Stern Pinball Arcade

Fri 29th Dec 2017

Nintendo Life said:

The limited content in Stern Pinball is nonetheless well-crafted and certainly accurate when compared to real pinball. The issue is it's a rather simplistic game. The simulation aspects and overall realism does not make up for the severe lack of modern features within this title. Its primary competitor excels at offering a connected online experience with cross-platform play, global leaderboards and tournaments. Not to mention a large collection of prominent licenses. Stern Pinball has none of this and a limited selection of purchasable tables. It's by no means at the forefront of the digital pinball game market and in its current state is probably a good indication as to why pinball lost traction over the years. 

This is reminiscent of a title that would have been released at some point during the early '90s due to its limited content - so even as a video game, it's considerably behind the times. The classic design might appeal to certain generations of players, but unless you're seeking a dose of nostalgia, you're probably better off looking elsewhere to get your pinball fix. It's also worth noting the game is available in a boxed version in the UK, the US version is free-to-play on the eShop (with extra purchases, naturally).

• Read Full Review

6/10

Tue 29th Jul 2025

JJtheTexan said:

In spite of its overly-simple menu interface, Stern Pinball Arcade offers a perfectly enjoyable pinball experience with a collection of real-world tables. It's easily confused with The Pinball Arcade, also from the same publisher and developer, and there's a lot of overlap between both games, so you might as well pick one or the other. For a better overall collection of tables, check out Pinball FX, but SPA is a fine choice if you have nostalgia for its licensed tables.

• Was this review useful?

7/10