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'Stranger Things' pinball machine melds two forms of '80s nostalgia
If watching Stranger Things has inspired you to look for '80s-era gaming, your search might be over. Stern Pinball has introduced a Stranger Things pinball table that, like the Netflix show, blends nostalgia with 21st century technology. Your quest is to unravel the supernatural mysteries of Hawkins and defeat the Demogorgon (complete with a model on the field), but it's how you get there that matters -- the table has a modern feature or two that helps it stand out from the crowd.
The nostalgic joy of playing 'Pinball FX2' in VR
I associate pinball with family, partly because my father convinced me it was cool when I was a kid, just like he did with The X-Files, Mystery Science Theater 3000, ping pong and a handful of other quasi-nerdy necessities from the '80s and '90s. Plus, one of my uncles had a room packed with pinball machines -- yes, he had the Addams Family table -- and as a pre-teen I'd revel in playing them late into the night every New Year's Eve. Now that I'm an adult, it's my turn to show these family members what's cool (or simply how to use Gmail), and virtual reality is absolutely on that list. I'm not saying VR will take off commercially or change the world, but it is definitely a cool thing. And now, there's a clear way for me to introduce it to my dad, uncle or anyone with an affinity for those rapid-fire flippers: Pinball FX2 VR on the Oculus Rift.
Pinball Labs wants to bring the pool hall experience to VR
Early adopters of the soon-to-arrive Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality headsets are going to need games, and what better way to waste time than a few rounds of pinball? Thomas Kadlec, the developer of the Star Trek Voyager Bridge VR experience is trying to round up Kickstarter funds for Pinball Labs, a pinball simulator that will let you design and play your own games. Built with Unreal Engine 4, games will have realistic physics, a built-in table editor and custom user settings. They'll be playable in VR on Vive and Oculus Rift, in desktop mode for PCs and on virtual, multi-monitor cabinets.
How Twitter helped make the 'Archer' pinball game a reality
Pinball FX creator Zen Studios released a bundle this week featuring tables from Archer, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers and American Dad. The pack, called Balls of Glory, is available now across PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 10, Steam, Android and iOS (whew). And all of this exists because of a tweet, as Zen Studios VP of Publishing Mel Kirk explains.
Good luck tilting this massive pinball machine
If you're in Wolfsburg in the near future, you could do a lot worse than to head over to the Phaeno museum, which is currently playing host to one enormous pinball machine. The outfit teamed up with the Pacific Pinball Museum for an exhibit on the game. At the same time, they commissioned artist and maker Niklas Roy to build a customized machine that would comfortably sit on one of the center's famously steep walls. The result is Galactic Dimension, a pinball machine with a playing surface that's nearly 10 x 20 feet.
Raspberry Pi helps old school pinball machine spew internet cliches
Pinball machines have been created from a single meme, so why not base one on, say, all of them? Liberty Games decided to refurbish an old and busted "Baby Doll" machine with all the cats, doges and "winter is coming" memes they could wedge in, while giving it a tech spit-shine with a 3D printer and Raspberry Pi. First they spiced up the play field with 3D-printed Grumpy Cat, Doge and Actual Advice Mallard figurines and new graphics. All the old mechanical relays were then wired to a Pi to to play meme videos on an LCD screen for certain actions -- like a Rickroll if you lose. We're not sure if the experimental game is actually for sale, but if so, shut up and take my money!
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]
One of the greatest pinball tables ever is going digital with your help
Ask pinball fans about classic tables and they'll probably mention The Addams Family. It was widely available, well-designed and full of technological firsts, such as computer-controlled flippers. However, it hasn't been recreated in software in its 22-year history -- something FarSight Studios hopes to fix with a crowdfunding project to reproduce the table in Pinball Arcade. So long as the developer reaches its funding goal, you'll get to play the Addams Family almost as if you'd stepped into an arcade circa 1992. The smart flippers, actors' voices and Thing's creepy animatronic hand should all remain intact.
Oakland's 80-year pinball prohibition ends
Oakland, California, has lifted its long-standing ban on pinball machines, making it legal to play pinball in the city for the first time in almost 80 years. Oakland's ban stretches back to the 1930s, when several cities in the United States adopted laws restricting the sale and public display of pinball machines due to their ties to illegal gambling. The former game of chance evolved into a skill-based challenge with the introduction of flippers, however, leading many cities to rescind their pinball bans in the 1970s. Pinball manufacturer Stern commemorates the end of Oakland's ban with an Iron Man table tournament taking place at RadioShack's Fruitvale Station store over the next month. Pinball players have 30 days to rack up a high score on the newly installed machine, and the top 16 players will compete in a final tournament round on September 20. [Image: Stern]
Pinball FX2 launches for Xbox One with table transfer feature
Zen Studios has released an Xbox One version of Pinball FX2, bringing its collection of dozens of previously released tables to Microsoft's latest console. Previously pegged for a July premiere, the Xbox One version of Pinball FX2 was delayed in order to implement a fan-requested table transfer feature, allowing players to import content purchased in the Xbox 360 version of Pinball FX2. Pinball wizards can consult this FAQ for assistance regarding the import process. Pinball FX2 arrives on the Xbox One as a free download, with multiple tables based on Star Wars and the Marvel universe available for purchase separately. [Image: Zen Studios]
Pinball FX2 delayed on Xbox One, devs adding table transfers
Pinball FX2 won't be pulling plungers and flipping flippers on July 31 after all, developer Zen Studios announced on its blog. But before you go full tilt on the comments section, know that it's for a good reason: Zen Studios is using the extra development time to implement table transfers so that players who purchased a table for the Xbox 360 version of FX2 will be able to move that table to the Xbox One, free of charge. Zen Studios doesn't expect the implementation of the feature to take long, as the Pinball FX2 release date has only been pushed back to "sometime in August," nebulous though that date may be. "We do apologize for the delay while we create the Pinball FX2 experience that our fans both want and deserve," the Zen Studios blog reads. "We're excited to bring Pinball FX2 to Xbox One owners, to have their previous purchases honored and transferred, and we can't wait to share with you what we've got coming in the future." [Thanks, Kraig!] [Image: Zen Studios]
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]
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]
Yoda is in deep Sith in Zen Studios' latest Star Wars Pinball table
While it lacks the upbeat chirping of an ambulatory trashcan, the "Masters of the Force" table is yet another sterling homage to the Star Wars universe from the virtual pinball masters at Zen Studios. [Image: Zen Studios]
Joust, Pin*Bot artist Python Anghelo passes away
Python Anghelo, the artist behind many iconic illustrations from the golden age of arcade gaming, passed away at his home yesterday after an extended battle with cancer. Born in 1954, Anghelo created marquee and cabinet artwork for Williams' landmark 1982 arcade game Joust. Anghelo had a prolific career in the pinball industry afterward, working as an artist and designer for tables like Pin*Bot, Taxi, Fish Tales and High Speed. Friend Paul Kiefert confirmed Anghelo's passing yesterday. Kiefert established a GoFundMe project to pay for Anghelo's cancer treatment last month, earning nearly $20,000 in donations from friends, family and devoted fans. "I can say with 100 percent certainty that with the help of this great Pinball Community we were able to deliver great joy and happiness during his final time on this earth and that the legend most people knew will continue to be honored for generations to come," Kiefert wrote. [Image: Williams / Arcade Crusade]
Star Wars Pinball taps Episode 4 - A New Hope for its latest table
While you'll have to wait a bit for the official debut of Zen Studios' pinball table based on Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope, the developer offers the above primer demonstrating just how faithfully it has captured the beloved film in its trademark world of bumpers, lights and rolling metal balls. [Image: Zen Studios]
Pinball Arcade dev pulls season three pass, cites Apple policy issue
Pinball Arcade has a quite a few tables in its virtual collection of real-world machines, but fans looking for a one-and-done purchase of its third season of content are now out of luck. In a recent newsletter, Farsight Studios explained that it has pulled season three passes across all platforms due to Apple denying Farsight the ability to sell the pass on iPlatforms. "We have come to [the] decision that we will be removing the Season Three Pass from all platforms to preserve consistency of purchasing options," Farsight wrote. "Nothing will change for those that already purchased the Season Three Pass, you will be entitled to the tables just as you were before." While season passes might not be an option, Farsight will continue on with the development of new tables. Farsight also announced last month that it's aiming Pinball Arcade for the ramp to the Wii U eShop, a Linux version on Steam and a relisting on the Xbox Live Arcade in 2014. [Image: Farsight Studios]
Pinball Arcade developer looking to create original tables
Multiplatform pinball sim The Pinball Arcade currently features a lineup of over 40 recreated machines from decades past, but developer FarSight Studios could soon tap veteran industry talent for all-new pinball table designs, according to a BBC News report. "We have talked to some of the famous pinball designers from the past, and they are definitely interested," FarSight's VP of product development Bobby King told BBC News. "Those cost considerations [of the past] are irrelevant when machines are designed only to be built in the virtual world, so imagine what these guys could do if they were given carte blanche." King additionally discussed the possibility of real-world pinball machines being built from new digital table designs, if they prove successful. Pinball machine manufacturer Stern has an established relationship with developer FarSight, and a handful of its recent tables appear digitally in The Pinball Arcade. Developer Silverball Studios previously announced that it would work with The Addams Family and Twilight Zone table designer Pat Lawlor to produce a new digital table design, but plans fell through when the team's Pro Pinball project failed to meet its Kickstarter funding goal. FarSight recently extended its license to produce digital tables based on classic Williams and Bally designs, revealing that Black Knight 2000 and Who Dunnit are next in line for conversion. [Image: FarSight Studios]
Pinball Arcade extends WMS license, Black Knight 2000 among incoming tables
Pinball Arcade, FarSight Studios' digital pinball hall dedicated to creating counterparts of real-life pinball machines, will add more Williams and Bally tables to its future lineup. The associated Facebook post states that a renewed license with Williams and Bally will allow FarSight to add more tables from the classic pinball manufacturer's archives, starting with Black Knight 2000. An estimated release date was not offered. Pinball Arcade has reached a lot of platforms, but its absence from Xbox Live Arcade is explained in the FAQ on the game's site, noting that unavailability on the platform stems from "legal problems with Microsoft and [publisher] Crave and we must wait for legal resolution while we consider other options." A forum post from January, spotted by Polygon, notes FarSight's plans to "re-launch" Pinball Arcade on XBLA. This post also shares a Linux version on Steam in 2014 as well as plans to submit a Wii U version to Nintendo in early 2014. FarSight shared hopes to continue expanding Pinball Arcade's lineup for as long as sales "stay strong!" Hopefully the renewed license doesn't make FarSight think they're the Bally king; that crown's already been claimed.
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.
