https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/702382877867917312/sonichedgeblog-casino-paradise-table-sonic
Sonic Pinball Party was a sequel of sorts to Sonic Spinball on the Genesis. It wasn’t really so much a sequel as a follow-up with the same theme. That is, a pinball game featuring Sonic. Whereas Sonic Spinball had been released on the Genesis in 1993, Sonic Pinball Party was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.
As a pinball game, Sonic Pinball Party was more like a traditional pinball game than was Sonic Spinball. To me, this kind of game is also a good match with a portable system. The game play is pretty straightforward. In arcade mode, play is pretty much like any other pinball game it’s just that this one has a Sonic theme with many references to past Sonic games and the goal is simply to score as many points as possible.
There is also a story mode which adds goals beyond just scoring points. The story takes place in Station Square (also central to Sonic Adventure) and involves Doctor Eggman turning gamblers into robots and also brainwashing Tails and Amy Rose. Sonic must rescue them (and everybody else) by winning a pinball tournament.
As far as pinball games go, this one is pretty decent and any video pinball fan should give it a try but especially if you are also a Sonic fan. Interestingly, when this game was first released it was released as an exclusive to Target. However, a couple of years later in 2005 it was also released as part of a compilation pack including Sonic Advance, Sonic Battle and Columns Crown and also in “twin packs” with Sonic Battle and Sonic Advance so there were other ways to get it.
Having said that, this game has not been re-released on other platforms that I am aware of. While a bunch of Sonic games have shown up on, for example, the Nitnendo 3DS virtual console, Sonic Pinball Party was not one of them. So if you do want to play it, you will either have to track down an original cartridge or resort to emulation.
