Favorite Platform?

[gooche77]

I have all the available tables for 360 and iPad 3.

The iPad's resolution, portrait layout and ease of use are huge pluses. I don't have an issue with touch controls other than the nudge with is terrible.

360 is on the big screen and with the D-pad nudge the controls are better. I just don't like the camera views nearly as much as the iPad.

It's nice to have options, though.

 

[Brandon Debes]

other than the nudge with is terrible

That's like saying, "I don't have an issue with using a guitar controller to play Halo other than I can't aim."

 

[ROTTEN]

PS3 All the way baby

 

[gooche77]

That's like saying, "I don't have an issue with using a guitar controller to play Halo other than I can't aim."

I really don't use the nudge all that much. The older tables like Gorgar and Black Hole need it for bonus x but i rarely use it for outlane saves. Even on the 360.

 

[Brandon Debes]

I really don't use the nudge all that much.

Oh, well then, no offense, but you aren't very good at pinball. I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but nudging is pretty important to the vast majority of pinball players and absolutely essential to posting competitive scores as well as completing most of the wizard level table goals in TPA.

 

[Bonzo]

Oh, well then, no offense, but you aren't very good at pinball. I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but nudging is pretty important to the vast majority of pinball players and absolutely essential to posting competitive scores as well as completing most of the wizard level table goals in TPA.

But it is by no means important to enjoy the game. I may not be very good at TPA, because I don't use nudging that often. But that's totally different whenever I get the chance to give a real table a shove or two Nevertheless TPA is quite a large heap of fun for me. And 700k+ on Gorgar w/o nudging isn't that bad, is it?

 

[gooche77]

Oh, well then, no offense, but you aren't very good at pinball.

Ouch!

I'm ranked in the top 25 in Hall of Fame points on iOS. As well as posting huge scores on Williams PHOF on 360 a couple of years back. Antagonizer!

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Nudging is a lot easier with the 360 controller stick than with touchscreen or shake controls. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's more realistic: usefully nudging a real pinball cabinet isn't that easy, and has a very different feel to it.

On Android, I can't decide whether touchscreen or shake is more useful. One annoyance is that the setting doesn't seem to be persistent for a given table (unless they fixed that; haven't tested it recently).

I kind of liked Wii PHoF's Wiimote/nunchuk shake controls, though they did introduce the danger of tilting if you tried to scratch your nose.

 

[Carl Spiby]

My favourite by a country miles is the 360 version, but I play it mostly on Android as it's literally pick up and play.

And nudging real tables, really takes it out of your wrists something rotten. If you're not sweating when playing pinball, you're not doing it right.

 

[laughing_lunatic]

PS3 for me. It's actually a dead heat between the PS3 and XBOX360, so in the event of a tie: the PS3 left analog stick is in a better, more comfortable place, for me. My thumb just rests on it so easily, while my index fingers are on the shoulder buttons. The XBOX controller, while in pretty much everything else is superior, feels like just a little more of a reach for me.

 

[Brandon Debes]

I'm not sure it's more realistic

It isn't. TPA is easier than pinball. Rock Band is easier than playing music. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is easier than skateboarding. Et cetera.

 

[an ox]

iPad 3 for me so far largely because of the convenience. So easy to pick up and play. Nice hires table graphics. Wish the nudging was better though.

I also have the game on: PS3 (looks lovely but there's a constant flip delay that puts me off a bit), Vita (fast, nice having physical buttons, I prefer a portrait view though and don't find holding the console that way terribly comfortable) and Android (got it to test out the Nexus 7 we got for dev purposes, it's pretty good but I am spoiled after the iPad 3, I miss my shiny balls) and iPhone (very nice to have it in a pocketable format but a bit tiny after I'm used to my iPad).

I'll probably get a PC version when that comes out too. Unlike with a console I always have my PC on so a game would never be far away and the speed and graphics should (hopefully) be as good as the console versions.

 

[night]

It isn't. TPA is easier than pinball. Rock Band is easier than playing music. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is easier than skateboarding. Et cetera.

Actually, I find playing the game 'Tequila Zombies' harder than bashing zombies with a bottle of tequila.

 

[pezpunk]

Ouch!

I'm ranked in the top 25 in Hall of Fame points on iOS. As well as posting huge scores on Williams PHOF on 360 a couple of years back. Antagonizer!

i was number one for about a week and am #6 now ... i never bother to nudge, but that's because iPad nudging is so wonky (nudged all the time on PHOF for the Wii though). however, in "bragging" about not nudging we should probably realize we're in competition against other people who probably also rarely nudge as well, again because it doesn't work so great on the iPad.

Anyway, it doesn't take superhuman effort to get wizard goals without nudging. just know the implications of any shot, shoot accurately, and -- here is the most important tip -- be a little lucky

 

[pezpunk]

It isn't. TPA is easier than pinball. Rock Band is easier than playing music. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is easier than skateboarding. Et cetera.

whoa whoa whoa. i find this comparison completely specious. guitar hero isn't even attempting to model actual guitar playing. you are pushing colored buttons in time to a rhythm, not playing notes or chords. (not knocking the game, just saying it is not and is not trying to be a guitar simulator). same thing with Tony Hawk -- they are not attempting to model real skateboarding skills.

you can argue (successfully) that the tables in PBA are more forgiving than their real-life counterparts, but it IS pinball skills (if an incomplete set of pinball skills) that are being leveraged when you play.

anway ... back on topic ... i love the iPad because i can carry it around with me and play anywhere in the house at a moment's notice.

 

[bavelb]

But it is by no means important to enjoy the game.

It doesn HAVE to be, as the accounts of people here with both versions prefering the iPad show, but to me it is. I cant play TPA on my ipad when I have a console nearby as I get frustated at the lack of nudging. And when Im on the road or outside I some times think "why bother, I couldve saved that ball,or do so much better with some accessible nudging".

But I have always been a competitive (mostly towards myself mind you, I glance at the leaderboards when I beat my hiscore but dont obsess over my position on it...I do obsess over beating my own, or when someone on my friendslist has a score close by) player and want to beat my own hiscore. Knowing there is no way in hell I can beat my console scores on the iPad, I only play the unreleased tables on it.

 

[Bonzo]

But I have always been a competitive (mostly towards myself mind you, I glance at the leaderboards when I beat my hiscore but dont obsess over my position on it...I do obsess over beating my own, or when someone on my friendslist has a score close by) player and want to beat my own hiscore. Knowing there is no way in hell I can beat my console scores on the iPad, I only play the unreleased tables on it.

That would make another fine point for the leaderboard(s) being divided...

 

[BonzoGonzo]

ill have to agree.

use nudge not only for saving a ball that is going down the middle or the outlanes, but to set up your shots too

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I use nudge left with my shot up highwire ramp from left flipper when the ball exits ringmaster loop on the left with good speed, it work good.

 

[JoshuaKadmon]

Again, I own all available tables on PS3, Vita, iPad, and iPod Touch. I will also buy the PC version when it's available, but for now, this is my breakdown of the different versions:

Vita - This is the one that got me hooked on TPA in the first place. I'm glad you can orient the screen vertically, and the touch screen responsiveness is just as good as iPad. Unfortunately, the screen is a bit smaller than iPad, the back panel makes nudging awkward, and some of the tables don't look as detailed.

PS3 - Once I purchased the Vita version and got the tables for no additional cost cross-platform, the PS3 was a no-brainer. It has the best graphics of any version, mainly because of the superior lighting over the 360's strangely bright renditions, but controls suffer a little. It's only a split-second difference, but I definitely have to time my shots earlier because of a slight lag versus the touch screen of iPad or Vita. That makes a huge difference in pinball.

iPod Touch / iPhone - The screen is simply too small to appreciate FarSight's level of detail, and your thumbs occasionally cover too much of the lower playfield. I couldn't recommend this version to anyone unless it was the only way to play, and cross-platform purchases between iPad seem to get screwed up even after syncing with iTunes. I've had to purchase four tables a second time on iOS.

iPad - Yes, I get annoyed with the login glitches, and I hate how FarSight added the "Buy Now" and "Owned" splashes to the table selection screen after CftBL and Black Knight were released. But everything else about the iPad version is great. The vertical aspect, the clarity of the tables, the screen size, control responsiveness... The only other small issue is how difficult nudging and special features like Magna-Save can be at times. Still, I don't nudge like a crazy man in the first place.

I think the PC version will be awesome. But I can't stand the graphical hiccups in Android, and since the Williams Collection was terrible on 3DS, I doubt TPA will be much better on that system.