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Team Meat bashes MS, Zen Studios hits Meat, both have lunch date in Bay Area
The right to a personal opinion is the crux of humanity, freedom and guns, and Team Meat and Zen Studios are exercising their liberties to the fullest. Super Meat Boy's Team Meat has been vocal about its displeasure with developing for Microsoft's Game Feast promotion in 2010, and raised the issue again on the IndieGames Podcast this month. Team Meat say Super Meat Boy didn't receive the promotion it was verbally promised, which was supposed to include a review from Major Nelson and an exclusive launch week. Neither happened, and McMillen promises that Indie Game: The Movie captures much of Team Meat's Microsoft frustration, including what felt like being tortured in a concentration camp (IndieGames Podcast 27:35).
Ms. Splosion Man's Pinball FX table out Aug. 31, playable at PAX
The Ms. Splosion Man pinball table for Pinball FX2 will blast pinkness across XBLA on August 31 for 240 MSP ($3) -- that's less than a box of doughnuts. Heading to PAX? You'll be able to flip over the new table at Twisted Pixel or Microsoft, located at booth numbers 3003 and 432, respectively. While you're waiting for the table, why not try out the actual Ms. Splosion Man game? It's fun, we promise.%Gallery-130510%
Pinball FX 2 wants your high scores in XBLA Spider-Man tournament
Zen Studios is hosting a high-score Spider-Man tournament for XBLA's Pinball FX 2, running from today to August 12. The winners will receive goodies such as MS Points and sweet Marvel gear, all for playing some pinball. The prizes break down as follows: 1st Place: 4,000 MS Points, a Marvel Digital Comics annual subscription, a Spider-Man Bass Skyline tee shirt from Mighty Fine 2nd and 3rd Place: 1600 MS Points, a Marvel Digital Comics annual subscrption, a Spider-Man Bass Skyline tee shirt from Mighty Fine Zen Studios promises prizes for random players as well, so feel free to play some rounds without any pressure. The Spider-Man table is in the Marvel Pinball pack, which runs 800 MS Points on XBLA, and it is required to play in the tournament. Otherwise it'd just have a name like "Pinball Championships," which are already happening this August, and wouldn't that be awkward at the Kinko's badge station.
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.
Ms. 'Splosion Man gets a table in Pinball FX 2
Zen Studios' Pinball FX2 and Twisted Pixel's Ms. Splosion Man have revealed a cross-splode-form promotion. Ms. 'Splosion Man will have her own table in the pinball sim, while an arcade room in Ms. 'Splosion Man, will have a "virtual Pinball FX 2 table where you can dive right into the hot XBLA pinball action directly." Ms. 'Splosion Man hits Xbox Live Arcade on July 13 for 800 MSP ($10). There is currently no release date or price announcement for Ms. 'Splosion Man's Pinball FX 2 table, but it should arrive shortly after the XBLA game's debut and cost a few dollars.
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%
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%
Pinball FX2 goes to Mars next week
A new "Mars" table for Pinball FX 2 will roll out on April 20 for 240 MS points ($3). Sadly, based on the trailer, the planet appears bereft of life. Perhaps you'll have to shoot the ramp in order to start ... the reactor.
Marvel Pinball gets Blade table; you get new screens and a trailer
When not busy saving us from vampires, Blade usually kicks it in his hideout -- only he and Kris Kristofferson know the entry code. Inside, he's got a Gazelle, full garlic juice bar (not bad, actually!) and a custom pinball machine, which, coincidentally, is the latest table revealed for Marvel Pinball.
Marvel Pinball coming to XBLA and PSN in December
Zen Studios, purveyor of fine virtual pinball games, has formally announced Marvel Pinball (first outed by a ratings board leak), coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network at some point during December. Marvel Pinball is a set of tables themed after characters from the Marvel universe, and will work as DLC within the well-received Pinball FX 2 on the Xbox 360. The tables will be packaged as a standalone game on the PlayStation Network. Initially, four different tables will be available, featuring Blade, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Iron Man -- all visible in our gallery below. Zen says it has "access to the entire Marvel Universe IP" and promises "regular DLC content" for Marvel Pinball throughout 2011 "and beyond." %Gallery-107330%
'Marvel Pinball' leaked by Australian Ratings Board
The development studio behind both the Pinball FX series on XBLA and Zen Pinball on PSN has just popped up on the Australian Ratings Board website under a listing for "Marvel Pinball," a "multiplatform" game. The ESRB has yet to detail it, but we get the feeling Marvel Pinball just might be a pinball game with Marvel branding and characters -- our detective work knows no bounds, we know. Given past additions to its pinball games, Zen Studios could be planning the title as an expansion to its forthcoming Pinball FX 2. Regardless, the listing existing at all means we should be hearing more about Marvel Pinball sooner than later.
Pinball FX 2 delayed, still part of XBLA's Game Feast
You know how during certain, extremely fancy multi-course meals, guests will be given a brief intermission between the lobster bisque and the incredibly difficult platformer? Developer ZEN Studios announced earlier today that a similar palette cleanser will be offered this week during the XBLA Game Feast, as the release of its free, flipper-tapping title Pinball FX 2 has been delayed from October 13 to October 27. That means that Pinball FX 2, not Super Meat Boy, is the final game for the promotion -- which makes us wonder if they'd consider changing its name to something relating to its new headliner. Something like Multiball Month or Bumper ... Time. Bumper Time, sure!
BioLab table revealed for Pinball FX 2
Listen, we're not going to stand here and pretend like we understand the odd ... subset of people that love video game pinball. But they're out there, they're voracious, and we're not standing in their way. So here's the new BioLab table from the upcoming Pinball FX 2. Drink it in, weirdos. %Gallery-103204%
Pinball FX 2 Preview: The pinball you've known all your life
Pinball games might not seem highly sought after anymore. Whether you blame it on the death of the arcade in America or the ever-increasing complexity of modern games, you're probably under the impression that the average gamer just isn't aching to flip a ball around a flashy cabinet. But according to Zen Studios, its last XBLA game, Pinball FX, was one of best-selling games on Xbox Live Arcade. Come October 13, the studio will launch Pinball FX 2. %Gallery-100731%
Planet Minigolf gets patched for PlayStation Move on Sept. 19
The fact that PS3's Planet Minigolf is getting PlayStation Move support has been known for a while -- now we know the game will be patched for precision putting on September 19, just after Sony's newest peripheral launches. Keep reading for a video of the Move-enabled game in motion.
Pinball FX 2 exposed by Australian ratings office
Going by a rating handed down by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (shouldn't it add "games" to its name at this point?), Hungarian dev ZEN Studios is readying a sequel to Pinball FX, the first and only pinball game for Xbox Live Arcade. The classification dated August 10, 2010, lists Microsoft as the publisher. Combine that with the fact that disc-based pinball titles are pretty much nonexistent at this point and, well, it's called Pinball FX 2, we'd say it's a pretty safe bet that the game is bound for XBLA. The original Pinball FX hit Xbox 360 all the way back in 2007, but has seen regular updates in the form of new themed tables, the most recent of which landed in the Xbox Marketplace on January 27 of this year. We may not know anything solid on this sequel (apart from the fact that it's apparently suitable for all ages) but we have some hopes for it, the biggest being that those who own the original be able to use the tables they've bought in the new game, without having to buy them again. If not, we may have to paddle someone. We've contacted Microsoft for comment on the classification and will update as soon as we hear back.
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.
Planet Minigolf adds YouTube replay support
What isn't ZEN Studios putting into its Planet Minigolf game? Not only will it support PlayStation Move, the game already features an extensive "play, create, share" mode. In addition to the requisite online leaderboards and multiplayer modes, Planet Minigolf adds one of our favorite (and least-used) PS3-exclusive features: the ability to upload replays directly to YouTube. Planet Minigolf is definitely shaping up to be one of the most feature-laden games on the PlayStation Network -- especially considering its $9.99 price. Expect it on the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks.
Planet Minigolf lets you play, create, share
ZEN Studios' upcoming PSN exclusive minigolf game is joining the play, create, share bandwagon. This trailer showcases the course creation and sharing system that lets you create your own courses in minutes. With this feature, Planet Minigolf will become the latest in a growing lineup of PSN games that allow user-generated content, including Joe Danger, Cuboid, and Gravity Crash. Media Molecule must be so proud.
