I don't see Tina, the best character

Joining Family Guy in Zen's "Balls of Glory" Pinball Pack is the vastly superior Bob's Burgers. The table is set up on the street outside the titular restaurant, with It's Your Funeral Ho?me & Crematorium ne??xt door and Jimmy Pesto's across the way.

The whole family is here ??in some slick cel shading; Bob is manning the grill near the mustard-themed plunger, Linda is set up near a fire extinguisher toward the back, Gene is advertising in his burger costume out front, Louise is standing around across th??e street, and Tina... wait, where's Tina? Don't tell me they left out my favorite character! We can hear her near the end of the trailer, so maybe she has a role on the table not shown in the promotional material.

No specific release information is given past that this table is "coming" to Zen's titles, spanning basically all relevant platforms. The Family Guy table was slated for "fall," so if this?? is releasing along with it, we c?an expect it soon.

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Not going to make a 'you monster' joke

I'm not as crazy about pinball as say, Chad Concelmo, but with the right theme, I'm on board. The South Park Pinball pack hit the spot with numerous references to the show, and more recently, the Portal board has its hooks in me.

It's a nice amalgamation of both Portal games, featuring the iconic GLaDOS egging you on with taunts, as well as Wheatley with some words of encouragement. One of the coolest bits has to be the ongoing quest during each ses?sion, where you're tasked with leading Chell throughout the board with her Handheld Portal Device.

Other events will open up the middle of the board itself (Test Chambers), putting you into a miniature challenge rooms, some of which are littered with those adorable Turrets. If you complete all of them, you'll get to battle GLaDOS. Other mechani??cs like propulsion and repulsion gel are in, which can be manipulated with the flipper buttons. Once you dig even deeper, you'll find that you can do things like destroy the Turrets on the main board.

It's surprisingly detailed, and any fan of the series will likely enjoy an afternoon with it. It helps that the core packages involved are free downloads. Portal Pinball is out next week as an add-on for Pinball FX2 and Zen Pinball 2. It is pr?iced at $2.?99 on PC and consoles, and $1.99 on mobile.

The post Zen Studios’ Portal pinball table is pretty faithful, and fun appeared first on Destructoid.

Now you're plinking with portals

The teaser is less than a week old, and now we have some more details on the collaboration between Zen Studios (best known for its pinball games) and Valve (best known for not developing Half-Life 3). It's not the excellent play on words Xen Pinball. The project is the Aperture Science Heuristic Portal Pinball Device, or just Portal Pinball for short.

There are a bunch of neat uses of the Portal license on this table. Chell and Wheatley navigate the facility, GLaDOS makes an appearance, and the multiball summons co-op partners ATLAS and P-Body. The flippers and bumpers all sport the glowy blue/orange portal colors. Surprisingly, none of the screens so far show any areas where the ball itself can pass through portals. I sincerely hope that mechanic makes it in; it would be a shame to include so much from the Portal franchise w??ithout using the central idea that made it so amazing back in 2007.

The Portal table will be available on May 25 as an add-on for Pinball FX2 and Zen Pinball 2. It will cost $2.99 on PC and conso?les, and o?nly $1.99 on mobile platforms.

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They killed my multiplier, you bastards!

With Marvel, Star Wars, and The Walking Dead under their belts, there's no license too big for Zen Studios to take on at this point. This time around, Zen has teamed up with Comedy Central and put together two new tables themed after none other than South Park.

I wasn'??t sure what to expect, but should have known the tables would be phenomenal.

South Park Pinball (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 [reviewed], PlayStation Vita [reviewed], Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Developer: Zen Studios
Publisher: Zen Studios
Released: October 14, 2014 (PSN) / October 15, 2014 (Mac, PC, Xbox 360) / October 16, 2014 (Amazon, Google Play, iOS, Xbox One)
MSRP: $4.99 (PC, PSN, Xbox 360, Xbox One) / $3.99 (Android, iOS) / $2.99 (Mac)

The main table of the two is, of course, themed after South Park in general. Immediately, the table's appearance impressed me. Sticking with the show's construction paper cutout appearance, the table looks as if it was almost entirely made out of paper and cardboard. Paper lays out lane outlines, and cardboard is used as the environments infrastructure. It looks very convincing, and presented through so much color. Seriously, so much color. I love it.

Zen's love for the source material is apparent as always, and they clearly tried to pack in every classic South Park reference they possibly could. ManBearPig, Kenny dying, Sarcastaball, and dozens more. I'm sure I didn't catch all of them, either. It wouldn't be South Park without toilet ?humor, and, to drive this home, the table's skillshot tasks the player w?ith shooting the ball into a toilet. Additionally, Randy will grow extra balls for you for completing certain tasks. Come on, those are funny.

The Butters Show is the other table in the pack, and probably my favorite of the two. Who doesn't love Butters? I'm happy to report the actual theme song from the Butters Show episode plays in the background the whole time. Professor Chaos, Marjorine, and the rest of Butters' alter-egos of course make their appearance. Lexus even has a prominent place on the table. Really, The Butters Show reminded me ju??st how funny of a character Butters is.

Butters' table continues the overall aesthetic, but differs quite a bit in terms of layout from the South Park table. It's far more spaced apart, and as a result is nowhere near as difficult. I had a hard time keeping the ball in play on South Park because everything was clustered towards the center -- Butters was a nice break.

On both tables??, sound clips of all the characters are used quite heavily. They sound good, there's no denying that. However, hearing Butters yell "Loo Loo Loo" (among other clips) over and over wore pretty thin after awhile. Maybe it was just me, but the voices seemed really loud in these tables. Of course, the sound effects volume can be adjusted if it's a problem for? you.

Every new addition to Zen Studios' catalog of pinball tables is always incredible. South Park Pinball is no different, and is a perfect jumping on point if you haven't been checking out Zen's tables. They're fun, full of character, and South Park Pinball easily has my favorite table design so far.

I'm pulling fo??r a Coon and Friends table in the future.

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Around every flipper

Zen Studios has been quite busy the past few years expanding its line of pinball tables; most of which have been in the form of licensed Marvel and Star Wars tables. There have been videogame-themed tables in the past -- such as Ms. Splosion Man and Plants vs. Zombies ;-- but it's been quite awhile since Zen has stepped outside ???of those colossal franchises.

It was slightly surprising when Telltale Games and Skybound Entertainment announced a partnership with Zen to create a table based on The Walking Dead: Season One, but welcome all the same. After spending some time with the table, it's everything I could hav??e hoped for.

The Walking Dead Pinball (Google Play, iOS, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 [reviewed], PlayStation Vita [reviewed], Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Developer: Zen Studios
Publisher: Zen Studios
Released: August 26, 2014 (PSN) / August 27, 2014 (PC, Xbox 360) / August 28, 2014 (Amazon, Google Play, iOS, Wii U, Xbox One)
MSRP: $2.99 (Mac, PC, PSN, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) / $1.99 (Android, iOS)

At this point, there's a few things one can expect from a Zen Studios table: phenomenal table design, art, and elements that separate it from any ??other table. To keep this short, that's all here. The table looks incredible and uses the same models with the same comic book cel-shading found in the game. Voice acting sounds particularly great here as Zen was uncharacteristically able to use the original voice clips. The soundtrack also sounds stellar, with a collection of atmospheric tracks playing throughout that sound like they were pulled straight from the game.

The Walking Dead Pinball is unquestionably a pinball table, but outside of where the ball is actually in play there are no walls giving the indication of playing a virtual pinball table. Instead, the field of play is set on a landscape of all the most memorable set pieces from each of the five episodes contained in The Walking Dead: Season One. Around the table, you will see scale representations of Clementine's house, St. John's barn, the Motel camp, a block of buildings from Savannah, and the train. On the table is the bell tower, boat, Everett's Pharmacy, and Lee interacting with Clementine. Th??is is by far the most packed table to date.

Visually the table packs in every detail from Season One, but the missions do as well. Obviously the main missions are split between each of the five episodes, but how these play out is slightly different than the norm. While what is done to complete each mission is always the same, after selecting one to play the player h?as to immediately make a split-second decision pulled straight from the episode. Every time that same mission is selected, a different choice is presented. I don't think this adds up to anything in the end, but it's a really cool way to present the same mechanic on a pinball table.

Of course, no Walking Dead tie-in would be complete without zombies. Zen Studios sure doesn't let you forget they're there, eith??er. Numerous zombies stumble around all the background sets, block the mission hole, are prominent all over the table art, and appear f??or some of the missions.

Speaking of the missions, they're as fun as they are interesting. Worth mentioning here are the sniper and defend-against-a-horde missions (which isn't to say I don't like the other missions). The sniper mission is similar to stuff that has been done in some of the Star Wars tables (a shooting gallery mini-game off-table), and the horde is similar to a mission in the Plants vs. Zombies table (hit the zombies that appear before they get too close). They were fun then, a??nd still are within the context of this new table.

Everything we loved about The Walking Dead is presented again through a pinball table, and, with pinball and Walking Dead being two of my favorite things, it's a dream come true for me that something like this even exists. But even if you only like one or the other, The Walking Dead Pinball is still definitely worth ?your time and money, as it's an incredible addition to an already phenomenal lineup of pinball ?tables that delivers with every new entry.

Here's hoping we have future tables based on 400 Days and/or Season Two to look forward to.

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Time to play with some balls

Pinball FX2 is finally available for Xbox One, so go out there and grab it. The game's been lovingly ported and runs in 1080p at 60 frames per second. The front-end is available to download for free as it is on the Xbox 360 and includes the Sorcerer's Lair table.

Those players who have purchased tables on the Xbox 360 have the option to transfer them to the Xbox One version. If you're a pinball wizard (and you know the words to the song) you can't go wrong with this game, which features a plethora of painstakingly-craf?ted tables and even after four years is still supported by its developers.

So, yeah. Get your pinball on, dudes.

Pinball FX2 is Now Available on Xbox One [Major Nelson]

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Guardians of the table

Hot off the heels of the stellar Deadpool table back in June, Zen Studios is going strong with its line of Marvel pinball tables. Guardians of the Galaxy finally got the film treatment, and now it has the pinball treatment. The movie is super rad, so? you're probably wondering if the table is as well. It's probably a surprise to no one that Zen Studios delivered a fantastic table yet again.

It may have something to do with the excitement over the film, but I think the Guardians of the Galaxy table may easily be my favorite yet.

Guardians of the Galaxy Pinball (Google Play, iOS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 [reviewed], PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Developer: Zen Studios
Publisher: Zen Studios
Released: July 29, 2014 (PSN) / July 30, 2014 (PC, Xbox 360) / July 31, 2014 (Android, iOS) / TBA (Xbox One)
MSRP: $2.99 (PC, PSN, Xbox 360) / $1.99 (Android, iOS)

Zen Studios is always the master of what I like to refer to as cinematic pinball, and with the Guardians table the studio has gone entirely in that d?irection. The table flows in line with the plot of the film (which will not be spoiled here), starting at the point where the Guardians first all come together and have to escape the area they're in.

This is emulated by a multiball of every character's ball wherein the player has one minute to hit as many marked ramps as possible. Once the characters "escape," the player has one shot to retrieve Starlord's missing tape deck by hitting the marked ra??mp, and if that's made a title splash fills the screen. At this point, the player hasn't launched a single ball yet and could already have a solid score to start with. It's only slightly different from? the norm, but it really adds something overall in experiencing the table.

The table design is top notch as ever; there's interesting contrast in the color palette, ramps crisscross over each other, and the table's art looks really nice. Zen was som??ehow able to incorporate all the interesting aspects of the film onto the table, and its respect for the source material tr??uly shows.

Starlord has an appreciation for '70s rock-and-roll and pop songs, and the soundtrack on the table is trying to pay homage to that. This was done incredibly well in the film, but Zen understandably did not license out any of those tracks?.

The original song used in the table is basically a really boring guitar riff played over and over until ??the player enters a mission and a different track plays. I had to turn down the music volu??me after awhile because I just couldn't deal with it.

The table is good enough that the music shouldn't deter you from playing, however. E?verything flows really well, and does so quite quickly. I've never claimed to be any good at pinball despite how much I enjoy it, but I found this table to be pretty challenging.

It's fairly easy to get a respectable score quickly, but I wasn't lasting very long soon after that. I haven't come close to completing all the m??issions in one go (or obtained a score to be proud of yet), but I'm well on my way.

If you loved the film, are excited for the film, simply can't get enough of pinball, or want a place to start in Zen Studios' pinball catalog, I can't recommend the Guardians of the Galaxy table enough.

The post ?Guardians of?? the Galaxy Pinball may be the best table yet appeared first on Destructoid.

Xbox One and 180s: a match made in heaven

Zen Studios announced that its pinball platform Pinball FX2 would come to Xbox One on July 31 but?? in doing so broke the unfortunate news that tables purchased on Xbox 360 couldn't be transferred to the new v?ersion. Yeah, that didn't go over well.

But now, Zen is back with the announcement that tables can be imported for free after all. The only downside here (and it's a minor one) is that Pinball FX 2 is delayed into next month.

You have to wonder -- surely the studio knew transfers were a core feature players would expect from the game, right? "Once again, we cannot thank you enough for your support through this process, as well as Microsoft's, who took your feedback v?ery seriously and worked with us to implement this feature," reads Zen's announcement. Ah. Okay then.

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Marvel and pinball, together again

Heh. There's a mini Deadpool pinball table in this Deadpool pinbal?l table. That's fun.

Quick-time events, even if the?y're supposed to be a joke? Less fun. But I l??ike that Zen Studios is giving Deadpool a table all his own -- it's coming next week to all of the usual platforms:

• Pinball FX2 for Xbox 360 and Steam: June 25
• Zen Pinball 2 for PS3, PS4, and PS Vita: June 24 in North America, June 25 in Europe.
• Zen Pinball 2 for Mac: June 25
• Zen Pinball / Marvel Pinball for Android, iOS, and Amazon: June 26

Expect the fourth wall to b?e broken. Again and again.

The post Nolan North returns as the Merc wi?th a Mouth in Deadpool Pinball appeared first on Destructoid.

Free forever

Zen Studios, the minds behind the Pinball FX series, will be bringing their Sorcerers Lair table for free to all Pinball FX2 Steam users starting June 21, 2013. Good?? news too, as this table? isn't a timed giveaway. It will remain free for everyone, indefinitely.

No word on any console giveaways at this time though. So there you go, the best virtual pinball machine is about to get a little bit better in a few days time. This release will coincide with some premium content as well, with Marvel Civil War, Fantastic Four, and Paranormal tables all ?becoming ??available for $2.99 a piece.

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I hope you've been practicing the Ms. Splosion Man table on Pinball FX2, because Zen Studios has teamed up with Twisted Pixel to put on another high score tournament. Starting on May?? 18th, all you have to do to enter is play a round between then and May 25?th.

The first, second, and third place players will receive Microsoft Points, a download code for Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles, and the truly awesome Ms. Splosion Man slingshot plushie. If you're not a pinball wizard, you will of course still be entered into a random drawing for other various prizes that Zen St??udios will be giving?? out.

I've been really getting into pinball again lately, and the Ms. Splosion Man table has been one of my go-to table as of most recently. Destructoid's resident pinball?? nerd Conrad Zimmerman has an absolutely insane score for this table (and just about?? every table), so my goal for this tournament is to somehow at least beat his score. Anybody have any tips to get an impressive score on this one?

Full list of prizes below:

1st Place

• 4000 Microsoft Points
• Code for Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles
• Ms Splosion Man slingshot toy

2nd Place

• 1600 Microsoft Points
• Code for Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles
• Ms Splosion Man slingshot toy

3rd Place

• 800 Microsoft Points
• Code for Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles
• Ms Splosion Man slingshot toy

The post Zen Studios putting on Ms. Splosion M??an table tour?nament appeared first on Destructoid.

Zen Studios has been rocking out some fantastic pinball tables lately, particularly in their line based on Marvel Comics. And the train keeps a'rolling with the announcement of Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, a batch of three new tables based around some of the biggest adventures of "Earth's mightiest heroes," and one on a tale yet to be borne out, based on the upcoming film, The Avengers.

I'm less interested in that last one, with it's 3D models based on real-world pretty boys and girls, but it does sound like it's going to be neat. "Marvel's The Avengers" will feature balls with special abilities representative of the individual characters in the group. "The Infinity Gauntlet," on the other end, has table-wide effects based on the individual gemstones found ??in the Gauntlet, including a gravity reversal mechanic I am highly eager to check out.

The other two tables?? are "Fear Itself," a battle against Odin's lost brother which Zen promises will have some never-before-seen uses of magnetism in a pinball game, and "World War Hulk," a recounting of that time Hulk was shot into s?pace and came back to Earth in a really foul mood.

All four tables in Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles will be coming this spring as DLC to Pinball FX2 on Xbox 360 and Marvel Pinball on PlayStation? 3, as well as in a standalone product for PS Vita. In the meantime, check out a batch of screenshots from "The Infinity Gauntlet," "Fear ?Itself," and "World War Hulk" in our gallery.

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The final character for the upcoming Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue DLC pack (which will contain 4 new tables) has now been confirmed by Marvel Entertainment and Zen Studios to be non?e other than the mighty Thor. As anyone following this pack's development already knows, the "vengeful" half of the DLC will have Moon Knight & Ghost Rider and Thor wil??l now join the X-Men over in the "virtuous" other half.

The Vengeance and Virtue table pack will be available as DLC for Pinball FX2 on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points, and as DLC for Marvel Pinball on the PlayStation Network at $9.99 which will l??aunch on December 13 and December 14 respectively.

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Zen Pinball is celebrating a year of success for Pinball FX2 with a little gift for everyone. The brand new "Paranormal" table will be made available for free for one week, October 26th until November 2nd. It looks to be a pretty good table too, judging by the video, with a cool upper play field. All you have to do to get the game is have the free Pinball FX2 client installed on your Xbox 360 and then download the table during ??the promotional period.

Over the last year, Pinball FX2 has pretty much become my go-to game for when I want a quick break to just vegeta?te on the couch for a bit. I'm glad to hear that the title is doing well for Zen, as the quality of the content produced for it is of a rather high level and I want them to keep making more. 

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