You bastards, am I the only one looking forward to this? Pinball rules.

The game is going to have four tables, online multiplayer (with in-game video chat!), trophies.... I'm surprised it hasn't gotten any buzz. Has the world forgotten pinball? :(

http://www.blogcdn.com/playstation.joystiq.com/media/2009/04/zenpinball0016.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/playstation.joystiq.com/media/2009/04/zenpinball0001.jpg

Wasn't even on my radar - this looks sweet. Is it going to be a PSN download? What's the release date?

That does look pretty cool. Online with a friend would be decent too, just to shoot the breeze with.

Release date is Q3 2009

I will get this day one. :)

Oh, yeah. This sounds good. I've been playing Williams pinball for the PS2 a good bit lately. I've been patiently waiting for the PS3 version which was suppose to come out in June. Now it looks like it will be in August. So, by the fall of this year we should have two pinball games for the PS3. As Tony says, "That's Grrreat!

Pinball FX for the 360 was so great that I'm considering keeping my PS3 for this game. It's strange they'd make one game 360 exclusive and the other PS3 exclusive.

in-game video chat!?!! This is the first I've heard of this game.

pinball. is. awesome.

after the poker game, this is only the 2nd game to have in-game video chat right?

I've been playing Williams pinball for the PS2 a good bit lately.

Is this worth getting for $13? How about the PSP version?

Pinball FX for the 360 was so great that I'm considering keeping my PS3 for this game. It's strange they'd make one game 360 exclusive and the other PS3 exclusive.

inFamous, God of War 3, Uncharted 2, GT5, Ratchet Future, Heavy Rain, etc. aren't doing anything for you?

No, yes, no, no, no, and no, but that's not the thread for this discussion. I don't play enough of the games available for the 360 to have two game systems anymore and I want a Blu-ray player with 5.1 outs instead of replacing my $800 receiver.

Is this worth getting for $13? How about the PSP version?

Don't know about the PSP version, but for $13, yeah I think the PS2 version is worth it. The graphics are just so-so, but the tables are fun. I basically bought the game just to be able to play Gorgar. I have a lot of good memories wasting quarters on that game when I was in college. (I think I just dated myself) :)

There's one thing to keep in mind though. According to Amazon the game will be released for PS3 in a couple of months for $30 bucks. It might be worth it to wait for the PS3 version. Hopefully (Surely?), the graphics will be upgraded.

4 tables doesn't seem like a lot. I don't know if I would get tired of them quickly.

If they are good tables, I can see them having a lot of staying power (think Metroid Pinball; though I forget exactly how big that game was). I'm almost positive they will add tables later on, though.

The Williams collection was solid, and I was a big fan of Alien Crush on TG16 back in the day--not to mention a fan of actual pinball games.

I don't play enough of the games available for the 360 to have two game systems anymoreGlad to hear I'm not the only one. Since most of the best 360 games are multiplatform these days, there's not much reason for me to fire it up anymore. It's been at least two months since I've turned it on. I've considered selling it, but I know I'll regret it. :rolleyes:

4 tables doesn't seem like a lot. I don't know if I would get tired of them quickly.

I dont remember how many 100's of hours I put into Midnight Magic on the 2600 back in the day with it's single table....then again, it was all for the competition between friends.

Pinball Dreams/Fantasies on the Amiga is my all-time favorite pinball series. This one looks to be pretty interesting.

Definitely buying this tonight.

Definitely buying this tonight.

Really?

Mmm..pinball.

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy vpinmame, despite most of its tables being poor reproductions? (there are several really good ones, though!)

Definitely buying this tonight.

Ummmm

Really?

Nope....but what he means is it doesnt come out until:

Release date is Q3 2009


Multiquote FTW!

I thought the release date was today??

I could've sworn I read that somewhere yesterday.

Now my day is shot.

Don't know about the PSP version, but for $13, yeah I think the PS2 version is worth it. The graphics are just so-so, but the tables are fun. I basically bought the game just to be able to play Gorgar. I have a lot of good memories wasting quarters on that game when I was in college. (I think I just dated myself) :)

There's one thing to keep in mind though. According to Amazon the game will be released for PS3 in a couple of months for $30 bucks. It might be worth it to wait for the PS3 version. Hopefully (Surely?), the graphics will be upgraded.

Well, it's $13 before Edge card. Too bad I didn't grab one while I had the 20% off coupon last week. 30% off $13 would have made it pretty darn cheap.

Some of my favorite pinball games were Williams. I'm 42, so that shows you how old the ones are I liked. Supersonic was GREAT! Williams pinball games had a very fast action compared to most.

It looks like that 2nd screenshot might show a little higher camera angle than Pinball FX. I played some more Pinball FX tonight and while I like the game, the camera angles are all too low. Like you're 4 feet tall and can barely see over the front edge of the machine. Makes it very hard to see the ball up high (and no the up close cam is no help...it makes you sick!). I'm hoping this game has a more top-down option with less actual camera movement.

Oh yeah....this one I'll pick up for sure. Thanks for pointing it out.

i'd play a pinball game on the ps3. when is this coming out? psn or disc?

Psn.

PSN, third quarter this year.

Trophies (http://www.psu.com/ps3-trophies/zen_pinball/)

Joystiq is reporting this should be out in US on PSN next week:
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2009/05/07/zen-pinball-bounces-onto-psn-next-week-for-10/

Niiiiice. Can't wait. It's been ages since I played a good pinball game.

5/14 $10 (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/980/980611p1.html)

Is this the sequel to Pinball FX? I'd probably prefer to buy this on Xbox since I already have Pinball FX on that machine. Or is this a PS3 exclusive?

EDIT: Never mind. Google is my friend. According to IGN, it is published by Sony Computer Entertainment, so I highly doubt it will show up on XBL.

I seriously doubt it will be as good as the greatest video game pinball(Timeshock) but looks good. I can't believe the best pinball game ever is 15 year old pc game...

I seriously doubt it will be as good as the greatest video game pinball(Timeshock) but looks good. I can't believe the best pinball game ever is 15 year old pc game...

Debatable! The handheld Pokemon and Metroid pinball games were great!

Atari Video Pinball ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Videopinball_2600.png

Atari Video Pinball ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Videopinball_2600.png

Damn. I remember that game:o

Is this the sequel to Pinball FX? I'd probably prefer to buy this on Xbox since I already have Pinball FX on that machine. Or is this a PS3 exclusive?

EDIT: Never mind. Google is my friend. According to IGN, it is published by Sony Computer Entertainment, so I highly doubt it will show up on XBL.

The article that Protopet linked to says "ZEN's seminal Pinball FX franchise on Xbox LIVE Arcade is one of the most popular titles on the platform and is coming soon as ZEN Pinball, the first pinball title on the PlayStation Network." Which makes it sound like this is a port of an existing XBLA game.

EDIT: Or perhaps not. Just found this on GamerBytes (http://www.gamerbytes.com/2009/04/pinball_fx_wizards_bring_zen_p.php):

"Unlike a few of the games coming to the PlayStation Network recently, this is not a porting effort of Pinball FX or some of their iPhone pinball tables - it is an entirely new game with brand new boards."

Zen Pinball is NOT Pinball FX. Those machines in post #1 are nowhere to be found in Pinball FX or in FX's DLC.

I'm pumped this is coming next week! I hope and pray the plunger can be done by flicking the right stick. It sucks having only one degree of force to apply.

As for that Atari screen, what happens if the ball stops on a flat section!? LOL

Next week for $10, huh? Sounds like a day-one purchase.

Atari Video Pinball ;)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Videopinball_2600.png
Sorry, I dissagree- Apple ][ Raster Blaster:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Rasterblaster.png

I used to play a ton of Apple II pinball but I don't think it was called Raster Blaster....I do remember the flippers being insanely far apart like that though...Hmm...

*runs to Google....

YES! Pinball Construction Set! I didn't know Raster Blaster was the predecessor. Man I loved that game.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/Pinball-Construction-Set.png

4 tables doesn't seem like a lot. I don't know if I would get tired of them quickly.

The video/trailer i saw seemed to indicate that new tables will be available as add on content down the road.

Online play should add some legs, too. Looking forward to trying it.

next week, only 10 bucks... awesome! i'm in!

As long as we're on the topic, I remember David's Midnight Magic

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Davidsmmagic1.png

being popular as it simulated the classic "Black Knight" table. Played that one on my Apple ][+ as well.

Debatable! The handheld Pokemon and Metroid pinball games were great!

Clearly you never played timeshock, its as close as you can get to pinball without the machine, period.

http://i44.tinypic.com/n12b7s.png

Ok I just watched some youtube videos of Timeshock. I've been lied to. The ball has a much more realistic weight and speed to it than Pinball FX. Hopefully they improved this for Zen.

I'm also amazed by how good that game looks for 1997. Just the lighting alone! It looks good for TODAY'S standards. I'm surprised there was anything capabale of even running it.

Yep and trust me youtube video doesn't do it justice. The only bad thing about it is you can only get it to 1600x1200 resolution, which as you point out is amazing for its time. I'm not kidding when I say it IS pinball machine without the machine. Ball movement is dead on, even can pop up and hit the glass for christ sake. Sounds, lights are dead on. Board is one of the greatest pinball boards ever. If you ever see it anywhere GET IT.

Seriously. 1997. That has to be the best looking game EVER for its time. What other game has ever looked THAT ahead of its time?!

Seriously. 1997. That has to be the best looking game EVER for its time. What other game has ever looked THAT ahead of its time?!

Isn't it just prerendered elements?

Yep it is, but I mean for looks compared to other pinball games. Nothing anywhere then or since holds a candle to this game.I'd pay $60 for this game on the ps3 current graphics and other tables thrown in easily.

They showed Zen Pinball running on the latest Pulse magazine and it definitely has some slowdown. If the release is like this I don't think I'm going to bother.

They showed Zen Pinball running on the latest Pulse magazine and it definitely has some slowdown. If the release is like this I don't think I'm going to bother.

Oh noooo, really? I will have to check out Pulse, then. That sucks :(

Oh noooo, really? I will have to check out Pulse, then. That sucks :(

My sentiments exactly. That would be a real bummer.

According to this Joystiq hands on, it is looking good. They say the ball feels weighty but is incredibly fast in default. Fortunately, they say you can edit more options than in FX and you slow down the ball (though this turns trophies off). Hopefully leaderboards still work though.

I would be very surprised if there is slow down. There is no slow down at all in Pinball FX which I'm assuming uses the same engine considering it's the same team.

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2009/04/28/joystiq-hands-on-zen-pinball/

According to Kotaku there will be a demo for this Thursday also.
http://kotaku.com/5250579/zen-pinball-launching-with-free-psn-demo

According to Kotaku there will be a demo for this Thursday also.
http://kotaku.com/5250579/zen-pinball-launching-with-free-psn-demo

http://illiweb.com/fa/i/smiles/icon_cheers.png

I'll definitely be buying this day one, I love pinball.

I'll try the demo first. It could have been any number of reasons why it looked a bit slow on Pulse. If the demo is good I might pick it up or wait for the Williams Classic Tables release in Aug.

Downloading the demo right now off the euro store.

I am giddy but I hope you can turn off the ball blurr effect that was in the Pulse video. That wasn't in FX. I thought it looked about as fast as FX (which is just a little too fast but tolerable).

Let's just be clear, just played demo. This is miles and miles from being anywhere near as good as Timeshock! I'm still not convinced I even like it yet.

Looks like you can download Pro Pinball Timeshock from CNET. I'll try it when I get home.

I've played three of the four tables, and I like 'em. Changed the flippers to R2 and L2 and off I went. Two trophies so far, but I haven't spent much time with it yet.

I can see it getting quite a bit of play around the house. I like the custom soundtrack option, too.

From the comments I gather it is only a demo.

Was doing a bit of research into Timeshock, seems it was the 2nd of 4 pinball games released by that company. All of which were available in one game on the Playstation 2 as well as the PC. Anyone tried any of the other boards? The Web, Big Race USA and Fantastic Journey?

Yep timeshock is the most advanced of the bunch. The next popular one is Big Race I believe I don't have the pack/set only timeshock but I've read and seen Big Race. Even Big Race is better than this zen pinball. I'm torn if I will bother, in the end I might but seriously there is no reason at all to drag me away from timeshock, that game literally is perfection. Even today I don't really believe it could be topped.

Judging by the demo, I will probably pass on this. Too bad.

The demo table is filled with too many similar-colored objects to be able to see much of what's happening. Also, none of the available camera angles ever seems to give me the perspective I actually want. The table seems to have a bunch of really cool stuff on it, but I can't see most of it.

Looking at the video preview of the other three tables, it looks like they suffer from the same issue. They each use too much of a single color, blurring the line between objects (bumpers, traps, tracks, and so on) and the flat play surface. Bummer. :(

What is the PS2 game called that has Timeshock on it?

The ball spin physics on Zen are DEFINITELY stronger than on FX and threw me off at first. I haven't played a real table recently enough to know if they are TOO strong. I found the voice on the demo table to be kinda annoying. Can you turn it off but keep the ball sounds and bleeps and bloops?

The camera angles are the same as on FX. I don't really like any of them but I usually use #3. None of them are as good as the options on Williams Hall of Fame for PSP. They really just need a camera angle that is more bird's eye view, not midget view, and that doesn't move so much. It should gradually move up and down the playfield, not jerk back and forth 1:1 with the ball.

A little time with the tables helps you learn where things are of course. I will still get this but I'm really looking forward to the Williams Hall of Fame collection for PS3. The PSP version is great (playing with a vertical view helps). :)

i tried the demo, liked it and bought the full game. i like it quite a bit. i can't compare it any other pinball games though cause i haven't played any.

What is the PS2 game called that has Timeshock on it?

Ultimate Pro Pinball, available for PS2 or Xbox. (I have a feeling I'll be breaking out the Xbox later)

There's also Pro Pinball Trilogy for Dreamcast. And don't forget Pro Pinball - The Web for the original playstation!

Hmm well I found Timeshock for PSX for $4.99 with free shipping on ebay and ordered it.

I thought this demo was fun

Is this Timeshock that everyone is gushing over available in HD? If not, I'll stick with this. Good price point, good graphics, more tables coming via DLC, online play.

HD lol I dont care what quality Zen is , it doesn't compare to Timeshock in any way. It blows this out of the water, which is sad being Timeshock is 12 years old. Timesshock has max res of 1600x1200. And I'd still take it over this zen game even in 800x600 mode.

ok so how do we get trophies.

i am playing the car V12 table. and by accident i unlocked the booster thropy. but how do i get the fully upgraded trophy for example?

this game is also pretty addicting. i like it a lot. although i agree about the views. i wish there was a topdown view. where i could see the complete table.

So, I've downloaded, played, and deleted this demo three different times today. Just when I think I'm bored of it, I stop playing the demo and delete it. A few hours later, I feel the itch again. Guess that means I'm liking it despite myself. :confused:

Is this Timeshock that everyone is gushing over available in HD?I only see one person here gushing over it. Not saying Timeshock's bad, but Zen is new, cheap, has online play, possible DLC down the road, and it's on PSN.

Yeah, Zen is still good. It would be great if they would give us a higher camera angle instead of a bunch of midget camera angles.

i thought view 5 was pretty good, but I'm not a pinball snob. fun game!

HD lol I dont care what quality Zen is , it doesn't compare to Timeshock in any way. It blows this out of the water, which is sad being Timeshock is 12 years old. Timesshock has max res of 1600x1200. And I'd still take it over this zen game even in 800x600 mode.


That's great. Why not go start a thread on Timeshock then? You obviously don't like Zen Pinball and have nothing left to offer the discussion on Zen Pinball.

You can turn off the ball blur/streaking in the settings.

I bought the game without trying the demo because I have balls.

HA!

I like it, it's a Hell of a lot of fun but I can't get used to any other view besides 1 because they all jerk too much. But 1 doesn't really let you see the top of the table.

I'm gonna check out Timeshock also.

before I buy this, is there an option to replay the table after you're game is over without getting kicked back out to the main menu? The demo kicks you all the way out, so you have to reload the table to play again.

before I buy this, is there an option to replay the table after you're game is over without getting kicked back out to the main menu? The demo kicks you all the way out, so you have to reload the table to play again.


Yes, you can replay the table instantly by hitting 'x'. You have to hit 'o' to go back to the main menu to pick a new table.


What's the table in the demo? I just leapt right in to the full game without getting it?

Did anyone get a multi-ball yet? The view zooms out so that you can see the whole table top down. I just played the demo and the score tops out at 2,500,000, but you can still keep playing. I'm fine with view 1 btw.

yea multi ball is great - got one last night and ended up +9mil score , fun game , in game custom music - video enable MP , cant go wrong - it is alittle fast but after a game or so you adjust, tilt / slaming the machine is also nice , helped save myself a few times lol

yea multi ball is great - got one last night and ended up +9mil score , fun game , in game custom music - video enable MP , cant go wrong - it is alittle fast but after a game or so you adjust, tilt / slaming the machine is also nice , helped save myself a few times lol

so the online multiplayer, while using video chat is smooth?

can't you adjust the level of the table? wouldn't that make the ball slow down a bit if you made the table more level?

Here are my thoughts. I am and have always been a pinball freak, and I have some significant time at the tables.

It's not bad. The physics are mostly pretty spot-on. The most irritating thing to me is the lag between pressing the flipper button and the flipper actuating. This is EXTREMELY frustrating. This one thing keeps it from feeling enough like a real pinball table to possibly keep me from purchasing the game. I admit, I have not gone into the settings to see if there's a way to adjust this. And no, I don't have lag issues with other games.

^^^ I have the full game and that one criticism is SPOT ON about the slight flipper delay. Also, at times when I use the nudge feature to bump the machine, nothing registers. However, as far as the flippers go I noticed late that the options menu does have a sensitivity feature we can adjust. When I play again, I will change it to max sensitivity and see if that helps. <EDIT: I tested a switch to max sensitivity and it works perfectly.... get this game!!!!>

There is no visual lag during gameplay thankfully (unlike in the trailer video), and the graphics for the game style is a solid 8.5 from me. I love the custom music feature, and the soundFX are spot on. I like the deep rumble surround sound of V12, and the electrical sounds of Tesla is done well too.

The physics engine is decent, but not 100% perfect. Sometimes the ball slides in at an unexpected angle, but it isn't anything major. I also think the ball moves a bit too fast too often, but that may be just comparing it to my preference of speed in some of my favorite real pinball machines back when I used to play quite a bit.

The graphics themselves are nice.... a 7.5. VER sharp and clear detail at 60fps. There is a different dominant color for each of the tables, but only one design stood out as being a bit too monochromish (El Durado). The other tables, particularly V12, do a nice job in accenting other colors across the board.

There are six views I believe, but none are a true top down overhead like I prefer. I'll keep cycling through to find what I like - for now I've stuck with #3 or #4 even though it messes with my ability to cycle through lane light changes early enough (I may just go to #1).

The multiplayer and online leaderboard features are done very well from what I can tell. Besides multiple ways to get your name up in lights, the game uses a dot matrix text scroller to tell you who has had a recent awesome game or score. Another thing I like is that the menus and resetting the game has no loading times. It only loads when you bring up a different table from the one you are playing.

If the sensitivity settings can be tweaked to my liking, I'll give it an 8.5 score.

Here are my thoughts. I am and have always been a pinball freak, and I have some significant time at the tables.

It's not bad. The physics are mostly pretty spot-on. The most irritating thing to me is the lag between pressing the flipper button and the flipper actuating. This is EXTREMELY frustrating. This one thing keeps it from feeling enough like a real pinball table to possibly keep me from purchasing the game. I admit, I have not gone into the settings to see if there's a way to adjust this. And no, I don't have lag issues with other games.

Wait... lag in a pinball game??? :eek:

A little lag in most games can be acceptable, but pinball absolutely should have ZERO lag. What kind of TV do you have and how's it connected to the PS3? :confused:

I haven't tried this game out yet, but I was looking forward to it this weekend. Now I'm not so sure.

I repeat, this is not TV lag. NONE of my other games have lag AT ALL, including Rock Band. Joe Blow confirmed in his post exactly what I'm experiencing, it is something within the game that keeps the flippers from actuating at the moment the button is pressed. If you are a die-hard pinball fan like me, this is enough to make the game dang near unplayable. I hope Joe is right and this can be adjusted.

If you are concerned, just download the free demo.

I didn't notice any lag. Of course, I hit the triggers pretty hard--they are sensitive to your touch. But, I am by no means a pinball wizard. It might just not matter for me. :D

Interesting, flippers should be on/off.

I don't notice any lag and yes there is a setting for flipper "sensitivity" whatever that means. I've done my fair share of lag complaining too...see Killzone 2. ;) Sammy LED DLP (NOT forcing the game to 1080p).

Having played fighting games at tournament level for over a decade, I am hyper-sensitive to input lag and can notice it instantly, whether it is by game design or if it is due to laggy HDTVs. Not only that, I've played a ton of pinball, both real and in video game form.

There is definitely a very slight delay in Zen Pinball, both in the flippers and the nudge feature. Your inputs aren't instantly translated into action on the screen. It isn't my HDTV.... I specifically chose my display because it can handle 60 fps with no detectable lag (as long as the visual enhancers are turned off of course).

By comparison, I've played other older pinball games on my PC which is hooked into my HDTV via DVI-->HDMI connection and I get an an instant response with the flippers and nudge. In Zen Pinball I have had to train myself to hit the flippers early so that the ball would go where my reflexes know it should go.

<EDIT: Adjust the flipper sensitivity to maximum and the lag delay will disappear. It plays great now.>

Yeah, the lag is very slight but it is definitely there.

In Zen Pinball I have had to train myself to hit the flippers early so that the ball would go where my reflexes know it should go.

The problem is, when you get to advanced play, there's no way of predicting where the ball will be like that. Any hardcore pinball player knows what I'm talking about, but it's almost impossible for me to describe what I mean.

To be fair, at least with nudge, it would take a split second for your muscles to react to the neurological impulse and be able to effect movement of the table. It's a lot easier to nudge a virtual table with the flick of your thumb than to nudge a real table!

I don't mind the nudge as much (except when it literally does not register), but I hope the flippers can be tweaked to my liking.

I don't think any video game could please a real hardcore pinballer. I wish I had the dough for Medieval Madness. Was just looking online and saw one for $13K !!!!

This game is very fun. I'll probably buy it. I used to test pinball games for Midway and I totally appreciate this game. It seems reasonably complex. I just wish the monitor was vertical :o It seems so squished into the frame. Oh well.

BTW the best pinball game of all time is Theater of Magic.

Midieval Madness is GREAT too.

Looking forward to trying this demo over the weekend. Man, this having-a-job thing is a bitch. I have to schedule time to try out a freaking demo.

I don't think any video game could please a real hardcore pinballer. I wish I had the dough for Medieval Madness. Was just looking online and saw one for $13K !!!!

That's crazy. Action Pinball sold Twilight Zone for under 7K and is selling Firepower right now for $3700. Their machines are in superb condition too.

I'm liking Zen more and more each time I play it. Tesla is such a cool table. I love the sounds.

The first review I've found....

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/983/983659p1.html

Yep about what I would give it from the demo. I was thinking 7 , 8 at tops. I'll end up buying it just things are tight atm I went on spending spree the other day. So I do look forward to getting it. I wish sprint had given this game to us free instead of the other new game this week.

The ball speed is to fast just that simple, the lag issue also as pointed out is there slightly. But again timeshock blows this away and it's 12 years old, that's just sad if you ask me. Can you tweak ball speed or anything like that in the options.

There's a "Ball Physics" slider in the options, I didn't mess with it though.

Yep about what I would give it from the demo. I was thinking 7 , 8 at tops. I'll end up buying it just things are tight atm I went on spending spree the other day. So I do look forward to getting it. I wish sprint had given this game to us free instead of the other new game this week.

The ball speed is to fast just that simple, the lag issue also as pointed out is there slightly. But again timeshock blows this away and it's 12 years old, that's just sad if you ask me. Can you tweak ball speed or anything like that in the options.

Please, one more time.

Ragdoll came out last month (and was probably not selling much anymore) and I'm sure Sprint couldn't just pick any game they wanted. Sony would be brain dead to do that for a brand new game. It would never get any sales.

Zen is not half has bad as you so desperately keep trying to make it out to be.

Zen is officially GREAT! You get perfect flipper response with max sensitivity, but make sure you change it for BOTH sets of flippers on all four tables. The game will still put you on the leaderboards unlike other changes you may make, like extra balls to start with.

Anyone who wants some fantastic pinball action should get this game. It's quickly one of my favorite PSN games.

now i only need to know how to get all trophies.

anybody have a guide or something for it or any link?

thanks

But again timeshock blows this away and it's 12 years old, that's just sad if you ask me.I think we gotcha the first dozon times you said this. :D

Anyhow, I keep replaying the demo, so I should just go ahead and buy the full game already. I just can't seem to bring myself to pull the trigger. Anyone care to convince me?

Confidence, the Tesla table is 10x cooler than Eldorodo and it's much easier to see the top of the table with view 3. :D

does anyone know how this game compares to an older game called timeshock?

Zen is officially GREAT! You get perfect flipper response with max sensitivity, but make sure you change it for BOTH sets of flippers on all four tables. The game will still put you on the leaderboards unlike other changes you may make, like extra balls to start with.

Anyone who wants some fantastic pinball action should get this game. It's quickly one of my favorite PSN games.
Joe,

How do you change flipper response to max sensitivity? I don't see that as an option. Are you playing it on a PS3? I really want to get into this game but can't because of the flipper lag.
Thanks

I have zero flipper lag.

Must be the displays some players are using.

Please, one more time.

Compared to timeshock it is more than twice as bad. It's worse in every single way. Yeah I know you get it already , I'm just making sure. Stop trying to pass this zen off as the end all be all of pinball. When frankly it isn't even the 2nd best pinball game made. Hell it's probably not even in the top 5.

But is it fun, sure. Worth $10 bucks , probably. The dopey ball physics are annoying to me the most. The balls so damn abnormally fast its annoying when you flip the ball and its back around through shoots and by before you can even hit the button again. The online play and updates in future are cool features.

It just sucks that in 2009 this is the best they could come up with , it's silly pinball. Not simulation pinball. But doesn't mean it's not fun. I just keep bringing up timeshock because it's hands down the best pinball sim ever made. And I assume some people here or coming into this thread wouldn't mind knowing that so they can enjoy it. Is that so bad. It if bugs you don't read my post.

Please, one more time.

Compared to timeshock it is more than twice as bad. It's worse in every single way. Yeah I know you get it already , I'm just making sure. Stop trying to pass this zen off as the end all be all of pinball. When frankly it isn't even the 2nd best pinball game made. Hell it's probably not even in the top 5.

But is it fun, sure. Worth $10 bucks , probably. The dopey ball physics are annoying to me the most. The balls so damn abnormally fast its annoying when you flip the ball and its back around through shoots and by before you can even hit the button again. The online play and updates in future are cool features.

It just sucks that in 2009 this is the best they could come up with , it's silly pinball. Not simulation pinball. But doesn't mean it's not fun. I just keep bringing up timeshock because it's hands down the best pinball sim ever made. And I assume some people here or coming into this thread wouldn't mind knowing that so they can enjoy it. Is that so bad. It if bugs you don't read my post.

Did you mess with the physics settings at all?

Please, one more time.<snip>


No, NOT one more time. You like Timeshock.... congrats and have a cookie. We stopped caring after the third time you brought it up. Go to the PC forum and make a thread-shrine for it if you wish, but stop cluttering up this thread with the same story told 1,000 different ways.

Back on topic.... :rolleyes:

mave198: the fact that you can double the sensitivity in the option menu proves that you are having problems detecting lag. If the flippers were lag free by default, then it would be impossible to increase sensitivity. You can't have less than zero lag of course.

I think the developer made it this way because of the analog triggers sometimes makes holding the ball with a flipper a little tricky since the slightest finger movement will re-trigger the flipper accidentally. It happened to me twice, but it isn't a major problem honestly.

waiverman: For EACH table (a table has to be loaded up first), do the following....

Start
Operator's Menu
Utilities
Extra Adjustments
--Lower arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .15)
--Upper arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .00)

Save your settings, do the same for the other three tables and you are done! These changes don't affect your ability to get on the scoreboard.

Martez: Yeah, you can adjust the pitch angle of the table to affect gravity and slow down / speed up the ball, as well as make changes to the rubber ring location, though I don't know what that does.

Compared to timeshock it is more than twice as bad.If Zen is more than twice as bad as Timeshock, and Alien Crush is more than half as good as the Williams Collection, but Metroid Prime Pinball is only a third as mediocre as Pinball Quest, and Timeshock is at least as good as Metroid Prime Pinball, and the Williams Collection is almost as bad as Zen, then how much time have I wasted trying to quantify subjective tastes of pinball video games?

Don't forget Pokemon Pinball :D

I've never played timeshock, but I also find the demo weak. I wasn't worried about the slight lag until it I found it handicapping my play. Even the menus have lag like KZ2... j/k.

Yes one more time, You don't like my comments IGNORE THEM. But I have every right to compare one pinball game against another, period. Timeshock.

Bought the full game last night. Had a blast playing it. It's been years since I've found a really good video pinball game. Definitely worth the 10 bucks. Can't seem to stop losing my ball on the V12 table though :)

V12 is definitely the toughest to get a flow going. I have spent 90% of my play time on Tesla (8+ million high score so far on it).

I've never played timeshock, but I also find the demo weak. I wasn't worried about the slight lag until it I found it handicapping my play. Even the menus have lag like KZ2... j/k.

Flipper lag can be eliminated in the game's option menus. I described how a few posts above yours.

So how do you guys think this compares to timeshock?
Any opinions?

Yes one more time, You don't like my comments IGNORE THEM. But I have every right to compare one pinball game against another, period. Timeshock.Sure. No problem. Just don't expect not to get a ribbing for your fierce dedication to your cause. ;)

So how do you guys think this compares to timeshock?Off the top of my head, I'd say Zen is about 0.47687219 times as good.

Purchasing Zen as we speak. This also might be reason enough to finally buy a camera for my PS3, that and my recent rediscovery of Burnout. Nothing says "Zen" like seeing the blank stares of three other people sitting in rapt tongue-biting concentration staring at their TV screens.

Start
Operator's Menu
Utilities
Extra Adjustments
--Lower arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .50)
--Upper arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .45)

Save your settings, do the same for the other three tables and you are done! These changes don't affect your ability to get on the scoreboard.


I think those numbers are for the LEAST sensitive flippers. I think you have to go down to .15 and .00 or something like that to be the most sensitive.

Compared to timeshock it is more than twice as bad. It's worse in every single way.

Timeshock has 4 tables with more on the way with surround sound, customizable physics and display options, multiplayer, video chat, trophies, etc.? Wow.

No, NOT one more time. You like Timeshock.... congrats and have a cookie. We stopped caring after the third time you brought it up. Go to the PC forum and make a thread-shrine for it if you wish, but stop cluttering up this thread with the same story told 1,000 different ways.

Back on topic.... :rolleyes:

mave198: the fact that you can double the sensitivity in the option menu proves that you are having problems detecting lag. If the flippers were lag free by default, then it would be impossible to increase sensitivity. You can't have less than zero lag of course.


I'm not having problems "detecting lag".

With this sort of gameplay where you need lightning fast reflexes it's easily detectable.

I'm on a CRT HDTV unlike many other gamers on this forum that play on LCD or some other display where lag can be an issue.

You don't know what you're talking about.

uh, probably a stupid question, but why are my high scores not saving? My high score from yesterday is not there today...:o

I'm not having problems "detecting lag".

With this sort of gameplay where you need lightning fast reflexes it's easily detectable.

I'm on a CRT HDTV unlike many other gamers on this forum that play on LCD or some other display where lag can be an issue.

You don't know what you're talking about.

I and others on the internet who instantly feel the lag delay don't know what we are talking about? A problem fixed when sensitivity is increased in the option menu?

As I said above, I've played fighting games more than any other genre... since moves are often calculated in increments of 1/60th of a second, I can easily tell when a game has lag. My HDTV is a rear projection set for this very reason; it does not lag at all.

If you have no issue with the flippers, no problem. Don't try and tell us we should be satisfied with it when it can be adjusted.

I think those numbers are for the LEAST sensitive flippers. I think you have to go down to .15 and .00 or something like that to be the most sensitive.

Lol, it's one or the other... I was posting from memory from my computer. I'll double check.
EDIT: Yep, that's what I have it set at. I edited the other post.

So how do you guys think this compares to timeshock?
Any opinions?

Yeah, I'd like to know too. Anyone? If it's at least half as bad, i might buy it.

I and others on the internet who instantly feel the lag delay don't know what we are talking about? A problem fixed when sensitivity is increased in the option menu?

As I said above, I've played fighting games more than any other genre... since moves are often calculated in increments of 1/60th of a second, I can easily tell when a game has lag. My HDTV is a rear projection set for this very reason; it does not lag at all.

If you have no issue with the flippers, no problem. Don't try and tell us we should be satisfied with it when it can be adjusted.



Lol, it's one or the other... I was posting from memory from my computer. I'll double check.
EDIT: Yep, that's what I have it set at. I edited the other post.

You don't know what you're talking about in terms of me not being able to detect lag.

I don't have lag and didn't have to increase the sensitivity at all. The game plays perfectly.

And no where in my post did I state anyone should be satisfied with anything. I simply stated I (as in myself) didn't have any lag and players displays may be to blame.

Obviously, if there is a sensitivity option, there may be lag present depending on the display or HT setup someone has. This is the same reason games like Rock Band have calibration menus for different displays.



Read more carefully next time before you respond.

Played the demo, it's pretty fun. Definitely no Timeshock from what I've heard.

Actually the last "video" pinball games I played were Pinball of the Dead and Gals Pinball, so I may pick this up for a fun time waster.

You don't know what you're talking about in terms of me not being able to detect lag.

I don't have lag and didn't have to increase the sensitivity at all. The game plays perfectly.

And no where in my post did I state anyone should be satisfied with anything. I simply stated I (as in myself) didn't have any lag and players displays may be to blame.

Obviously, if there is a sensitivity option, there may be lag present depending on the display or HT setup someone has. This is the same reason games like Rock Band have calibration menus for different displays.



Read more carefully next time before you respond.

I can only go by this... tourney level fighting game experience allows me to easily detect lag. I've had a ton of top level players who have competed in state, national and world tournaments for fighting games - all of us recognize lag instantly on displays that have it, and my rear projection set has none (all visual enhancements are off).

There are complex combos and other maneuvers in these games that are literally impossible to pull off - let alone with ease - if there is even the slightest lag because of how frame data is calculated. Literally 1/60th of a second makes a big deal here. Synching up music notes onscreen with laggy inputs is one thing, but in fighting games you can't get away with that.

So with all of that said, I have no idea what you think you're experiencing on your set with ZP but, if it is fine for you, it is fine for you. Being the ONLY game I've experienced with slight lag on this HDTV in all this time (music games included), I'm just happy the option menu allows us who can tell the ability to eliminate it.

Anyone who is on the fence, definitely pick it up. For 10 bucks it's a no brainer.

Adjusting the flipper sensitivity definitely changes the feel of the triggers. As far as I can tell, the default settings give the flippers a "squishy" feel. If you tone down the sensitivity, the flippers respond in a simple on/off manner. That's probably the "lag" some of you are noticing.

I have a tip for you guys who have issues with V12 eating up your ball on the left side of the play field: keep your left flipper up whenever the ball heads towards that lane. It will serve as a shield for the most part, forcing the ball to bounce off of it and back into play.

I still like Tesla the best. I am now just outside of being on the Top 10 of the leader board for that table even though I still don't know how to trigger all of its secrets.

Lastly, Gaming Age has a review up (http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=ps3_psn&game=zen_pinball)... an A- rating:

This is absolutely worth picking up for PS3 owners, and one of the better video pinball games I've ever played. If you own a PS3 and enjoy pinball, this one is a must buy.

I purchased it along with Flower. It's a great game for $10. Custom music too!

None of my friends' scores are showing on my leaderboard. They need to fix this.

As for the left outlane on V12, another thing is to try not to go for the target that opens the manifold fan with the right flipper. It usually caroms off straight into the outlane if you do. You can hit it easily with the left flipper.

I've had Pinball FX on the 360 for awhile now with several downloads and enjoy it very much. I've just purchased Zen Pinball and it's just as great. It plays very well. I believe there is a Wii pinball game that's said to be pretty good too that I'm going to check into.

None of my friends' scores are showing on my leaderboard. They need to fix this.My own scores aren't showing up either.

If anyone wants Timeshock, hit me up with a PM.

I'm also having an issue with my game saves. I don't see an option to save your game or to turn on autosave. Every time I go to "Load" it says no save data.

Yeah there is major issues with saving scores it seems. I seen LOTS of talk about that on forums. Also issue with freezing online games.

In the end I just wish they'd went with real ball physics.

I can only go by this... tourney level fighting game experience allows me to easily detect lag. I've had a ton of top level players who have competed in state, national and world tournaments for fighting games - all of us recognize lag instantly on displays that have it, and my rear projection set has none (all visual enhancements are off).

There are complex combos and other maneuvers in these games that are literally impossible to pull off - let alone with ease - if there is even the slightest lag because of how frame data is calculated. Literally 1/60th of a second makes a big deal here. Synching up music notes onscreen with laggy inputs is one thing, but in fighting games you can't get away with that.

So with all of that said, I have no idea what you think you're experiencing on your set with ZP but, if it is fine for you, it is fine for you. Being the ONLY game I've experienced with slight lag on this HDTV in all this time (music games included), I'm just happy the option menu allows us who can tell the ability to eliminate it.

I've played SFII since it first came out along with ALL the Tekkens and 3 of the Marvel vs SF/Capcom series and all the SF Alpha games.

If you know anything about NYC you would know that Playland, when it existed, housed many of the cities best gamers along with Mott street in Chinatown. I spent literally months in those places when I used to do serious gaming in the arcades.

My point is I can easily detect lag, and it's not what I "think" I'm experiencing........its what I know I'm experiencing.

Zero lag by default.

What your problem is or anyone elses problem is anybodys guess.

But please don't sit there and type what I "think" I'm seeing.. Thats very arrogant and makes you look like a snob.

are anyones high scores saving?

Thats very arrogant and makes you look like a snob.

Pot, kettle, black.

Pot, kettle, black.


If you are referring to yourself, thats unfortunate.

I'm just posting facts whether you want to hear it or not. I see your NYC Playland and raise you Southern Hills Golfland, the mecca of fighting gamers in the U.S. before it was torn down. More local, regional, and national and world tourney winners came from that arcade for more games during its reign than any other location.

So it's not just me saying my TV has no lag, its also quite a few of these guys who have been to my house, including out-of-state and out-of-country tourney players who have stayed with me when competing at local events. From different parts of the U.S., from the U.K., Italy, Greece, Korea... many of them champions. All of them are wrong about the absence of lag on my TV and YOU'RE right? Get over yourself.

In any case, there's nothing more to say. You seem to be fine with default sensitivity, some of us are fine with improved sensitivity. What's great about the game is that it allows us to make adjustments to our liking, so let's move on.

are anyones high scores saving?

My scores have all saved fine. I think you have to be in the top 1,000 for it to register. My best is just outside of top ten on Tesla, but I'm pretty below average on the others since I haven't played them too much. I don't know why some of you are having issues.

There is always more to say.

My LAG is bigger than your LAG.
My LAG could beat up your LAG.

Great so you have no lag, fine. We don't need a report on it. P.S. Timeshock!

Touche. I won't say another word on the issue. :)

I'm just posting facts whether you want to hear it or not. I see your NYC Playland and raise you Southern Hills Golfland, the mecca of fighting gamers in the U.S. before it was torn down. More local, regional, and national and world tourney winners came from that arcade for more games during its reign than any other location.

So it's not just me saying my TV has no lag, its also quite a few of these guys who have been to my house, including out-of-state and out-of-country tourney players who have stayed with me when competing at local events. From different parts of the U.S., from the U.K., Italy, Greece, Korea... many of them champions. All of them are wrong about the absence of lag on my TV and YOU'RE right? Get over yourself.

In any case, there's nothing more to say. You seem to be fine with default sensitivity, some of us are fine with improved sensitivity. What's great about the game is that it allows us to make adjustments to our liking, so let's move on.

Whether your TV has lag or not was never in question....itwas you saying I'm "thinknig" I don't see lag on my TV. As if you are there to tell me what I see and don't see and your observation was the end all be all of the issue.

Right, lets move on.

There is always more to say.

My LAG is bigger than your LAG.
My LAG could beat up your LAG.

Great so you have no lag, fine. We don't need a report on it. P.S. Timeshock!


Not another post from me about it then.

It's no big deal we all still love each other.

Hey is this another damn PSN game that won't save any score at all unless you're logged into PSN. How god damn stupid is it that single player games won't save your score at all unless you're logged into the net. That is stupid and almost enough to not buy it alone as it makes the whole thing pointless unless you have it hooked to the net. Sometimes I don't want to bother with all that, not to mention all the DNS error issues lately.

I HATE that Super Stardust HD won't do it unless you log in, soooooo annoying.

^i'm always logged into PSN and have not had these DNS errors you speak of, yet my scores don't save.:confused:

Hey is this another damn PSN game that won't save any score at all unless you're logged into PSN. How god damn stupid is it that single player games won't save your score at all unless you're logged into the net.Nothing to do with the issue. It's simply not saving our scores. Period. Doesn't matter if you're logged in or not.

Yeah I know that, I wasn't trying to say it was, I was only referring to another thread in here and another PSN issue that's annoying as hell.

Which again so does it save your score if you're not logged in, does it keep your high score when you quit and come back if you haven't logged in? It is supposed to save your scores offline is what I wanna know. I think super stardust is ruined that it won't save a score offline.

Never had an issue with SSHD scores.

But the score issues with Zen are driving me nuts. I think I now know what you mean, hdtv00. No one's scores seem to be saving after they log out. As best as I can tell, your scores only save as long as you're currently online. Once you turn off your PS3 (or log out of PSN), your scores disappear. This also seems to be happening to the folks on my friends list. Their scores were saved yesterday when they were online, but today everyone's scores are gone. You can quit the game and come back, and your scores are fine. But if you log out of PSN (or turn off your PS3), your scores disappear.

Defeats a major part of pinball if scores aren't tracking properly. :(

Never had an issue with SSHD scores.

But the score issues with Zen are driving me nuts. I think I now know what you mean, hdtv00. No one's scores seem to be saving after they log out. As best as I can tell, your scores only save as long as you're currently online. Once you turn off your PS3 (or log out of PSN), your scores disappear. This also seems to be happening to the folks on my friends list. Their scores were saved yesterday when they were online, but today everyone's scores are gone. You can quit the game and come back, and your scores are fine. But if you log out of PSN (or turn off your PS3), your scores disappear.

Defeats a major part of pinball if scores aren't tracking properly. :(

Add me to the list of "score confusion" folks. The first game I play each day is my "new high score!" despite what the actual score is. My audit information does stay, though, so it is keeping track of games played, and all the stats etc.

I would like an easy way to see what the highscores are for each table locally, apart from the online component. Like any pinball machine in an arcade, give me a way to enter my initials and then display the top 10 high scores for that table locally. So when friends come over, they can try to beat my high score and have it stick for the next time they come over...

I just asked about the scoring in the PS Blog thread started by the Managing Director of Zen studios. Apparently, there are some people having lockups during 4 player online games, too.


Damn--I should have asked if they could license the tables from Timeshock!

I just asked about the scoring in the PS Blog thread started by the Managing Director of Zen studios. Apparently, there are some people having lockups during 4 player online games, too.Thanks for the find. I went ahead and posted another comment to that thread since the managing director seems to be reading the thread.

I think the issue might have something to do with the game only tracking the top 1000 scores in each category (which is more of a poor design decision rather than a "bug"). But one of the consequences is that the game doesn't save any of your own scores locally that don't make the top-1000 leaderboard cut. So it effectively "forgets" your score if you don't make that top 1000.

Also, anyone know what good saving your game does? It gives you some message about not being able to track your scores if you use a loaded game. Haven't messed with it, so I'm not sure what it does or why it won't track your scores (maybe to prevent sharing saves). Is it just a way to stop mid-game and continue later? If so, then you'd only want to save the game if you're doing really well and have a pressing emergency that forces you to leave your game. But if you're doing that well, you would definitely want your score to track, so I can't imagine a situation where that would be useful. Anyone?

I love pinball and tried the demo. Experienced the flipper lag but did not get involved enough to try and figure out settings and adjusting them. With all the talk about this game vs. Timeshock and other games, I just wanted to throw one other game out there. While I love my PS3 to death, the best video pinball game I have played to date is the Pinball Hall of Fame- The Williams Collection game for my Nintendo Wii. I am a bit biased because I loved the "Funhouse" table when I was in college but this game very accuratley replicates a lot of the best tables ever designed by Williams.

I believe it is being released for the PS3 on or around August 31 for about $30 and it comes with 3 adiditonal tables (13 tables in total). While I have it for the Wii, I will probably pick it up for the PS3 as well just for the additional 3 tables.

Well I'm 10th overall on eldorado table and 4th for week. So I guess I'll find out about scores real quick. I just bought it this morning. The reports I gave earlier were from complaints I'd seen on forums. It's worth $10.60 for sure.

I also bought Flower(which is amazing) and Pirate game forget what its called. I came very close to getting the bowling one but wasn't sure how good it was.

I hope they include Cyclone. One of my all-time favorites.

Well I'm 10th overall on eldorado table and 4th for week. So I guess I'll find out about scores real quick. I just bought it this morning. The reports I gave earlier were from complaints I'd seen on forums. It's worth $10.60 for sure.

I also bought Flower(which is amazing) and Pirate game forget what its called. I came very close to getting the bowling one but wasn't sure how good it was.

high velocity bowling is good

high velocity bowling is good

+1

Blows Wii Bowling away, IMO.

high velocity bowling is goodYeah, just got this over the weekend with my Qore subscription. I'm totally surprised and didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it is.

Yeah, just got this over the weekend with my Qore subscription. I'm totally surprised and didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it is.

Make sure to hop on the store; there are a bunch of free add-ons.

4th overall on el dorado missed 3rd by only 200k, so pissed haha.

I had emailed Zen about the camera angles and also if they were considering the analog stick for the plunger or the six-axis for nudge. Got a a response back that they are currently working on a small patch but he didn't indicate what for. Probably just scores and online huh?

I thought the six-axis would be the nudge as well.

I thought the six-axis would be the nudge as well.With all their other precision-oriented pinball sim details, using motion detection would be too imprecise. Using the stick works well, and it's easy to choose which direction you're nudging with instant response.

Yep that's the first thing I thought too when I started to think about it. At first it sounds good, but then you realize it wouldn't be that great an idea. Well if you cared about not sucking anyway.

For what it's worth, it looks like the scoring is working now for all tables (at least for me). I played Shaman, exited, went back in and it remembered my high score from the last time I played. Before, it would just tell me whatever score I got was my "new all time high score!". Looks like maybe it was a server issue...

Never played Timeshock but this is one of the better Pinball games that I have played.

Jason

With all their other precision-oriented pinball sim details, using motion detection would be too imprecise. Using the stick works well, and it's easy to choose which direction you're nudging with instant response.

I changed my nudge controls from the analog stick to the d-pad.

Jesus online multiplayer is F'ing worthless and pissing me off. I can't play more than 2 minutes before the game disconnects. Yet I check and I'm still on PSN, even then sometimes with it now that PSN DC's all the time now too. Least its keeping my score but I'm down to 5th all time on El Dorado.

Timeshock for PSX just arrived today. Will try later tonight!

Got it on ebay for $4.99, free shipping.

*after a few games on Timeshock, I can say that it is definitely very good. Even the PSX version holds up very well today and looks very respectable. Obviously not as crisp as Zen and the sound isn't as high quality. However, the ball definitely feels more realistic and the flippers themselves feel more realistic as well. It's hard to explain but everything has a better weight to it and the flippers don't feel overpowered (like they do a bit in ZP). Once when the ball hit the upper right flipper, you could see the weight of the ball even cause a small movement on it. I don't think I've seen that on Zen. I don't even have a grasp of the table itself yet but it seem interesting for sure.

None of it really takes away from my enjoyment of ZP but if you can find it for $5 like me, why not? ;)


hdtv00, should I also pick up ProPinball Big Race USA? I'm assuming it used the same engine as Timeshock.

HA least I got someone to try it. Yep on ps1 I'm sure the resolution sucks, on the pc at 1600x1200 its much better. I'd swear it's like looking at an actual table. And yep pinball is about the table and ball physics and nothing has ever come even close to timeshock. And give it time, the different levels, the use of the dot display to play that one ball through the tunnel thing is awesome.

Yep Zen is fun, but timeshock is perfection. And since it is so old and so rare I just thought I'd let pinball lovers know about it. As for Big Race, it has same ball physics. But the table isn't any where near as fun or good looking. It's like an older generation of machine but it is still very good. Just not my thing.

Had some friends over the other night, and they all had a blast with Zen Pinball. Played for many hours, and everyone enjoyed the gameplay and sound effects of this game.

"Tesla" puts out some serious rumble thru my sub when you get into the bumpers at the top of the machine. There is very slight lag with the default controls in my setup. Everyone played this game easily, without making any adjustments in the settings, once they got used to it.

With the "rumble" effect, I have to say that "Tesla" is my favorite table so far. This game is very fun and addicting, and anyone who has played it in my setup has enjoyed it. How could they not, it's Pinball..:)

Even the non-gamers loved it, because it was simple to play, and it brought back memories for them from their old days in the traditional arcades. It was money well spent. If you like pinball, don't hesitate to pick this one up.

I agree, Tesla is fun... hopefully I'll get some "rumble" from my new speaker system.

You, myself and Ben should get together and play some pinball.

Yeah, this game is fun. I just wish I could easily figure out how to activate/achieve all of the features on the tables. For example, on Shaman I can easily select various elements after getting each of the letters in the word ELEMENT on the upper table, but I don't know what to do next...

Also, I've played 3 online games and have won all of them (yes, I'm tooting my own horn), but I don't see any sort of ranking system for online matches. Does such a thing exist?

I agree, Tesla is fun... hopefully I'll get some "rumble" from my new speaker system.

You, myself and Ben should get together and play some pinball.

Don't worry, you'll be hearing the rumbling on "tesla" and alot of the other games you have. It will be a whole new experience for you. Heck, your gonna listen to music and play games that you experinced years ago, just because of the fact you are going to have a really nice sound system. If you can fit 7.1..make sure you add 2 surround back speakers. It's more enveloping, imo.

I thought I did pretty well on El Dorado the other night..scoring 14 million something. Ha..I'm like 3000 or something on the list. Way to go hdtv00!

Absolutely we should. It seems I never catch him online these days. I do see you online, so maybe we can have a go at it..whether he is around or not.

You guys get online way after I am already in bed...:(. It sucks being in different timezones. By the time he gets off work, and doing his thing at home, it's 11:30 p.m. my time, and I'm off to bed. I'm not young anymore..I can't stay up till the wee hours of the morning like you guys...;).

That's why I appreciated all the times you and Dog came online during my gaming sessions to have fun. He has a wife and child just like me, and they have to come 1st, and I certainly can understand that by me being in the same position.

Hopefully...in year, we will be in the same timezone, and you will be the one that's behind..lol. But I see it as less of a issue for you, since you are only 1 hour behind, and maybe don't have as many personal commitments as he or I. Just don't get you wife pregnant yet..you have plenty of time young man..:D

Anyhow, maybe we can set something up for us during the weekends? I have been really busy the last few months with "Spring" functions, and re-modeling my kitchen, so hopefully things will calm down soon for me and we can have some fun.

A new patch is coming soon to fix a couple of issues BTW.

BTW, if any of you Tesla fans want a custom soundtrack playlist recommendation, I've been listening to converted mp3s of the old Sega CD game, Batman Returns. It has a fantastic original score, and was done in Redbook audio so the music played on any CD player. It fits the Tesla board perfectly.

I plan to get some more practice on Tesla this week after some time away; I was ranked #13 last time I played but no doubt I've been bumped since then.

I just wanted to put in my two cents... I also notice the delay in the arms/flippers. I'm using a Samsung LCD HDTV, but other games in the past, like CoD Modern Warfare and World at War, do not have any "lag" or delay in the controls.

Bottom line, whether your eyes are keen for lag/delay, there is a definite amount of delay in Zen Pinball and it is frustrating.

There is zero lag with the flippers in this game if you adjust the sensitivity in the option menu as described above.

Man I hate to see what I'm ranked now, I haven't played in well over a week. I was as high as 4th on el dorado, and like 9th last I looked 10 days ago or so. Anyway I tried the other tables only el dorado and tesla are any fun at all if you ask me.

I welcome a patch I've seen the ball vanish through walls in game 3 times I think maybe up to 5. Either way it's worth 10 bucks 60 cents for sure. But hehe it's no timeshock.

Jesus Online Multiplayer

Is that the new Religion RPG for PS3?


Zen PB is great! I keep hearing about Timeshock -how does this compare?

Zen PB is great! I keep hearing about Timeshock -how does this compare?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16500388#post16500388

The only real "problem" with Zen (and Pinball FX) is the ball is just too fast/light. Great game though.

anyone have the game not startup and goto just a black screen with music playing?

This has happened to me like 3 different times where Ihave to restart my system to play the game. On the sony playstation boards someone else mentioned it but was wondering why we r the only ones seeing this glitch.

yeah...I had that issue. i deleted the game and save data and re-downloaded. Everything has been working alright now for about a week.

My high scores are still not saving after leaving the game and coming back in.:(

I'm still getting lockups every time I try to play online.
I played a game online last night and got through the whole game.
Then from the lobby when it was about to launch a new game it froze up (music still playing but everything else unresponsive).
So I reset the PS3, went back into ZP, found a game lobby and again it froze just as the game was about to start.
that time I left it on the hang screen for about 2 minutes to see if it would recover but it never did so I had to turn it off again.
:mad:

Thank you for this info Joe, this is exactly that I was looking for! (I love this game, by the way!)

No, NOT one more time. You like Timeshock.... congrats and have a cookie. We stopped caring after the third time you brought it up. Go to the PC forum and make a thread-shrine for it if you wish, but stop cluttering up this thread with the same story told 1,000 different ways.

Back on topic.... :rolleyes:

mave198: the fact that you can double the sensitivity in the option menu proves that you are having problems detecting lag. If the flippers were lag free by default, then it would be impossible to increase sensitivity. You can't have less than zero lag of course.

I think the developer made it this way because of the analog triggers sometimes makes holding the ball with a flipper a little tricky since the slightest finger movement will re-trigger the flipper accidentally. It happened to me twice, but it isn't a major problem honestly.

waiverman: For EACH table (a table has to be loaded up first), do the following....

Start
Operator's Menu
Utilities
Extra Adjustments
--Lower arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .15)
--Upper arms sensitivity (on Tesla, set it to a max of .00)

Save your settings, do the same for the other three tables and you are done! These changes don't affect your ability to get on the scoreboard.

Martez: Yeah, you can adjust the pitch angle of the table to affect gravity and slow down / speed up the ball, as well as make changes to the rubber ring location, though I don't know what that does.

Has anyone achieved the Monkey Wrench trophy in V12 yet? I did the suspension upgrade and the voice said I received the upgrade, but no trophy. Is there a glitch?

Man, am I missing something, or does V12 suck compared to the other tables?

It seems go down the left chute WAYYY too often to be fun. I dig the other tables, and love the game overall, but that one table is not nearly as engaging as the others.

I just picked this game up last night and man I am terrible!! Hopefully I can get better with a little practice but I do not see how people are getting scroes in the billions on these tables. Anyone have any tips?

In general you have to learn the rules of a table that enables jackpots. Concentrate on those goals instead of randomly hitting the ball. Also, there are a few vids on the 'net showing a couple of techniques, so check out the ones on the table you like for additional tips.

I still haven't gotten too deep into any of these tables but V12 and Tesla are my favorites (I just hate the voice on V12 - and Shaman and Eldorodo and...). The key to not losing your ball in the left outlane in V12 is not to got for the manifold fan's drop target with the right flipper. Usually that results in a instant ball loss because of the angle it takes off the drop target from that flipper. You can hit that drop target with the top of the left flipper. Just trap the ball and do a quick shot at it. Of course remember to hold the upper left flipper when the ball is anywhere over on that side to block that outlane.

Ok, now I am just frustrated with this game, too many problems.

1) When the game loads I get a loud pinging sound when plugged into my monitor via HDMI, on my TV it just says Sound not supported (but it goes away once the game loads).

2) I start the game and after the ZEN logo the screen goes black and does not come back sometimes (have to hard reboot ps3)

3) I quick join an online game and see 4 people there including me but I get the loading screen instantly, the game starts, I am in there alone, there is no scoreboard, and no other player avatars. (This one pisses me off bigtime because there is no explanation of why it happens)

4) I do a Online game search and no results are shown. I do a quick join and it finds a game, I go back and do a search and the game is not found, but I go back and do quick join and it finds that same game. The Game search feature does not work!

5) **THIS IS JUST MORE ME BEING FRUSTRATED WITH MY LACK OF SKILL OR BOARD UNDERSTANDING** I join an online game and within 15 seconds another player has scored 5mil + points and the game ends. I know it could just be mega skill but I don't think the ball moves fast enough to score that many points so quickly. (Possibly cheating? I would hope not but I have seen enough cheating online to know it is possible no matter how unlikely)

---So when is there going to be a patch for this less than acceptable game or where can i get a refund???

A patch is on the way, but some of your problems have nothing to do with the game I think (i.e. 1 & 2). Maybe delete the file and re-download it?

I haven't had the online problems you describe, but there are a few issues in that area that are confirmed to be addressed in the patch. You should wait to see if it fixes the stuff that's frustrating you. It is probably getting approval for release since it was recently announced - it should be up soon.

A refund for a downloadable game? I hope you're joking.

I've never experienced or heard of those sound or video problems. The online needs patched and one is coming but I personally couldn't care about online pinball.

I've had the issue 1 happen all the time and 2 happen once. Not a big deal to me. So it locked up once and it makes a beep when it loads the table.

A refund for a downloadable game? I hope you're joking.


I was, it was more a venting out of frustration. :) I love the game but just hope they start working on some fixes soon!

I am going to delete and redownload the game tonight. I am also wondering if having the DEMO and the full version may be causing an issue.

Be sure to delete your save game data too (not just the game itself) if there is one.

Good stuff there Cygnus, thank you!

I still haven't gotten too deep into any of these tables but V12 and Tesla are my favorites (I just hate the voice on V12 - and Shaman and Eldorodo and...). The key to not losing your ball in the left outlane in V12 is not to got for the manifold fan's drop target with the right flipper. Usually that results in a instant ball loss because of the angle it takes off the drop target from that flipper. You can hit that drop target with the top of the left flipper. Just trap the ball and do a quick shot at it. Of course remember to hold the upper left flipper when the ball is anywhere over on that side to block that outlane.

So I deleted the game and save data and redownloaded and installed last night.

Problem 1 is now fixed.
Problem 2 only happens if I press X before the Last Zen splash logo disappears on its own.
Problem 3 No more instant load into empty game.

New Problem! - I tried online Quick Join and the game crashed 5 out of 6 times when it put me in the "waiting room" where you see the 4 players. (REQUIRED HARD REBOOT ALL 5 TIMES!)

Rumor has it that the patch will be released sometime today (Thursday).

I had high hopes for the game but after playing the demo I don't like it. Specifically the physics are just not right. I've played a lot of pinball games over the past 10+ years and this one has some of the worst physics. i mut admit that as an avide *real* pinball played for the past 30 years I am real picky!

Any word on the update that was supposed to be posted yesterday?

Any word on the update that was supposed to be posted yesterday?

It was released in other parts of the world but not north america, we got shafted

I had high hopes for the game but after playing the demo I don't like it. Specifically the physics are just not right. I've played a lot of pinball games over the past 10+ years and this one has some of the worst physics. i mut admit that as an avide *real* pinball played for the past 30 years I am real picky!


Did you try only the Tesla table ?


If you did some players figure it has wonky physics , but the table has a "magnetic field" +as part of the table game play that can make the balls seemingly go sideways.

If not, maybe the Williams Collection due on PSN soon will satisfy you.

Anyone play this today yet? Any word if the patch is available for North American users?

Did you try only the Tesla table ?


If you did some players figure it has wonky physics , but the table has a "magnetic field" +as part of the table game play that can make the balls seemingly go sideways.

If not, maybe the Williams Collection due on PSN soon will satisfy you.

You can only play El Dorado in the demo. I agree that the physics didn't real right. For example, I've never seen a pinball spin when hit by a flipper. It almost seems like they went overboard with the effects.

Did anyone hear if the patch for "the rest of the world" fixed the glitch that prevented high scores from saving?

I have a question. I set Tesla to normal difficulty. I think the default difficulty setting is on very easy, but I wanted to play on a little bit harder mode, so I changed difficulty to normal. Am I just making it harder on myself to get higher scores that are posted on the boards? That is, does the game keep up with who is playing on what difficulty setting? Because if it doesn't, I think I might go back to default for a while to help me get higher scores.

The first new table will be out by the end of this month and it's going to be a Street Fighter table. Pretty cool.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/08/06/zen-pinball-street-fighter-table/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/3792617915_e66a7b102c.jpg

Zsolt from ZEN Studios here! In case you missed yesterday’s memo, I’m here to tell you there’s a new table coming for ZEN Pinball. We’ve teamed up with Capcom and you guessed it, we’re bringing the one and only Street Fighter franchise as the first expansion table for the newly released PSN exclusive ZEN Pinball. As long time Street Fighter fans, we here at ZEN Studios are extremely excited about this collaboration and we can’t wait to get this table out the door to all our fans!

To give you a little idea of what makes this table so unique, we’ve loaded it with all the iconic Street Fighter II characters that revolutionized the fighting genre, from Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Guile to Sagat, Evil Ryu, Vega, Balrog and even M. Bison! The locations, missions, and even the tempo of the game capture the feel and look of the Street Fighter brand, so if you’re a fan of the franchise you’ll need to check this table out.

Right now we have a tentative release date scheduled for sometime in August 2009, so stay tuned to this blog, or check out the official ZEN Pinball site for more details.

two questions:

1. does the online MP work well in this game?
2. did they ever fix the bug that was preventing high scores from saving?

I will eat my hat if it's any different than their table from Pinball FX.

two questions:

1. does the online MP work well in this game?
2. did they ever fix the bug that was preventing high scores from saving?

1. Online MP works really well for me. No lag.

2. My high scores have been saving without issue for at least the past few weeks.

And I love the ability to play music from my HDD while I'm playing.

Has anyone bought the Street Fighter table. Is it good? I've rekindled my love for this game lately and noticed this DLC table. Hadoken

Has anyone bought the Street Fighter table. Is it good? I've rekindled my love for this game lately and noticed this DLC table. Hadoken

I enjoy it, although I've gotten a lot more mileage out of the Williams Collection lately. The SF II table is not to be mistaken for the actual Street Fighter pinball table that came out in the early 90's, it's totally different.