The May, season-four, table of Farsight has arrived. This time the release was simultaneous on the Mac and iDevices. The table, Xenon,
is an oldie, going back to 1979. The tabletop is uncluttered but the gaudy colours make the choice of an optimal ball colour very difficult. The gameplay is simple, at times even simplistic, but since the ball does not drain too easily one can enjoy a few minutes of sound flipper-ing. The problem for me is that I have become addicted to the Addams Family table and everything else pales in comparison with that masterpiece. (But then, as you most probably know by now, I am an unconditional Pat Lawlor fan).
With the new, 1.20, version of Timeshock for iDevices a major change has been introduced. The free version is no more score-limited but it is now supported by ads. Practically this means that when you start the game you are greeted by the following screen
Unless you have purchased a standard or deluxe version you must watch a short, typically 15 s, video and then you have access to the game. At the end of the three-ball game you can also purchase extra balls, again by watching a video.
In order to test the ad-supported features I had to borrow an iPhone and install Timeshock since I have the deluxe version already installed on my iPad. In fact I was not able to verify whether an extra ball purchase feature exists on the deluxe (or standard) version, so your feedback on this point will be most welcome.
Be that as it may I find that the ad-supported feature is less frustrating for a casual player, although if you are a pinball fan you should not skimp on this and purchase at least the standard version. Remember the revival of the remaining ProPinballs relies solely on the commercial success of Timeshock.
This one was announced by AppAdvice even before the Age of Ultron. (By the way, I find that AppAdvice presents new apps and games in a highly biased way: for instance when it comes to pinballs the ones that are presented in a detailed article are the pinballs by Zen. I even wrote them when Timeshock came out but this “best in the iOS world” pinball never managed to be honoured by a mention in the AppAdvice pages. I do not know what is happening here, unless the articles in AppAdvice are just a veiled advertisement).
Rebels is a pinball table in the Star Wars series. It is a typical Zen table: highly 3-dimensional with plenty of moving parts and, as always, superb graphics. I looked for a video of gameplay in YouTube and it sufficed in order to convince me that I was going to pass on this pinball. In fact, I find these animations of Zen a perversion of the pinball spirit. I am sure that they consider them the next revolution in pinball. For myself they are non-pinball-ish to the point that I am not willing to give these Zen games even a single try.
The new Farsight pinball is out: Jack•bot. It is the third pinball of a series which includes Pin•Bot and the Bride of Pin•Bot, already released by Farsight. As is becoming a tendency, given the most recent releases of Farsight, the game first became available on the Mac and only a week or so after was it released for the iPad.
It’s a nice game with a casino-inspired theme. I did enjoy playing it on my iPad, although I did not have enough time given the late release of the iOS version and since I feel that I have to update the blog without undue delay. (I must make clear at this point that I prefer to invest in iOS tables rather than Mac ones since the iPad is my gaming device par excellence. Still, I must admit, and I have done so on many occasions, that a big screen Mac offers a much better gaming experience). The table is uncluttered but I was not able to find a satisfactory choice for the ball. Given the tables colours following the ball becomes at times a real challenge. All in all this is a nice game and I do prefer it over its two siblings.
