New Pinball Arcade from makers of Williams Collection

[keilbaca]

Its a relatively easy pinball, at first. Its super easy to get all of the first initial goals of the multiballs. After the first set though, things get a little tougher. My top score I got on a real machine is 770 mil, and I ended up score whoring the video mode to get that (42 mil a pop). This is the first pinball that I was able to truly have a chance to study and play, so we shall see how the conversion goes.

 

Well, if the other conversions are anything to go by, if you can score 770 million on the real thing, chances are you will be able to nail 9 billion (at least) on the digital version.

 

Judging by my experiences on the mobile version, that's not so much the case :-p

 

Ok, so it looks like the mobile version has it.

 

It is the 3rd edition my Stern.

 

The flippers are at a different angle than the Sega branded one, they added more (annoying) voices to the original game. Otherwise, the game is 100% in tact, including the video mode.

 

I can average 400 mil on the pin, sometimes get 500 mil games on the real deal.

 

I cannot compare gameplay, being that Stern and Sega uses different parts, but the game seems a bit faster all around. Flippers are stronger too.

 

I absolutely hate the 3rd edition's playfield, The Sega branded version is much more detailed, and not nearly as bright. Its a good thing.

 

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=4455

 

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=5277

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Table Pack three for PS3 and Vita has been approved by SCEA and will be released on September 4th. Table Pack 4 should be available on September 18th. If there are any delays, we will let you know.

 

Sooo ....... it's Sept 4th ........ can I assume us PS3 folks get the DLC today? Anyone on PSN right now that can confirm it for me?

[HammR25]

D

Table Pack three for PS3 and Vita has been approved by SCEA and will be released on September 4th. Table Pack 4 should be available on September 18th. If there are any delays, we will let you know.

 

Sooo ....... it's Sept 4th ........ can I assume us PS3 folks get the DLC today? Anyone on PSN right now that can confirm it for me?

It's in there. The Zen Pinball 2 platform software is in there too.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

D

Table Pack three for PS3 and Vita has been approved by SCEA and will be released on September 4th. Table Pack 4 should be available on September 18th. If there are any delays, we will let you know.

 

Sooo ....... it's Sept 4th ........ can I assume us PS3 folks get the DLC today? Anyone on PSN right now that can confirm it for me?

It's in there. The Zen Pinball 2 platform software is in there too.

 

Yup got the DLC and loving Gorgar and Monster Bash.

AND I grabbed those free demos for Zen Pinball 2.

Looks like all my complaints about not enough pinball have been heard by the gods.

[Austin]

Judging by my experiences on the mobile version, that's not so much the case :-p

 

Ah, yeah. I hear the mobile versions aren't quite as good as the console versions, and having done quite a bit of touchscreen gaming myself, I doubt the controls will be as responsive. That in itself will make a big difference!

[keilbaca]

Judging by my experiences on the mobile version, that's not so much the case :-p

 

Ah, yeah. I hear the mobile versions aren't quite as good as the console versions, and having done quite a bit of touchscreen gaming myself, I doubt the controls will be as responsive. That in itself will make a big difference!

 

I have played the demo of Pinball Arcade on the 360 XBLA, and the reason why I have stuck with the phone versions (until recently that is), is because the phone version's physics felt better than on the 360. I didn't buy any of the new tables past pack 3, except for Creature from the Black Lagoon (unless it is pack 3, but I don't think it is). I didn't get monster bash's set, and I didn't get the harley davidson set.

[cimerians]

Zen Pinball 2 is brutal....it seems you have to re-download every board and table you ever bought.

 

The only reason I can think of is because the physics are different and the 3D option.

 

Picked up Monster Bash set and Plants vs. Zombies for Zen.

[boog]

Zen Pinball 2 is brutal....it seems you have to re-download every board and table you ever bought.

 

 

I've been downloading PS3 pinball updates all day... I think the Avengers DLC pack was just an unlock for ZP2, but all of the other Zen DLC packs & tables have required a re-download for ZP2. I have everything except Excalibur so it's taking a while.

 

 

 

Also, they finally released a Pinball Arcade update patch for PS3. If DLC installs now work properly, and they support custom soundtracks, and they have trophy support for the DLC... I might give them another chance and buy Monster Bash for $5.

 

 

EDIT: aanndd... now that I've patched Pinball Arcade it crashes my PS3 whenever I try to start the game. Straight to a black screen. YAY! Probably have to uninstall and re-download everything. Checking their facebook page, there are multiple complaints about new bugs on the older tables with this PS3 update patch... slow motion gameplay at 1080p, ramps/targets not detecting, etc. An update patch for the update patch is coming soon.

 

Guess I'll play Zen Pinball 2 for now. There's no way I'm giving Farsight any more money until all these issues are fixed and the DLC tables are on sale to offset the forced double dips. Clown show.

Edited September 5, 2012 by boog

[cimerians]

Zen Pinball 2 is brutal....it seems you have to re-download every board and table you ever bought.

 

 

I've been downloading PS3 pinball updates all day... I think the Avengers DLC pack was just an unlock for ZP2, but all of the other Zen DLC packs & tables have required a re-download for ZP2. I have everything except Excalibur so it's taking a while.

 

 

 

Also, they finally released a Pinball Arcade update patch for PS3. If DLC installs now work properly, and they support custom soundtracks, and they have trophy support for the DLC... I might give them another chance and buy Monster Bash for $5.

 

 

EDIT: aanndd... now that I've patched Pinball Arcade it crashes my PS3 whenever I try to start the game. Straight to a black screen. YAY! Probably have to uninstall and re-download everything. Checking their facebook page, there are multiple complaints about new bugs on the older tables with this PS3 update patch... slow motion gameplay at 1080p, ramps/targets not detecting, etc. An update patch for the update patch is coming soon.

 

Guess I'll play Zen Pinball 2 for now. There's no way I'm giving Farsight any more money until all these issues are fixed and the DLC tables are on sale to offset the forced double dips. Clown show.

 

Are you kidding me?

 

Unbeleivable. They really can't seem to get things straight.

 

I havent tried it yet but I bet I get the same issues.

 

I did play some Zen2 last night after downloading everything for an hour. I have to admit the physics and playability are much much better. Especially like having everything in one place like Pinball FX2.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Checking their facebook page, there are multiple complaints about new bugs on the older tables with this PS3 update patch... slow motion gameplay at 1080p, ramps/targets not detecting, etc. An update patch for the update patch is coming soon.

 

Other than their Facebook page is there a site or forum that lists the issues? I tried various tables last night like Tales of Arabian Nights, Bride of Pinbot, Black Hole, and Medieval Madness (tables I play a LOT) and they seemed exactly as before, no slow motion on my 1080p TV, ramps all seemed fine.

[boog]

Checking their facebook page, there are multiple complaints about new bugs on the older tables with this PS3 update patch... slow motion gameplay at 1080p, ramps/targets not detecting, etc. An update patch for the update patch is coming soon.

 

Other than their Facebook page is there a site or forum that lists the issues? I tried various tables last night like Tales of Arabian Nights, Bride of Pinbot, Black Hole, and Medieval Madness (tables I play a LOT) and they seemed exactly as before, no slow motion on my 1080p TV, ramps all seemed fine.

 

I haven't looked for any specific lists, but the forum at pinballarcadefans.com is pretty active and might have more info than the 'official' facebook page. Some of the Farsight employees post there too.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Other than their Facebook page is there a site or forum that lists the issues? I tried various tables last night like Tales of Arabian Nights, Bride of Pinbot, Black Hole, and Medieval Madness (tables I play a LOT) and they seemed exactly as before, no slow motion on my 1080p TV, ramps all seemed fine.

 

Actually I take it back. I did notice when playing Theater of Magic that there's a slight bit of slow-down when firing the ball up the center ramp but honestly if I had not been intentionally looking for it I probably wouldn't have noticed.

[boog]

Someone posted a short video to demo the slowdown:

(Farsight recommends setting your PS3 to 720p as a workaround until the update patch is released.)

 

 

Also saw some comments that Monster Bash has a bug where the Frankenstein multiball gives the player jackpots with each nudge.

[onlysublime]

maybe you should put a warning on that shaky cam... O_o

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Wow that is pretty bad. My Theater of Magic runs way smoother and I haven't adjusted my settings at all. Still, I hope FarSight fixes all this soon.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

By the way, does anyone know of a good USB controller I could use for Pinball Arcade on my PS3? It just feels weird using bumper buttons.

I'd love it if Nanotech's Pinball Wizard worked on PS3, though at $300 I don't think I'll be buying this.

 

 

I spotted this interesting PC pinball controller thing on Amazon which looks a bit cheaper, though I'm not too sure if this would work. It says the computer needs a game port though.

 

 

I guess I could get an X-Arcade controller maybe? They have those in USB these days, right? My only uncertainty is if I can map the plunger to the X-Arcade given Pinball Arcade uses the PS3's analog thumbsticks for plunger input.

Or maybe a fightstick with side buttons?

 

Any recommendations out there?

Edited September 7, 2012 by ComputerSpaceFan

[HammR25]

Looks like the Star Trek table made it's goal with 9 days left. Farsight also announced they have signed an agreement with Elvira to do Scared Stiff and Elvira and the Party Monsters.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1067367405/pinball-arcade-star-trek-the-next-generation/posts/304271

[keilbaca]

Elvira! YES!

 

Holy crap, I want that pinball controller..

 

There's a few guys on the Pinball FX2 forums, who have made their own controllers for about $100.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Speaking of controllers, I tried out the Splitfish Dual SFX Evolution to see if that might work.

 

 

The good:

If you've played Williams Pinball Collection on Wii this feels very familiar. You can rest your hands at your sides which feels a lot more like actually playing a real pinball machine. And given this is a PS3 controller you won't be confused about which button is square or triangle, it's right on the controller.

Also if you put rechargeable batteries into the controllers, you can plug the same mini-USB wire that charges your regular dual controller into the base of either of these and it will recharge them which is pretty cool.

Finally there are some customizable features, not exactly remapping keys but the six-axis tilt can be re-assigned and there are macro options so that can be handy.

 

The bad:

Too much lag. I tried both rechargeables as well as brand new batteries (each controller needs 3 AAA's so that's six batteries for these controllers!) and both Zen Pinball 2 as well as The Pinball Arcade are just too laggy. It's only a fraction of a second but with pinball you need the flipper to flip precisely when you push the button so this is a major disappointment. It is bad enough that I think I might return the controller.

Also, did I mention six AAA's???

And the front of the controllers have a huge nose on them, I have pretty big hands and even I find the ergonomics here rather too big even for me.

 

I lucked out that the controller I found was only $40 and not $80 or $90 like eBay listed it but it's really not worth it so if anyone's thinking of getting one of these I say avoid.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Speaking of controllers, I tried out the Splitfish Dual SFX Evolution to see if that might work.

 

The bad:

Too much lag. I tried both rechargeables as well as brand new batteries (each controller needs 3 AAA's so that's six batteries for these controllers!) and both Zen Pinball 2 as well as The Pinball Arcade are just too laggy.

it's really not worth it so if anyone's thinking of getting one of these I say avoid.

 

UPDATE: I'd like to reverse this complaint in my review. I found out what the problem was. I have a PS3 Slim and when I plug USB dongles into the front of it, I have begun to notice they work for a little while and then stop. At first I thought it was flakey third-party devices and this Splitfish controller was similarly bad. However, the Splitfish comes with a short USB extension cable, like maybe eight inches long, and I was messing around with using that when I noticed that the Splitfish worked a heck of a lot better if I used that extension cable.

I suspect my Slim is running ever so slightly warm and the heat travels up the USB dongle and causes trouble (two other USB devices have given me problems in the past) internally. If I use the extension cable the device works just fine. So there, I've learned something new. Don't plug the dongle directly into the PS3, use the extension cable to keep it from over heating.

Anyway, with this new set up in mind I am finding all the lag issues I had before are gone so now I am actually quite pleased with using this controller.

 

Now all we need is for FarSight to send out the patch to fix the L2+R2 bumper issue (they currently only work on Black Hole, every other table must use L1+R1)

[Austin]

FarSight put out another Facebook update yesterday saying that the PS3 issues should be fixed now.

[boog]

FarSight put out another Facebook update yesterday saying that the PS3 issues should be fixed now.

 

Yup... looks like almost all the issues have finally been fixed and DLC pack # 4 is supposed to release tonight for PS3. Took far longer than it should have, but I think they finally got it right. Still some complaints online about Gorgar sound glitches, but nothing that affects gameplay. They're supposed to reset the Monster Bash high score tables too now that the Frankenstein nudge bug is fixed.

 

As soon as they have a DLC sale or I find a discounted $20 PSN card, I'll be buying all the DLC.

Edited September 25, 2012 by boog

[Austin]

What was the Frankenstein bug? Could you get unlimited bonuses against Frank by nudging during his mode?

 

I noticed the Frankenstein weapon was mapped to one of the nudges on the left analog stick in the 360 version, but you could only get the free hits on him until your free shots/weapons ran out.

[onlysublime]

I'm suprised the new tables haven't been shown off yet.

 

as played on the Xbox 360:

 

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Assuming they have fixed the L1+R1 issue, did they mention if they have allowed players the option to turn off that weird stacked flipper thing? I don't know what it's called but basically with real pinball if you hit the button hard both the top and bottom flippers move together but if you hit the button softer only the lower flipper moves. Segmented flippers? Whatever it's called, they added that recently in Pinball Arcade and I don't like it.

Have they allowed us to turn off that option if we don't like it?