Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

To the other question : NO, you do not need to be connected to the internet to play Zen Pinball (I played a little during the month-long PSN outage). Your available downloaded tables show up whether you're on the internet or not. Being connected allows you to post your scores and compare them to your friends', but it's certainly not necessary. You obviously need an internet connection to buy new tables though, as well as to see which other downloadable tables are available. Tables come out infrequently, but one new Zen-exclusive table just came out after the PSN store came back up (The Sorcerer's Lair), along with the recent Fantastic Four table.

Zen Pinball is for the PS3, FX2 is for the 360. They are made by the same folks and are similar. Both can play Marvel Pinball and many of the same DLC tables (including Mars, Excalibur, Street Fighter, Earth Defense), but there are some exclusives for each, including their base packages of four tables each.

From Wikipedia:

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

As far as he internet connectivitiy, there's a pretty cheap, dead-easy way that's a hell of a lot less unsightly than running a bunch of Cat 5 cable. It's called Powerline. Basically, it's two electrical plugs with cable inputs in each. Plug one into an electrical outlet near the router in your son's room, connect the outlet with a couple of feet of Cat 5 plugged directly into the router. Plug another in an electrical outlet next to your PS3 and then plug your PS3 into it via the ethernet port. Presto, you're connected. It's really that easy.
Amazon has a set for $59.99 that includes both plugs and the cable you'll need. I use a Powerline set up for my office computer and it works GREAT.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

That's a good idea. But he's already spent like a million dollars in raising that boy. I'd say he has a bit of IT credit built up.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Thanks again everyone!

Decker,thank you for giving me the exact info I was looking for.
It's much appreciated! :)

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Thanks again everyone.

I recouped my million $'s ;)

I got the little guy to help me w/the ssid-lan etc. etc. settings,and am now connected wireless-ly

I DL the zen demo-and will buy a PSN card @BB to get the games.

Do the real games(marvel/zen) utilize the "rumble" (like the PHOF) on the dualshock?

My granddaughter loves that.I know the demo is limited and such-just wondering?

Thanks to all :)

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

You don't have to wait or drive to a store. Amazon sells $20 PSN codes online instantly.

I just checked and yes, Zen Pinball features vibration feedback. It also is one of the few games that makes good use of the Dual Shock's motion sensing -- you can shake the controller to nudge the table (if you set it up like that in Controls settings) and by holding down the View button {Square by default}, you can use the motion control to pan the camera anywhere over the table.

Since you got me to fire up Zen, of course I got sucked in and blind-bought Sorcerer's Lair. I had thought it would be another Medieval themed table. Turns out it's actually a Harry Potter <strike>rip-off</strike> tribute, complete with a Williams-like theme music. Your granddaughter might like that one, especially if she likes Harry Potter. It's a kiddie theme and it gives out points like candy (which is one of the two reasons I like it -- the other is that it's a "plausable" table, meaning it looks like a table that could conceivably exist in the real world [without a lot of stuff flying all around like in the Mars table for example]). Anyway, check it out. And you owe me $2.49 now. ;)


Here's a trailer for that table:
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vW4qJMVTisQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

If you want to save a trip to BB, you can buy an instant code for the game at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/ZEN-Pinball-On.../dp/B002YGS5TQ

Amazon will send you a code, which you redeem on your PS3.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Dear fellas, I can't believe how fast things move on the outside. I saw an automobile once when I was a kid, but now they're everywhere. The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry. ;)

LOL-guess I'm a bit behind the times,I was gonna drive to BB-didn't know
about amazon selling these things too.

That's real convenient,just got a amazon gift card for father's day :)

Thanks again for all your help.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

http://zenstudios.bandcamp.com/releases

Soundtracks to the Mars table, as well as Marvel tables.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

From the Zen Studios twitter account:

ZEN Pinball PSN Sale - Buy Marvel Pinball get ZEN Pinball FREE all week long!

No reason not to own the cool game PS folks. :)

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

I'm still holding my breath for a XBLA Marvel sale. Maybe next week with Cap'n. I miss oxygen.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

That's a great deal. I hope Etrigan can hop on that one.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Thanks Decker,

But I went to amazon and used my GC already.
9.99 each for Zen and Marvel and then Paranormal and Mars for 2.49 ea.

My luck is like that ;) haven't got a chance to play much yet-but they look fantastic!

Gotta get the FF table as well, Amazon says the code for that one is not available any longer?

Well,got lots to explore anyway:)-I'll get it sooner or later,no need for a backlog of tables,just like a pile of unwatched DVD's ;)

Thanks again for all your help.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Let me know how Paranormal is. It's the only Zen table I don't currently own on one of their two game platforms. (This is because I understood or read somewhere that it was coming to FX2, my preferred game of the two).

The other tables will be available through the PSN. You can buy a PSN card through Amazon and apply the credit to your virtual wallet, which can then be used to buy other tables any time you like. I really like Street Fighter and Excalibur.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Word on the street is that it will be at some point.

Also - save your pennies for Captain America. :up:

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Oh, I have 240 point earmarked for that one already. Glad to hear you like it. I just read a review of it in one of my gaming magazines and they just loved it and thought it was a lot better than FF even, and they liked that one as well.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Oodles.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

I've gotten a lot of tables in such a short time ;) so I've only gotten to fool around with all of them very briefly.

I really like it so far,probably one of my faves.
Like I said,I haven't really gotten to fully absorb the rulesheets of these tables yet,but I like the "flow" of this one :)

I think it would appeal to anyone into Pinball in general,and especially those into the Kolchak/Twilight zone/X-files etc. kinda theme,very "dark" mood to it.Right up my alley :)

Enjoy!

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Got to spend a little time with Captain America today and I'm loving it. I did find it weird that so much stuff carries over after a lost ball. I think the Bucky lights and the lane saves carry over, as well as progress in at least the Adhesive X mode.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

When we're given a glimpse of the work that must be involved in creating just one of these tables, like in this blog post for Captain America, I'm stunned. It's so much work and creativity applied to create one $3 item of DLC. Compare that to what Harmonix (the consensus champion of DLC) must do to release one single song as RB3 DLC at 67% of the price of a pinball table. We're getting such value here, I don't know how they make any money. In any case, I'm glad they're still doing it and am more than happy to keep buying them at full price, sight-unseen.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

I think this is a fantastic change. As well as getting partial score credit for at least making progress in any of the modes. For instance if you get a few of the canisters for Adhesive X you still walk away with a few million points even if not the full 12+ for completing the challenge. Part of the reason I like this table so much I think. It just feels far less punishing then a lot of the others.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

So the concept of No Child Left Behind is alive and well. It truly is America's table.

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Everybody wins!

Re: The Ultimate Pinball Thread
 

Except me with my crappy 20M. I need to figure out how to hit the rightmost ramp consistently. Only mode I've completed so far is the Death Ray one and that gave me 13 of my 20 million.