that pinball FX is looking more and more tempting. xmen looks like a wild pin, and what better theme (magneto) for a metal ball?

I thought pinball FX was only on xbox360, I guess it's also on PS3?

The Halloween one actually looks pretty cool

Zen who makes pinball fx, probably has the best physics/graphics besides Visual pinball. If you have a xbox, ps3 or 3dds its TOTALLY worth it. They also have 2 tables on ios.

I am not so lucky as many of you guys by owning my own pinball table I live in South Africa where real tables are few and far apart and if you do find one it is usually in terrible condition. Needless to say I never had an opportunity to "discover" pinball. That is where Pinball FX 2 changed everything for me... since it came out last year October I have barely played anything else and have not finished any other game where previously I completed at least a game or two a month. Even though there is differences in the physics with real pinball - faster ball speed, constant nudging e.g. for flipper passes etc. the action is real enough and it "feels" like you are playing on something physical in the way that the ball reacts etc. Some people say that Williams Pinball Classics is more true to real pinball but for me the ball feels like it is floating rather than rolling. Anyway... I have a skewed perspective from a lack of real pinball and way too much pinball fx 2 (according to my wife!!!).

Each new table that come out is always better than the previous one and that is mostly because Zen is paying real close attention to their fans. So many suggestions on the forum has been implemented directly into the game or tables. I have even heard a rumour that they might just have the opportunity to do some real life recreations! That would be awesome to say the least!

Epic Quest sounds amazing and the levelling up mechanism will bring a whole new playing perspective into it. I'm very interested to see how they are going to implement it e.g. if you have a higher level are you going to require less shots to complete a certain mission?

To answer your question: Pinball FX 2 is a platform on XBox360 for all Zen studio tables and came out in October 2010. On PS3 you have Zen Pinball that came out in 2009 and Marvel Pinball which came out in December 2010. All the Marvel pinball tables (some in packs and some as individual buys) and many of the Zen Pinball Tables are available available for FX 2. Both Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball have exclusives e.g. Ninja Gaiden Sigma on Zen Pinball and Ms. Splosion Man on Pinball FX 2.

The Halloween one is called Paranormal. It looks super sweet. It has been on the ps3 for a while and they are finally porting it over. The released Sorcerer's Lair earlier this month and it is quite fun. What is really exciting is the upcoming Marvel Virtue and Vengeance 4 game pack set to be released this winter... already spoiled are Ghost Rider and X-Men.

Xmen doesn't do it for me, the animated characters look hokey and even though I yay-say technology, I want pinball to still look like pinball.

I love the looks of Paranormal, Tesla, and the Excalibur themed one (possibly named excalibur). This Epic Quest looks good too. I only currently own the standard Zen 4 pack though because I just can't dig on the ball physics yet. I spend way more time with the Williams Collection.

Actually, since I got my real machine, I've spent very little time on the ps3 outside of netflix. Funny how I can justify paying tons more for the real thing but can't justify spending $10 more to get multiple emulated tables.

I love the game and recommend it without reservation (especially considering how cheap it is), but there's some things I don't like about it compared to real pinball tables:

*Except on the newest tables, the sound effects are lackluster. There are few callouts for jackpots and the like and what's there is kind of wimpy. Pinball FX2 was my first exposure to pinball ever, and when I play Medieval Madness on the Williams Collection I was blown away by how the sound pumped me up. They are getting better at this though. Ms. 'Splosion Man and Sorcerer's Lair are good examples, and their mechanical sounds are near perfect.

*While the physics are good in terms of ball speed (generally), reaction off of objects, and flipper contact, it is way too easy to trap.

*Some of the table make it too hard to either start modes or make completing modes kind of random. This can make it feel like work. Pasha is a good example. You have to make one tough shot through some bumpers to even get a chance to start a mode, then another to actually get to the mode, some of which are randomly determined by hitting a spinner. So, at some points, you need three shots with some luck to even try to finish a mode. Can be more frustrating than fun. I think some of this may have to do with the fact that ball control isn't as vital as it is in real pinball, so the challenge has to be made up somewhere.

*All your millions across all the tables are added together to make up your Superscore, which is how you rank against friends and the like. One table, Spider-man, has a feature that influences how well you score in other games based on how well you did in previous games. This has totally killed the meaning of Superscore as people just spend hours "grinding" this table. Grinding has no place in pinball. One of the best things about pinball is the unknown - each game carries the promise of huge rewards, but you have to fight for them every time you step up. Having scoring elements carry over kills that gambling element.

All that said, most of the table are a lot of fun and look great, and I do believe they encourage pinball newbs to go play the real thing, which is good for all of us here. (I'm one of those.)

^^

I agree. I first played Pinball FX2 and trapping was easy. So when I went to play some local machines I tried to trap and found out how much more difficult it was that I expected.
Also, I agree on Pasha. Those games needed to complete modes are ridiculous. I rarely play that table due to that.
As for the Spiderman one, I heard people grind like that but I have no idea what they are doing. I don't have time to grind because I am Batman and am saving Arkham City from Dr. Strange and Joker (it is an excellent game)

Otherwise, I think the games are fun. You can't beat them for the $3 price tag!

Pasha is one of those tables where once you get it, it becomes easy.

Ball trapping and flipper passing is very easy in FX 2 but the ball zips along on some of the tables so proper ball control is still very much required even though it is a quite different challenge than in real life. a Lot of people really don't come right with fx 2 because they don't make use of the advantage you have of catching the ball and doing a flipper pass. You can play it more like you would play a real life table, but you will definitely not be that successful in the game. Off all the tables there are only one or two that are like Pasha... the bulk of them have very accessible targets and ramps.

Zen studios have a very difficult challenge in providing an experience that is fun for beginners that know absolutely nothing about pinball and even the basics of ball control, kickbacks, missions/modes and Wizard Modes so they keep on playing (in other words make the tables as easy as possible) and Pinball Wizards that finish the new tables Wizard mode within the first couple of plays. The general trend is that single table releases are more on the easier side, while 4 pack releases usually contain one or two tables that are much tougher to complete e.g. Ironman and Rome. The last two tables, Ms. Splosion man and Sorcerer's Lair is especially easy and if you are somewhat decent you will play for hours on them but if you want to put up a decent score and not just play for hours you need to understand the scoring system on the table very well.

Spiderman has a system where certain key scoring elements (villain levels) carry over from one game to the next so in the end if you focus in some games just to build up those elements your scoring potential in subsequent games are much higher. In the end the scores became absolutely rediculous - if I remember correctly the winning score was over three Trillion and the game lasted (obviously over a couple of days resuming from save) 24 hours. A weighting system to bring all the table scores into alignment for superscore is expected when the so called Pinball FX 2.5 version is released early in next year.

If there is one thing I would change in FX 2 it is that you must not be able to save! That is the main cause for the super high scores on some of the tables such as Wolverine and Spiderman.

I don't like the saving either Cloda.

I agree with what you're saying about balancing the game difficulty, but look at the Williams Collection - Medieval Madness and Tales of the Arabian Nights. Everything just feels more balanced in terms of getting something going and still being challenging. I always feel like I'm making progress on those even when I don't do so hot. I just don't feel that way about most of the FX2 tables.

Still, don't get me wrong. I love Pinball FX2. I just wish the design sensibilities of the tables and ball physics were a bit closer to real life.

Just an interloper who stumbled across this site/forum whilst searching for more info on the Epic Quest table and the upcoming Marvel Pinball: Vengeance (both by Zen Studios, for PFX2 on 360, and Zen Pinball on PS3).

Anyway, GI actually mentions this game rather frequently- short of their forums, GIO actually has more information on the game than Zen does on their site. Anytime a new table is announced or released there's an article up online at least, and the new tables are usually covered in the paper magazine's regular feature "Impulse" (covering downloadable/digital releases). Reiner is always going on about the game and Jeff Cork has mentioned Zen as his fave indie on multiple occasions.

All of this is just to say that 'vidja gamers,' at least those hip to DLGs (downloadable games) are not 'sleeping' on digital pinball. Not by a longshot- PFX2 is one of XLBA's highest grossing titles.

I couldn't have said this better myself. At first glance, the Pinball FX 2 tables appear very cool and fun, but I end up getting bored very quickly. Some shots are extremely frustrating, and getting to multiball is a chore on almost every table (let alone when you do it is often boring).