Pinball FX3 | William's Pinball Vol. 5 (PS4)

William's Pinball Volume 5 under the Pinball FX3 label continues the tribute trend by treating the players with a trio of new yet old tables. In this collection you'll find two tables by John Popadiuk, and one by Pat Lawlor. Each table in question hailing from the late 1990's, specifically around 1996 and 1997. John's tables are both interesting selections focusing on a more magical set of themes. One table is the "Cirqus Voltaire" Bally release, and the other the "Arabian Nights" table that most of you will be familiar with. Pat's table tribute is one lesser known, but definitely inspired table called "No Good Gofers". A table that reminds me an awfully lot of the old Bill Murray inclusive film, "Caddyshack". As a collective the set of tables is one of unique quality with each table bringing something notably different to the player. Of course the challenges with each also vary as do the many scoring opportunities made available.

Pinball FX 3 - William's Pinball: Universal Monster Set

The guys, and gals at Zen Studios know pinball. This fact is continuously made evident with each new table set they bring to their pinball platforms. If you haven't followed them in a while you might not know that they've actually begun creating tribute tables of the William's variety as a sort of set extension to their main brand. Each pack which costs roughly around ten dollars for two to three tables comes complete with a table history via textual intro facts, and the usual embellishments that come with the Zen Studios line of original table creations. That as well as the original artistic design. For example with the 'Universal Monster Set' you get a sort of dual design option that keeps the original design in mind as well as an enhanced version complete with the added video game flair Zen Studios is more known for. Point pop-ups, animatronics, holograms, 3D models, and a side dot matrix display where table events unfold in real time along with your achieved high score. Such things as that. With a single pressing of  'CIRCLE' you can effectively switch on, and off visual enhancements as you play. Similar to the way you change the table views, but with a different button. In a way this dual branding gifts the player two different versions of the two included tables. Allowing said players to experience in a more historically accurate way or in the Zen Studios way.

Pinball FX3 (PS4)

The years 2007 through 2017 have been quite the journey for famed pinball developer Zen Studios. They've grown with the times creating, and innovating along the way while producing impressive results. They took chances with intellectual properties outside of their Zen Pinball, and Pinball FX brands at times branching out into VR gaming as well as into actual pinball table creation among other things. They've gone that extra mile to say the least. That's why it took me by surprise when I found out the studio was going to change their signature pinball setup. After what seems like ages since the last released Zen Pinball 2 tables I read about the soon-to-be released Pinball FX3. About it being more about the gamer, and more multiplayer oriented, or focused than ever before. A goal the studio obviously had in mind from the beginning.

Looking back I can kind of understand why the developer chose to go this route. Though the early iterations of their pinball franchise were praised by journalists, and created by their development staff with the utmost attention to detail the new video game releases outside of Zen Studio's company were stealing gamers' attention as new games tend to do. I knew this for a while now as I too migrated from new game to new game looking for my next video game fix. It never was that the pinball tables they produced were boring, or bad, but that new gaming experiences stole my attention. A gaming issue that plagues many indecisive gamers. Thankfully the crew at Zen Studios decided to not let their legacy fall to the wayside ...

Zen Pinball 2 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PS4)

Before I get into the thick of this review I thought I'd be courteous, and let you know that I don't intend on leaking any movie spoilers. From time to time I may reference characters, but at this point we pretty much know of all the main role-players. For those of you who are unaware, and who have not yet bought this latest Zen Pinball 2 DLC pack I think you'll be pleased to learn that there are two tables instead of the one previewed table that was shown in the teaser trailer. It is the usual packaged deal in that you'll be forking over $4.99 in PSN credit for the DLC instead of the cheaper price for the individual tables. Single tables usually cost $2.99 each. In comparison of the two DLC types I think there is a bit of a discount with this set's pricing. The question that remains though is if it's worth having at all?

Zen Pinball 2 - "Balls of Glory" (PS4)

It's not a normal thing for Zen Studios to step outside the comfort zone of their "E - T" rating spectrum in regards to the table themes they choose to take on. You can imagine my own personal surprise at the fact that they actually went after "MA" rated late night cartoons this time around. While the cartoons themselves are often times subject to media scrutiny, and looming controversy due to their overly explicit content the tables did seem to stray away from that mindset, and maintain the common decency which Zen Studios is known for. You won't hear cussing, or anything questionable in the way of quotes, but you will still find the often times unapologetic, and sarcastically dark humor associated with each of the four television shows embedded within. Among the lot, which you will be getting for a single affordable price ($9.99) are "Family Guy", "Bob's Burgers", "Archer", and "American Dad!". Each of which comes complete with character based scoring objectives, and features as well as events that tie-in with fan favorite episodes pertaining to the long running series. Like the cartoons that they mimic every table in the set comes to life with replicated character animations that look as if they were ripped straight from the shows themselves, and accompanying voice-overs that seems to have been contributed by each of the original voice actors, and actresses. It is truly fan service at it's finest. In saying that, and realizing that that's the case I've come to understand that if you've not followed the cartoons like me you'll be completely lost in the puns, memes, and comedic jabs that are thrown out at the gamers in a sort of massive assumption of common understanding. It's not necessarily a bad thing though.

Zen Pinball 2: Ant-Man (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

Beyond what I've seen in the movie trailers I have absolutely no clue as to what the Ant-Man origin story, or continued Marvel lore entails. It's a given that the rogue protagonist who plays the role of the miniscule hero is gifted his abilities through the scientifically created suit, and helmet that he wears. In a similar way as the Iron-Man saga we are also presented with a hint via the trailers that a certain someone is out to steal the technology, and that they eventually do. Thus creating the series' villain, the 'Yellowjacket'. I imagine all sorts of shenanigans go on as 'Scott Lang (aka, Ant-Man)' changes sizes, and commands armies of ants to defeat his almost equally sized adversary. There will no doubt be a criminal aspect thrown in as well since Scott led a former life of crime before joining forces with 'Hope Van Dyne/Hank Pym' for the good fight.

For those of you looking for that usual Marvel history lesson fret not as I did do some online digging in order to provide at least a few factoids that relate to Ant-Man's source material. Those factoids go as follows ... Like many of Marvel's masterpieces 'Ant-Man' had his humble beginnings as a guest character in a series that was not his own. In September of 1962, in the pages of a comic book known as "Tales to Astonish #35" the original Ant-Man (aka, Hank Pym) made his debut appearance. Unlike the movie protagonist Hank created, and sported the unique size and strength changing apparatus as a scientific way to combat the world's many problems. You could say he was one of Marvel's geniuses in that respect.

Thanks to the initial trio of comic book legends (Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby) whom each contributed to the origin story of Ant-Man the pint-sized hero that was Pym was able to pave the way for other characters of interest to sport the same mantle through the years, but to a different affect. Originally Hank Pym was the scientist who crafted, and the Ant-Man suit/helmet combo, but through chance encounters Pym's legacy was passed on. In the Scott Lang continuation Scott effectively steals the suit to save his daughter only to be caught by authorities, and trained later under the tutelage of Hank Pym himself in order to turn his life around for the better. Of course it goes without saying that the epic saga did not end with Hank, or Scott, and has in fact been picked up to this day as an ongoing series in the ever-expanding Marvel multi-verse. In total there are four men (possibly more ...) who have each donned the Ant-Man guise according to their own unique situations. This includes Hank Pym, Scott Lang, Eric O'Grady, and Chris McCarthy. While the story is a continuation of sorts that has been built upon through the years other famed Marvel artists including 'Robert Kirkman' and 'Phil Hester' have also contributed their visual, and novel interpretation of the characters/situations at hand. With the success of the Ant-Man film, and the revival of the super-hero we may yet see more in the way of comic book spin-offs, merchandise, video games, and films. Let us hope so!

Zen Pinball 2 - "Portal Pinball" (PS3/PS4/PS VITA)

Working in collaboration with the development team at Valve, Zen Studios has designed a pinball table that is more or less a tribute to the events that occurred in "Portal 2". For those of you who are unaware of the events that happened in said plot you'll find that the main protagonist, 'Chell' (a female Aperture Science Lab employee) awoke from a deeply induced sleep only to find Aperture labs abandoned, and in disrepair. Realizing that Chell was now awake the resident A.I., 'GLaDOS' ran Chell through the virtual ringer like a lab rat in order to test her logic skills. In order to escape, and make it to the surface Chell had to solve a series of mind bending puzzles using a portal gun which functioned as it's name suggests. The portal gun effectively opened up portals of a blue, and orange color allowing entry, and exit points through walls and other structures. With this tool Chell was ultimately able to trip switches, and guide lasers to activate once useless mechanisms as well as pass through said portals herself. In the midst of her trials Chell also met a seemingly friendly A.I. bot known as Wheatley who intervened trying to help her through the massive maze by giving her hints, and assisting her with some problem solving. Eventually though Wheatley became an opposing force himself, and posed threat alongside GLaDOS. Chell eventually made it to the surface only to find herself in a vast desert-like environment with only a companion cube to accompany her. Thus ending the sequel to the stellar first game.

A Second Look At Zen Studio's "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

I had thought about doing the entire "Avengers: Age of Ultron" review over after revisiting the table today. I noticed a lot of things that I did not include as well as some things that were not exactly true to how I feel about the table currently. For whatever reason I had decided to do the review entirely from memory, and in my mind's eye the recollection of the table was poorly pictured. After revisiting the table this afternoon my thoughts were, "WTF was I thinking!?". I was literally baffled at how half-assed my former review was. There were some details I had initially wanted to mention that were left out due to my word artistry, and my approach to typing up the review. Unknown to most of you I approach reviews with a sort of artists' mentality. I manipulate the words like paint to make the review more understandable, and well spoken. It's not that I try to baffle you with BS, or dazzle you with brilliance. It's more so that I aim to make the reviews more sensible in a professional writers sort of way, and more digestible on a gamers'/readers' level. Instead of rehashing the table details, and the spoiler free intro paragraph of my first review I think it's best that I simply use this additional article to go over missed details, and give you a more accurate opinion based on my more recent findings. It is only fair to Zen Studios that I give it my all, and do so accurately.