Pinball ... one of the earliest frontiers of electronic gaming. As such, game manufacturers realized a hook was needed to keep people interested and, more importantly, to keep them placing their hard-earned cash into the machines. Simply put, it needed to be fun. This is still true today. But we can’t forget that everyone has his or her own definition of “fun.” Pinball is something almost everyone agrees is fun. And ZEN Pinball from PlayStation Network is no exception.
ZEN Pinball comes with four boards available right off the bat. Included are Shaman, V12, Tesla and El Dorado. There’s also premium content available: the Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Street Fighter II boards are available for purchase for about $2.50 each. The big thing about each of these boards is simple: They feel like old-school pinball machines. The area outside the board is detailed with items fitting the theme. Boards are rich in detail, such as artwork that looks hand-painted onto a piece of wood or plastic. The spinners move quickly, and there are witch doctors that dance. And then there’s the nostalgia value: The little screen in the corner shows your score and actually changes depending on what happens on screen. An example of what is shown is a man running down a long corridor with a boulder chasing him.
It looks good, too! That’s right, kids, the game is beautiful. It’s hard to believe that something as small as a 450 MB download contains so much detail. Bumpers, flippers, spinners, holes and other fun little doodads are all clearly visible. And whenever I need to get a closer view of things, all I have to do is hold down the square button and tilt the controller. The downside is that the loading times are about on par with a PS2 game.
ZEN Pinball controls very well. Just as in real pinball, the direction the ball travels depends on when you hit a flipper button. Everything just feels right. It doesn’t seem to behave sporadically, and it’s downright forgiving. If the ball slips through the bottom, it’ll be shot back into play — a great feature if you’re not very good at pinball and need practice. Part of the fun is improving as you return to each board, but you’ll need high-end skill if you want to be able to make those tricky shots. There’s even a slow-motion mode; although, you sacrifice earning a trophy if you use it. The same is true if you fiddle with board settings. ZEN Pinball also will tell you about each area of each board, but it will never actually show you how to do it. So if you’re at a loss on how to do something, you’ll need to find a site with related FAQs or a YouTube video.
In ZEN Pinball, there are different buttons you can choose for an action, but the same area is always used. For example, the shoulder buttons will always control the flippers. You can’t mix them. It’s either the L1 and R1 or L2 and R2. You cannot force the game to use one side of the controller or the shape buttons. How about “tilting”? It’s the motion control, an analog stick or the d-pad. While there’s no denying that the schemes work, it would be nice to have the option of making the game work the way you want. Especially if someone playing the game only has the use of one hand.
Sounds were designed well. ZEN Pinball sounds like an old arcade game. The banging of bumpers and the spinning of spinners, the flippers raising up to hit the ball — each board has its own unique sound. Music is also present in the game and fits the mood of each board, but it’s forgettable. But here’s the upside: If you have songs burned onto your hard drive, you can play them instead. Whether it’s by album, artist, year or genre, it’s your call. The only problem I have with this function is that if a song you don’t like or feel like listening to is playing, you’ll have to stop the action and manually change it. Voice acting is simple yet seems to enhance each board. My favorite is the voice of the Victorian mad scientist of the Tesla board.
In ZEN Pinball, you have the choice of playing alone or with friends. Whether you meet those friends online, (anyone want to play?) or they’re sitting next to you, it is a pleasant addition. Don’t worry if you lack multiple controllers when you’re playing local multiplayer: All you have to do is pass the controller around.
Overall, ZEN Pinball is wonderful. If you’re looking for a great pinball game, look no further. It’s accessible, challenging and, most importantly, fun. For about $10, you get four solid boards, great control and an excellent looking game. There are pinball games out there that cost twice as much and dream of being as well-made. I guess the only thing the game needs is a Zen garden board. But even without it, it’s still one heck of a game.
