Dufniall Posted May 13, 2018 Posted May 13, 2018 Lately I've been playing pinball a lot on the Switch, both Pinball FX3 and Stern Pinball Arcade. So much that I decided to do a little bit of a write-up on it: Pinball on the Switch Stern Pinball Arcade vs Pinball FX3 Anyone else playing these? Both are free-to-start, and offer actually enough content to waste a couple of hours on. Got me the Jurassic Park pack for FX3 and can see myself buying more in the future. Also @Sméagolhas an insane score on Sorcerer's Lair in Pinball FX3! I mean come on! How am I ever going to beat that? Pinball FX3 trailer: Stern Pinball Arcade trailer: P.S: Let me know if you guys prefer different topics for both games. 2 1
Hero-of-Time Posted May 13, 2018 Posted May 13, 2018 I actually just downloaded FX this week after the new update improved the performace. I haven't bought any tables yet ( if I do pick some up I'll probably get the Family Guy/American Dad set as I love those shows ) but I've had fun with the free table.
Sméagol Posted May 13, 2018 Posted May 13, 2018 1 hour ago, Vileplume2000 said: Also @Sméagolhas an insane score on Sorcerer's Lair in Pinball FX3! I mean come on! How am I ever going to beat that? I considered that a fluke, but I actually came close to that score just now.. Around 210000000 or something, you can check in the weekly highscores right now. I'm far from a pinball pro, but Sorcerer's Lair is pretty forgiving! 1 hour ago, Vileplume2000 said: P.S: Let me know if you guys prefer different topics for both games. I think I do. While they both have a similar appeal to me, Pinball purists may prefer Stern Pinbal Arcade, while people like me may simply prefer the better game overall, which is Zen Pinbal FX3. Aside from that, There's the other Pinball Arcade coming, and there's even another Pinball simulator coming. And personally, I'm also very much looking forward to Yoku's Island Express! Zen PInball FX3 versus Stern Pinball Arcade - Stern Pinball Arcade is the better simulator, it feels more real. Even I as a non pinball pro can appreciate that. - Zen Pinball FX3 has more tables on offer. - Zen Pinball FX3 is more polished. Including things like leaderboards and tournaments. Stern Pinball Arcade didn't have this at launch, and even now you can't directly compare amongst friends. - Stern Pinball Arcade features real tables, and has a little info on their history. - Zen Pinball FX3 has the more modern licenses. - Zen Pinball FX3 has optional more videogame elements like upgrades ans power-ups, though personally I ignore all of that and play classic mode all the time. - Zen Pinball FX3 is simply more bang for your buck. The prices per table on average are cheaper in Zen Pinball FX3. - Zen Pinball FX3 has a simple menu that allows you to quickly start a new table or change one. Stern Pinball FX3 has a not exactly impressive 3D model of an arcade room that needs to load up every time, resulting in unnecesary long wait times to actually start a game. - Zen Pinbal FX3 allows you to skip all the matrix messages. Stern Pinbal Arcade, being a simulator, lets you sit through all of them. - Both have excellent table guides, though I slightly prefer Zen's style. Zen Pinball FX3 gives you a more condensed overview of all the goals on a table, Stern goes through it in-depth and step-by-step, though this makes for a long tutorial with literally hundreds of steps. - Both start free and have an excellent free table. Both Sorcerer's Lair and Frankenstein are fun to play. So to me, the clear winner is Zen Pinball FX3. I like the polish, the loads of options, and I'm not even using a lot of stuff like their standard game modes and accompanying challenges. Like I said, I can actually appreciate the more realistic take in Stern Pinball Arcade, but fact is that even their physics do not match reality. I can actually enjoy real pinball tables when I go to my favourite cinema, I actually played a Godzilla machine yesterday, so I have recent experience with real pinball machines. So Stern Pinball Arcade only offers minor more realistic physics, while Zen's Pinball Arcade does things significantly better overall. And in my opinion, some of the realism can be a downside, take Frankenstein for example. I've grown to love the table, after figuring out you could change the music (pro-tip: don't mash buttons to start the game, wait, and use the left trigger to change from the grating default music to the much better film score), but all the sounds and samples are low quality audio. This is something where I wished they'd take some liberty, and remaster the audio files for better quality sound. This of course would make it a less realistic simulator, but there's no reason they can't make that optional. It's all about polish. Farsight's goal was to recreate some tables as faithfully as possible for them, and they largely succeeded at that, but they didn't put any effort in the overall package. Any new updates they push like leaderboards and verical mode, are in reaction to Zen's features and still less polished. And like I said, Zen Pinball FX3 is cheaper. I downloaded them both simultaneously, intending to purchase one table for both of them, but for Stern Pinball Arcade the table I wanted, Star Trek, was € 8,50, and for that price I could buy The walking Dead and Portal and still save some money in Zen Pinball FX3. So for all these reasons I have not spend money on Stern Pinball Arcade, but I have on Zen Pinball FX3. The day before yesterday I bought the Bethesda pack, € 11,00 for 3 tables, and I'm loving the Doom and Fallout tables. The other is Skyrim. And then we have the already notorious (regular) Pinball Arcade, which should appear in the European E-shop soon. I already don't get why Farsight has a Stern Pinball Arcade and a regular Pinball Arcade, why split those? And then of course they massively dropped the ball, pun intended, by losing their Bally and Williams licenses. This includes for example The Addams family, a table I actually played a long time ago, and it seems to be one of the more popular tables amongst pinball enthousiasts. I was looking forward to playing that arcade digitally, and I guess technically I still can if I buy the table as soon as the game's up and before they actually lose the license, but if Pinball Arcade offers the same experience and prices as Stern Pinball Arcade, than I'm not actually that interested. Luckily I can play the actual thing in a pinball museum nearby (that's where the cinema gets their machines from). I haven't been there yet though. But yeah, I'm not exactly hyped for Pinball Arcade. Some final notes: those interested in my Frankenstein highscore, as you can't easily compare unlike in Zen Pinball FX3: it's around 1700.000.000 Also, I intend to set up a tournament in Zen Pinball Arcade for the Summer Extravaganza! 2
Dcubed Posted May 14, 2018 Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) Such a shame to see Farsight lose the Williams and Bally licenses. TPA has been completely gutted now and most of its best tables have now been lost to the ether Edited May 14, 2018 by Dcubed 1
Sméagol Posted May 18, 2018 Posted May 18, 2018 The Pinball Arcade makes Stern Pinball Arcade redundant. You get the same free Frankenstein table. They addressed one of my complaints and made the menu much simpler, and therefore quicker. Though I believe they added some crap music on the background, but I couldn't hear it very well. Table goals explanation doesn't seem to be working, everything else (or the lack of everything else) seems to be the same. The one obvious significant change is the bigger selection of tables on offer, but nothing that gets me excited. But everything from Stern is included. Maybe the Doctor Who table is cool?
Dufniall Posted May 19, 2018 Author Posted May 19, 2018 I just downloaded The Pinball Arcade, haven't tried it yet though. But yeah strange case. Similar games with the same tables, both published by Farsight.
Sméagol Posted July 24, 2018 Posted July 24, 2018 That other pinball game is out. Same deal. Haven't checked it out myself yet. Presentation and options-wise, this already is a big step up from The Stern pinball games.
Dufniall Posted July 24, 2018 Author Posted July 24, 2018 Two free machines, hot damn! Downloading it now so I can give it a go tonight. So that is the fourth free-to-play pinball game (after FX3, Stern and The Pinball Arcade)? Plus I saw some more pinball games in the eShop, but they are just one machine (like Jurassic Pinball and Werewolf pinball). The only one I still play is FX3. Which reminds me, I should create a N-Europe tournament on there for the free machine!
Sméagol Posted September 4, 2018 Posted September 4, 2018 Zen has snapped up the rights to Bally and Williams tables.
Dcubed Posted September 29, 2018 Posted September 29, 2018 Zen's new pinball physics system for the Williams/Bally tables looks pretty promising! That's the kind of dedication that I'm hoping to see here! I've never liked Zen Pinball's physics, much preferring something realistic; so I'm glad to see that they seem to be taking a different approach with these simulation tables!
Sméagol Posted October 10, 2018 Posted October 10, 2018 I'm not sure if I'll buy the pack (I might), but the free table is again pretty fun. I created a tournament! Classic mode. Password NE4444 1
Sméagol Posted October 10, 2018 Posted October 10, 2018 Oh sorry, I didn't notice it was set to 1 ball.. I could delete the tournament, but there are already 3 entries, and I like my record.. I didn't notice an option to choose the physics though. I was already used to the arcade physics..
Dufniall Posted November 14, 2018 Author Posted November 14, 2018 Heads-up that a bunch of DLC for Pinball FX3 is on sale. Aliens, the Core Collection and the Season 1 packs amongst others.
RedShell Posted November 15, 2018 Posted November 15, 2018 I am loving the Aliens table. Hardly played the other 2 that come with that pack, as Aliens is just so much fun.
Dufniall Posted November 15, 2018 Author Posted November 15, 2018 I ended up getting the Alien and the Core Collection packs. Aliens table is great, looks the part too with the xenomorph in the background. I tried Secrets from the Deep as well from the Core pack, not as great but good for the variation. Time to set up some more tournaments for this game! 1
Sméagol Posted November 15, 2018 Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) May get the Aliens pack in the sale, not sure yet. Meanwhile, they announced a 2nd Williams pack. I'm still waiting for that Addam's Family table though! Edited November 15, 2018 by Sméagol
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