Not
so long ago, Zen Pinball announced that we were going to soon be graced
with the Star Wars Pinball Collection and low and behold, we have the
first installment. Of the 10 announced Star Wars themed tables, the
first pack includes Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett, and
The Clone Wars. While being downloadable on virtually every digital
store, I spent my time with the Vita’s iteration since it is Cross-Buy
entitled content. All of the tables are based on characters and moments
in the Star Wars universe on stunningly detailed tables, backed the
authentic sounds. In a genre that has a niche following and few
developers, Zen Studios stand out above the rest and it is time to see
if they are getting comfortable in the top spot.
Each
table is unique to the other and provides a great amount of replay
value. While I have been a fan of Zen Pinball/Pinball FX since their
release of the Street Fighter 2 table, and they have come a long ways
from then. The tables are now much more intricate, look stunning, play
smoothly, and provide an experience that console gamers can appreciate.
Of the three tables, I must say that my favorite was the Empire Strikes
Back table with the missions consisting of movie scenes, two sets of
flippers, and the numerous ramps to keep things challenging. The online
leaderboards are also nice to see how you compare to fans of the virtual
table game. The reason I chose the Vita over the numerous other
platforms is mostly because of the cross-buy capabilities, but also
because of the beautiful large screen and the ability to play in
portrait mode but just turning the Vita vertically.
While
the pinball genre is lacking the following that it deserves in the
gaming community for the last several decades, it has grown alongside
the console community, and still does not provide the same experience on
a physical table. Of the three tables, I would have to say that my
least favorite was the Clone Wars table as I was never really a fan of
the animated series and all of the tables seem to follow the storylines
rather closely. While there are online multiplayer capabilities, it has
always been difficult to find matches. Come to think of it, the only
time in which I have found online matches were on Xbox Live, late at
night, on weekends. Luckily the single player and leaderboards provide
an entertaining enough experience, unfortunately when you can find a multiplayer, it is so fun, that it makes sitting alone in lobbies all
that much more disappointing.
It
is safe to say that Zen Pinball is the first thing that comes to mind
when I think of Pinball titles on gaming consoles. With fast gameplay,
close to authentic physics, and crystal clear 3D graphics, it is easy to
see why this is such a standout title. Now throw in the licensing of
huge franchises such as Marvel and now Star Wars, you have a nearly
unstoppable juggernaut. You know, if you are a pinball fan. Since the
vita does not have a huge community, you can also find it on Xbox Live
Arcade, PlayStation Network, Mac Apple Store, Apple App Store, Google
Play, and more to be announced at the low price of $9.99 for all three
tables.