993), and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. Created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 team, it was designed on the purpose-made Sega Model 2 hardware which provided a significant upgrade in graphical capabilities. Following its release on the arcades, Virtua Fighter 2 was ported to the Sega Saturn home console in November 1995, while ports for some other platforms appeared later.

<i>Corpse Killer</i> 1994 video game

Corpse Killer is a horror-themed rail shooter developed and published by Digital Pictures for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers. An interactive variation on the zombie film genre, it utilizes live-action full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Reviews for the game were mixed, generally criticizing the repetitive gameplay and low video quality, though many reviewers enjoyed the campy nature of the cutscenes. Corpse Killer was the first CD game released for the Sega 32X. It was later remastered for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Puzzle Bobble 3</i> 1996 arcade game

Puzzle Bobble 3 is an action puzzle video game developed by Taito. The second sequel to Puzzle Bobble, it was released for arcades in September 1996 and later ported to the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Game Boy, Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. Like its predecessors, the player is tasked with shooting balls at groups of balls, creating groups of three or more, which are then removed from play. Further ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in February 2023 by City Connection alongside Puzzle Bobble 2.

<i>Pro Pinball: The Web</i> 1996 video game

Pro Pinball: The Web is a pinball simulation video game developed by Cunning Developments for PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows 95 and Sega Saturn. It is the first game in the Pro Pinball series.

<i>Alien Crush</i> 1988 video game

Alien Crush is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the Crush Pinball series. It was followed by three sequels, Devil's Crush, Jaki Crush, and Alien Crush Returns. Alien Crush was later re-released via emulation on the Virtual Console for Wii, 3DS, and Wii U, and for PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Network.

<i>Worms</i> (1995 video game) 1995 video game

Worms is a 2D artillery tactical video game developed by Team17 and released in 1995. It is the first game in the Worms series of video games. It is a turn based game where a player controls a team of worms against other teams of worms that are controlled by a computer or human opponent. The aim is to use various weapons to kill the worms on the other teams and have the last surviving worm(s).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAZe</span>

KAZe Net Co., Ltd. is a video game industry developer headquartered in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan.

<i>Extreme Pinball</i> 1995 video game

Extreme Pinball is a 1995 pinball video game published by Electronic Arts for DOS and PlayStation. It was the first game developed by Digital Extremes, though founder James Schmalz had also previously created Solar Winds, Silverball and Epic Pinball in 1993. It was released via PlayStation Network in 2010.

<i>Grid Runner</i> 1996 video game

Grid Runner is an action game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Microsoft Windows in 1996. It is frequently described as a cross between tag and capture the flag, but the playing field is a maze-like grid which the players can manipulate to an extent. Players can either compete against each other in one-on-one matches or take on a series of AI opponents in the game's story mode. Grid Runner was first announced under the title "Eurit".

<i>Micro Machines</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Micro Machines is a racing game developed by Codemasters and originally published by Camerica for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, players race in miniaturised toy vehicles around various environments. The game is the first installment in the Micro Machines video game series.

<i>Black Fire</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Black Fire is a 1995 combat flight simulation video game developed by NovaLogic, published in North America by Sega and in Japan and Europe by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Sega Saturn.

<i>True Pinball</i> 1996 video game

True Pinball is a video game developed by Digital Illusions and published by Ocean for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. It is an enhanced version of Pinball Illusions.

References

  1. ↑ "SEGA SATURN Soft > 1994-1995". GAME Data Room. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  2. ↑ "Info - Digital Pinball". Sega Magazine . No. 22. EMAP. March 1995. p. 62.
  3. ↑ Eye Spy (July 1995). "Overseas Prospects: ECTS - Europe's Electronic Entertainment Showcase" (PDF). GamePro . No. 72. IDG Communications. p. 115. ISSN   1042-8658.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Jared (7 May 2010). "'Last Gladiators Ver.2010′ Review – Mo' Money, Mo' Tables". TouchArcade . Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Finals - Rating - Saturn - Thumbs Up: Last Gladiators". Next Generation . No. 11. Imagine Publishing. November 1995. p. 172. ISSN   1078-9693.
  6. 1 2 "Saturn Roundup - Out Now! - Digital Pinball". Mean Machines Sega . No. 37. EMAP Images. November 1995. p. 90.
  7. ↑ "Quick Hits: Last Gladiators". GamePro . No. 80. IDG Communications. March 1996. p. 72. ISSN   1042-8658.
  8. ↑ "Ação Games".
  9. ↑ "Hyper 025". December 1995.
  10. ↑ "Video Games Magazine - January 1996". January 1996.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.