<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
is	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
video	O
game	O
themed	O
after	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
uses	O
the	O
graphical	O
style	O
and	O
various	O
story	O
elements	O
from	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Fuse	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Australia	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
basic	O
mechanics	O
of	O
pinball	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
typical	O
pinball	B-Application
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
touchscreen	B-Device
can	O
be	O
nudged	O
with	O
a	O
finger	O
to	O
alter	O
the	O
pinball	B-Application
's	O
trajectory	O
while	O
in	O
motion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
presented	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
in	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
setting	O
came	O
to	O
Kensuke	O
Tanabe	O
after	O
he	O
learned	O
that	O
Fuse	O
Games	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Mario	B-Application
Pinball	I-Application
Land	I-Application
,	O
another	O
pinball	B-Application
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recalling	O
that	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
protagonist	O
,	O
Samus	O
,	O
can	O
morph	O
into	O
a	O
ball	O
,	O
Tanabe	O
was	O
convinced	O
that	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
universe	O
could	O
be	O
adapted	O
to	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
sold	O
with	O
a	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
accessory	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
marking	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
the	O
accessory	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
transposition	O
of	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
into	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
video	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
variety	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
sold	O
6,228	O
copies	O
during	O
its	O
debut	O
month	O
of	O
October	O
2005	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
and	O
over	O
15,000	O
units	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
of	O
May	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
basic	O
mechanics	O
of	O
pinball	B-Application
,	O
complete	O
with	O
an	O
assortment	O
of	O
typical	O
pinball	B-Application
items	O
including	O
flippers	O
,	O
spinners	O
,	O
bumpers	O
,	O
and	O
ramps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
touchscreen	B-Device
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
nudge	O
the	O
pinball	B-Application
table	O
and	O
alter	O
the	O
ball	O
's	O
trajectory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
consists	O
of	O
six	O
pinball	B-Application
tables	O
,	O
each	O
inspired	O
by	O
a	O
different	O
area	O
of	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
table	O
is	O
shown	O
across	O
both	O
screens	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
two	O
tables	O
are	O
initially	O
available	O
for	O
play	O
:	O
Pirate	O
Frigate	O
and	O
Tallon	B-Device
Overworld	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
playing	O
either	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
tables	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
unlocks	O
two	O
more	O
tables	O
:	O
Phendrana	B-Device
Drifts	I-Device
and	O
Phazon	O
Mines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
complete	O
the	O
table	O
,	O
twelve	O
different	O
targets	O
must	O
be	O
hit	O
with	O
the	O
balls	O
while	O
they	O
are	O
bombarded	O
by	O
attacks	O
from	O
Meta	O
Ridley	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
antagonists	O
of	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
player	O
defeats	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
creature	O
on	O
the	O
Impact	O
Crater	O
table	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
unlocks	O
a	O
higher	O
difficulty	O
level	O
,	O
Expert	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Pirate	O
Frigate	O
and	O
Tallon	B-Device
Overworld	I-Device
boards	O
challenge	O
players	O
to	O
earn	O
a	O
high	O
point	O
score	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
real	O
pinball	B-Application
;	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
tables	O
players	O
are	O
ranked	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
taken	O
to	O
complete	O
a	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mode	O
uses	O
a	O
seventh	O
table	O
,	O
Magmoor	B-Device
Caverns	I-Device
,	O
that	O
does	O
not	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
single-player	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
making	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Hunters	I-Application
,	O
a	O
Metroid	B-Device
first-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
Nintendo	O
producer	O
Kensuke	O
Tanabe	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
idea	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
as	O
Fuse	O
Games	O
finished	O
Mario	B-Application
Pinball	I-Application
Land	I-Application
,	O
another	O
pinball	B-Application
simulator	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
property	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tanabe	O
felt	O
like	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
universe	O
fit	O
into	O
such	O
a	O
setting	O
due	O
to	O
series	O
protagonist	O
Samus	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
morph	O
into	O
a	O
ball	O
,	O
and	O
Fuse	O
agreed	O
that	O
the	O
license	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
great	O
fit	O
for	O
pinball	B-Application
"	O
,	O
accepting	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fuse	O
Games	O
then	O
received	O
some	O
assets	O
from	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
developers	O
Retro	O
Studios	O
,	O
and	O
collaborated	O
with	O
the	O
Hunters	O
team	O
at	O
Nintendo	O
Software	O
Technology	O
to	O
elaborate	O
on	O
specific	O
aspects	O
of	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Samus	O
's	O
wall	O
climbing	O
and	O
shooting	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Head	O
of	O
development	O
Adrian	O
Barritt	O
said	O
that	O
in	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
the	O
team	O
tried	O
to	O
fix	O
criticisms	O
raised	O
about	O
the	O
difficulty	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Pinball	I-Application
Land	I-Application
,	O
creating	O
a	O
"	O
more	O
beginner	O
friendly	O
"	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Named	O
Project	O
Code	O
:	O
Metroid	B-Application
Pinball	I-Application
while	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
gameplay	O
footage	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2005	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
E3	O
convention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
of	O
America	O
revealed	O
in	O
August	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
by	O
then	O
titled	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
,	O
would	O
be	O
sold	O
with	O
the	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
accessory	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
plugged	O
into	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
slot	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
is	O
installed	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
shakes	O
whenever	O
the	O
pinball	B-Application
in	O
the	O
game	O
hits	O
an	O
object	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
first	O
sold	O
exclusively	O
with	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
before	O
becoming	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
product	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
games	O
that	O
use	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
top	O
and	O
bottom	O
screens	O
as	O
one	O
continuous	O
screen	O
are	O
harder	O
to	O
control	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
gap	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
,	O
sometimes	O
called	O
a	O
visual	O
"	O
dead	O
zone	O
"	O
;	O
objects	O
in	O
this	O
area	O
are	O
not	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
of	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
,	O
a	O
game	O
which	O
takes	O
advantage	O
of	O
both	O
screens	O
,	O
resolved	O
this	O
problem	O
by	O
placing	O
a	O
second	O
set	O
of	O
pinball	B-Application
flippers	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
upper	O
screen	O
to	O
give	O
players	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
simulate	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
a	O
real	O
pinball	B-Application
game	O
from	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
point	O
of	O
view	O
,	O
the	O
tabletop	O
in	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
was	O
tipped	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
offers	O
players	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
nudge	O
the	O
table	O
,	O
a	O
technique	O
used	O
in	O
pinball	B-Application
games	O
to	O
influence	O
the	O
ball	O
's	O
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
achieved	O
by	O
touching	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
's	O
bottom	O
touchscreen	B-Device
with	O
a	O
finger	O
and	O
pushing	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
direction	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
wants	O
to	O
nudge	O
the	O
tabletop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Kenji	O
Yamamoto	O
and	O
Masaru	O
Tajima	O
,	O
with	O
audio	O
effects	O
from	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
series	O
are	O
borrowed	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
"	O
CD-like	O
"	O
music	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
was	O
released	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
October	O
24	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
in	O
Australia	O
on	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
January	O
19	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
June	O
22	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
given	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
early	O
skepticism	O
over	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
video	O
game	O
themed	O
after	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
,	O
reviews	O
praised	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
in	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
called	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
"	O
fully	O
realized	O
and	O
well-tuned	O
hybrid	O
of	O
pinball	B-Application
play	O
and	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
atmosphere	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Official	O
Nintendo	O
Magazine	O
named	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
better	O
recently	O
released	O
pinball	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameZone	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
appeals	O
to	O
anyone	O
who	O
is	O
a	O
fan	O
of	O
pinball	B-Application
games	O
or	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
franchise	O
,	O
to	O
which	O
Play	O
magazine	O
attested	O
,	O
adding	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
embodies	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
series	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Appreciating	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
pinball	B-Application
gameplay	O
,	O
1UP.com	O
thought	O
that	O
its	O
Metroid	B-Device
motif	O
did	O
not	O
add	O
much	O
more	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
World	O
Report	O
felt	O
differently	O
;	O
they	O
were	O
impressed	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
top-notch	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
that	O
believably	O
invoke	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
appreciated	O
the	O
pinball	B-Application
innovations	O
introduced	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
incorporate	O
features	O
from	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
seamless	O
merging	O
between	O
classic	O
arcade	O
pinball	B-Application
and	O
Metroid	B-Device
Prime	I-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sentiment	O
was	O
shared	O
by	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
Greg	O
Kasavin	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
convinced	O
that	O
pinball	B-Application
was	O
an	O
excellent	O
medium	O
to	O
simulate	O
the	O
challenging	O
struggles	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
pulls	O
it	O
off	O
very	O
well	O
"	O
by	O
being	O
faithful	O
to	O
the	O
main	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bryn	O
Williams	O
of	O
GameSpy	O
was	O
impressed	O
after	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
he	O
noted	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
interesting	O
gaming	O
sessions	O
that	O
anyone	O
can	O
have	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinballs	I-Application
gameplay	O
was	O
lauded	O
by	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Play	O
felt	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
simple	O
controls	O
and	O
"	O
short	O
bursts	O
of	O
gameplay	O
"	O
make	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
a	O
perfect	O
handheld	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
critics	O
were	O
negative	O
about	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
from	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
video	O
game	O
magazine	O
found	O
it	O
hard	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
pinball	B-Application
while	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
especially	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
between	O
the	O
top	O
and	O
bottom	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
screens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
limited	O
selection	O
of	O
game	O
modes	O
,	O
GamePros	O
Rice	O
Burner	O
was	O
disappointed	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
because	O
every	O
game	O
mode	O
features	O
the	O
same	O
tabletops	O
,	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
lacked	O
variety	O
,	O
which	O
Game	O
Informers	O
reviewer	O
agreed	O
with	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
he	O
would	O
have	O
had	O
more	O
fun	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
if	O
he	O
"	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
little	O
more	O
content	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
it	O
asked	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
developer	O
,	O
Fuse	O
Games	O
,	O
to	O
spend	O
more	O
time	O
making	O
a	O
great	O
pinball	B-Application
game	O
rather	O
than	O
several	O
minor	O
minigames	O
,	O
requesting	O
"	O
a	O
character-based	O
game	O
that	O
's	O
great	O
at	O
pinball	B-Application
rather	O
than	O
a	O
fence-riding	O
jack	O
of	O
all	O
trades	O
that	O
is	O
master	O
of	O
none	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
had	O
a	O
different	O
experience	O
,	O
finding	O
that	O
the	O
minigames	O
provided	O
more	O
entertainment	O
than	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
remarked	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
cardinal	O
sin	O
in	O
pinball	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
for	O
GamesMaster	O
felt	O
that	O
Metroid	B-Application
Prime	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
was	O
directed	O
more	O
towards	O
Metroid	B-Device
fans	O
than	O
pinball	B-Application
aficionados	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
flashy	O
but	O
insipid	O
"	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
