| Graphics: |   4 |
| SFX: |  3.5 |
| Music: | 4 |
| Gameplay: | 4 |
| Challenge: | 4 |
| Replay: | 4 |
| Overall: | 4 |
| Genre: | Pinball |
| Reading ability: | Not required |
| Company: | Naxat |
Background:
Here's yet another contradiction i've discovered with Japan and its culture: there seems to be plenty of pinball software titles, yet it is fairly rare to find a true pinball machine in Japanese game centers. My guess is that pinball is such a niche game that game centers do not want to provide the floorspace for such games.
The Game:
First Naxat released Devil's Crush on the PC Engine, then Alien Crush. This is the third game in the series, Jaki Crush. If you've never played the first two games, this is a pinball game with creepy visuals that are not physically possible on a real pinball game: flames, morphing targets, flying bats and marching demons. Neat stuff. An improvement over the predecessors on the PC Engine is the updated graphics and the scrolling screen that follows the ball instead of switching screens. There are also three sets of flippers, not just two. Bonus rounds are accessed by putting the ball into certain holes when they become available (for example,when a demon opens its mouth). Of course, gameplay consists of launching the ball, left and right flippers, and the obligatory tilt which I never use.
Secrets:
Extra lives: On the password screen, fill up the available space with the number '5'.
The Good:
Gotta love that retarted-sounding voice that says "Jaki Crush!" on the title screen. Too funny.
The Bad:
It is a little tricky to get the ball up to the top half of the screen. The right middle flipper gets in the way.
Overall:
For some reason I find myself better at playing software pinball games than the real thing in the arcades. People swear by the original Devi's Crush as the best in the Naxat pinball trilogy. I own Alien Crush, and I'd have to say Jaki Crush is the better of the two. I'll reserve my judgement until I add Devil's Crush to my gaming library.
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