Wild West Pinball is an excellent, high-quality pinball game for the iPhone, and it’s currently on sale for $0.99 in the App Store until May 1, 2009. I’m a fan of real, mechanical pinball, and although I can’t say Wild West beats the real thing, it is one of the better digital versions I’ve played. Overall, the game features some sharp, good-looking graphics, a well-designed table, and an impressive physics engine that delivers an overall authentic pinball feel. Highly recommended.

The developers kept the controls simple on this one, much to the benefit of the game. You tap the left side of the screen for the left paddle, tap the right side for the right paddle. There is only one set of paddles, so no secondary, upper tier paddles complicate the game (which is how I like my regular pinball as well). The table has a basic layout with a ramp, gates that open and close depending on bonuses, and a few other special surprises.

The game has an overall retro and “real” look to it. The machine has a wooden design, and the sound effects feature nice touches like the sound of the metal pinball hitting wood and various bells and ringers that sound authentic and not digitally created. It’s as much a pleasure to look at and listen to as it is to play.

Perhaps what impressed me most was how they handle the perspective. Instead of offering a static view of the entire pinball machine, the perspective shifts slightly when the ball moves to the top of the screen and zooms in so you can get a closer look at the action. As the ball falls downward, the perspective zooms back out so you can accurately hit the next shot. The animations flow very smoothly without hiccups and are generally easy on the eyes.

Overall, Wild West Pinball is well-designed and a pleasure to play. It easily sets the bar for all pinball games on the iPhone. It’s currently a 99-cent download in the iTunes App Store until May 1, 2009 (regular $2.99).