Zen2

[Captain B. Zarre]

Me too, just saw the trailer for Masters of the Force and it looks like an awesome, innovative new table. Looking forward the most towards Han Solo & Droids however.

 

[mmmagnetic]

I´m starting to really enjoy Zen Pinball in general with ZP2 and the Star Wars and Marvel packs.

They just used to be way too over the top for me, too much animated nonsense going on, constant voiceovers, and in general missing the "arcade feel" - in short, is was all too much videogame, not enough pinball for me.

I don´t really know what changed - maybe I started to accept the game as it is and not constantly compare it to real pinball - but I´m having a lot of fun with the Vita version right now. I had it on iOS at one point, and even though it made much more sense screen-wise, having physical buttons on the Vita version makes all the difference to me. It also looks absolutely fantastic on the OLED screen.

The tables are mostly really, really complex and in a way much harder to "read" than the TPA tables I played - they´re kinda bad at updating you on what´s going on, which is still one of my main problems with the series. On the other hand, starting to figure these tables out is pretty fun. (At least that´s my initial impression - I haven´t played any of them nearly enough to actually say that I fully grasp them.)

I usually just turn the music off, though. In the audio department, these just can´t compare to a classic pinball table with Chris Granner effects and music. But visually, some of the Marvel ones especially really floored me, with all the intense comic book colors and the outrageous stuff going on. Fear Itself looks especially intense.

The physics are WAY more predictable than in TPA, but that is actually a good thing in this case - because the tables themselves are so intricate and stuffed, having to constantly worry about unfair outlane drains might be a bit too much. A game like Firepower, Taxi or Centaur would feel absolutely silly with this model because it feels so reliable and, in a way, unexciting - it really is more about what shots to do rather than constantly being mindful of not letting the ball get out of control.

Oh, and boy, the flippers, bumpers and slingshots sound SO MUCH better than the weak sounds in TPA. I´ve said it many times, but when I play pinball, I want to hear things slamming and banging, not some half-hearted low bitrate flipper sample that sounds like someone rearranging stacks of paper on a desk.

I think ZP2 isn´t even a real competitor to TPA - they both offer radically different things (as different as the genre of pinball can be). Really glad I gave Zen another chance, because right now it´s very refreshing!

 

[Kratos3]

I love it as a nice change of pace as well.

The portrait controls are exactly what TPA needs to be on the Vita.

 

[Johni3w6]

I didn't like when Zen first came out but after they updated to ZP2 I played more often.

Enjoy Epic Quest and the SW tables and a few of the earlier tables though I'm still not a fan of V12.

 

[mmmagnetic]

By the way, even though most of the Zen tables have rather weak music and SFX, Fear Itself sounds fantastic. The abrasive techno music really fits the theme well, and the effects are a lot better than in most of the other tables I´ve played.

I mean, I don´t mind Star Wars orchestral music, but it doesn´t really fit a pinball table. Fear Itself is way louder and more energetic, especially with all the yelling from the characters going on! Quite a difference from the super annoying advice Yoda gives after every single ramp on Clone Wars. "Fear... is the disease. Hope... is the only cure. Do... what´s right. Not.... what´s easy." Yeah, thanks dude

 

[shogun00]

I don´t really know what changed - maybe I started to accept the game as it is and not constantly compare it to real pinball - but I´m having a lot of fun with the Vita version right now. I had it on iOS at one point, and even though it made much more sense screen-wise, having physical buttons on the Vita version makes all the difference to me. It also looks absolutely fantastic on the OLED screen.

I think it's because you are playing the game on the Vita instead of the iPhone/iPad. Zen Pinball was first released on consoles and was built around with buttons. I recently just played the Andriod version myself and although I like the portrait mode, the touch controls just don't click right with me.

 

[mmmagnetic]

I think it's because you are playing the game on the Vita instead of the iPhone/iPad. Zen Pinball was first released on consoles and was built around with buttons. I recently just played the Andriod version myself and although I like the portrait mode, the touch controls just don't click right with me.

Good point. I also thought that on iOS and Android the portrait views were all just way to "zoomed out" - I mean, you could of course see the table much better, but the flippers and the ball become just way too small for my taste. When I play TPA on my Nexus I usually use 1 or 4 for the portrait view - looking at the table at a lower angle rather than a pure birdseye view.

In contrast, the landscape camera views in ZP2 are all very different and almost all of them pretty usable. I prefer 3, with the flippers really big on the screen and the camera swinging upwards when the ball goes deeper into the table.

I also get the feeling that most of the table are really built to look impressive from a slightly lower point of view, with a lot of elements protruding vertically in the back of the table. Getting a flat birds-eye view on the table kinda ruins the effect a bit.

In contrast, most landscape views in TPA are rather hard to use compared to the portrait ones.

 

[shogun00]

I also thought that on iOS and Android the portrait views were all just way to "zoomed out" - I mean, you could of course see the table much better, but the flippers and the ball become just way too small for my taste. When I play TPA on my Nexus I usually use 1 or 4 for the portrait view - looking at the table at a lower angle rather than a pure birdseye view.

Same here! First thing when I played the Android version was flip my tablet to landscape view. I'm not a fan of the zoomed out cameras either, but it was nice to see the whole table shown in portrait mode (just for a few seconds).

In contrast, the landscape camera views in ZP2 are all very different and almost all of them pretty usable. I prefer 3, with the flippers really big on the screen and the camera swinging upwards when the ball goes deeper into the table.

I also get the feeling that most of the table are really built to look impressive from a slightly lower point of view, with a lot of elements protruding vertically in the back of the table. Getting a flat birds-eye view on the table kinda ruins the effect a bit.

Like I said before, the game was built on consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3). That means it was designed for a widescreen HDTV. When I bought my PS3, I still had a SDTV and Zen Pinball was forced into a 4:3 letterbox (vertical black bars) mode.

As for viewing angle, I like view 6 myself.

In contrast, most landscape views in TPA are rather hard to use compared to the portrait ones.

Indeed, but then again they first released out this game on mobile, so it makes sense that they focused on the portrait views.

 

[mmmagnetic]

As for viewing angle, I like view 6 myself.

I switch between 3 and 6, sometimes I like the slightly better flipper angle on 6, but the scrolling feels a bit more disorienting on some tables. I love the many different options!

 

[The Night Flier]

I own all the Zen tables and dig'em but do or die....TPA Forever!

 

[Kratos3]

I switch between 3 and 6, sometimes I like the slightly better flipper angle on 6, but the scrolling feels a bit more disorienting on some tables. I love the many different options!

I hate the scrolling. For me it's 1W all the way.

 

[Pinballfan69]

I hate the scrolling. For me it's 1W all the way.

I did that for a very long time now I'm playing 2.

 

[Bravewall]

As an absolute Marvel comics nerd, Zen combines my two nerd obsessions together. I love how all the tables are consolidated in ZP2. I think ZP and TBA are both great pinball games, that are distinct enough to make great companions on my android device.