Powershot Pinball Constructor - DS

Here's an upcoming game that has real potential to become Nintendo DS' latest sleeper hit - Powershot Pinball Constructor. The game is being developed by Oxygen Games from across the pond, and is currently scheduled for an August release.

This is one of those games that will really turn the heads of the older classic gamers. Why is that, you ask? Well, simply, because - as the title implies - you get to design your own pinball tables, and then share them online with other players. Other than that, I really have no idea how the game itself plays. The screenshots look very nice, I'll give it that. Not that any of that really matters, right? The whole point is that you can design and trade your own pinball tables.

Too young to understand any of this? Well, kids, it all comes down to an old computer game from 1983, one that was just about the coolest thing ever. A little thrill ride from Electronic Arts known as Bill Budge's Pinball Construction Set.



Pinball Construction Set delivered just that - the ability to design and create your own pinball tables, which could then be saved to disk and swapped with friends. And played, of course - that is, when you weren't too busy trying to build the ultimate pinball game. There was a tremendous amount of freedom at your disposal. With a little ingenuity, you could create almost anything. Virtually every aspect of pinball was at your fingertips. You could do anything you wanted, provided you had the skills and patience.

Remember, kids, this was 1983. Most kids still had an Atari 2600 hooked up to their televisions. Computer games like Pinball Construction Set were light years away from anything on those consoles. It was more than a generational leap. It felt more like two or three generational leaps.

Pinball Construction Set was the first of the "construction" style of games, where you essentially create your own gaming remix. It was a fairly radical idea at the time, and became a great success across a number of computer platforms. Oh, and the box was killer, too. Very much in the album cover style, in keeping with Electronic Arts early rebel phase. That's another thing that was very different back in ye olden days, kids. EA was really super cool back then. Hard to imagine, eh?

So you can imagine the nostalgic pull that kicks in when a DS title like Powershot Pinball Constructor is announced. It has a lot to live up to. Let's cross our fingers and pray that Oxygen Games gets it right. Please please please please please.