Search titles only
By:
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
Articles
New articles
New comments
Search articles
Pinball DB
Pinball Tables
Pinball Games
What's new
New posts
New articles
New profile posts
New article comments
Latest activity
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans -
please read this first
For latest updates, follow Digital Pinball Fans on
Facebook
and
Twitter
Home
Forums
Zen Studios
Other Zen Pinball Games & General Discussion
Original designs still the best!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="JefferyD" data-source="post: 244925" data-attributes="member: 2597"><p>Interesting opinion and topic. I read it yesterday and it’s been rolling around argumentatively in my head. Here’s what I come away with: Aesthetically, I want to agree with you, and I'm pretty sure I do.</p><p></p><p>Of the “original concept” tables, the only ones I have owned for a long time are Sorcerer’s Lair and Tesla; altho I recently figured out that that Zen's unlicensed games are only 99¢ – iOS player here – so I went on a mini shopping spree the past two weeks and picked up Wild West and Epic Quest, and I bought Earth Defense tonight. When you first play them there is a sensation like watching a movie or reading a book for the first time, knowing nothing about them other than the obvious theme and setting. There is a pure sense of mystery and discovery and it's awesome!</p><p></p><p>But can I say that I <em>completely</em> prefer them over the licensed tables? It’s a characteristic of the Zen tables that I can’t really get the most out of the experience until I skim the ShoyukenToTheChin table guides; so, in that regard, the licensed tables are equally confounding and mysterious. I know who Captain America is but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to get ahold of Red Skull and beat the crap out of him without reading the guide! </p><p></p><p>I enjoyed most of the licensed tables I’ve played, and I admit I’ve gravitated to those tied-in to characters I’m familiar with. But would I dislike the Doctor Strange table if I wasn’t familiar with those characters? For example, I bought Blade a few days ago and I’ve never seen the movie and (somehow) missed the issues of Tomb Of Dracula he appeared in when I was a kid, but that’s a great game of pinball! Outside of the Dracula/Vampire motif I don’t know what the heck’s going on. So it's clear to me that the gameplay can make the experience worthwhile on its own.</p><p></p><p> I do hope they make more original concept tables, though. As I mentioned above, there is an aesthetic quality to a work of art that stands on its own, and for that reason I tend to take a stronger liking to the original concept works, or at least greet them with a greater allowance of leeway because of their untethered dignity. (Even TPA’s Dr. Dude and Goin’ Nuts got a hearty welcome from me while I listened to others pine loudly for Adam’s Family... well, maybe not Dr. Dude.)</p><p></p><p>It’s simply cooler if the story, the theme, the art, the characters, and gameplay all come together to create something joyful that does not exploit a lousy cartoon show or the looming shadow of Darth Vader to compel us to pay for it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JefferyD, post: 244925, member: 2597"] Interesting opinion and topic. I read it yesterday and it’s been rolling around argumentatively in my head. Here’s what I come away with: Aesthetically, I want to agree with you, and I'm pretty sure I do. Of the “original concept” tables, the only ones I have owned for a long time are Sorcerer’s Lair and Tesla; altho I recently figured out that that Zen's unlicensed games are only 99¢ – iOS player here – so I went on a mini shopping spree the past two weeks and picked up Wild West and Epic Quest, and I bought Earth Defense tonight. When you first play them there is a sensation like watching a movie or reading a book for the first time, knowing nothing about them other than the obvious theme and setting. There is a pure sense of mystery and discovery and it's awesome! But can I say that I [I]completely[/I] prefer them over the licensed tables? It’s a characteristic of the Zen tables that I can’t really get the most out of the experience until I skim the ShoyukenToTheChin table guides; so, in that regard, the licensed tables are equally confounding and mysterious. I know who Captain America is but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to get ahold of Red Skull and beat the crap out of him without reading the guide! I enjoyed most of the licensed tables I’ve played, and I admit I’ve gravitated to those tied-in to characters I’m familiar with. But would I dislike the Doctor Strange table if I wasn’t familiar with those characters? For example, I bought Blade a few days ago and I’ve never seen the movie and (somehow) missed the issues of Tomb Of Dracula he appeared in when I was a kid, but that’s a great game of pinball! Outside of the Dracula/Vampire motif I don’t know what the heck’s going on. So it's clear to me that the gameplay can make the experience worthwhile on its own. I do hope they make more original concept tables, though. As I mentioned above, there is an aesthetic quality to a work of art that stands on its own, and for that reason I tend to take a stronger liking to the original concept works, or at least greet them with a greater allowance of leeway because of their untethered dignity. (Even TPA’s Dr. Dude and Goin’ Nuts got a hearty welcome from me while I listened to others pine loudly for Adam’s Family... well, maybe not Dr. Dude.) It’s simply cooler if the story, the theme, the art, the characters, and gameplay all come together to create something joyful that does not exploit a lousy cartoon show or the looming shadow of Darth Vader to compel us to pay for it. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Members online
No members online now.
Latest posts
D
Anyone still playing?
Latest: Dan
Mar 3, 2025
The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
Home
Forums
Zen Studios
Other Zen Pinball Games & General Discussion
Original designs still the best!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
