Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball

By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 3/28/2008

C3
Street: April 8
Prebook: now
> Short, supplements-filled doc on the great video/pinball hybrid that never was.

This doc takes a look at the shooting star phenomenon of Pinball 2000, the late-’90s game initiative that was created to resuscitate the dying pinball industry by adding videogame elements to traditional pinball gameplay. Though the game was critically and commercially well-received upon its launch, parent company Williams Electronic Games pulled the plug on the project just as it was about to roll out, leaving behind frustrated techies and fans and lots of unanswered questions. In its hour-long running time, filmmaker Greg Maletic jams in lots of history and related info, highlighted by earnest interviews with pinball industry legends and videogame programmers, as well as lots of footage of the remarkable-looking Pinball 2000 games that were never given a real chance to catch on in the marketplace. There are nearly seven hours of bonus materials, including some amusing footage that details the goings-on in the Williams pinball factory and a 90-minute video of videogame visionary George Gomez discussing the creation of Pinball 2000.

Shelf Talk: With the popularity of the videogame slice-of-champion-gamer-life doc The King of Kong and the steady influx of movies about videogames (Gamers, Grandma’s Boy), the time is right for this homegrown doc. It’s a small one, yes, but the ever-expanding gaming universe could make it a specialty sleeper.

Documentary, color, NR (nothing offensive), 60 min., DVD $29.95
Extras: director’s commentary, additional interviews, footage of three unreleased Williams pinball machines, Williams Pinball 2000 launch video, tour of Williams pinball factory, more
Director: Greg Maletic
First Run: DVD premiere