Pro Pinball: Timeshock!
Pro Pinball: Timeshock! is a pinball simulation game developed by Cunning Developments and published by Empire Interactive / GT Interactive. Released in 1997 for Windows 95 and MS-DOS, it is the second entry in the Pro Pinball series and is widely regarded as one of the most technically accomplished pinball video games ever made. The table presents a science-fiction narrative in which a time-travel accident has shattered the timeline, and the player must collect power crystals and time fragments across four distinct historical eras to avert catastrophe.
Timeshock! distinguishes itself through an uncompromising commitment to simulation. The table is rendered in high-resolution 3D with photorealistic detail, including reflective ball surfaces, dynamic shadows, and fully modeled mechanical components. The physics engine replicates rubber grip, ball spin, and even the impact of the ball against the table glass. Unlike many PC pinball games that scroll across multiple screen panels, the entire table is visible at once in a single static view, with four adjustable camera angles ranging from an overhead perspective to a low, realistic player-level view.
The game ships with two manuals: a standard technical guide and an extensive Table Manual that mirrors the documentation supplied with a real arcade pinball machine. The latter includes detailed rule explanations, shot diagrams, and over thirty pages of operator features, including audits, switch tests, and lamp tests. While some operator settings are initially locked to preserve the developers’ balance tuning, the depth of simulation is unprecedented.
Gameplay centers on a motorized crystal mechanism at the table’s center, which locks balls for each of the four time periods, and a magnetic Time Machine arm that captures and loads balls for multiball frenzies. The backglass features a dot-matrix LED display that animates story progress and includes a “Video Mode” minigame where the player steers the time machine through a tunnel, dodging mines. The table boasts over thirty CD audio music tracks, Dolby Surround Sound effects, and voice samples recorded from real pinball machines. An Internet high-score system allows players to upload encrypted game results, and future updates promise online multiplayer and spectator modes.
