- Mar 14, 2012
- 7,334
- 0
- The graphics are so... flat. It goes from bad to just OK. A few are good though, especially the EM tables. But everything else is so bland. I launched STTNG and Oh, my eyes!
Despite their unrealistic features, Zen table looks so photorealistic in comparison.
- The controls are so laggy (depending of the table though). At least on PS3, even if it's not as bad as it was prior to the megapatch, but still.
Once again, I was so used to play only TPA, that I didn't notice anymore I shot a lot more earlier to correct the input lag.
Play right after Zen makes TPA unplayable again. (and it doesn't come from my TV which is a CRT with an HDMI input)
- The sound quality is so bad. Everything is at the same volume level (voices and mechanical sounds for example), and sounds like a muffled mono channel.
Once again, my ears got used to that, but now it blows at my face (or my ears) how creepy the TPA sound quality is (the original ROM quality is not an excuse), whereas Zen makes crumble my walls.
I hear you on the flat look, some tables are better than others though. There are some Zen tables that to me have no depth at all, like Plants vs. Zombies. Then I saw it in 3D, and I was stunned. I've never seen TPA in 3D, so I wonder what I'd think. I do gotta say, switching over to PC and playing with the advanced lighting of DX11, it add tons of depth and dimension.
You have to remember in terms of audio quality, TPA is dealing with mono sound from games recorded in very primitive by today's standards circumstances. White Water sounds just as crappy in real life as it does in TPA. Zen is going full stereo with multi track recording and mastered sound clips. It'd be like complaining about Gorgar after playing the most recent Stern.
Oh, the PS3 controller lag thing. Thankfully I never dealt with it myself. No lag on PC either.
Nice though that you found some love for Zen. I do like a lot of their tables, and I don't expect it and TPA to 'feel' the same. They are both pinball, but they operate under different parameters. Would be crazy to play Zen with TPA physics and vice versa though, no?