star-wars-pinball
Latest
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]
Four new tables join Star Wars Pinball on April 29
Zen Studios continues to expand its nigh-ubiquitous virtual pinball offerings with the April 29 debut of four additional tables for Star Wars Pinball. Included in the quartet of tables, collectively dubbed "Heroes Within," are Han Solo, Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope, Star Wars Pinball: Masters of the Force, and, newly-revealed today, Star Wars Pinball: Droids. As its name suggests, that last one is a table focused on the adventures of R2D2 and C3PO. While you'd think an effete stereotype and a beeping trash can would live sedate lives, as the trailer above demonstrates, our plucky metallic duo must contend with Jawas and inexplicably dangerous machinery while attempting to escape the iconic Sandcrawler. Though no price has been assigned to the Heroes Within DLC, Zen Studios notes that these four tables will be available to all Star Wars Pinball platforms on April 29. [Image: Zen Studios]
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]
Star Wars Pinball shoots first with four new tables
Zen Studios' pinball tables featuring the Star Wars universe aren't done yet. The "Heroes Within" pack includes four new tables featuring Han Solo, Droids!, Episode IV A New Hope and Masters of the Force. The new pack will be available on the free Zen Studios pinball platforms on... um, like, almost everything. Xbox Live Arcade, all current Sony platforms, Steam, iOS, Google Play, Amazon and OSX. The galaxy far, far away is flippin' multiplatform. [Image: Zen Studios]
Wii U sees Star Wars Pinball, CastleStorm expansions this week
Zen Studios will launch two expansions for Wii U on March 13: Balance of the Force for Star Wars Pinball and The Warrior Queen for CastleStorm. Balance of the Force runs $10 in the eShop, and The Warrior Queen doesn't have a set price, but it costs $3 on Steam. Balance of the Force includes three new pinball tables – Return of the Jedi, a Darth Vader table and Starfighter Assault. The Return of the Jedi table pits The Rebellion against the Sith and its Death Star, the Darth Vader table has players embrace the dark side of the Force, and the Starfighter Assault table includes the X-wing, TIE Fighter, Millenium Falcon and Death Star 2. Castlestorm's The Warrior Queen introduces a new Viking Elite troop class, and new weapons including Meteor Showers, Exploding Barrels, Stormbringers, Golem Hostages and Frozen Swordfish. Plus, it throws in 20 more levels and fresh achievements. Both of these bundles launched previously on other consoles and PC. [Image: Zen Studios]
New Star Wars Pinball tables launch Oct. 15; Mac and Wii U delayed
On October 15, Zen Studios will issue three additional tables to Star Wars Pinball. PSN in North America gets the new "Balance of the Force" pack first on October 15, followed by a launch on PSN in Europe the following day as well as Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, Windows 8, iOS, Android and Kindle. Unfortunately, the Wii U and Mac versions have been delayed. Zen Studios says it'll make an announcement regarding those platforms "at a later time." The "Balance of the Force" includes three new locales based around series loud-breather Darth Vader, the planet of Endor from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and a Starfighter Assault table that pays homage to the series' iconic space battles.
Star Wars Pinball flips out on the 3DS eShop Sep. 19
Star Wars Pinball is coming to the 3DS eShop on September 19. The game will cost $6.99 in North America and €6.99 in Europe. The three tables included in the base game are based on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Developer Zen Studios has announced another three Star Wars Pinball tables are coming this fall. The 3DS version fully supports stereoscopic 3D, leaderboards, in-game challenges and an XP progression system where players can rank up, either by aligning themselves with the Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance.
Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force tables available this fall
Zen Studios isn't done with Star Wars-branded pinball tables, announcing another three this morning for autumn. The "Balance of the Force" tables feature Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi (Endor) and Starfighter Assault tables. Sorry, Jar-Jar fans, still no lake city Naboo table. Unlike previous tables from Zen, these tables are going to launch on (1+1+2+1...) a whole mess of platforms during the launch week. Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force will be available on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network for PS3 and Vita, Steam, Nintendo Wii U eShop, Apple and Mac App Stores, Google Play, Windows 8 and Kindle Fire HD.
PS Plus August freebies: Hitman Absolution, Runner 2, Star Wars Pinball
The August incentives for PlayStation Plus subscribers have been revealed, starting tomorrow with a free copy of Hitman: Absolution. IO Interactive's latest entry in the stealthy kill-em-up series deviates from the established formula, our review says, but offers a "healthy dose of stealth and creative assassinations." Other free games up for grabs in August are PS3 games Runner 2 and Star Wars Pinball, Machinarium on PS Vita and Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, compatible with PS Vita and PSP. Tomorrow's PSN update will also yield discounts on Rayman content and a few new games – all of which you can see listed over on the PlayStation Blog.
Star Wars Pinball being loaded into the 3DS chute
Zen Studios is working to port Star Wars Pinball over to the 3DS, the development studio has told Nintendo Everything. More information on the upcoming port is coming "very soon," Zen Studios promises. Star Wars Pinball is the latest addition to Zen's lucrative virtual pinball business and includes a collection of three tables themed around The Empire Strikes Back film, The Clone Wars television show and iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett. Zen Studios has said that more Star Wars Pinball tables are currently in development.
Star Wars Pinball cloned on Wii U July 11
Star Wars Pinball is about to enter a galaxy not so far away: the Nintendo eShop on Wii U. The game will hit Nintendo's platform on July 11, and features tables based on The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett and The Clone Wars. Unfortunately, the Force won't be enough to grab the game – it'll cost you $10 (or €10). Also, since this is a Star Wars re-release, you should know that all of the lightsabers have been replaced with walkie-talkies.
Star Wars Pinball standalone version hits PSN next week
The Star Wars-themed pinball tables that found their way to Zen Studios' myriad pinball games last February will be released as a standalone product for PlayStation 3 and Vita next week. Star Wars Pinball will include the Star Wars Episode V, Boba Fett and Clone Wars tables previously seen in Zen Pinball 2, et al. Players can choose to contribute their high scores to either the Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance, with the game's interface changing dynamically depending on the global balance of power. The game will be Cross-Buy enabled at $9.99/€9.99, though anyone who already owns these tables in Zen Pinball 2 can download the new solo app for free. Likewise, anyone that purchases Star Wars Pinball will unlock the equivalent tables in Zen Pinball 2.
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 experiences issues on Windows 8
Zen Studios is currently having issues with the recently released Star Wars Pinball on Windows 8 machines. Following up with the developer after receiving several tips this morning about a "Not_Yet_Localized" error on the Microsoft operating system, the company tells us it's working with MS to resolve the issue."Zen Studios rarely has release issues, and we really feel terrible whenever players spend their time and energy having to report issues instead of playing games," a company spokesperson told Joystiq. "Fixes are coming soon! Apologies to the players trying to play Star Wars Pinball on Windows 8!"The issue appears to be platform specific and we haven't heard about the problem on consoles or other operating systems.
Star Wars Pinball for iPad is paddle-flipping fun
Zen Studios will release Star Wars Pinball for iPad tomorrow. I've spent a week with it and am happy to say that it's great. The game's attention to detail, visuals, gameplay and surprises make it a winner. There's something here for old-time Star Wars geeks as well as those who are growing up with The Clone Wars. Pinball fans will enjoy it, too. Here's my look at Star Wars Pinball for iPad. Looks To call Star Wars Pinball a stunner is like saying the sun is warm. There's so much to it, and I keep finding new things. The start screen is well laid out and the buttons are easy to hit and clear in their purpose. Menus are clear and easy to tap. Of course, the real fun is in the tables themselves. You start off three to choose from: The Empire Strikes Back, The Clone Wars and Boba Fett. Each is appropriately themed with all sorts of goodies. For example, the Boba Fett table features a tentacle-waving sarlacc, a frozen Han Solo and a really cool Fett paint job. As you play, an animated Boba Fett flies back and forth. %Gallery-179952% There are lots of little details, too. On the Boba Fett table, the launcher is Fett's rocket pack. On the Empire table, it's a lightsaber and on the Clone Wars table, an escape pod puts the ball in play. Once you've selected a table, you can enjoy a "flyover" examination before gameplay begins. There's no time limit to this feature and it's a super way to find all the hidden gems, artistic touches and references that make this game so nice to look at. For example, don't miss the red R2 unit in the Empire table. He's hard to see during gameplay. Prepare to geek out, Star Wars fans! Gameplay Just like a real pinball table, there are many bonuses to unlock. Minor bonuses boost your point total while others are more impressive. For example, a certain combination on the Boba Fett table releases an animated Jabba the Hutt, who has a interaction with Boba Fett via a brief cinematic. Likewise, an animated Vader can appear on the Empire table, while Anakin and Ahsoka fight with battle droids on the Clone Wars table. The Empire table will even let you see brief scenes from that movie. And no, I won't tell you how to trigger these cinematics. That would spoil the surprise! Really, that's just the beginning. There's a lot to find. The physics work well. The game's flippers are very responsive and the ball behaves as you'd expect. Another fun aspect of the game is your Force allegiance. Choose to support the Dark Side or the Light Side. You earn points as you plan and move along the ranks (Jedi initiate, padawan, etc.). Achievements and Game Center leaderboards provide additional challenges. Conclusion Star Wars Pinball for iPad is a lot of fun. Star Wars fans and pinball wizards will enjoy it. It will be available on the App Store tomorrow (pricing was not available at the time of this writing).
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.
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%
