Pinball FX2 (XBLA): "Zen Classics"

In the early next-gen days of gaming, before I even thought of doing gaming reviews, I was a serious PS3 gamer. Among my collection of PSN game titles there was a pinball game you may have heard of before. This pinball game was none other than "Zen Pinball". It was basically the same thing as "Pinball FX2", but unlike 'Pinball FX2' though 'Zen Pinball' came with it's own unique starter set. There were four tables included that each presented to the gamer an entirely unique pinball gaming experience. The tables included in the set were "El Dorado", "Shaman", "V12", and "Tesla". As Zen Studios would have it these four challenging tables were kept from the Xbox 360 version of the game for a while. It wasn't until recently that the pinball wizards of 'Zen Studios' decided to grant us Xbox 360 owners access to these early tables. In the end Zen Studios not only revived them for us, but also remastered them with amazingly enhanced graphics, and sounds. Today my friends I bring to you my breakdown of what each table has to offer the player as well as some basic stategies to achieve that highest score. Without further adieu, "Let the games begin!" ....

El Dorado

Just as the title of this table suggests you'll find that "El Dorado" is a pinball experience that's all about archaeological discovery, and legend. For those of you unfamiliar with the old "El Dorado" mythology it's basically a Spanish myth about the hidden, or long lost ruins of an ancient Mayan civilization. The city itself was rumored to have been made of gold. Explorers like Cortez were said to have went off in search of this fabled city, but none never really found what they were searching for. Regardless of the background story of the title, Zen Studios has added their own twist on the tale. You'll find that two explorers/companions are the adventurers at the heart of this visual pinball adventure. Placed as an artistic centerpiece this man, and woman find themselves in the midst of danger, and discovery. Ruins litter the playing field in the form of sectional totems, hidden caves filled with treasure, and a labyrinth of passageways in the form of ramps. The question remains, can our adventurers find what they seek? Will they come to realize wealth beyond measure? In the end it's all up to you to decide their fate, and bring home the prize in the form of the leaderboard's highest score!

El Dorado is a table that requires a mild patience in order to gain high scores. Most of the ramps/ramp cages are placed in a floating position above the actual playing field. This allows for easy passage of the pinball to the various parts of the playing field. To the top left-hand side of the playing field you'll find a rising, and descending totem that acts as an event activation device. Flipping the pinball into the open mouths of the three sections of the totem will set into one of several adventure events from which you can gain some significant points if completed. Most of these totem related events require that the player shoot the pinball through certain ramps located on various parts of the playing field. At the opposite top corner is a Mayan cave of wonders where you score fictional loot (remedies, gold idols) as well as bonus points if you get the pinball to enter it's opening. Aside from the totem, and cave scoring events you'll also find plenty of less valuable point makers in the form of bumpers, and point markers, and a spinner (if I remember correctly). My best advice for this table is don't get too careless. Bouncing the pinball around wildly without control will often times result in a lost ball. With that being said though the pinball can keep a continuous journey throughout the playing field if flipped properly. Remember though that patience is a virtue when it comes to playing 'Pinball FX2' tables.

Shaman

Often times when I'm reviewing a Pinball FX2 table you'll see me use the word "whimsical", and in the case of the "Shaman" table I think it warrants that description. Continuing with the ancient civilizations bit, Zen Studios has created a tribal table that combines, upbeat tribal music, comically exaggerated Indian/Mayan characters, and a colorful appearance unlike any other table that was made after it. Painted in a larger than life cartoon display a pot bellied shaman resides as a surreal centerpiece for this colorful table. Accompanying him are three of his loyal subjects, and tribe mates in the form of interactive 3D models who each find themselves playing different instruments in front of colorful whirlpools. At the very back of the table is a scoring mechanism featuring panel targets, and a digital display that spells out the word "ELEMENTS". Ramps are located on either side of the table offering routed access to special scoring events. All in all this table has plenty to offer the player in the form of audio, and graphical delights.

When it comes down to acheiving that highest score on the 'Shaman' table you'll find that "haste make waste". In other words if you get too hasty, bouncing the pinball around like a mad man then you'll likely lose all of your balls in a record time. Patience, and well timed flipping is the key to success when trying to reach a high score on this particular table. Accessing the ramps are a fairly simple task if you take things slowly, but as I said before flipping the ball wildly will only result in the ball bouncing of ramp, bumpers, and 3D figures in a haphazard manner. In retrospect this table is one of the more challenging tables of the set, but it is managable.

Tesla

Out of all the tables in this set the 'Tesla' table is by far my favorite. Outright challenging as it may be, I still adore the steam-punk appeal, and the fact that every electrical component looks as if it belongs together just as it would in one of Nikola Tesla's inventions. For those of you who don't know of Nikola Tesla, or his contribution to world science allow me to educate you just a little. Nikola Tesla was a 19th century Serbian-American inventor, engineer, physicist, and futurist. His work involved things like electro-magnetic pulse research, research on x-rays, and even research on radio waves. Most people who follow history will know him for his invention of the 'Tesla Coil', and the 'AC Dynamo-Electric Machine" which are both actually featured on this Zen Studios tribute table.

At the heart, or center of the table, Nikola Tesla faces front and center as he should. In his hands he holds one of his signature inventions, and underneath him lies a meter that is used to measure electric current. All around the painted image of Nikola Tesla are 3D interactive models of his inventions. The towering Tesla Coils for example stands upright towards the back along with a Dynamo-Electric Machine setup beside it. The ramps are made to look like copper wire formed into cage-like tunnels giving a hint that they too are a part of the many inventions that grace this table's presence. At the extreme back side of the table you'll find two inventions that act in unison, and trigger a special scoring event if managed properly. The meter face with the ball scoop, and the magnetic field generator work hand in hand to activate this particular event. Amidst the junction of copper wire ramps, and invention models you'll find a set of bumpers adorned with various lightbulbs/transistors. As with any Pinball FX2 table these bumpers also act as a part of certain scoring events. All in all there are a lot of ways to score, but doing so without lossing your balls will be a trying task indeed.

As a Pinball FX2 player you'll find that the 'Tesla' table is one of the more unforgiving tables in the set. With the middle, and back portions of the playing field being littered with strikable objects you'll find more often than not your pinball will take unual paths around the table. Accessing the ramps is not the easiest of tasks as a result, but it is managable if you flip the pinball with well timed flips. The real challenge will come in the form of trying to score big points. The events that are made available on this table are some of the more difficult to trigger, and aren't exactly worth much score-wise. The electro-magnetic generator model located at the top-right corner for example will require well timed (RT & LT) button presses in order to get the ball to knock down all the targets. If you succeed in knocking down every target you will then need to make the ball advance to the scoop in front of the meter (to the left of the electro-magnet) in order to properly trigger one of the more higher valued events. This task in itself is easier said than done, but it is managable. The good thing is that losing a ball is not as easy as the next table I'm going to review.

V12

V12 is likely the most unforgiving, and unfriendly Pinball FX2/Zen Pinball tables to date. The title of this table is obviously a play on the V12 engine whose parts litter the playing field. For those non-motorheads out there, a V12 engine is one of the faster, more well-performing engines available. As the visuals of the table suggest this particular motor is used for hotrods, and street cars. Nearly every 3D model on this table relates in some way to a car's performance. There's a motor block with a complimentary fan blade, and piston holes as well as a crank shaft mini-game imbeded in the table's surface for example. There's even an exhaust pipe with an airbreather attached at the top right-hand corner of the table that acts as a scoring mechanism. The artistic details defintiely point to the speed, and performance of the V12 with the exception of the flag girl, and the vehicles that resides between the main flippers and middle portion of the playing field. Small details like racing lights, a digital gear shift display, and the checkered flag spinner only further add to the table's racing appeal.

Gaining a highs core, or even lasting long on the 'V12' table is a trying task. If you're not careful you'll lose all of your balls before you even get into the 1 million point range. The way that Zen Studios has placed the extra side flipper on the left side of the table only complicates things worse. In order to keep a ball from exiting past the point of no return you'll need to hit it with this flipper before it passes by. I found that doing so requires extremely quick reflexes though. Another huge issue I found with this table is that all the bright illuminations, and graphics make it hard to tell exactly where the ball is headed. The fact that gaining enough speed to make it to the top of the playing field is hard also presents a problem. You need to be able to keep the momentum, and speed of the ball up in order to access the upper portion of the playing field properly. Unfortunately this is one of those tables where you'd be better off trading speed for patience though. When it's all said, and done this will probably be the table less played.

CONCLUSION

In the end I think Zen Studios did a great job bringing these tables to life for us Xbox 360 gamers to enjoy. I could definitely tell a difference in the visual, and audio quality after revisiting some youtube videos of earlier PS3 gameplay. The lighting has been enhanced giving the tables a more improved next-gen look. Even the colors seem to be more vivid. As far as new additions go there were none (other than pre-game graphics & acheivements). Zen Studios simply remastered each table making them appear, and sound better than they did in their original release. I think the fact that the tables are now available for Xbox 360 owners to experience is a huge plus. The only downside, if any is the fact that the V12 table is a truly unforgiving, and unfriendly table. The rest of the tables on the other hand are well worth the time, and points invested. When it's all said, and done I think that 800 msp is a fair asking price. If your up for some Zen Studio nostalgia, or are looking to play these tables for the first time then I highly suggest that you at least give the trials a proper chance if not purchase the set straight out.