Review: Pinball FX3: Williams Pinball – Volume 6 (Nintendo Switch)

Just when I thought I was out, Pinball FX3 pulls me back in with its latest DLC, Williams Pinball – Volume 6. Let’s not waste any time and get right into these three tables.

Funhouse is a table I remember from Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection of the Wii. Pat Lawlor has good pinball concepts and even better pinball designs. Funhouse was sandwiched between popular tables like Whirlwind, Twilight Zone, and No Good Gophers (Volume 5), an imperial pinball phase. Funhouse is known for its ventriloquist dummy, Rudy, who watches and talks to the player. He can annoy and enhance in equal measure, but this table has an enjoyable structure.

Space Station, from 1987, is Barry Oursler’s follow-up to Pinbot, a pinball table I’ve enjoyed in video form since the NES days. Space Station is a more straightforward table, as a quick look at the guide will show; no bloat here. What is here is speed, and a demand for precision, which I appreciate. Feast or famine is on display here to some extent. You can lose quickly (be ready to nudge) or get multiballs and play for great length. Challenges thrive on this table.

Dr. Dude and his Excellent Ray is the last table in this volume, and also the least enjoyable. Its design is serviceably middle of the road. Although it is a table where you can get a good flow, the theme doesn’t do it for me. Dr. Dude wasn’t cool in The Party Zone (Volume 2), and he’s not cool here. His voice annoys, and there seems to be a camera glitch on this table as well. It’s not a lousy table, but one that pales when compared to the two it accompanies.

My one tip to Zen Studios is to be careful remastering these William’s classics. Besides not looking the best, the interactive characters they’ve added can block your view and distract. “Classic” may be preferable, at least in Williams Pinball – Volume 6. Less can be more here.

Like me, if you own most of the Pinball FX3 tables, this one should make its way to your library. I’ll continue to support Zen Studio’s DLC, popping my virtual quarters and again to top my high scores. Williams Pinball – Volume 6 is addictive fun.