Zen-Studios
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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.
CastleStorm makes a run at Xbox Live Arcade, Windows 8 in April
Zen Studios has been working on its tower-defense game CastleStorm for well over a year now. During an appointment with the developer, Joystiq has learned the game is currently set for launch on Xbox Live Arcade and Windows 8 sometime in April.CastleStorm is essentially a 2D, physics-based destruction game with tower-defense elements tossed in. As the Knights, you defend your castle from waves of attacking Vikings; players can defend with ranged weapons such as ballistas, or choose to put their boots on the ground and get right into the conflict as a hero.There will also be a host of other modes to play outside of the campaign's 12 different environments, including online multiplayer and co-op, plus a castle editor – you can set up your own look and weapon loadouts for your castle, and test weapons within the editor to see how they'd bring it down.Zen Studios hasn't announced a price for CastleStorm yet, but with only around a month left until launch, we're sure the developer will lob a price point over toward us soon.
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 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.
'Zen Classics' DLC flippers over to XBLA's Pinball FX2 this Wednesday
Zen Studios will add four classic tables to Pinball FX2 this Wednesday. The "Zen Classics" bundle includes four "digitally re-mastered" tables, altered from their already digital state, with upgraded graphics and physics for Pinball FX2.The four tables in the pack are Tesla (pretty great!), Shaman, Eldorado and V12. The tables come as a bundle for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
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.
Pinball FX 2 ricochets onto Windows 8
Windows and free pinball games go together like computer labs and bored high-school students, and Microsoft's shiny new Windows 8 platform will be no exception to that rule, as Zen Studios has launched Pinball FX 2 on the new OS' Microsoft Store app repository.The free download includes one table ("Mars," specifically), with 18 other tables available for $2.99 each, including Marvel-branded jams such as "Thor," "The Infinity Gauntlet" and "Marvel's The Avengers." Zen plans to support the Windows 8 version with new DLC just as it has the XBLA version, though no amount of DLC will complete that essay on Uncle Tom's Cabin that you're supposed to be working on.
CastleStorm sing-along trailer invites karaoke for prizes
Zen Studios has put out a sing-along trailer for its upcoming Angry Birds meets MOBA game, CastleStorm.Interested participants just record themselves singing along to the melody and submit it to Zen at CastleStorm@zenstudios.com or through Twitter @Zen_Studios by November 16. Winners receive codes for the XBLA game, a code for the next Pinball FX2 table, and Zen Studios slippers.If you've got the voice, comfy slippers are definitely worth the ensuing public humiliation.%Gallery-162749%
'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%
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%
PSN Tuesday: NFL Sunday Ticket, Zen Pinball 2 and Borderlands (free for PS Plus members)
Are you ready for some apps that enable you to watch football on Sunday? Okay, so we failed Marketing 101 – it's our way of saying DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket is now available to PS3 users.Joining football is free-to-play PS3/PS Vita cross-play compatible (phew!) Zen Pinball 2, from Zen Studios. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, there are the usual discounts to consider, like 75 percent off Greed Corp and 40 percent off Daytona USA, and a free download of Borderlands. The full list is over on the PlayStation Blog.
Zen Studios' Plants vs. Zombies pinball table lets in sunshine next week
Zen Studios' first mystery pinball table based on a PopCap franchise will be Plants vs. Zombies. The table, playable at PAX this weekend, features your favorite flora and undead continuing their epic battle with the assistance of giant silver balls.The Plants vs. Zombies pinball table will be available on September 4 and 5 in North America and Europe, respectively, as a cross buy add-on for Zen Pinball 2 on PS3 and Vita. The table flips on in XBLA's Pinball FX2 on September 5. The table is $2.99 through the PlayStation Network, 240 Microsoft Points ($3) on Xbox 360.Asked for a review of the table, Crazy Dave expounded, "Wabby-wibby woooo. Whaaaa! Wanna watta win."
CastleStorm fires off new screens for Gamescom
Zen Studios, which found success through its pinball games, is branching out and showed off Kickbeat and CastleStorm at Gamescom. Here's the latest screens for the real-time strategy, castle vs. castle physics based destruction game launching this autumn, "first on Xbox."
The Zen of KickBeat
Zen Studios is best known for its prowess in the pinball market, amassing its fame from titles such as Pinball FX, Zen Pinball and Marvel Pinball (Notice a trend?). This success has enabled Zen to expand its creative department and develop a wide range of games for varying platforms.KickBeat, for example, is a music-based crossover action title for Vita that throws a brilliant twist into the tired rhythm genre. It combines the quick dexterity of classic rhythm games with a few of the industry's favorite tropes and trends: fighting and ninjas.The most noticeable fad that Zen Studios doesn't integrate in KickBeat also happens to be the game's best feature: It has absolutely no touchscreen or rear touchpad functions.
KickBeat trailer, partial track list revealed at Gamescom
KickBeat is a PS Vita game announced back in May by the pinball-loving developers at Zen Studios in which you'll lay the smack down on enemies in time to a musical beat. This week during Gamescom, the company released a trailer, as well as a partial track list for the title, which is set to arrive later on this year, exclusively on Sony's newest handheld.You can find the announced track list after the break – it ranges from the gritty Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, to the groovy Styles of Beyond and even Mandarin Chinese rapper Shen Yi. That's a positively eclectic selection right there, and Kickbeat will also include a tool for players to create playable tracks from their own music as well. So if that works as planned, there will be no end of tunes to play as you kick a fool's heads in.
Zen Pinball 2 on PS3/Vita, PopCap table this September
Zen Studios will pull back and launch Zen Pinball 2 for PlayStation 3 and Vita on September 4 through the PlayStation Network. The Zen Pinball 2 platform will support cross-platform play on PlayStation devices, meaning any Zen Pinball 2 table purchase will be playable on PS3 and Vita at no extra charge. Zen Pinball 2 will have 26 tables available at release (with free demos) and is a free update to Zen Pinball and Marvel Pinball.Zen also announced today that its PopCap-branded table will pop up September 4 and 5 on PlayStation systems and Xbox 360, respectively. The company still hasn't revealed whether the table will be based on Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle or Bejeweled, but it plans to do that at PAX Prime, which takes place August 31 through September 2 in Seattle, Washington.
Marvel Pinball 3D saves the eShop June 28
For those of you who choose to "Make Mine Marvel!" even when it comes to pinball simulations, Zen Studios will release Zen Pinball 3D on the 3DS eShop this Thursday, June 28, for $7.99 or €7.The pinball sim puts four superhero-themed tables all up in your face, including Iron Man, Blade, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four – all tables that have been featured in the console Marvel Pinball game. None of the tables follow the journey of a newly created superhero with the power to control a giant silver ball with his mind, which seems like a missed opportunity.%Gallery-157170%
