Zen Pinball 2 has been a perfect example of how old concepts, such as pinball, can still be viable to gamers now. Well, we were lucky enough to get our hands on the PS3 verison of the Zen Pinball 2 table for Plants Vs Zombies and were quickly concerned at the viability of a ‘casual’ title making the jump to another genre. I mean, it’s Plants Vs Zombies… it can’t be that enjoyable of a concept, right?
Well, it turns out that not only am I incorrect, but I am also an idiot because not only is the table decently put together but it also a really fun table to play. What really made this table an interesting one, was just that how well the table compliments the lineup of existing Zen Pinball tables. With tons of minigames based on the game itself and entertaining on table effects, it should absolutely be worth checking out.
On the PS3, the game was very crisp and colorful. I enjoyed the layout of the table and a few features that I loved from real pinball games, like the crazy extra ball mode and the extra flippers and tracks. I was very impressed with the audio setup and everything honestly looked great on the table. One of the most surprising things about this table though had to be the fact that every time I went to try to beat my friendlist’s high scores, I discovered something new about the table. It could have been a new minigame or an event that you can trigger by hitting the right targets. Either way, it was entertaining to return to time and time again.
But wait! There’s more! The PS3 version of Plants Vs Zombies Pinball is portable to the Playstation Vita, which means this review is a two-fer! So, what is different about the Vita version? Well, have you ever played a Vita pinball game before? There are a few, realistically though, they just aren’t up to par with the real life physics and overall interactivity of the Zen tables. So, is the Vita version as good as the original? Well, I hope you like extras!
The Vita version of Plants Vs Zombies Pinball is absolutely worth the purchase in itself. In fact, the Vita version of the table feels like it was specifically made as an exclusive Vita table. It fully utilizes the rear touch panels, offers touch display controls and even some options to fine tune your gameplay. Personally, I really enjoyed the game’s portrait mode on the Vita and gave the game an even more lifelike experience.
If there were any gripe at all about both version of the tables, it would easily have to be the fact that there aren’t a ton of easily identifiable objectives in the game. What I mean by this is in older pinball games, there may be clear direction on what you need to do for the massive jackpot. On this table, there are a few ‘live’ objectives, but I hit some crazy jackpots a few times before even having a rough idea about what I even did. It’s a small complaint, but after spending hours playing the same table, I like to have an idea of how I can improve my play even better.
So here is the deal, this table is freaking great. It captures the cheekiness of the original game but also throws in everything you love already about Zen Pinball tables. With the ability to get this for both the Vita and the PS3 at the same time, this is a purchase worth making!
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How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!
A copy of this game was provided for review purposes