zen-pinball
Latest
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]
Empire Strikes Back with pinball table
Here's a better look at Zen Studios' "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" table for its upcoming Star Wars Pinball. We're not going to lie and say we aren't just a little disappointed we're not locking balls by knocking them into a tauntaun belly.
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 HD loaded into the Android chute
The folks at Zen Studios will not be content until their digital pinball wares exist on every platform known to man. Today the developer lets loose Zen Pinball HD onto the Google Play store, a free download for Android 3.0 devices and up.Zen Pinball HD includes the "Sorcerer's Lair" table gratis – within the app, you may purchase up to 15 additional tables through micro-transactions, including selections from Zen Studios' lauded Marvel Pinball series of tables. In fact, the developer is offering a special sale price for each of those Marvel tables over the next week: $.99 each. You don't have to be a billionaire playboy to appreciate a good bargain.
Marvel Pinball mobile tables unite for sale
With Marvel's The Avengers movie imminent, Zen Studios is dropping the price of its Marvel-themed tables. Until May 7, all of the proficient virtual pinball maker's Marvel tables are half-off for a dollar.This means some super enjoyable tables – as pinball experiences, not just for the Marvel tie-in – will be discounted on iOS and Android. Captain America, Wolverine and Thor will head up team iOS, while Fantastic Four, Wolverine and Thor tables will be available on Android.
Epic Quest coming to Zen Pinball, Pinball FX2 this month
Zen Studios, the developer of Pinball FX2 and Zen Pinball, did say it was going bigger this year with different ideas, which leads us to pinball-meets-RPG hybrid: Epic Quest. The new table will be available through your Zen pinball platform of choice on XBLA, PSN, Apple iOS and Android this month."It is our quest to deliver the most entertaining and original pinball tables, and Epic Quest delivers on both fronts," said Mel Kirk, Zen's VP of Marketing and Public Relations. "With a wink and a nudge towards classic RPG tropes, Epic Quest blends frantic pinball action, obsessive character building, and liberally applied tongue-in-cheek humor."What also makes this table different is experience and loot carry over from one game to the next. Players will be able to dress up the knight Max and defeat monsters to collect epic gear. It's an interesting hook to the classic fail state of any other pinball table.%Gallery-146305%
PSN's Zen Pinball free with Marvel Pinball purchase
There are few more satisfying ways to pass the time on a lazy summer weekend quite like practicing the science of the silver sphere. You'll be able to do so on the cheap if you grab Marvel Pinball from the PSN before June 29 -- until then, that purchase will also net you a free copy of Zen Pinball.
Zen Pinball THD has a ball with Tegra 2 on Android devices
Zen Studios has announced that it's readying a Tegra 2-only version of its PSN title Zen Pinball for compatible Android phones and tablets. Set to arrive "soon," the game will be going up against the just-released Pinball HD port for Google's mobile OS, which also requires Nvidia's dual-core chip to run. The announcement says that "several" tables will be included in the Zen port, including the one featured in the latest DLC for the console version, "Sorcerer's Lair" (seen in the gallery below). Also to be expected: head-to-head online multiplayer and achievements. Zen Pinball THD -- as it's called -- will be playable at Google's I/O 2011 conference in San Francisco tomorrow, May 10, and Wednesday.%Gallery-123146%
Zen Pinball and Castle Crashers top PSN sales in September
Looks like Castle Crashers' volleyball was able to help win over PS3 owners. It tops the PSN sales charts for September as the best-selling paid game. At the top of the overall chart, however, is Zen Pinball, which earns its rank with the help of PlayStation Plus subscribers. 1. ZEN Pinball 2. Castle Crashers 3. Blast Off (Minis) 4. Echoes (MInis) 5. Syphon Filter 3 (PSone) 6. Sonic Adventure 7. My Aquarium 8. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game 9. Red Dead Redemption: Legends and Killers Pack (DLC) 10. DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
ZEN Pinball goes to Mars next week for $2.49
It's been well over a year since the release of ZEN Pinball on PSN, and the updates keep on coming. On July 27, you'll be able to download the space-themed Mars table ... and, best of all, it'll only cost $2.49. Trailer after the break.
ZEN Pinball's Ninja Gaiden table trailer slices and dices
Wondering what the official Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 table for ZEN Pinball looks like in motion? Wonder no more -- the video above will show you all of the Hayabusa-style bumper action you'll be able to find, complete with ramps, flashing lights, ninja spirits and... burning pagodas? Boy, those ZEN folks aren't really pinball traditionalists, are they? But it does look fun. The table will bring new gameplay modes and missions along with it to the PlayStation Store on Thursday, January 14, for $2.49 (€1.99). Of course, it's DLC for the original ZEN Pinball game, so you've got to have that, too. Wait, we just rewatched it -- did Ryu just slice the ball in half? That's pretty awesome!
Ninja Gaiden crosses over into ZEN Pinball
We're not sure how the ZEN Pinball team does it, but they've managed to create another crossover DLC table for the popular PSN pinball game. The follow-up to the Street Fighter table pays tribute to Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden series. The official details will be revealed on the PlayStation.Blog soon, but we're pretty sure it'll be similar to the last DLC offering. [Thanks, HeavyToka!]
Interview: ZEN Studios' Zsolt Kigyossy
Today's announcement of ZEN Pinball's collaboration with Capcom was certainly a bizarre, unexpected one. We chatted with ZEN Studios' managing director Zsolt Kigyossy on the surprising success of ZEN Pinball, the studio's future plans with PlayStation Network, and how the Street Fighter deal came about in the first place. ZEN Pinball debuted as the top-selling PSN game in May. Was the team surprised by that achievement? Not too surprised! We've been working on perfecting our ball-and-table physics for six years now, so I guess our team's passion really shines through in the game. Although, with so many new games coming out each month we couldn't simply rely on quality to make our title stand out, and for that reason we owe much of our success to the huge support that we received from both Sony Europe and America. Not only that, our studio owes a big thanks to the PSN community for supporting our titles and helping drive ZEN Pinball to the number one spot. We couldn't have achieved this success without our dedicated fans.
ZEN Pinball: Street Fighter II coming to PSN soon
It may not get the media attention of PSN titles like Flower or the PixelJunk games, but ZEN Pinball is one of the most successful PSN games around. To capitalize on its success, ZEN Studios is planning a number of DLC tables for the game. First up is ZEN Pinball: Street Fighter II, a PS3 interpretation of the Street Fighter II table from Pinball FX on XBLA. "Here at ZEN Studios, we are long time Street Fighter fans and have a great relationship with Capcom, so the idea came naturally," ZEN Studios' managing director Zsolt Kigyossy told us in an exclusive interview. The price hasn't been revealed yet, but the team is aiming to release the table later this month.
ZEN Studios teases new PS3 project with familiar logo
ZEN Studios,which has already created two PSN exclusives, ZEN Pinball and The Punisher: No Mercy, is teasing its new PS3 project. Looking at this logo, it should be pretty clear as to what the team is up to. While you can make your guesses today, the official announcement won't be made until tomorrow. It's really not that hard, guys.
ZEN Pinball is top downloaded PSN game in May
Looks like our glowing preview of ZEN Pinball paid off for Zen Studios. The first (and only) pinball game on the PlayStation Network met an incredible debut, taking the top spot in May. Perhaps the free demo, which showcased the game's solid physics engine and graphics, convinced gamers to go for the full version? According to GamerBytes, Zen Studios' Pinball FX did "similarly well" on Xbox Live Arcade. That game went on to sell 250,000 units over time -- perhaps ZEN Pinball can meet an equally favorable fate? In addition to ZEN, the rest of the top 5 included many PSN mainstays: ZEN Pinball Worms Mortal Kombat II Wheel of Fortune Flower For the rest of the top 10, and more analysis of PSN sales, check out GamerBytes.
Trophies: ZEN Pinball
Four pinball tables, four Trophies to earn in each. Are you ready for some ZEN Pinball? View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
ZEN Pinball bounces onto PSN next week for $10
ZEN Pinball will be available on the PlayStation Store on May 14th for $9.99. Our hands-on with the demo revealed a solid foundation for the game, with realistic (if not a bit fast) physics. ZEN Pinball doesn't offer too many frills: don't expect any boss fights, or hedgehog-inspired platforming segments. Instead, you'll get a rather faithful digital recreation of an arcade cabinet, LED display and all. As expected, ZEN offers online leaderboards, multiple tables and Trophies. However, we're most intrigued by the video chat-enabled online multiplayer mode. You can check it out next week on the US PlayStation Store. %Gallery-50183%
Joystiq hands-on: ZEN Pinball
The PlayStation Network features all sorts of innovative genre-defining games -- but where is the traditional pinball game? ZEN Pinball is looking to fill in this suspicious void, and does so with style. Pinball is a rather straightforward genre to replicate. So long as the ball physics are accurate, pinball fans can generally be satiated -- but what we've played of ZEN Pinball has left us impressed. The core gameplay is exactly what you'd expect from a pinball game: busy tables with a classic emulated LED display on the top left corner. Each table features its own tricks to scoring free balls, multipliers and more. From what we've played of the first playable table, ZEN is attempting to represent the game as realistically as possible -- don't expect a Sonic Spinball-esque adventure here. The ball feels weighty, and to our surprise, seems incredibly fast. The pinball rolls around with great speed, but for those that find the default difficulty a bit tricky, there are a few options that can be tweaked. Players can adjust the angle of the table, or even slow down the speed of the ball. However, don't expect to unlock Trophies if you decide to turn on any of these modifiers -- you have to play with the default settings in order to earn any achievements. %Gallery-50183%
PSN scores a new exclusive: ZEN Pinball
The PlayStation Network has a lot of games, but it's missing one key genre: a pinball game. ZEN Studios plans on rectifying this with a PSN-exclusive game this Spring. ZEN Pinball will offer standard pinball play, with a twist. There will be in-game missions, head-to-head online multiplayer and even worldwide tournaments. ZEN Pinball will offer four tables -- V12, Tesla, Shaman and El Dorado. Players will be able to play multiplayer not only online, but locally as well. Looks like ZEN is offering all the features a pinball fan could possibly want. %Gallery-50183%
