*NITPICK WARNING!* Zen Pinball - why?

[Zaphod77]

Another thing is they really don't always know how to exploit proof their rulesets.

Truly sick points are available in spiderman and paranormal if you know how.

 

[wolfson]

love my TPA for reality, ZEN i love because it`s like a movie, FANTASY !!!! so put on your 3d glasses and enjoy the fantasy !!!!

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

BUMP because of Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within

- I think Zen has been listening to me a bit. Both the Han Solo and Star Wars: Droids tables have great, outstanding humor and implement theme very well. While the modes in Star Wars: Droids, as usual, take presence over everything else, both tables are extremely balanced in scoring (except for that odd 58m Death Jackpot I collected through the Battle of Yavin once).
- However there are still some complaints. Masters of the Force has ridiculously unbalanced 3x Super Jackpots during both Dark and Light Side multiballs, and A New Hope has Yavin Multiball which has Jackpots beating almost any other value if you can spam the spinner enough.

Other than that the new tables are great.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

BUMP because of Marvel Pinball: Deadpool

- At the moment I believe this table to the best representation of a character. They perfectly got Deadpool's personality right and didn't turn him into a generic superhero.
- 6 comics to complete, may be 2-part modes like in the designer' previous table, Starfighter Assault
- Very flow-oriented

no problems so far!

 

[Metalzoic]

Without a doubt, Sorcerers Lair. I think it would make an excellent transition to a real table.

I also think that Excalibur would make an awesome real life table.

 

[Zorgwon]

I also think that Excalibur would make an awesome real life table.

Maybe after removing the center (Excalibur) ramp. The left hole needs to be replaced.

 

[Espy]

BUMP because of Marvel Pinball: Deadpool

- At the moment I believe this table to the best representation of a character. They perfectly got Deadpool's personality right and didn't turn him into a generic superhero.
- 6 comics to complete, may be 2-part modes like in the designer' previous table, Starfighter Assault
- Very flow-oriented

no problems so far!

But you've literally only seen a minute of it!

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

I think Rockey and Bullwinkle is actually the most realistic. It doesn't have any ghosts or other weird things dancing around. The playfield layout is actually almost a mirror image of the real Sorcerer pinball machine. Also, it's actually quite hard. I think my high score is only around 15 million. Too bad Zen didn't make more like that.

I really really miss that table since moving primarily to Playstation.

Also, I am a primarily video pinball guy as I could never afford to play the real thing and I STILL think most of the Zen tables are really "off" and kinda dull.

I have played almost all of them and they just do not hold my attention like some of TPA tables. Since TPA came out I barely touch Zen any more.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

OMG Street Fighter II Tribute is terrible.

- Warped flipper physics that only make the correct shots at pure luck
- Terrible theme integration that makes the license feel "tacked on" (where does the jet appear in SF2?)
- Nonsensical rules (fights are near-impossible to light, once I started a multiball for seemingly no reason)
- "That's your Best.... RIDICULOUS!?!?"

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

So about Guardians of the Galaxy...

I was playing it today and managed to complete the Wizard Mode against Ronan. It was a large effort that combined three of the game's main missions into one huge mode, starting with a 4-ball Multiball assault and leading into an attack against Ronan's targets. Once I finally defeated Ronan, there was a single line and some indiscernible text on the display that said how many points I rewarded.

I am dissapoint.

For all the effort you took in defeating Ronan, there should be some type of fanfare. Maybe a cutscene played out on the display with "Hooked on a Feeling" as BGM or at least something. I was talking to the people on the Zen Studios Forums about this... someone mentioned along the same lines that there should be more fanfare that Clementine is activated on The Walking Dead. It would be frikkin awesome if there was a machine freakout ("Scared Stiff") or a light show ("High-Speed") or even a suspense-building noise ("Addams Family", "Jurassic Park").

 

[rehtroboi40]

I agree with pretty much all of the criticisms. That's one reason I like Sorcerer's Lair so much - the scoring is balanced and makes sense. It's also the closest thing to a real pinball table in the whole series.

In addition to being one of the better tables in Zen/PFX2, its FREE!

My least favorite-despite having nearly as much good humor as Epic Quest, is Ms. Splosion Man. If a player of my mediocre Zen stature can easy score half a bil, it's way too easy IMO.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

In addition to being one of the better tables in Zen/PFX2, its FREE!

My least favorite-despite having nearly as much good humor as Epic Quest, is Ms. Splosion Man. If a player of my mediocre Zen stature can easy score half a bil, it's way too easy IMO.

Yeah, some Zen tables score a lot more than others. I know that The Avengers table often scores in the 500m range on good games.

If you want a good humor-based table with decent flow I suggest buying the Butters table in the South Park pack. Lots of good one-liners, tons of things to activate, decent Multiballs. For a first table by a relatively new designer this one is surprisingly good.

 

[Reagan Dow]

IMHO Most of the Zen tables are basically Arcade games with a pinball thrown in as almost after thought. Give me Zaccaria and TPA any day. At least the tables are all recreations of real machines. No Spider-man swooping across the screen etc. I do like the two South Park tables and I'd really like to play Rocky & Bullwinkle but alas, I have Macs and iOS. Sigh

 

[Johni3w6]

I don't mind Zen's tables, though some of the early ones are a bit of a pain, V12 comes to mind. Sometimes I have to be in the mood to play some of the tables, it can be a grind of time with them. The heavier physics to the ball make it possible at times to keep shots going, then again TPA it can be too easy at times. The only problem I have with the SP tables is the audio, seems it was recorded too hot, but it doesn't keep me from playing.
Out of the two newest tables, WWR and CS, i like CS a bit more, will have to give WWR more time.
I can't wait to see what Zen has planned next.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

CastleStorm is so much fun.

 

[SickBoy]

For me the answer to "Why Zen?" is simple: more tables. I recognize the faults of the series, I get sick of the 2-3 themes they tend to stick with (give me original themes over Marvel and Star Wars any day), and ultimately much prefer real tables (or TPA/VP/FP as a bandaid).... but really I just want more pinball. I don't care if the tables "suck" or if there are issues with physics, graphics, etc.... the more there is, the better. I certainly crave realistic quality over quantity, but if the only option is quantity over quality, then I'll take it. And if that can bring in a new generation of pin addicts, then I'm all for it. We NEED new blood if we want this style of gaming to survive.

Of course, I don't consider Zen tables low quality by any means. They're what I consider true "pinball 2.0", love it or leave it. Quite frankly, I'll take Zen's DMD displays and animated characters over the new TV displays (ala Wizard of Oz) any day. At least I can get a retro feel, despite the impossible mechanics, in Zen

But to each their own. If you don't like Zen tables, kudos. You should always have the right to your own opinion. I have no desire to sway people to think how I do, and hopefully you don't either. I'm posting simply to put my brainwaves out there with no expectation that others will agree. All of us here love pinball and have our own expectations of what it should be. Nobody is right or wrong with what they want from it.

 

[steven120566]

Why ask "Why Zen?"

For me the answer to "Why Zen?" is simple: more tables. I recognize the faults of the series, I get sick of the 2-3 themes they tend to stick with (give me original themes over Marvel and Star Wars any day), and ultimately much prefer real tables (or TPA/VP/FP as a bandaid).... but really I just want more pinball. I don't care if the tables "suck" or if there are issues with physics, graphics, etc.... the more there is, the better. I certainly crave realistic quality over quantity, but if the only option is quantity over quality, then I'll take it. And if that can bring in a new generation of pin addicts, then I'm all for it. We NEED new blood if we want this style of gaming to survive.

Of course, I don't consider Zen tables low quality by any means. They're what I consider true "pinball 2.0", love it or leave it. Quite frankly, I'll take Zen's DMD displays and animated characters over the new TV displays (ala Wizard of Oz) any day. At least I can get a retro feel, despite the impossible mechanics, in Zen

But to each their own. If you don't like Zen tables, kudos. You should always have the right to your own opinion. I have no desire to sway people to think how I do, and hopefully you don't either. I'm posting simply to put my brainwaves out there with no expectation that others will agree. All of us here love pinball and have our own expectations of what it should be. Nobody is right or wrong with what they want from it.

Yeah, I am an avid Zen player, and have tried the farsight game. But currently I only play Zen because i own xbox 360 and Wii U, and greatly prefer consoles over tablets and phones. So when the Wii U version comes out, I will probably be buying up the PBA tables

But I can say this. Why ask "Why Zen?" That game is fun! And while a pinball purist can certainly have a greater affinity for the Farsight product, nobody that loves Pinball can resist either one. I mean Farsight takes me back to 8th grade, when I played alot of Gorgar (Yeah, I am THAT old) and others. But I am really digging the zen pinball. I have worn out two controllers on the Wii U and one on my xbox 360 just playing Zen. Even the older tables like Buccaneer and Earth defense are a blast.

On the humor aspect, Deadpool cracks me up. Epic Quest is rather funny as is Moon Knight. And the ball physics seem a little different between the two but both make for great play.

 

[Tabe]

For me, I play a lot more Zen for a couple reasons:

- the presentation on Zen is just so much better than TPA. The game doesn't launch with a 3hz sample that sounds like it was recorded through a doorway. There's no "oops, we accidentally put in the mobile sound files somehow and then didn't fix it" in Zen like there is in TPA. The graphics, the sound, everything are just...better. There's no "oops, gotta use the pad here instead of the sticks" or "oops, you can only this set of shoulder buttons and not that one" in Zen like there is in TPA.
- the leaderboards actually work. I can compare myself to all my friends and actually SEE their scores, unlike TPA on the PS4. And their scores are actually from the platform I'm playing.
- the games themselves. I get tired of so many of the tables on TPA that punish you for making shots you're supposed to make or for simply launching a ball (like Pinbot and Addams Family). That stuff pretty much never happens in Zen.
- the tables are easier. I'm not looking for punishing when I play. Yeah, for expert players, Zen might be too easy. For me, I like things a bit easier.

I like TPA. I just bought season 4 for the PS4 and bought a ton of stuff on both the PS3 & PS4. But when I sit down to play, 9 times out of 10, I'm picking Zen.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Hey guys, if you're wondering the South Park pack is now 50% off for a limited time. If you haven't bought the tables yet, I suggest you do as they are possibly the best tables Zen has ever produced.

 

[steven120566]

Hey guys, if you're wondering the South Park pack is now 50% off for a limited time. If you haven't bought the tables yet, I suggest you do as they are possibly the best tables Zen has ever produced.

Thanks for the heads up... It's quite ironic that I have the entire collection on the Wii U except those two. That would make the full boat . I guess I have no excuse now not to have those.