Tag: Zen Studios
Review Pinball M (PS5) - A Devilishly Cohesive Horror Pinball Platform
You're already dead
Pinball M launches at a time when creator Zen Studios’ reputation has been dented. For well over a decade now, the Hungarian developer has dominated the virtual pinball market with its beautiful table layouts and feature-packed apps. But this year’s Pinball FX crushed consumer confidence by failing to carry forward previous...
News It's Going to Be a Big Few Days for Virtual Pinball Fans on PS5, PS4
And we mean big
We must admit, we’d tuned out of the Pinball FX news cycle a teensy bit following the game’s free-to-play launch earlier in the year. But Hungarian developer Zen Studios is an industrious outfit, and so we’re not surprised to see it has a ton of content in the pipeline before Christmas. And it all starts this week, on PS5 and...
News There Are New Free Tables in Pinball FX on PS5, PS4 Today
And a ton of other stuff to try out
Rebooted pinball sim Pinball FX has received a ton of new content today, including two free tables for everyone. Joining the existing Wild West table, you’ll unlock a second original from developer Zen Studios, the fantastical Sorcerer’s Lair, as well as a classic from Williams in Fish Tales. These are both...
News Pinball FX PS5, PS4 Adding Two Free Tables, Twilight Zone and Crypt of the Necrodancer Coming
About flippin' time
Update: The big Pinball FX update livestream from developer Zen Studios did not disappoint, as it confirmed quite a lot of new content is coming to the game. It’ll all get underway from 13th April, when two new remastered tables will be available for free: Sorcerer’s Lair and Fish Tales. This increases the number of tables...
Review Pinball FX (PS5) - Messy Monetisation Overshadows Enormous Pinball Package
Ball save up
You’d think Pinball FX – the rebooted pinball compilation from Hungarian developer Zen Studios – would be the least controversial release of the year, wouldn’t you? But this is the video game industry, and controversy is effectively its middle name. So, the studio has come under intense scrutiny for not allowing owners of its...
News PS5, PS4 Is Getting a New Brothers in Arms, But Only in Pinball FX
Gearbox content coming to pinball platform
Pinball FX, the long anticipated reboot of Hungarian developer Zen Studios’ acclaimed pinball series, will finally launch on PS5 and PS4 in February – and it’s bringing Gearbox crossover content with it. The newly announced Gearbox Pinball pack will include three brand new tables, inspired by...
Review Mini-Review: Circus Electrique (PS5) - Not Quite The Greatest Show On Earth
Roll up, roll up
Young journalist Amelia has the circus in her blood; her uncle runs the titular Circus Electrique and her mother was a former circus performer who died in an accident ten years prior. Amelia has been given an assignment to report on the reopening of the circus, but disaster strikes as London is plagued with a mysterious incident...
News Circus Electrique Is Darkest Dungeon with Clowns and Firebreathers for PS5, PS4
The show must go on
Hungarian developer Zen Studios may be best known for its pinball simulations, but it’s always experimented with other genres, like in CastleStorm and KickBeat. Circus Electrique is not exactly trying to hide its Darkest Dungeon influences, but it does look like an interesting spin on Red Hook’s strategic RPG. There’s a...
News Pinball FX Is Coming to PS5 in 2021, But You'll Need to Rebuy Your Tables
Flippin' 'eck
Pinball FX is click-clacking its way to PlayStation 5 this year as previously reported – but existing fans of the franchise may not be thrilled to learn that you’ll need to repurchase any tables you may already own. Zen Studios has, historically, allowed you to transfer your content across – but it’s starting from scratch with...
News Next-Gen Pinball FX Will Bring Battle Royale Gameplay to the Tabletop
Flippin' fantastic
It was only a matter of time before Zen Studios announced a next-gen version of its flagship digital pinball environment Pinball FX, and in what the studio is billing its “most ambitious pinball project to date”, it’s promising a new Pinball Royale mode, inspired by “battle royale-style gameplay”. There’s no word on...
Mini Review Operencia: The Stolen Sun - Old-School Dungeon Crawler with a Modern Feel
Praise the Sun
Zen Studios has crafted a delightful first-person dungeon crawler with Operencia: The Stolen Sun, giving strong nods to classic games such as Wizardry while also putting its own modern spin on things. This is a gorgeous looking game that places as much emphasis on its Central European folklore-inspired story as it does on exploring...
News Zen Studios Bundling FPS, Pinball, More on PSVR
Quite the collection
One thing that’s become common on the PlayStation Store over the past few years are custom bundles, and Zen Studios is readying one of its own, stuffed with four of its PlayStation VR games. Fronting the bundle is Out of Ammo, the suspect first-person shooter which we didn’t think too highly of in our review. Fortunately,...
News Disco Dodgeball Remix Struts to PS4 on 22nd May
Stayin' alive
Three years after creator Erik Asmussen told us he was considering a PlayStation 4 port of Disco Dodgeball, the unusual first-person shooter has been confirmed for Sony’s system, with Zen Studios helping to make this remixed release a reality. Due out on 22nd May, the game “offers up a crazily intense mix of arena-based...
Empty chamber
On paper, Out of Ammo sounds like a good idea – but any positive notions are squashed almost as quickly as the game can boot up. Out of Ammo is a blend of real-time strategy and first-person shooter. You take control of a squad from above and build your base, with the ability to switch and control any individual on the ground at...
Flip the light fantastic
So, has Zen Studios finally settled on a name, then? Pinball FX3 is the successor to Zen Pinball 2, a game which itself was named Pinball FX2 on other platforms. The good news is that despite the adjusted moniker, you can import practically all of your tables from the previous version into this all-new release – although...
Castle crashers
Zen Studios must be contractually obliged to port CastleStorm to every viable platform, because it seems to get around like a king on a crusade. It’s a weird one because the game has never, in this author’s opinion, been all that exciting – but people must enjoy it otherwise it wouldn’t keep popping up like a bad smell...
Review Infinite Minigolf (PS4)
Tiger W∞ds
Infinite Minigolf may be a bad name, but it’s a potentially accurate one. Zen Studios’ follow-up to forgotten PlayStation 3 putt-‘em-up Planet Minigolf is packing some nifty cross-console features, meaning that its pool of user generated courses can be accessed regardless of your system of choice. This means that you could,...
News Zen Studios Putts Infinite Minigolf on the PS4 from 25th July
Join the club
If the excruciating wait for Everybody’s Golf is killing you, then Zen Studios is hoping to pad the wait with Infinite Minigolf, the long over-due successor to Planet Minigolf which launched on the PlayStation 3 almost a decade ago. The title – which includes full PlayStation VR support – allows you to create your own courses,...
News Pinball FX3 Tops the Scoreboard on PS4 This Summer
And you'll be able to import most legacy tables for free
Pinball FX3 will fire to the PlayStation 4 this summer, replacing Zen Pinball 2 as the home of Zen Studios’ fan-flippin’-tastic fantasy tabletop series. The game’s promising a wealth of new features and functions, though before we get into those it’s worth pointing out that the...
News Infinite Minigolf Hits a Hole in One on PS4 This Spring
Zen Studios' latest has full PlayStation VR support
You wait eons for a good arcade golf game on the PlayStation 4, and then two tee off at once. Zen Studios has announced Infinite Minigolf for Sony's new-gen system, a PlayStation VR compatible crazy golf title set to hit the links this Spring. The game's being billed as a successor to PlayStation...
DLC Review Batting Balls with Bethesda Pinball on PS4
Fallout bore
At this point, there are a fair few tables available for Zen Pinball 2, most of which are based on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Spider-Man, or even Bob's Burgers. While we're a very long way from Zen Studios releasing the Antiques Roadshow table this reviewer has been holding out for, the firm continues to seek out the sorts...
Flipping out for real
You could never accuse developer Zen Studios of being particularly selective about which platforms its pinball titles appear on. Thus, the number of people who'll be surprised to hear Pinball FX2 has arrived on PlayStation VR will probably be close to zero, especially since it provides a rare opportunity to do something a bit...
DLC Review Staying Frosty in Zen Pinball: Aliens vs. Pinball on PS4
How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals
Zen Pinball 2 has received special tables linked with pre-existing properties before now, but the three-pack dedicated to the Alien license – and recently released in celebration of Alien Day – is, in theory, one of the more interesting ones. In execution, however, it's more of a mixed bag...
News Portal Pinball Carries Out Some Tests on PS4, PS3, Vita
Chell's bells
Portal – and its imaginatively titled sequel Portal 2 – remain two of the most critically acclaimed games from last generation. With the recent rumour regarding a LEGO Dimensions pack themed around the popular franchise, you'd be forgiven for wanting to revisit Aperture Laboratories. But if you can't be bothered fishing out the...
Review Zen Pinball 2: South Park Pinball (PlayStation 4)
Sweet
Building up its repertoire of table tie-ins, Zen Studios has bizarrely added comedy hit South Park to its post-release Zen Pinball 2 purchasing roster. With two tables on offer in this double pack, does the satirical NSFW show make a successful transition to the more traditional silver ball structure? The staple Super-Sweet Pinball table is...
Review CastleStorm: Definitive Edition (PlayStation 4)
It's reigning Zen
Blurring the line between tower defense and real-time strategy, CastleStorm proved a surprise hit when we reviewed it last year. This time, Zen Studios’ clever mash-up is back on the PlayStation 4, with all of its previous DLC and a few new surprises up its sleeve. But how does this version stack up against the game that we...
Review KickBeat: Special Edition (PlayStation 4)
Kick it into touch
KickBeat: Special Edition is the re-release of Zen Studios’ rhythm fighting game for the PlayStation 4. Now, you may be asking yourself what a rhythm fighting game actually is – or you may not be. Either way, picture a fusion of Mortal Kombat and DJ Hero, and you’ll more or less have the right idea. Sadly, this game sounds...
News KickBeat: Special Edition Delivers a Flying Kick Next Week on PS4
Realistic moshpit action
When KickBeat launched on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, it proved that it had all of the right moves – as it received a groovy 8/10 in our review. If, however, you're one of those desperate for next-gen graphics to go along with your rhythmic butt kicking, your wait has finally come to an end. KickBeat: Special...
News The Walking Dead's Not Quite as Depressing in Zen Pinball 2 Form
Ramping up the emotion
Keeping curly haired baseball cap fan Clementine safe can be draining during Telltale Games’ take on the classic comic book series The Walking Dead, but proceedings look a little more laidback in Zen Pinball 2’s table based upon the award winning episodic game. Set during the series’ first season, this ambitious arena...
Review Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within (PlayStation 4)
Sith grade
When Zen Studios started churning out Star Wars pinball tables a couple of years ago, it promised a total of ten would be available by the time that it had finished. So, with the release of its latest quartet of machines – titled Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within – it’s added the remaining four needed to complete the full set, and...
Review Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4)
Zen out of ten?
One of two pinball titles flipping onto the PlayStation 4 prior to Christmas is Zen Pinball 2, a game that previously graced both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. This next-gen version provides gamers with a chance to battle friends and strangers for the highest score on a range of tailor made tables, a number of which bear...
News Zen Pinball 2 Sets a High Score on PlayStation 4
Flippin' fantastic
Steel your flipper fingers for the ultimate tabletop experience, as Zen Studios has announced that Zen Pinball 2 is set to ping onto the PlayStation 4 on 17th December in North America and 18th December in Europe. Even better, the re-release's tables will be available for free if you’ve already spent money on the score-chasing...
Review CastleStorm (PlayStation 3)
Shocking, in a manner of speaking
Building castles, slaying enemy troops, and launching farting sheep. CastleStorm is built around the idea of both building and destroying castles using a variety of customisable methods. You'll control a massive ballista, which you'll employ to send out a variety of troops, some awesome special attacks, and a...
Interview Kickin' Back with KickBeat Developer Zen Studios
Pull shapes
Kick! Punch! Dance! It’s all in the mind! Zen Studios may be best known for its exhaustive roster of pinball tables, but the studio has been quietly perfecting its mastery of dance over the past few years. KickBeat, which was originally announced as a PlayStation Vita exclusive over a year ago, has been in production for some time now,...
Review KickBeat (PlayStation Vita)
Fists of melody
The concept of fusing fighting and rhythm games seems so obvious, as the act of combat already has a rhythmic feel to it. Timing is, of course, crucial to both pastimes, with complex moves requiring metronome-like precision, just like the beat of a song. KickBeat, then, is pretty much the perfect marriage of genres, and the Zen...
News KickBeat Dances to PS3 and Vita's Tune in September
Shake, rattle, and roll
It’s been a while since we heard, well, anything about Zen Studios’ music-meets-martial-arts PlayStation Vita rhythm action game, KickBeat – and that’s because the company’s been busy beavering away on a PlayStation 3 port. The title will now deploy on both of Sony’s flagship systems on 3rd September in North...
News Zen Pinball 2 Finds the Force, Loses It Again
Into the garbage chute
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, developer Zen Studios revealed that it was working on a new batch of Star Wars themed tables for its free PlayStation 3 and Vita application Zen Pinball 2 – but the announcement was yanked faster than the Millennium Falcon in hyperspace. Still, there’s nothing stopping us from...
News Zen Pinball 2's Plants vs. Zombies Table Rises Next Week
Try to resist
Zen Studios’ mysterious PopCap-themed pinball table is based on Plants vs. Zombies, the developer has finally announced. The evergreen arena – playable at PAX Prime 2012 this weekend – will focus on the same botanical battle you’ve come to love, with the added impact of giant silver balls. The table will launch alongside Zen...
News Zen Pinball 2 Bounces onto PS3 and Vita This September
About flippin' time
Zen Pinball 2 is set to launch onto the PlayStation 3 and Vita this September, developer Zen Studios has announced. The cross-compatible pinball platform will be free to download, with trials for all 26 of the title’s tables available from the offset. Those of you that already own the original Zen Pinball or
News Catch a Glimpse of KickBeat's Groovy Moves
Four to the floor
If you’ve been desperately awaiting gameplay footage of Zen Studio’s upcoming fist-heavy rhythm action title KickBeat, then you’re bang in luck, because the developer has released a five minute video of pure in-game action. The footage – set to Celldweller’s “I Can’t Wait” – reveals exactly how KickBeat’s blend...
News Marvel Pinball Avengers DLC Nudges PSN Next Week
Saving the world one ball at a time
The Avengers will once again assemble in digital pinball format on the PlayStation Network next week. Steel ball wizards Zen Studios has announced that the eagerly awaited Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles expansion will launch on Sony’s digital storefront on 19th June in North America. We’re guessing...
News Zen Studios' First PopCap Pinball Table Launching Soon
Plants vs. Pinball
Hungarian developer Zen Studios may be working on a cavalcade of other properties – including the exciting looking KickBeat for Vita – but it has not forgotten about its most important title: Zen Pinball. With the sequel to the well-supported simulation on the horizon, the developer has announced that its first collaboration...
News KickBeat Pirouettes onto PS Vita
Music combat
While martial arts and music don’t appear to have much in common, Zen Studios has found a way to connect the two disparate activities. Inspired by the heavily rhythmic choreography of old-school kung-fu movies, the developer has concocted KickBeat, a brand new music title developed exclusively for Vita. The game introduces familiar...
News The Avengers Assemble for New Marvel Pinball Table
Assembly line
As far as timing goes, it’s hard to imagine this Avengers themed Marvel Pinball announcement coming at a better moment. Zen Studios has hopped onto the PlayStation Blog to announce the impending release of the just launched film's digital pinball adaptation. It's set to ship as part of the upcoming Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicle
News Zen Pinball 2 Rolls Out on PS3 and Vita This Spring
Zensational
If the recently announced Pinball Arcade wasn’t enough to wet your flip-happy whistle, then you might be excited (and somewhat surprised) to learn that Zen Pinball 2 is on the way too. Developer Zen Studios announced the PS3 and PS Vita follow-up overnight, meaning, like the Pinball Arcade, you’ll now be able to challenge your...
News Channel Your Rage with World War Hulk Pinball Trailer
"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry"
While a spot of casual nudging is accepted when you’re playing pinball, we're not sure the table's owners would be too impressed if you opted for a full-on Hulk smash. The green giant is renowned for his destructive temper, as evidenced by this trailer for the World War Hulk table heading to Marvel Pinball...
News Avengers DLC Spinning into Marvel Pinball This Spring
About flipping time
Four new tables are headed to Marvel Pinball this spring, developer Zen Studios has announced. The tables – based on Marvel Comics’ World War Hulk, Fear Itself and The Infinity Guantlet storylines – will include more character interaction, dialogue and action than any of the developer's previous tables according to the...
News Epic Quest Adds Loot to Zen Pinball
+6 HP
You have to admire developer Zen Studios for its commitment to expansion. Zen Pinball has been available on the PlayStation Store for almost three years now, and it’s still playing host to some great DLC. What’s even more incredible is that with each new download, the developer’s ambitions get that little bit greater. Take the latest...
News The Incredible Hulk Smashes Onto Marvel Pinball Next Year
We'd assumed that the recently released "Vengeance and Virtue" pack would mark the end of Marvel Pinball's DLC
But it seems that developer Zen Studios has much more content up its sleeve. Eagle-eyed forum posters took note of a comment in which Mel Kirk, Zen Studios' vice president of marketing and PR, announced the appearance of The Incredible Hulk...
News Marvel Pinball Slings Itself Onto PlayStation Vita Next Year
Zen Studios' excellent licensed PlayStation Network pinball title, Marvel Pinball, is coming to the PlayStation Vita the developer has confirmed
No firm dates were given for the portable version of the title, but a rough "end of 2012" date was referenced. In other Marvel Pinball news, a new expansion called Vengeance And Virtue will launch...
