Pinball Computer Game

If you ever used an older version of Windows such as Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows ME or Windows 2000, then you probably remember that there was a pinball game included for free with the operating system. The game was called 3D Pinball Space Cadet, and for the time it was a great little version of classic pinball. It was a fun way to blow through a break period at work, and many of us did just that. Unfortunately, with more recent versions of Windows, Microsoft decided to stop including games, and so 3D Pinball disappeared forever…or did it?

Also see our article The 10 Best Roku Games You Can Play Right Now

Pinball is one of the most popular games on any Windows PC. We play Pinball when we are bored & need something to kill time. Here is a list of the top 5 Pinball game apps for Windows 10 which are.
Mar 25, 2016 Microsoft 3D Pinball - Space Cadet Publisher's Description. Microsoft Windows Pinbal, or 3D Space Cadet Pinball was introduced in Microsoft Plus 95, it then became so popular that it was included in Microsoft Windows NT 4 by default. Microsoft then provided instructions to install it form the Plus 95 CD into Windows 98, it was also included.

However, 3D Pinball Space Cadet was a customized version of a commercial release by the old gaming company Maxxis, and the executable files are still available online. If you have the urge to play 3D Pinball Space Cadet, you can still get it and run it in Windows 10.

Microsoft 3D Pinball: Space Cadet Description Players accept a mission by hitting 'mission targets' which select which mission they will take, and by going up the 'launch ramp'. Each mission has a set number of things for players to do, such as hitting the 'attack bumpers' (which were a set of four bumpers at the top of the table) eight times.

Play 3D Pinball Space Cadet in Windows 10

The original game was dropped partly because Microsoft decided to stop including games in the operating system, but also because it wasn’t optimized for 64-bit computers. This is a dumb decision for multiple reasons, the most obvious of which is “oh no, the game written twenty years ago won’t run at top speed on my computer that is a hundred times faster than the one the game was designed for? However shall I continue to live?” There was also apparently a ‘collision detection bug’ but it doesn’t seem to be an actual problem in play. Here’s how to get 3D Pinball running on your Windows 10 machine:

Go to this website and download the executable.
Extract and install the file onto your computer.
Find the game in your Windows menu.
Play!

I downloaded the game from the source and it passed my browser’s security check and a virus scan. The game should run just fine on any version of Windows 10, whether 32- or 64-bit. No crashes, no issues and nothing that would prevent you losing more hours of your life chasing high scores.

The controls for the game are simple. Use the ‘Z’ and ‘/’ to control the flippers and hold down space to pull back the plunger to launch the ball.

As 3D Pinball Space Cadet was originally created for early computers, the resolution isn’t great. It runs in a small 640×480 window which you may have to squint at to see. You can use it full screen which might make it easier to play. Open the Options menu and select Full Screen.

You can also modify the controls from the options screen should you wish to.

3D Pinball Space Cadet cheats and codes

As usual with games of the time, mischievous coders built secret codes into their games to allow a few extra modes or features. I’m going to list some of them below so this is where you see the spoiler alert. Only continue reading if you want to know the cheat codes.

Type these codes when you first launch the game and before you launch the first ball.

Type ‘hidden test’ to enter debug mode
Type ‘Incredible or Imax’ to increase the field multiplier
Type ‘hmax’ to get 1,000,000,000 score
Type ‘omax’ to play in red
Type ‘gmax’ to enable the gravity well
Type ‘rmax’ to advance one rank.
Type ‘1max’ to get an extra ball when you lose your current one
Type ‘bmax’ to get an unlimited supply of balls

Debug mode, available through typing ‘hidden test’, allows you to dig under the hood a little. Press H to edit your high score. Press M to show how much system memory is available. Press R to increase your game rank. Press Y to display the FPS. You can also click the left mouse button on the ball and drag it wherever on the table you like. Press Space to exit debug mode.

There are a couple other hidden tricks within 3D Pinball Space Cadet.

To use the Skill Shot tunnel in 3D Pinball Space Cadet, you need you get the ball halfway up the launch chute so it rolls back down the yellow arch light. Hit those lights for bonuses.

1 light = 15,000 Points
2 lights = 30,000 Points
3 lights = 75,000 Points
4 lights = 30,000 Points
5 lights = 15,000 Points
6 lights = 7,500 Points

Knock down all three tombstones directly above the flippers and you advance one rank. Do it again within one minute to advance another rank and get a replay. Do it again before all the lights go out for another rank and another replay.

3D Pinball Space Cadet was immensely popular at the time even though most players thought it was their guilty secret. If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia, 3D Pinball Space Cadet delivers.

Get Other Classic Windows Games

3D Pinball was probably the most visually-exciting basic Windows game, but there were a number of other classic Windows games available in different versions of the operating system, from Solitaire to Mahjong. Luckily, versions of those games are also available online, and for free! You can download the installer here. I have tested this download for viruses and malware and it is clean.

The install is simple. Just follow these steps.

Download the ZIP file.
Extract it to a directory on your computer.
Run the setup program.
When the setup program asks, give it permission to change your computer.
Select the game(s) you want to install from the setup program.
Unselect the “Discover Winaero Tweaker” option on the setup screen to avoid installing their utility program.
Hit “Finish”
Enjoy your new games!

The new games will now appear in your Start menu and you can run them like any other Windows 10 application. Note that some users have reported that the games disappear from their Windows install after a Windows 10 update runs, so you may want to keep the original install package in your downloads directory so that you can reinstall if necessary. The games included in this package are Chess, FreeCell, Hearts, Mahjong, Minesweeper, Purble Place, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Internet Spades, Internet Checkers, and Internet Backgammon.

Looking for more games you can play on Windows?

We’ve got a tutorial on how to play classic Nintendo games on your Windows 10 PC!

Similarly, here’s our walkthrough on playing PlayStation 2 games on your Windows 10 machine.

Remember the Game Boy Advance? Yep, you can play GBA games on your Windows desktop.

And of course you can also play Android games on your Windows 10 computer.

If you’re trying to play games on a budget PC, you’ll definitely want to read our article on enabling Game Mode on Windows 10.

Pinball games have been one of the oldest genres in the gaming market. Perhaps the only reason the game still retains its priority is that it never had adequate competition. We play Pinball when we are bored and need something to kill time – not as a serious game. While the classic Pinball was a rage, the newer versions are an enhancement.

3D Pinball was one of the most popular games on any Windows XP machine. However, Microsoft decided to drop it from recent Windows versions. There is, however, a hack that allows you to get the classic 3D Pinball game on your Windows 10/8/7 PC. But if you are looking for Windows apps, then this post is for you.

Pinball game apps for Windows 10

Let us take a look at the top 5 Pinball game apps for Windows 10 available in the Microsoft Store.

Pinball Star

We could well remember those good old days when Pinball was an in-build game on every Windows PC. That option was removed for the later versions because of which annoyed most Pinball lovers. Pinball Star is precisely the same game, with the difference that it’s downloadable from the Microsoft store instead of being a default app. Interestingly, despite the many versions of Pinball, Pinball Star remains the most downloaded one. Perhaps, it might never find a similar competition.

Pinball Computer Game Downloads

Cool Pinball Game

The Cool Pinball Game is a variant of the original Pinball, though pretty different with the gameplay while keeping the basics similar. Instead of shooting the small ball from the bottom, the ball is dropped from the top with bubble-type restraints obstructing its path. The user can control the lower shutters and they have to keep the ball from falling. Other than that, the setup has a red diamond-like symbol which works as a time limiter. The user has to keep targeting it to keep pushing the time limit further. Get the game from the Microsoft store here.

Pinball Shooter

Pinball shooter is an easier variant to the original Pinball. The gameplay is simple – use the shutters at the bottom to direct the ball to hit the golden stars. Every hit adds on points and the game has a time limit. There are obstacles in between which change the path of the ball. Check this game from the Microsoft store.

Slingpin

Slingpin is definitely not one of those regular Pinball games. With tennis ball cannons, explosives, magnets, lasers, pinball bumpers, etc. This fun arcade/puzzle game involves smashing the obstacles and making points. The game is available from the Microsoft store here.

Momonga Pinball Adventures

Classic Pinball Computer Game

This is one of those games with a story, yet keeping the basic theme related to Pinball. A perfect game for kids, Momonga Pinball Adventures uses a flying squirrel instead of the regular small balls. The whole game involves cute animals and 3 different “worlds” where the squirrel has to make points. The 3 main characters are Momo, Fry, and Panda. Fighting the evil owls. If you like it, then download it from the Microsoft store here.

Golwell