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The DS has a myriad of games that are solely aimed at the casual gamer; which range from the Brain training games, card games and of course the variety of puzzle games. So it only makes sense that Pinball games start to get more prevalent on the console as Pinball has all the elements looked for in casual gaming. Unfortunately, Powershot Pinball Constructor isn’t the first Pinball game we’ve had on the DS and nor is it early in the DS’ lifespan. If those statements were the reverse of themselves, then it would be possible to overlook a lot of the problems that Powershot Pinball Constructor has. It’s a great shame because the idea behind the game is a good one, but just lacking in its execution.

The problems arise even in the main menu. The menu’s icons are displayed on the touch screen meaning that it is entirely touch controlled, (which is the norm for most DS games now). The problem with the menu is that is very unresponsive, resulting in you spend most of the time trying to get to a game mode that you want rather than actually playing a game. This isn’t helped by the fact that touch control is the only way of using the menu. Once you’ve actually selected a mode, things don’t get much better. You’re presented with another annoyingly unusable list of options.

The single player choices aren’t as impressive as the multiplayer, but there is a decent bang for your buck here. The modes available are; Score Mode, Time Attack and Stylus Mode, and each one offers something different, adding a bit of flair to the gaming experience. With Score Mode, it’s just purist Pinball; as the manual describes, ‘you, a table and three balls;’ it’s your basic game of Pinball and has nothing special about it. That said, there really isn’t really much fun to be had because it’s your normal game of Pinball. You’re tasked with trying to beat the high score and that’s about it

Stylus mode tries to add something fresh to the mix, but fails before it even starts. The basis is that you control the flippers with the Stylus, instead of the Left and Right Shoulder buttons. Again, on paper this sounds brilliant, but it just turns into a messy attempt at integrating the Touch Screen into the gameplay, one that falls short of its aim. Finally we have Time Attack and it’s the light at the end of the preverbal tunnel. It’s the most fun to be had with the title. The premise is within a set amount of time you have to get a higher score as you can. It’s pretty much what it says on the tin, and is usually a boring, worthless mode but for some reason I just loved trying to beat the score in the time limit.

As mentioned above, the control systems aren’t exactly the best. The basic set-up are the shoulder buttons to activate the flippers, and the directional pad to tilt the table. To worsen the situation, the graphics are suited more to a flash game, than to the DS. I wasn’t expecting much, but the graphics really are something to be desired. The table is pretty much 2D.

Powershot Pinball Constructor just isn't worthy of your hard earned cash. If there was a bit more going on in the single player sections it would have scored better. The multiplayer builds on the above modes by adding Team Battle, which allows teams of two to take it in turns to score the highest points in a set amount of time. There’s also a tournament mode which lets up to eight players try and get the highest score. It does save the title a bit, as you can have a couple of hours fun with your mates, saving you getting down to the local arcade and spending a pound a pop, but for 15 quid there are far better things to do.

Score: 4/10

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