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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Arcade Developer: ZEN Studios Publisher: ZEN Studios |
Anyone who is a fan of The Who has probably heard that Tommy is a Pinball Wizard who is deaf, blind and mute. These may be the three requirements for enjoying the latest release by Zen Studios on Xbox Live
Arcade. At 800 Microsoft Points, or $10, any pinball fans will get three okay machines, a couple hundred Achievement Points to earn and not much else. This game will probably appeal to any of those who grew up
playing pinball machines, a game that has slowly died out and been removed from the arcades. When players see “Pinball FX” for the first time, they may feel a little bit of a twitch in their flipper fingers. Unfortunately
players will realize that this twitching flipper finger will be disappointed with what is offered in the game.
For the most part, the physics in “Pinball FX” holds up against other games, but there are a few issues in the game that harm the overall experience that players will have. Players will notice very quickly that the ball is
way too fact, almost so fast that it is difficult to see what is going on at times. It is difficult to use a soft touch in the game, though any players of pinball machines know that a soft touch will greatly change the overall
game play of the game. However, players will resort to one of the most basic pinball moves known only as the flipper pass. Since the ball is eager to launch into the sky with the slightest touch and the flippers kick the
ball very strongly. This makes it nearly impossible to make a transfer between the two flippers. This is an essential skill for anyone who wants to master a certain pinball machine. Luckily, the ball has a near perfect
interaction with the bumpers and other object that are in the machine. So, although the game suffers from its overall speed, “Pinball FX” gets the concept of the game, for the most part, right.
Players will quickly find that the value of “Pinball FX” comes almost completely on the overall quality of the pinball machines available in the game. As any player knows, if the content of a game, in this case the three
different pinball machines, aren’t of any quality then there isn’t any amount of physics of physics or amount of addictiveness will hold the attention of any player for more than a couple of rounds. The three pinball
machines available to the players are: Speed Machine, Extreme and Agents. All three machines are a mixture of good and bad elements. Speed Machine is a takeoff of the classic hotrod pinball games and Agents is a
take on the Bond machines, both of which are fairly enjoyable machines. The design for Speed Machine could have been a little more imaginative, but it is certainly good enough to drop a few virtual quarters into.
The bad elements of the game come in the pinball machine Extreme, a spoof on the urbanism in games which tends to be over the top. The pinball machine throws offensive sound bites and crazy street art in the face
of the player. For any of those players who are able to stand the obnoxious pinball machine, the design itself isn’t that good either. The center of the board is wasted with no cool pinball elements, and it is far too easy to
enter a constantly repeated loop of moves on the machine. This not only makes the machine boring, but it also makes for a very frustrating game. If only the developer of the game had invested a little more time for
better art and a more appealing overall presentation package, “Pinball FX” might have come closer to being worth its cost. The art, especially in Agents, is bad. It doesn’t help that the music is somewhat annoying. A
great game, even a good game, should immerse the player in the overall experience. It would have been nice to be given some ambient sound of an arcade to make the experience more realistic to the players. Also, if
the game could have been online, with players moving through a virtual arcade for different machines, the game could have been a little more successful.
While on the topic of online game play, there is a decent four player online component in “Pinball FX.” Each gamers plays on the same board, attempting to be first to reach whatever point goal has been sent
beforehand. Losing a ball down the gutter costs a certain percentage penalty of their points earned. This creates a frantic speed, where everyone is pressured to score quickly while trying avoid allowing the ball to go
down the gutter. It is a better experience than playing alone, however Zen Studios could have done a better job placing the icons for other games so that the competition is easier to follow in the heat of the moment.
For someone that is looking for a brief distraction, “Pinball FX” isn’t a bad choice, especially for those players who have extra Microsoft Points to use. The game could have been a lot better if there would have been a
few classic licensed pinball machines from the past or at least offer a couple of extra pinball machines. While the ball physics aren’t perfect and the Extreme board isn’t worth playing more than a few times, there are
enough here to at least check out the free demo. For those players who are absolute pinball fanatics, “Pinball FX” might be a great game to check out. Sadly there isn’t enough here to merit the quarters needed to play
the game.
Arcade. At 800 Microsoft Points, or $10, any pinball fans will get three okay machines, a couple hundred Achievement Points to earn and not much else. This game will probably appeal to any of those who grew up
playing pinball machines, a game that has slowly died out and been removed from the arcades. When players see “Pinball FX” for the first time, they may feel a little bit of a twitch in their flipper fingers. Unfortunately
players will realize that this twitching flipper finger will be disappointed with what is offered in the game.
For the most part, the physics in “Pinball FX” holds up against other games, but there are a few issues in the game that harm the overall experience that players will have. Players will notice very quickly that the ball is
way too fact, almost so fast that it is difficult to see what is going on at times. It is difficult to use a soft touch in the game, though any players of pinball machines know that a soft touch will greatly change the overall
game play of the game. However, players will resort to one of the most basic pinball moves known only as the flipper pass. Since the ball is eager to launch into the sky with the slightest touch and the flippers kick the
ball very strongly. This makes it nearly impossible to make a transfer between the two flippers. This is an essential skill for anyone who wants to master a certain pinball machine. Luckily, the ball has a near perfect
interaction with the bumpers and other object that are in the machine. So, although the game suffers from its overall speed, “Pinball FX” gets the concept of the game, for the most part, right.
Players will quickly find that the value of “Pinball FX” comes almost completely on the overall quality of the pinball machines available in the game. As any player knows, if the content of a game, in this case the three
different pinball machines, aren’t of any quality then there isn’t any amount of physics of physics or amount of addictiveness will hold the attention of any player for more than a couple of rounds. The three pinball
machines available to the players are: Speed Machine, Extreme and Agents. All three machines are a mixture of good and bad elements. Speed Machine is a takeoff of the classic hotrod pinball games and Agents is a
take on the Bond machines, both of which are fairly enjoyable machines. The design for Speed Machine could have been a little more imaginative, but it is certainly good enough to drop a few virtual quarters into.
The bad elements of the game come in the pinball machine Extreme, a spoof on the urbanism in games which tends to be over the top. The pinball machine throws offensive sound bites and crazy street art in the face
of the player. For any of those players who are able to stand the obnoxious pinball machine, the design itself isn’t that good either. The center of the board is wasted with no cool pinball elements, and it is far too easy to
enter a constantly repeated loop of moves on the machine. This not only makes the machine boring, but it also makes for a very frustrating game. If only the developer of the game had invested a little more time for
better art and a more appealing overall presentation package, “Pinball FX” might have come closer to being worth its cost. The art, especially in Agents, is bad. It doesn’t help that the music is somewhat annoying. A
great game, even a good game, should immerse the player in the overall experience. It would have been nice to be given some ambient sound of an arcade to make the experience more realistic to the players. Also, if
the game could have been online, with players moving through a virtual arcade for different machines, the game could have been a little more successful.
While on the topic of online game play, there is a decent four player online component in “Pinball FX.” Each gamers plays on the same board, attempting to be first to reach whatever point goal has been sent
beforehand. Losing a ball down the gutter costs a certain percentage penalty of their points earned. This creates a frantic speed, where everyone is pressured to score quickly while trying avoid allowing the ball to go
down the gutter. It is a better experience than playing alone, however Zen Studios could have done a better job placing the icons for other games so that the competition is easier to follow in the heat of the moment.
For someone that is looking for a brief distraction, “Pinball FX” isn’t a bad choice, especially for those players who have extra Microsoft Points to use. The game could have been a lot better if there would have been a
few classic licensed pinball machines from the past or at least offer a couple of extra pinball machines. While the ball physics aren’t perfect and the Extreme board isn’t worth playing more than a few times, there are
enough here to at least check out the free demo. For those players who are absolute pinball fanatics, “Pinball FX” might be a great game to check out. Sadly there isn’t enough here to merit the quarters needed to play
the game.
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