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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]
Guardians of the Galaxy sets Marvel Pinball free on iOS
To celebrate Zen Studios' new table modeled after Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy, the virtual pinball developer is now offering the iOS version of Marvel Pinball at no charge. Like all of Zen's recent pinball games, Marvel Pinball is less a game itself, and more a shell that DLC tables can be bolted onto via in-app purchases. Those tables are usually priced at $2 each, but the gratis game also includes the Avengers table Zen released in 2012. If you're intrigued by this offer, don't put off downloading Marvel Pinball. This discount is only available for the next week, after which Marvel Pinball will return to its standard $1 price. [Image: Zen Studios]
Doctor Strange table coming to Marvel Pinball in December
Doctor Strange will put a spell on Marvel Pinball this December when he fights his rival, Baron Mordo, and the demonic forces he will call forth in an effort to earn the title of Sorcerer Supreme. The battle will span across the Vita, PS3, 360, Wii U, Android, iOS and OSX platforms. Baron Mordo will enlist the help of Dormammu and Nightmare in his effort to stop Doctor Strange from being, you know, alive. The Lovecraftian Shuma-Gorath will loom in the table's background, surely only to bide his time before asking Doctor Strange for a friendly comparison of high scores.
Daily iPhone App: Marvel Pinball is a great app hindered by a bad model
Zen Studios is very well known for their pinball titles, which all feature great graphics, well-made themes, and excellent pinball table mechanics. Just today, Zen has brought their very popular Marvel Pinball game to iOS, and you can now download the app itself for 99 cents. Unfortunately, that price is a strange one -- all it will get you is one Avengers-based table, which is interesting enough, with its various Avengers-style pinballs that you can send out into battle as you play for points against Loki. But there are 14 other tables to play with, and all of them need an in-app purchase of $1.99 each. That's it -- there's no way to earn or unlock tables from within the game itself, which is a missed opportunity at the very least. Charging users 99 cents to download the app for one table in this case just seems like charging for a free trial, unfortunately, and I wouldn't be too surprised if the app goes free very soon anyway. The good news is that the pinball mechanics are great, and Zen Studios obviously knows how to make a great pinball-based video game (I especially like the "free look" mode, which allows you to browse around a table just by tilting your device from side to side). But the pricing model here is very flawed and uninviting. If you're a pinball fan, you might think about downloading the app for the Avengers table, and then maybe buying one or two that you like (each table has a trailer and a features list, though you can't play on them to even try them out before you spend the money). For everyone else, Zen Studios has done a big misstep here by hiding their great content behind an awkward pay wall. They should have considered a better way to do this.
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.
'Civil War' table coming to Marvel Pinball
Zen Studios announced standalone DLC for Marvel Pinball called Civil War at a New York Comic Con panel. The theme for this pinball table was taken from a multi-part comic event from 2006 of the same name that pitted Iron Man and Captain America against each other.No specific release date was given for the DLC, though the trailer above teases that it's "coming soon" to PSN, XBLA, Apple's App Store and the Google Play store. %Gallery-168320%
Deus Ex: Human Revolution alters DLC prices this week on Xbox Live
Xbox Live's Deal of the Week is getting some transhumanist modifiers with three pieces of DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution on sale. The Missing Link is 600 MS Points, Explosive Mission is 120 MS Points and the Tactical Enhancement Pack is 80 MS Points.The deal runs from today to September 24. On September 25, the Deal of the Week goes Marvel with a sale on Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles and tables, X-Men Arcade, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Check out the complete list on Major Nelson's blog.
Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles out next week
Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles will assemble on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on June 19 and 20, respectively.The Avengers Chronicles pack includes four new tables, including The Infinity Gauntlet, which the developer sent out a trailer of today. The table is based off the comic series where Thanos killed half the life in the universe to impress Death. It's a love story, really.
Marvel Pinball flips to 3DS through eShop this summer
Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball will go 3D this summer on Nintendo's image-popping 3DS handheld. The game will feature four of the best tables available on consoles: Iron Man, Captain America, Blade and Fantastic Four.The game will be available as a standalone product through the Nintendo eShop for $7.99 in the lands of North America and €7.00 across the vast continent of Europe.%Gallery-157170%
The Avengers' pinball table unmasked
Avengers, roll out! ... Go,go gadget Avengers! ... Avengers, SPOON! Fine, fine, Avengers assemble to check out this trailer and screenshots of the upcoming pinball table from Zen Studios.The Avenger pinball pack, coming this spring, includes four tables: Marvel's The Avengers, World War Hulk, The Infinity Gauntlet and Fear Itself. World War Hulk was shown off last month. Give us Infinity Gauntlet now!%Gallery-154673%
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.
World War Hulk pinball trailer smashes in
The upcoming Avengers Chronicles pinball game includes four tables, each based off a story from the Marvel universe instead of a specific character. The "World War Hulk" table features the big green galumphing Dr. Banner seeking revenge against the Illuminati, X-Men, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange and anyone else in his way.%Gallery-152316%
Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles coming this spring to Xbox 360, PS3 and Vita
Proficient electronic pinball developer Zen Studios announced Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles this morning for the spring. The pack will be DLC for XBLA's Pinball FX2 and PS3's Marvel Pinball, and a standalone product for the PlayStation Vita.The Avenger pack will include more character interaction, dialogue and action than any of the developer's previous tables, noted Zen Studios. The four tables include: Marvel's The Avengers, World War Hulk, The Infinity Gauntlet and Fear Itself. You had us at Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos is a badass.%Gallery-150719%
Hulk smash new Marvel pinball table next year
The Pinball games from Zen Studios -- Pinball FX 2 on XBLA and Marvel Pinball on PSN -- will receive a Hulk table sometime next year. XBLAfans took note of the forum post where Mel Kirk, VP of PR and Marketing for Zen Studios, explicitly announced the angry green goon's forthcoming appearance. "Everything that comes from Marvel next year will be bigger, not necessarily character specific," Kirk told us when we asked about the table. "Hulk will be the main character, but it will be based on something in the Marvel storyline." It would appear Zen Studios' relationship with Marvel is going well. The company launched the original Marvel tables last year, followed by DLC featuring Fantastic Four and Captain America (one of the best tables available), and the "Vengeance and Virtue" tables which came out last week. From what Zen Studios is saying, there's plenty more to come in 2012.
Marvel 'Vengeance and Virtue' tables out now
The flippin' Marvel Universe-based "Vengeance and Virtue" DLC is available now on PSN for Marvel Pinball and XBLA via Pinball FX 2. The four tables feature Thor, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight and the X-Men for $10 (800 MSP).
Thor revealed as final table for Marvel Pinball 'Vengeance and Virtue' DLC
The final character to be honored in the upcoming Marvel Pinball "Vengeance and Virtue" DLC has been revealed to be none other than Thor Odinson himself. The God of Thunder will join the likes of Moon Knight and Ghost Rider when the DLC debuts next week on PSN (via Marvel Pinball) and XBLA (via Pinball FX 2). The DLC will land on PSN and XBLA on December 13 and 14, respectively, for $10. %Gallery-141085%
Free Tomb Raider: Underworld, Marvel Pinball for PS Plus members in December
PlayStation Plus members will be able to download full versions of Tomb Raider: Underworld and PSN's Marvel Pinball this month, along with three PSone classics from the Spyro franchise. Underworld and Spyro are available tomorrow, December 6, while Marvel Pinball goes gratis on December 13. After getting hooked on Marvel Pinball, be sure to check out the Captain America and Fantastic Four add-on tables, which will be available for 50 percent off. Head on over to the PlayStation Blog for a full list of December discounts.
Marvel Pinball springing onto new devices, rolling out a new title
Marvel Pinball is slinging onto new systems, set to hit mobile devices (iOS, Android, PS Vita, and 3DS), a new stationary console (PC), and a strange mixture of the two (WiiU), all by the end of 2012. Specific release dates will bounce onto the scene closer to each launch. A new Marvel Pinball installment, Vengeance and Virtue, is scheduled to rebound onto Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network this winter, featuring Ghost Rider in a new pack of tables. Marvel lit up its Comic-Con panel with this rollout of news, but more importantly we just made it through this whole post without making a single ball joke. You're welcome.
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.
Fantastic Four table for Marvel Pinball and Pinball FX 2 in May
Zen Studios will add a Fantastic Four table to PSN's Marvel Pinball and XBLA's Pinball FX 2 on May 17 and 18, respectively. Why Fantastic Four? To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Fantastic Four #1, of course. No price was announced for the ball-out superhero surface, but it should be $3 (240 MSP) or under. We've contacted Zen Studios for confirmation. The table features 3D models of Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, Thing and Human Torch, along with the type of intricate details fans of the series have come to expect. Check out the video after the break for some flippin' action.%Gallery-122660%
