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.

Crystal Caliburn update

It has been ages since I have last written an article for the blog. The reason is simple: nothing is happening in the digital pinball world: just some minor updates of pinballs I do not care much about. But no news from Zen Studios, no new tables for the Stern Pinball Arcade of FarSight, no nothing. And I do not think the current pandemic has anything to do with this.

But then, out of the blue the update notifications on my iPad signalled a new version of Crystal Caliburn. Apparently Fujita-san has not totally abandoned his pinballs. The new version, 1.6, is build with the software development kit of iOS 13. This means that we can be sure that the new version will be working for quite more years in the future. Given the paucity of new pinballs, things like this are precious.

I just hope that Fujita-san updates Tristan as well. However I am convinced that any hopes for a new pinball coming from Littlewing are illusory. Developing a new pinball is a huge enterprise and I do not believe that Fujita-san has time for this. Of course, I would be delighted to be proven wrong. 

Zen-WIlliams volume 5 is here

The three-table pack arrived before Christmas but I decided to post my article with the new year hoping to exorcise the bad spirits that are dooming digital pinball. As always the collection of tables is a fine one. First and foremost we have the Tales of the Arabian Nights

It's a fantastic table, which, curiously I had neglected in the FarSight collection. The graphic quality of the table is unique and the Zen-introduced enhancements do add to the interest of the gameplay. If you buy just one table from volume 5, Arabian Nights is the one I recommend.

Those who follow my blog know that I am a great admirer of Pat Lawlor. Unfortunately I am somehow disappointed by the Zen Studios choice to follow their Lawlor table collection which had started so nicely with Safecracker with two of the most difficult Lawlor tables Red & Ted's Road Show and now No Good Gofers 

I find the play difficult (but then, that may be because of my below-par game) and the graphic additions of Zen Studios do not manage to add to the excitement. Personally I do not care much about the challenge presented by a table. I do hope that in the next volume Zen Studios choose one of the less difficult-more enjoyable Lawlor tables. 

The third table of the collection is Circus Voltaire. 

This is one of the tables where it took me some time before I started appreciating it. One of the reasons is that I find the ringmaster puppet added by Zen downright ugly. So I started playing the classic version before relenting and going back to the "enhanced" one. However, once you are accustomed to it Circus Voltaire is a nice table.

Let's pray for Zen Studios to continue their Williams collection in the months to come.