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Zen Pinball 2 Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Zen Pinball 2 Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Crazy Flipper Fingers

Perhaps the greatest loss from the death of the video game arcade is that it’s now very difficult to find a fully operational pinball table. Nothing can entirely replicate the experience of playing actual pinball, but video pinball games do the best they can. While other video pinball companies tend to recreate classic physical pinball tables, Zen Studios creates its own, which, while rooted in actual pinball, often do things that are difficult or impossible on actual pinball tables. The company is arguably the biggest player in today’s video pinball world, and PlayStation 3 owners have had a long wait for Zen Pinball 2, the PlayStation equivalent of Pinball FX 2 on the Xbox 360. Now that it’s finally out, how does Zen Pinball 2 hold up against other video pinball games?

Zen Studios has a unique back-end that frames all of its pinball tables and focuses on a social pinball experience. That system is alive and well in Zen Pinball 2, which has adopted a streamlined user interface that keeps the busyness to a minimum. The game launches directly into the table selection screen, from which players can demo and purchase tables (the back-end is free, but all tables must be purchased). Other options from the main screen include browsing each table’s challenging Trophies, comparing high scores with friends, and entering any available tournaments.

Zen Pinball 2 Screenshot

Zen Studios has a unique back-end that frames all of its pinball tables and focuses on a social pinball experience. That system is alive and well in Zen Pinball 2, which has adopted a streamlined user interface that keeps the busyness to a minimum. The game launches directly into the table selection screen, from which players can demo and purchase tables (the back-end is free, but all tables must be purchased). Other options from the main screen include browsing each table’s challenging Trophies, comparing high scores with friends, and entering any available tournaments.

Once a table is loaded (with reasonably short load times compared to Pinball FX 2), the actual gameplay in Zen Pinball 2 has changed little from Zen’s other offerings. Plunger and flipper controls are simple and intuitive, and each table comes with detailed instructions and various customization options for those who want to delve deeply into the feeling of being a pinball machine owner.

Zen Pinball 2 Screenshot

The greatest gameplay improvement here is the ball physics. The balls in Zen Pinball 2 feel more real and weighty than those in previous Zen games, which adds greatly to the feeling of control over what’s happening on the table.

Zen Pinball 2 Screenshot

Pinball fans will particularly appreciate the attention that Zen lavishes on the graphics and sound of each table. Pinball has been a splashy, gaudy affair for much of its history, and Zen’s designers gleefully indulge in the flashing lights, bright colors, ringy-dingy sounds, cheesy voices, and all around crazy designs that define the genre. Everything is fabulously high-definition and looks fantastic, plus the game offers a variety of view modes for the tables. The only issue here that Zen has been unable to solve is that it’s difficult to read the table’s dot matrix display and keep track of the action at the same time, which can cause lost balls while a player is learning a table.

Zen Pinball 2 launched with a new table based on PopCap’s mega-popular Plants vs. Zombies game. The game’s look and sound are instantly recognizable when loading the table, and the table’s goals will be familiar to PvZ fans. Collecting sunshine on the ramps, buying upgrades by hitting particular holes, and smacking zombies with the ball before they reach the Welcome Mat near the flippers—it’s Plants Versus Zombies in pinball form. It’s fairly easy to stay alive on the table, and multiball mode is similarly easy to unlock, making this a great table for newbies and casual pinball players.

Zen Pinball 2 Screenshot

I also had the opportunity to play with Zen’s Marvel Avengers pack, which includes four quite diverse Marvel Comics-themed tables. Pinball magpies like myself will love the World War Hulk table, which is jam-packed with gizmos and flashy events. Those who prefer more straightforward tables will enjoy the main Avengers table, complete with the ability to pick a special pinball for each member of the Avengers team. Fear Itself is a complex table featuring difficult shot challenges, while The Infinity Gauntlet features the kind of silver ball insanity that’s only possible in video pinball. Along with the tables I sampled for this review, there are twenty-one more tables available for purchase in the game, and Zen Studios generally adds new tables on a regular basis.

For a quality video pinball experience that isn’t shackled to the limitations of actual physical tables, you can’t get much better than Zen Studios. With an excellent back-end, great graphics and sound, tons of options, a large and varied selection of tables, and plenty of multiplayer possibilities, Zen’s current generation of games has plenty to offer all kinds of gamers. Thanks to its improved ball physics and reduced loading times, Zen Pinball 2 reigns as the best Zen Studios effort yet, and pinball fans shouldn’t hesitate to pick it up. Casual pinball players will love the Plants vs. Zombies table, and pro players have access to a great selection of Zen’s most popular tables.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.4 Graphics
The graphics are fantastic, marred only by an unfortunate attachment to a dot-matrix table text display. 4.5 Control
Controls are intuitive and customizable. Improved ball physics add to control. 4.2 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music and sound are faithful to the pinball tradition, purposefully cheesy voice acting included. 4.3 Play Value
There’s a table for just about everyone, and most are quite difficult to master. 4.4 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Vibrant, three-dimensional tables provide hours of fun.
  • Engage in local and online multiplayer competition and worldwide tournaments.
  • Fantastic new tables available regularly through online marketplaces.
  • Save your game at any time and return to it later.
  • Slow down the game with the Slow Motion feature and shoot like a pro!
  • Use the Operators Menu to customize your virtual arcade table, just like a real arcade owner.
  • Select between the preset difficulty levels to fit the gameplay to your skills.

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