Crue Ball: Heavy Metal Pinball

By 1992, Motley Crue's best years were already behind them. The hair metal quartet had already released their most popular albums, Vince Neil decided to split and the rise of Nirvana and the grunge rock movement meant the band's days were numbered. But that didn't stop Electronic Arts from releasing the questionably timed, wholly unnecessary rock 'n roll pinball game, Crue Ball: Heavy Metal Pinball.

Developed by the makers of Rygar on the Lynx, Crue Ball attempts to mix pinball with chip tunes remakes of popular Motley Crue hits. You'll be serenaded with funky sounding versions of Dr. Feelgood, Live Wire and Home Sweet Home, all while playing a pinball game that has almost nothing to do with Mick Mars, Nicki Sixx, Tommy Lee and anybody else connected with the band.


This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Motley Crue was added late in the game's development. Early on, Crue Ball was known as Twisted Flipper, a fun homage to one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. The producers shopped the game to MTV's Headbanger's Ball, a popular heavy metal series on a channel still known for playing music videos. MTV opted out, leaving Motley Crue as the next best thing.

There are moments sprinkled throughout the game that hint at what the game could have been under the Headbanger's Ball umbrella. It feels like a lot of the best material had to be pulled, as it had nothing to do with the Motley Crue license. As a result, the pinball table is empty and lifeless. It occasionally throws a monster or disembodied head at the player, reminding us of what could have been.


Like a lot of video pinball games, Crue Ball's physics don't feel right. The ball doesn't have enough weight and tends to float around the screen more than I would like. I also ran into the problem of my ball getting stuck in the flipper, something that certainly wouldn't happen in real life.

Despite not being a huge fan of the band, I was ready to be won over by the rock 'n roll aesthetic and tributes to the band. Sadly, there isn't enough of that in Crue Ball. Instead we're left with a boring pinball table and annoying music repeating in the background. The Crue's last minute inclusion won't be enough to keep fans happy and those of us who don't like the band will be repelled. No matter how you flip it, Crue Ball is not worth playing.