Pro Pinball: Timeshock!
Encyclopedia
Timeshock! is a 1997 pinball
computer game developed by Cunning Development and published by Empire Interactive
. It is the second game in the Pro Pinball
series, and is themed around the concept of time travel
.
fixture on the table facilitates the game's time travel theme. At any one time the player is in one of a handful of time zones, the main ones being: The Present Day, The Distant Future, Ancient Rome and The Prehistoric Age. Completion of certain objectives allows the player to travel between time zones (although some must be unlocked first, by means of completing secondary objectives).
Although the basic method of playing is persistent across time zones, the details of particular awards and objectives are themed towards the current time, for example, you might be awarded with a ray gun in the future, whilst in the present day you might be awarded with a magnet
. This provides variety, and helps facilitate a wider set of goals.
placed just to the left of the right drain, activated by hitting a particular key. If used correctly, this either draws the ball out of the drain, or stops it before it gets there. However, if used recklessly, one can at worst "throw" the ball into the drain, or more likely, waste a good magno-save: Once used, the magno-save must be re-enabled by hitting a set of drop targets.
These features make Timeshock! much less of a game of chance. A skilled player can employ these techniques to extend ball times considerably.
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
computer game developed by Cunning Development and published by Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a UK based video game developer and publisher founded in 1987. It was closed under administration on 4 May 2009.-About Empire Interactive:...
. It is the second game in the Pro Pinball
Pro Pinball
Pro Pinball is a series of four pinball computer games developed by Cunning Developments and produced by Empire Interactive, released between 1996 and 2000. The four games of the series are: The Web, Timeshock!, Big Race USA, and Fantastic Journey...
series, and is themed around the concept of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
.
Theme and objectives
The inclusion of a time machineTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
fixture on the table facilitates the game's time travel theme. At any one time the player is in one of a handful of time zones, the main ones being: The Present Day, The Distant Future, Ancient Rome and The Prehistoric Age. Completion of certain objectives allows the player to travel between time zones (although some must be unlocked first, by means of completing secondary objectives).
Although the basic method of playing is persistent across time zones, the details of particular awards and objectives are themed towards the current time, for example, you might be awarded with a ray gun in the future, whilst in the present day you might be awarded with a magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
. This provides variety, and helps facilitate a wider set of goals.
Gameplay
Like many pinball games, Timeshock! has features around the drains to give the player opportunity to "save" the ball. The left drain features an escape hatch back into the main play area, which, with a well timed nudge one can coerce the ball to travel through. The right drain features a "magno-save": an electromagnetElectromagnet
An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current is turned off...
placed just to the left of the right drain, activated by hitting a particular key. If used correctly, this either draws the ball out of the drain, or stops it before it gets there. However, if used recklessly, one can at worst "throw" the ball into the drain, or more likely, waste a good magno-save: Once used, the magno-save must be re-enabled by hitting a set of drop targets.
These features make Timeshock! much less of a game of chance. A skilled player can employ these techniques to extend ball times considerably.