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Zen Pinball 3D (Nintendo 3DS eShop) discussion [game]
 
Zen Pinball 3D on the 3DS
8.5/10 from 10 user ratings

Welcome to the official discussion thread for Zen Pinball 3D on the 3DS!

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This game has finally hit the North American eShop and it's pretty fantastic... four fun, quality tables in 3D for $6.99.

I've already put a couple hours into it and I'd have to say that Excalibur is my favorite of the tables so far. There's a lot of fun toys and modes that aren't too difficult to unlock. The physics are well done and the graphics are pretty nice, though perhaps not quite up to Farsight's efforts with The Williams Collection.

I was hoping to get my hands on Pinball Arcade soon, but it looks like that's going to be a little delayed on the platforms that I have access to, so it's nice to have a quality pinball game like this to tide me over. I guess it is also going to support DLC tables in the future. Good stuff.

If you like pinball, you should probably buy this.

Negative World ZEN Pinball Friends List

Hinph
Guillaume
ludist210
kriswright
anon_mastermind
vids
Abdooooo
warerare
nacthenud
Davoid
ploot
gamewizard65

URL to share (right click and copy)
01/13/12, 10:11    Edited: 02/21/12, 17:15
 
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Abdooooo said:
@Oldmanwinter

That's great to hear! After watching that video I have to hand it to them. Engineering something from scratch is one thing. Engineering something that already exists is another. Attention to detail and OCD testing is a must for these tables to really feel right. Sounds like all major consoles will get this game.

Awesome. I'll be buying it again on PSN or Steam for sure.

Around the ten minute mark where one of the developers talks about how it feels like "real" pinball, no truer statement has ever been made. This is seriously the only pinball game I've ever played that feels just like the real thing. They physics are perfect, the tables look perfect, the simulation of the electromagnets is perfect... it's really awesome. I've never been into digital pinball games and I absolutely love this game.
02/21/12, 07:28   
Aww, I should be on the friend list in the OP even though my scores are horrendous.
02/21/12, 09:10   
@Oldmanwinter
How does it work exactly, you pay per table? How many are included in the original purchase? Is it on Android yet?
02/21/12, 17:14   
@Abdooooo
While certainly an impressive technical accomplishment, it actually decreases my enthusiasm when I see a developer making a digital recreation of a real life table. I don't want to play a table where the developers' hands are tied to faithful recreation. I want to play tables where the developers where free to design the table however they see fit for maximum fun. I want my Marvel Pinball craziness.
02/21/12, 18:53   
@nacthenud

That's understandable but you also have to take into consideration that most of these tables won't ever be seen by you or me in real life. The death of arcades around the country was and still is a tragedy. Maybe someday, after the next ice age/nuclear winter, people will look back on these recreations and make an actual recreation of the recreation!
02/21/12, 19:41   
@Abdooooo

Sure, logically, I see the value in what they're doing and I'll probably buy it when it hits PSN, but, historically and subjectively I've always found myself enjoying digital pinball more when it's something that takes advantage of the platform it's on and offers up enhancements that are only feasible due to the fact that it's a digital pinball game.

Whenever pinball games like the Gotlieb Collection and Williams Collection come along, I play them and then wish I were playing a real pinball game instead. It's an obviously inferior version of a superior physical object.

However, when I play a game like Marvel Pinball or Devil's crush or even Sonic Spinball, I don't get that feeling of inferiority to the real deal, because it's not trying to be a recreation of a real pinball table - it's trying to be a digital pinball table and succeeding.
02/21/12, 20:18   
@nacthenud

Gotcha. This reminds me that I need to start saving for a pinball machine or cabinet.
02/21/12, 20:21   
I haven't touched Zen since Pinball Arcade came out... I just prefer realistic style pinball.

I've probably put more hours into Theater of Magic than all of the Zen tables combined, and I had the top worldwide score in Ripley's for a couple days.
02/22/12, 04:49   
I wish they would do a Pirate Themed pinball table. I think some liscensed ones could be cool to, even if it would cost extra. I would gladly pay 10$ for a Back To the Future of Goonies themed pinball table.
02/22/12, 06:16   
Pretty sure there is a bttf themed table
02/22/12, 07:00   
Hinph said:
I haven't touched Zen since Pinball Arcade came out... I just prefer realistic style pinball.

I've probably put more hours into Theater of Magic than all of the Zen tables combined, and I had the top worldwide score in Ripley's for a couple days.


Theater of Magic and Tales of the Arabian Nights are two of the only pinball tables I ever kind of got into in real life... and the re-creation here is fantastic.

I get why some people prefer the wild nature of what can be done from the ground up on a purely arcade pinball experience... and it's valid. These tables they are re-creating though, at least so far, are the absolute best and most intricate pinball tables that were ever built in real life. You can't really find them anywhere anymore and buying a used TOCAN table is going to set you back six grand unless you want to buy one that is beat to shit and try and salvage parts yourself.

I dunno. For anyone that has ever kind of enjoyed real pinball, what Pinball Arcade is doing is pretty awesome. I'm not saying it's better if you prefer, like nacthenud, more over the top arcade pinball, however for me Pinball Arcade is far and away the best pinball simulation I've ever played and the most enjoyable.
02/22/12, 07:11   
anon_mastermind said:
Pretty sure there is a bttf themed table
I was speaking about Zen Pinball.
02/22/12, 07:42   
@Oldmanwinter
Hey, umm, can you answer my questions?

@Davoid
Oh i see. ZEN tables are great for the most part, I would play them if they were in a real arcade.
02/22/12, 16:33   
I only have the iPhone and iPad versions. Ill rebuy on PSN. The way it works on iOS is you spend a dollar for the game and it comes with Tales of the Arabian Nights. Then I think it's around 3 dollars per table after that.

I bought Zen Pinball because of this thread. I only played for about 20 minutes however I didn't like it anywhere near as much. Further the physics feel totally off compared to Pinball Arcade. I'll play more later tonight however my initial impression is that pretty much everything about Pinball Arcade from the sound to the table lay out to the physics and complexity is superior to Zen.
02/22/12, 18:50   
Edited: 02/22/12, 18:54
Thanks. I somehow doubt the same pricing scheme will exist on other platforms.

Yes, the physics aren't perfect in ZEN Pinball. The ball feels 'heavy' doesn't it? I like the table design a lot, though. Lots of stuff to do.
02/22/12, 19:02   
Zen Studios' own Pinball FX2 physics are much improved over Zen Pinball's. I sometime find it hard to transition to Zen after the Pinball FX2 physics.

So here's a question I'm hoping someone can tell me - how does Pinball Arcade's physics stack up against Pinball FX2?
02/22/12, 20:16   
Never played Pinball FX2.

The physics in Pinball Arcade are good, though. Along with the rom emulation and excellent table recreation efforts, the illusion that you are playing real pinball is strong enough.

Farsight also intends to constantly improve Pinball Arcade in addition to providing more tables. The physics that we see a year from now may very well be even better.
02/23/12, 00:40   
I'm not sure I like that. I'd have figured out how to excel at a table and come back to it later to find that the physics have changed and my old tricks don't work right anymore... that would annoy me.
02/23/12, 06:47   
Interview with creative director of Zen Studios

Short version:
-Zen Pinball DLC coming to 3DS
-Marvel Pinball coming to 3DS (and Vita, PC)
-Working on two non-pinball games, one coming to 3DS (the other not, "at least not initially")
-Would love to make Mario, Zelda or Pokémon pinball tables
-Hints at Wii U pinball game using new controller... no confirmation there though
04/19/12, 20:46   
Edited: 04/19/12, 20:47
I do enjoy a gpood pinball game every now an dthen especially if the board is put together creativly from the look of things this one doesn't appear to disapoint.
04/19/12, 21:18   
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