Ballywoo

Ballywoo is a new game for the iPhone and iPad which essentially copies the first commercially successful pinball game, Ballyhoo.  I suspect the game doesn’t have an official license hence the oh so clever rename.

The original Ballyhoo sold an estimated 50,000+ units.  Many say 75,000+

Having played a few originals, the main difference is the real one is quite a bit slower.  It’s almost like Ballywoo is set at a much steeper  virtual angle.  It’s probably a good thing for this version since you can fire off balls at a much faster pace and add a little excitement.

If you’re wondering where the flippers are, they weren’t invented until over 15 years later (a fact parodied in the second video – which aired several years after flippers were added to pinall).  In the early pinball games the skill came down to the plunge and nudging the machine.  In this regard, Ballywoo comes up a bit short against the original since there’s little to no precision in the plunge and no ability to nudge.