Players control the two flippers and, if Newtonian physics alone fail to produce the desired results, may physically shake the board in 3 directions. The goal in Basic mode is simply to rack up points until you run out of balls. Story mode follows the exploits of one S. Hedgehog as he works his way through the Egg Cup pinball tournament to rescue his brainwashed comrades:

1. Vs Knuckles: Amass 10,000,000 points on the Sonic board, starting at Neo Green Hill Zone. Knuckles casts aspersions on Sonic's pinball skills and the vilified hero promptly responds to the challenge. Consequently, the two waste time battling each other rather than working together to save the victims. Clear the challenge to unlock the Samba de Amigo table.
2. Vs Tails: Amass 15,000,000 points in 5 minutes on the Sonic board, starting at Casino Paradise Zone. A red-eyed Tails chastises Sonic for attempting to confront the mighty Eggman. The evidence suggests one of two things: A) Tails has been brainwashed, or B) he's stoned out of his gourd. Either way, he should know better than to talk to Sonic like that. Clear the challenge to unlock the Slots minigame.
3. Vs Amy: Beat Gillwing on the NiGHTS board. Amy, who seems to have fallen victim to the same brainwashing process that robbed young Prower of his acumen, feels she must put an end to Sonic's righteous pinball ways. Clear the challenge to unlock the Bingo minigame.
4. Vs Metal Sonic: Clear the first 7 stages of the Sonic table. The nice thing about Metal Sonic is that there's never much talking when he's around. Even Sonic has learned that when the red eyes flash, there's nothing to do but shutup and fight.
5. Vs Eggman: Amass 30,000,000 points in 5 minutes on the Sonic table. As Sonic is wallowing in victory, a very rude text bubble drops down from the top of the screen. It contains the voice of Dr. Eggman, who decides that if he wants this job done right, he's got to do it himself. The challenge is this: whoever racks up the most points in 5 minutes wins. The bespectacled villain is of course not going to play fair, and he begins the match with a 200,000 point head start. To clear the challenge, you must amass at least 30,000,000 points in the time limit - no small feat. Succeed and you're rewarded with a single viewing of the credit roll.

   There are 3 different tables to play, though only two are available at the outset. Rings amassed in either Basic or Story mode can be used to purchase eggs and similar effects in the Petit Chao Garden or used as stake in the Casinopolis minigames.

Sonic -- This table consists of 8 stages based on the 8 Zones of Sonic Advance: Neo Green Hill, Secret Base, Casino Paradise, Ice Mountain, Angel Island, Egg Rocket, X-Zone, and The Moon Zone. The goal in each is to summon Eggman to the board by flinging the ball through the Egg Loop 3 times, then into the Feature Hole. With Eggman on-screen, knock the ball into the Chao A Hole - and that's too easy to bother with a clever remark - to destroy his machine and proceed to the next round. There are 5 basic modes: Normal Mode: You start each round in normal mode. Send the ball through the ramp lane several times in rapid succession to earn a Combo Bonus. Make the ball go up the left ramp lane fresh out of the plunger to score a Skill Shot. Light up all 5 chutes around the flipper basin to activate a Kickback. Shoot Bonus: You get one of 8 freebie bonuses at the start of each round. Long Ball Saver: won't lose any balls for 120 seconds Super Kickback: adds 5 Kickbacks Small Bonus: 300 points Big Bonus: 30,000 points Egg Light: automatically activates 1 Egg Light Ring Light: automatically activates 1 Ring Light Random Light: automatically activates a random feature light Backup: 5 Kickbacks + 30 second Ball Saver Random Feature: Knock down all 4 Drop Targets, then send the ball into the Feature Hole to activate a random Shoot Bonus. Jackpot: This is the quickest (but most difficult) way to rack up points. Hit all 4 Drop Targets, then send the ball into the Feature Hole to activate a Random Feature bonus. Repeat the process 2 more times: after the third time, the Jackpot will be put on standby until you lose the ball. Send the ball through the ramp lane to increase the jackpot and hit the bobbins 10 times when you're ready to collect. As long as the Jackpot is active, you can collect every time you smack the bobbins 10 times - and the points are doubled each round. Bling, bling! (BGM during Jackpot mode is based on Spring Yard from Sonic 1.) Field Multiplier: send the ball through all 3 lane lights above the bobbins, then run through the right ramp lane to activate the multiplier. While active, points are doubled. Repeat the process to increase the multiplier to 4x or even 8x. Bonus Multiplier: Fling the ball into the Chao B Hole 5 times to have the insidious water demon evolve into its rare Chaos form. This activates a 2x bonus multiplier. Repeat the process to increase the multiplier to 4x or 8x. Enemy Hit: Roll through enemy robots for 100 points each. Bumper Hit: Knock bumpers for 50 points a smack. Extra Ball: Shoot the ball through the center ramp lane 20 times to earn an extra ball. Character Change: Fling the ball into the Big Target Hole 3 times, then into the Feature Hole to change the character that appears on the face of the board: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy, in that order. Egg Mode: Fling the ball through the Egg Loop 3 times, then into the Feature Hole to summon Eggman onto the board. The Doc hovers over the Chao A Hole - knock the ball into the hole to inflict damage. On your first run, Eggman's machine will blow up after a single hit, but by your second successive journey through the 8 boards, he's gained some endurance: after sustaining 1 hit, he'll fly over the Chao B Hole, which is more difficult to reach. Defeat the bad man within 120 seconds to proceed to the next stage. A 60 second bonus segue between Zones offers bonus points (tallied down from 700,000) for each time the ball makes the trip through a loop or ramp. (BGM during Egg Mode is based on the Sonic 1 boss theme; BGM during the bonus segue is based on Super Sonic Racing from Sonic R.) Ring Mode: Fling the ball through the Ring Loop 4 times, then into the Feature Hole to activate Ring Mode. Regenerating Rings appear all around the table and the object is simply to grab as many as possible within 120 seconds. Rings are worth big points and can be used in Casinopolis and the Petit Chao Garden. Additionally, you must amass a minimum of 500 Rings by the time you defeat Eggman in X-Zone in order to access the (well-hidden) final stage, The Moon Zone. (BGM during Ring Mode is based on Star Light from Sonic 1.) Minigame Mode: Shoot the ball into the Chao A Hole 3 times: the egg will hatch into a Chao who will then cocoon. When the liquid deviant does so, Minigame Mode begins. This initiates a random challenge that involves hitting one or more targets within a time limit. The type of minigame you get is determined by the character (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy) on the table. Multi Ball: Shoot 3 balls into the Lock Hole to have all 3 turn gold and fall simultaneously onto the table. During this mode, the Jackpot goes on standby - an excellent opportunity to rack up. The mode lasts until you drop 2 of the 3 balls, then the game reverts to Normal Mode. (BGM during Multi Ball mode is based on Open Your Heart from Sonic Adventure.)

NiGHTS -- This table consists of 7 boards based on the 7 stages of NiGHTS into Dreams: Spring Valley, Splash Garden, Mystic Forest, Frozen Bell, Soft Museum, Stick Canyon, and Twin Seeds. (Confusingly, BGM for Splash Garden and Frozen Bell are reversed, as are the boss fights for Mystic Forest and Frozen Bell.) The object on each board is to change the table to Boss Mode and defeat the boss Nightmaren: Gillwing, Puffy, Clawz, Gulpo, Jackle, Reala, and Wizeman. Once the benefactor of bad dreams has been eliminated with a well-placed Paraloop or two, the table advances to the next stage. There are 7 basic modes: Normal Mode: You start each round in normal mode. Shoot Bonus: You get one of 8 freebie bonuses at the start of each round. Long Ball Saver: won't lose any balls for 120 seconds Super Kickback: adds 5 Kickbacks Small Bonus: 300 points Big Bonus: 30,000 points DRMY Light: automatically activates 1 DRMY Light Chip Light: automatically activates 1 Chip Light Random Light: automatically activates a random feature light Backup: 5 Kickbacks + 30 second Ball Saver Random Feature: Knock the ball into the Ideya Capture 4 times to activate a Random Feature. This can be any of the Shoot Bonuses, a Field Multiplier (2x, 4x, 8x), or a Bonus Multiplier (2x only). Jackpot: Fling the ball into the Ideya Capture 5 times to put the Jackpot on standby until you lose the ball. Run through the Outside Ramp Lane to increase the bonus and when you're ready to collect, enter the Capture 3 times. You can collect again for every 3rd hit, and the points double each time. Field Multiplier: Shoot the ball through the Spinner on the Outside Ramp Lane to initiate a countdown: keep the Spinner rotating until the countdown reaches max to initiate a 2x Field Multiplier. Repeat the process to increase the bonus to 4x or 8x. Bonus Multiplier: Bump all 3 ECN Drop Targets, then send the ball through the DRMY Loop to initiate a 2x bonus multiplier. Repeat the process to increase the multiplier to 4x or 8x. Enemy Hit: Roll through Nightmaren for 100 points each. Pian Random Bonus: Shoot the ball through any ramp lane 20 times to initiate a random bonus. Extra Ball: Shoot the ball through the Inside Ramp Lane 10 times when not in Normal Mode. Dualize Mode: Shoot the ball through the Ideya Palace 3 times to "Dualize" with NiGHTS. Dualize Mode is identical to Normal Mode except that you have 180 seconds to destroy the Ideya Capture and earn Ideya, 5 of which are needed to proceed to Boss Mode. (Note that you begin each board, just like NiGHTS proper, with the rare red Ideya of courage!) Boss Mode: Collect the 4 missing Ideya and enter the Palace one more time to shift the entire board into Boss Mode. The resident villain sits above the Symbol Hole: land a direct hit in the hole to inflict 12% damage or fling the ball through the DRMY Loop to inflict a more substantial 25%. Shoot the ball through the left opening of the Outside Ramp Lane to ambush the Maren from above and inflict a stout 37% damage. Inflict 100% damage within 180 seconds to proceed to the next stage. A 90 second bonus segue between levels offers bonus points (tallied down from 1,200,000) for each time the ball makes the trip through a loop or ramp. (BGM during Boss Mode is based on the Reala theme; BGM during the bonus segue is based on Dreams Dreams, the NiGHTS ending theme.) Chip Mode: Identical to Ring Mode. Fling the ball through the Chip Loop 4 times, then into the Symbol Hole to activate Chip Mode. Regenerating Blue Chips appear all around the table and the object is simply to grab as many as possible within 120 seconds. You must amass a minimum of 500 Chips by the time you defeat Reala in Stick Canyon in order to access the hidden final stage, Twin Seeds. Minigame Mode: Shoot the ball into the Enemy Hole 3 times to initiate a random minigame. Hit one or more targets within a time limit to complete the challenge. Acrobat Mode: Fling the Ball into the Nightopian Hole to initiate Acrobat Mode. The object in Acrobat Mode is to shake the table around like a maniac to make the ball whip around for big stunt points. There are 30 different types of tricks and, just like Acro Rings from NiGHTS, you're given a score and commentary based on your performance. (BGM during Acrobat Mode is based on the Chu-Chu Fever theme from Chu-Chu Rocket.) Multi Ball: Just like the Sonic table, get 3 balls locked into the Inside Ramp Lane to have them all plop out at once. Jackpot goes on standby and the board reverts to Normal Mode when you drop 2 of the 3 balls.

Samba de Amigo -- Defeat Knuckles in Story Mode to unlock this table. Although it's smaller and simpler than the other two boards, it's the most difficult of the three. The goal is to finish each song with an A rank, but such a feat is about as far beyond the realm of human ability as Ura Challenge Maracas Hero. There are 4 modes: Song Select Mode: The board begins in this mode. Hit the 6 bumpers surrounding Pose at the top of the table and he'll change his, uh, pose to correspond to the last bumpers whacked. His position determines which tunes play in Song and Fever modes. The song list includes: Burning Hearts (Burning Rangers) We are Burning Rangers (Burning Rangers) PSO Opening Theme (Phantasy Star Online) Can Still See the Light (Phantasy Star Online) Vamos a Carnaval (Samba de Amigo) Mambo de Verano (Samba de Amigo) Chu-Chu Rocket (Chu-Chu Rocket) Chu-Chu Fever (Chu-Chu Rocket) Dreams Dreams (NiGHTS into Dreams...) Song Play Mode: Shoot the ball through the big loop 3 times on either side, then enter the Song Play Hole. As the music plays, different targets or ramps light up to correspond with the melody: bump into each object as it lights up. After the song ends, you're given a rank based on your performance. Inordinate amounts of skill (luck?) are required to succeed in this mode. Fever Play Mode: Activate all 5 Fever lights around the flipper basin, then shoot the ball into the Song Play Hole. The action shifts to a 2-button version of Samba de Amigo. Press the flipper buttons as the rhythm balls contact the beat rings. Letter Collect Mode: Hit the bumpers around Pose 30 times to activate Letter Collect Mode. The object is to hit the bumpers within the time limit to collect all the hidden letters.

   Party mode features 3 different versus games to play, though all three require that each player have his own game cartridge:

• Bakudan: The object is to fling bombs off your table and onto your opponents' tables. Aim for one of the 3 holes at the top of the board: each gateway corresponds to another player's table. Try not to let any balls fall through your flipper basin: drop more than 3 and you get booted from the match. (Retired players can still shoot harmless black balls to distract the surviving players.) Last man standing is the winner.
• Hockey: All players are connected to a single playfield, but each can only see his own flipper basin. A bunch of gold and silver balls ricochet around the field: don't let any breach your defense. Each player begins with 100 points, but you lose a point for each ball that slips by your barricade (gold balls carry a 3 point penalty). The game ends when the timer hits 0 or when any one player loses all of his points. The winner is whoever has the most points remaining.
• Biru no Bori: The goal in this co-op game is to sling a single ball up a vertical passageway using flippers on either wall. Each flipper is a different color and each color corresponds to a different player. If the ball happens to fall straight down the middle, rapidly press your flipper button to magnetically attract the wayward orb. The game ends when the timer hits 0, and your collective score is tallied based on the ball's height.

   Cream and Cheese act as your guides in Casinopolis, a trio of crummy minigames to gamble away your collected Rings on. Rings amassed here can be used to purchase items from the Petit Chao Garden, but you lose a Ring from your tally each time you let a ball fall through the flipper basin. Only Roulette is available at the start: Slots and Bingo can be unlocked by playing through Story mode.

• Roulette: Sling the ball into one of two chutes at the top of the board. Each time you get one in, a random number lights up on the roulette wheel. (If you get the same number more than once, the stakes on that number increase.) After 2 minutes, the table freezes and the roulette starts spinning. If it lands on any lit numbers, you score.
• Slots: Beat Tails in Story mode to unlock this game. Sling balls into the two chutes to increase your chances of scoring a match on the Chu-Chu Rocket slot machine in the middle of the board.
• Bingo: Beat Amy in Story mode to unlock this game. Sling balls into the two chutes to light up random squares on the bingo grid. Complete a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to score.