New Zen tables

As you well know Zen Studios are the last surviving digital pinball editors. Once they disappear there will be no more pinballs on the Mac. Since they have joined the Apple Arcade collection they are producing tables under the Zen Pinball Party moniker. As I explained in a previous post of mine I don't wish to pay for an Apple Arcade subscription just to be able to play the new tables. So I am giving you the information without comments. The three new tables are 

Funko Pinball Party Arena

A Peanuts/Snoopy table

and a graphically superb Garfield table

I am a great fan of Garfield and would have liked to lay my hands on this table, but as I said previously I am not going to pay the Apple Arcade tax just for this. Too bad.

Once more new tables

I was convinced that 2021 would go by without myself publishing anything in the blog. I have stopped publishing comments on shitty games involving flippers and, as for real pinball games, nothing has been in sight. In fact, the only ones producing new pinball tables are the Zen Studios guys. A year ago they issued three new tables for the Mac. This year they joined the Apple Arcade and are offering a collection of pinballs under the name of Zen Pinball Party. Most of the tables are ones that already exist for the Mac. However there are also four new ones. They are

Trolls

Kung Fu Panda

How to Train Your Dragon

and My Little Pony

I haven't played the new tables for two reasons. One is that, on the Mac, they require MacOs 11 which I haven't installed (and will not for some time). The second is that Apple Arcade is a subscription service and I don't have any intention to pay a monthly fee to Apple in order to play four pinball tables. So I am just giving you the information that these new tables do exist. 

Now wait for next year. 

At long last, new tables

Again, there has been no post for months. If you wonder about the reason for this you have just to read my January 1st post. Since digital pinball is on life support I am writing only where there is something worth reading. 

I was worried a little about the Zen Williams series but it turned out that in the end there were some good news: the 6th instalment of the series is out and this time it was a  bunch of three tables. First and foremost is Funhouse

The readers of the blog are aware of my admiration for the work of Pat Lawlor.  And for me  Funhouse is one of his best tables, second perhaps only to the Addams Family. The Zen implementation of Funhouse is excellent. There is even a trick allowing you to have a Rudy hit every time you launch the ball (launch with max speed and keep the left flipper raised: the ball is automatically deviated towards Rudy). 

The second table is Dr. Dude. I really liked the table when it appeared in the Pinball Arcade collection. Unfortunately this time it appeared alongside Funhouse and thus it could not attract my interest as it did in 2013. 

Another reason for this is also the fact that the third table, Space Station, is an original, by which I mean that it isn't part of the Pinball Arcade collection. 

I like particularly the spacewalker. He is hit by a meteorite when the ball drains, adding more to the drama of the situation.

All in all these three Zen tables are beauties. Just have a look at Rudy's head: there is no comparison with the drab FarSight Rudy one. And the ball stays visible at all times. And did I tell you that the price is just a measly 3.50 euros per table? I don't think you'll need more convincing. Grab the tables and start playing.