Pinball HD for Tegra 2-Android App Review

One of the first apps I downloaded on my tablet was the TegraZone, a special app browser developed by NVIDIA to showcase applications that were optimized for its Tegra II chipset. Sure, I have my tower defense games and angry birds, but I wanted to see what an "optimized" game would look like on my Tab's massive screen.

Pinball HD was published by NVIDIA to show off the graphics power of their Tegra 2 processor, and it shows. The colors are vibrant and there are a ton of little animations shown in that seem to exist just because they make the game nicer to look at. My favorite board is the Jungle, because if you can aim the ball just right, the Gorilla will pick it up and pound his chest before throwing it back on the board. Each board has a special animation to fit the theme, but I like "Big Kong" the best.

As far as actual gameplay goes, it performs how you would expect it to. You tap the right side of the screen to move the right toggle, and do the opposite for the left. Response time was fast, and the sounds seemed in sync with what was happening on the screen. One nice feature is that if you swipe with two fingers, the game will zoom out to show the entire board instead of following the ball with a camera. I found it a lot easier to play this way, though others might enjoy the added detail that the camera view provides.

Much like a regular pinball game, I found myself greeted with the game over screen a lot faster than I expected, but this was due to my lack of skill more than any problems with the controls. When a game ends, you're given the option to input your name so that your score can be listed on your devices high score board as well as a leader board for other players who have the game installed.

Pinball HD is a fun game with great graphics and pretty addictive game play. At $2.99, it's also one of the least expensive optimized games for Tegra 2 devices. If you're looking for a great time waster, or if you're training to be the next wizard, give Pinball HD a try.