3-D Ultra Pinball
| Company type | Video game series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Sierra Entertainment's Dynamix division |
| Products | Pinball video games |
| Owner | Sierra Entertainment |
3-D Ultra Pinball is a collection of pinball video games created by Sierra Entertainment's Dynamix division. Unlike conventional arcade pinball, these titles incorporate animated elements, multiple simultaneous tables, and dynamic "temporary targets" such as spaceships, goblins, and dinosaurs appearing during gameplay.
3-D Ultra Pinball
The inaugural 3-D Ultra Pinball was launched in 1995 and draws inspiration from the space simulation title Outpost. It features three distinct tables—Colony, Command Post, and Mine—each presenting five unique challenges. Additionally, the game includes smaller "mini-tables" equipped with their own flippers. Players aim to construct and successfully launch a Starship, completing the full sequence.
3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night
Introduced in 1996, Creep Night embraces a horror motif across three interconnected tables: Castle, Tower, and Dungeon. Players can transition between these tables after accomplishing specific objectives. Each table offers five distinct challenges involving creatures like zombies, goblins, and ghosts. Upon clearing all tasks in Tower and Dungeon, players encounter boss battles requiring precision hits. Completing all three tables unlocks an enhanced Castle table featuring additional challenges.
This edition was also bundled with promotional demos of other Sierra Online software. 3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night earned a 3 out of 5 rating from MacUser magazine.
Lost Continent (1997) presents an environment reminiscent of Jurassic Park. The narrative follows a plane crash on an island where antagonist Heckla has created dinosaur hybrids alongside cavemen. Protagonists Professor Spector, Mary, and adventurer Rex Hunter strive to escape, rescue Neeka—a tribal woman—and thwart Heckla’s robotic forces. The game encompasses 16 tables divided among three zones: Jungle, Temple, and Heckla's Lab.
3-D Ultra NASCAR Pinball
Released in 1998, this NASCAR-themed pinball game includes three playfields: garage, track, and pitstop. It features prominent NASCAR drivers such as Dale Earnhart and Bobby Labonte as playable figures, influencing both commentary audio and on-screen visuals.
3-D Ultra Pinball Power
Power (1999) is a compilation package that contains the original game along with Creep Night, Lost Continent, plus bonus titles like The Incredible Machine and a trial version of 3-D Ultra Golf.
3-D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride
The final entry in the series, Thrillride, was also released on Game Boy Color, developed by Left Field Productions and published by Sierra in December 2000. Set within Hersheypark, it incorporates amusement park rides as interactive table features. The PC edition was subsequently included in Sierra’s Game Room collection (2004).
Sales
By 1998, the franchise had achieved sales exceeding 500,000 copies.
See also
External links
- 3-D Ultra Pinball, Creep Night, Lost Continent, NASCAR Pinball, Pinball Power, Thrill Ride (PC) and Thrill Ride (GBC) featured on Allgame
- Creep Night, Lost Continent, NASCAR, and Thrillride accessible at GameSpot
- In-depth article on the series at Hardcore Gaming 101