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Marvel's Venom infects Zen Pinball games next month
Zen Studios announced a new table for its pinball games based on the popular villain from Marvel's Spider-Man universe, Venom. The table explores Venom's rivalry with Spider-Man as well as Carnage, the offspring of the dark Symbiote, hosted by the first of Venom's victims from the webbed superhero's comics, Eddie Brock. As with Zen Studios' other tables, the add-on will launch for multiple Zen Pinball and Pinball FX games on December 10 and December 11. It will cost $2.99 (€2.99/£2.49) for Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 2 players on PS4, PS3, Vita, PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Those playing Zen Pinball, Zen Pinball HD and Marvel Pinball on iOS and Android will need to pay $1.99 (€1.79/£1.49) to access the Venom table in those games. [Image: Zen Studios]
South Park Pinball rolling in this month
The pinball wizards at Zen Studios announced today that two South Park pinball tables are rolling out in October (this month!) for the Zen Pinball 2 platform. The publisher currently has no further details to share. Fine, fine. Well, If we were to guess, the South Park tables will likely be on most major devices, as was the case with the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Walking Dead tables. The price will also likely be around the $2.99 mark. Also, Kenny will likely die.
Zen Studios latest pinball table summons the Walking Dead
The silver ball maestros at Zen Studios have unleashed another meticulously designed table, this time within the horrific universe of Telltale's The Walking Dead adventure game. Despite its non-linear nature - pinball rarely adheres to a structured narrative - the table does a solid job of using skill shots and careful ball management to retell key story moments from the first season of Telltale's beloved The Walking Dead. Zen Studios was even able to get the original voice cast from the game to record new lines for the Walking Dead pinball table. Most crucially, the table is periodically littered with ambulatory corpses that, in proper Walking Dead spirit, must be avoided or, if you've got no other options, destroyed. Like all Zen Studios tables, The Walking Dead is DLC content available on a number of platforms. Today marks the table's debut on the PlayStation 3, PS4 and Vita, while PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners will have to wait until tomorrow. Those playing Zen Studios' pinball games on Android and iOS will have a chance to relive the adventures of Lee and Clementine on August 28. While you wait, take a look at the trailer past the break. [Image: Zen Studios]
Guardians of the Galaxy Pinball dated for all systems
This past weekend the Guardians of the Galaxy pinball table was announced, bringing the crazy crew to Zen Pinball 2 in addition to their appearances in Disney Infinity 2.0 and Marvel: Avengers Alliance. The table was revealed for PS3, PS4 and Vita, available for $2.99 on July 29. The table will also be available on the following platforms and dates: Steam, Xbox 360 - July 30 Xbox One, Android, iOS and Amazon - July 31
The Guardians of the Galaxy are pinball wizards in Zen Pinball 2
You're going to see a whole lot more of Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax and Star-Lord - AKA The Guardians of the Galaxy - very soon. We already knew that the rag-tag group of renegades would bring daring adventures to theaters, Disney Infinity 2.0, and Marvel: Avengers Alliance, but now we can add virtual pinball tables to that list. A Guardians of the Galaxy-themed table will be available for Zen Pinball 2 on PS3, PS4 and Vita starting July 29, and for $2.99 you can bring together all five of the starbound heroes as they battle Ronan the Accuser using the most powerful weapon in the galaxy: friendship a giant laser cannon pinball. [Image: Zen Studios]
Deadpool makes splash in Zen Pinball next week
Even the fourth wall isn't safe anymore in Zen Studio's upcoming pinball table featuring Deadpool, Marvel's Merc with a Mouth who was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in one of his finest superhero roles. In the Zen Pinball 2 table available next week, Deadpool's manic highs and emotion-mining lows will be portrayed by Nolan North, reprising the voice from the video game. What, Ryan Reynolds was too busy? Nobody understands Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool understands Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool is Ryan Reynolds. Yeah, yeah, that's what it is. [Image: Zen Studios]
Zen Studios creating The Walking Dead pinball table
Zen Studios is developing a table inspired by Telltale Games' The Walking Dead series for its pinball games. The table will launch across console, mobile and PC versions of Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2 this summer. The table will "bring the story and choice-driven gameplay" of the game's first season to the pinball series, complete with original dialogue from The Walking Dead's cast. Zen Studios' undead pinball table will offer locations based on Telltale's first five episodes, including Clementine's treehouse, Everett's pharmacy and "down the tracks to the walker-infested streets of Savannah." As the game rolls on, players will need to choose who lives and who dies during a zombie attack, search for food and supplies and improve their group's morale, not unlike the decisions they were pressed with in The Walking Dead as well. Zen Studios issued a brief teaser trailer that shows series stars Clementine and Lee as well as the table itself. [Image: Zen Studios]
Soccer and pinball combine in upcoming Super League Football table
Zen Studios unveiled the latest addition to its lineup of video pinball tables this week, announcing that the soccer-themed Super League Football is coming soon to Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 2. Inspired by Williams' real-world 1994 table World Cup Soccer, Super League Football pairs pinball mechanics with sports-themed challenges and gameplay modes. The table features a lineup of international soccer clubs, and players will compete for rank in global and club-specific leaderboards. Super League Football will premiere soon as a downloadable table for Pinball FX 2 on Xbox Live Arcade, Steam and Windows 8, and will join Zen Pinball 2's playable lineup on the PlayStation 4, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, and iOS and Android devices. A release date has not been announced.
Zen Pinball 2 delayed to Christmas Eve on PS4
Zen Pinball 2 for PS4, which was originally scheduled to launch today, has tilted for a one week delay. The platform will now launch on December 24 and those looking for a smooth import process of their tables from PS3 to PS4 should check out the post on the PlayStation Blog. There's some very detail-oriented stuff that folks importing will want to pay attention to. Those not worrying about next-gen importing issues can pick up the Doctor Strange table today on PS3 and Vita for $2.99. It will also be available on PS4 next week. For a list of the tables that are available for import, here's a list.
Zen Pinball 2 springs onto PS4 on December 17
Polished pinball series Zen Pinball 2 will make its way to PlayStation 4 on December 17, but that's not the best part. Developer Zen Studios also announced this morning that folks who already own PS3 or Vita versions of the tables coming to PS4 will be able to download the tables for free. The Zen Pinball platform is a free download anyway and it comes with the adorable Sorcerer's Lair table. The tables typically cost $3 apiece and the latest addition will be Marvel's Doctor Strange, with more Marvel and Star Wars-branded tables coming in 2014. The list of tables after the break (and in the video above) are the ones being transferred. From here on out it's all new content. We should also point out that Star Wars Pinball is currently free if you're a member of PlayStation Plus, so if you download it now, you'll have access to it on PS4 when the platform launches.
PlayStation Plus rolls out free Star Wars tables for Zen Pinball 2 this week
Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download a Star Wars Zen Pinball 2 table pack for free. Normally priced at $9.99, the pack includes Star Wars: Episode 5, Clone Wars and Boba Fett-themed tables. Additionally, PSP and Vita owners can pick up Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower free this week on PlayStation Plus, and both Divekick and Ms. Germinator are discounted to $7.99 this week, each offering Cross Buy support for Vita and PS3 owners. Lastly, Killzone: Mercenary's multiplayer open beta program starts tomorrow, and opens up to non-PlayStation Plus subscribers on August 27.
May the Fourth be an excuse for Star Wars Pinball discounts
Every year, we forget that people celebrate Star Wars-related stuff on May 4, thanks to a cute pun, and every year we smile a bit when we remember. This year, Zen Studios is marking the occasion with a sale on Star Wars Pinball, marking the game down 50% in all of its multifarious versions. Starting yesterday, and through May 7, Star Wars Pinball as part of Pinball FX2 on Xbox is 400 Microsoft Points; Star Wars Pinball for Zen Pinball 2 is €4.99 for European PS Plus members; and the iOS, Android, Mac App Store, and new Kindle Fire HD versions are all 99 cents. There have been some ups and downs for Star Wars recently – new owners, and new movies, but LucasArts is gone. Enjoy this game, then, as it's likely to be a while before we see more Star Wars games.
Zen Pinball 2 flies down the Wii U chute March 21
Zen Studios has finally provided a concrete date for Zen Pinball 2 on Wii U in North America: Thursday, March 21. The free download will be available on the eShop next week, which lets you sample all available tables in Zen Pinball 2's vault for a limited amount of time before purchase is necessary.Tables are purchased piecemeal through the in-game store, tables including the stock game tables and DLC such as the Marvel Pinball series and the Plants vs. Zombies tie-in. The freshly minted Star Wars tables have not been announced for Nintendo platforms, so naturally there's no mention of them in the announcement.Finally, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that purchases on other platforms won't transfer over to the Wii U. Zen Studios offered cross-play on PS Vita and PS3, but since the 3DS and Wii U use different stores, transferring already established content from the handheld to the Wii U is impossible.
Star Wars Pinball Boba Fett table grapples for your attention
The Boba Fett table from Star Wars Pinball looks pretty cool. Don't get too attached to it though. It will probably die a sudden and ignominious death.Star Wars Pinball rolls out to various platforms starting next week.
Star Wars Pinball coming to a galaxy near you next week
Zen Studios' Star Wars Pinball will be released next week on a variety of platforms. The actual release details are a bit complicated, as Zen's pinball series is kind of a nebulous collection of DLC offerings and standalone games.The Star Wars tables will be DLC for Pinball FX2 on XBLA Feb. 27 (for 800 MSP), for Zen Pinball 2 for PS3 and Vita ($10 with Cross Buy) Feb. 26 in North America and Feb. 27 in Europe, and Zen Pinball 2 on Mac ($3 per table), Zen Pinball for iOS ($2 per) and Zen Pinball HD on Android ($2 per) on Feb. 27.Standalone apps will also be released on iOS and Android the same day. Oh, and by the way, this is canon now. The events of The Empire Strikes Back really involved giant flippers propelling enormous steel spheres.Just kidding. But after the last 15 years, admit it: you kinda believed it.
Zen Studios launching Star Wars Pinball this month
Whether you're playing Pinball FX 2 on Xbox Live Arcade or Windows 8, Zen Pinball 2 on PlayStation Network or Mac, or Zen Pinball on iOS or Zen Pinball HD on Google Play, you'll be able to supplement your virtual table collection with a trio of new Star Wars-themed tables later this month. These three tables will be available standalone on iOS and Google Play, or in the aforementioned games as DLC.The first three tables offered are themed around Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett and the animated Clone Wars series, each with their own unique missions and layout – and in the case of Episode V, even has footage taken directly from the film that will display in the dot matrix window prior to every mission.A total of 10 different Star Wars Pinball tables are planned. Zen Studios has yet to finalize pricing, but we'll be sure to pass along that info as soon as it's announced.%Gallery-178043%
Zen Pinball 2 launches on Wii U eShop in Europe Jan. 31
Zen Pinball 2 on the Wii U was originally supposed to launch in December, but had to be pushed back to January. The North America launch is "coming very soon," developer Zen Studios notes – Europe can look forward to downloading Zen Pinball 2 on the Wii U eShop come January 31.Zen Pinball 2 will be a free download on Wii U as it was on other systems, allowing players to sample individual tables free of charge which then may be unlocked in-game through purchase. Zen Pinball 2 features tables from Marvel Pinball, the Plants vs. Zombies table and many more. Thankfully not included: a sticky left flipper and a disgruntled pizza shop owner that wishes you'd actually buy pizza and stop hanging around playing pinball all of the time.
Zen Pinball 2 Wii U launch delayed to January
Zen Pinball 2 was expected to arrive on Wii U this month, but has since been delayed to January 2013. Zen Studios broke the news earlier this week via Twitter without citing a reason for the delay. When the game does land in the Wii U eShop, it will be free with the option for players to purchase tables.Those looking to get their pinball fix now could look to Zen Pinball HD, which launched on Android earlier this month. %Gallery-173619%
Zen Pinball 2 on Wii U this month
Zen Pinball 2 will be available some time this month on the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U. Per usual, the base Zen Pinball platform will be free, with the tables available for purchase in packs or individually."We cannot yet say how much the tables are, but you can expect pricing in line with what we have offered in the past," Zen Studios' marketing and PR honcho Mel Kirk told us. Tables are normally priced around $3 on other consoles.Wii U's Zen Pinball 2 release will launch with three different Marvel Pinball packs, each containing four tables. It will also have the classic Zen pinball pack available, along with individual tables: Plants vs. Zombies, Excalibur, Earth Defense, Sorcerer's Lair, Paranormal, Mars, Epic Quest, Captain America and Fantastic Four.
Stiq Flicks: Zen Pinball 2 and the Pinball-based films 'Tilt' and 'Special When Lit'
Stiq Flicks – from film and video game industry freelance writer Kevin Kelly – examines video games and attempts to pair them with matching films. It's like wine and cheese, but with more aliens. Earlier this week, Zen Pinball 2 finally made its way onto the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita, updating the genius of the Zen Studios experience and making it mobile on Sony's new handheld. It also brings with it the shambling spectacle of the Plants vs. Zombies table, based on PopCap's botanic home-defense title, pushing to an impressive number of tables available for the digital pinball experience. Alternatively, this piece could have been titled The Pinball Arcade and Two Pinball Movies, in reference to FarSight Studios' equally impressive flipper-flicker that recreates classics such as the Theater of Magic and The Machine: Bride of PinBot tables. With Zen Studios creating original tables and FarSight Studios bringing the oldies back to life, it's a good time to be a pinball fan. But that hasn't always been the case. Pinball, the mechanical godfather to the video game industry, once reigned as the king of quarter-dropping entertainment. Pinball pulled in more money than the US film industry did from the 1950s - 1960s. In 1983, one of EA's early hits was the classic Pinball Construction Set from Bill Budge. Creating these boxes of glass, wires, lights, and plastic where you send a silver ball careening around ramps, toward targets, and through tunnels is and was an art form that nearly died. Though the modern spin on the classic game probably won't bring it near its former glory, it has returned in some capacity thanks to select developers. There are two movies that can help bridge the gap and fill you in about pinball: Special When Lit and Tilt: The Battle To Save Pinball. Both films are well-produced, extremely informative and surprisingly emotional. If you're looking to be a true pinball wizard, both of these films are required viewing.%Gallery-123146%
