Pinball FX 3 is a pinball simulator video game developed and published by Zen Studios and is the sequel to Pinball FX 2. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 in September 2017 and then released for the Nintendo Switch in December 2017. A followup called Pinball FX was released in February 16, 2023.
| Pinball FX 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Zen Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Zen Studios |
| Platform(s) | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Pinball |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
editPinball FX 3 allows players to play one of several simulated pinball tables, and includes online scoreboard support for informal competition with other players. The game is aimed to provide a more engaging multiplayer experience than previous titles; the game will provide support for asynchronous competitive multiplayer options, and tournament-style play.[1] There will be shared leaderboards and multiplayer options among platforms, although PlayStation 4 players can only compete with users playing through Steam on Windows due to Sony's initial decision to prohibit cross-platform play between its PlayStation 4 and other consoles.[2]
Development
editZen's prior games have been split across consoles. The Pinball FX games typically have been released on Microsoft platforms, while the Zen Pinball games were released on non-Microsoft platforms. Pinball FX 3 will be the first game in the series to _target both Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms, and Zen intends that any future titles in the series will do so as well. Zen has stated that a "majority" of the previous downloadable content pinball tables that a player has purchased for either Pinball FX 2 or Zen Pinball 2 will be available in Pinball FX 3 at no cost; Zen cited issues with licensing that prevents some tables from being brought to the new version.[1] Zen Studios has affirmed that more than fifty tables will carry over, with only about half a dozen that will not.[2]
Pinball FX 3 launched with three new tables based on movie properties from Universal Pictures that includes E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and Jaws. Additional tables are in development with new intellectual property holders.[3][2]
A version for the Nintendo Switch was released in December 2017, with one free table and 29 additional tables that can be purchased as DLC. The Switch version takes advantage of the unit's portability; the game can be played in portrait mode and the player can tilt the device to simulate tilting of the pinball table.[4] However, following release, players reported issues with low frame rates and poor graphics on some of the tables; while Zen Studios has said they were working on a patch to fix these as well as make other display improvements, the studio later announced in March 2018 that they had to forgo the patch citing that there was no universal fix as the issue was one done table-by-table; they can optimize tables going forward but could not justify the time and cost to fix the existing ones.[5] Reacting on the negative backlash of this announcement, the studio later reverted on this stance and is now committed to releasing a performance update during summer 2018 that will increase handheld performance to 60fps and will raise docked resolution to 1080p Full HD for all existing tables.[6] The Switch version also omits Zen Studios' Marvel and Star Wars pinball tables, with the latter being made available separately as a single, standalone compilation game exclusive to that platform, titled Star Wars Pinball, in 2019.[7]
In September 2018, Zen Studios announced that it has received the license to recreate several real Bally and Williams tables for the game.[8] This marks the first time in the Pinball FX series that real world tables are recreated in the game. This announcement came a few months after FarSight Studios, the developers of The Pinball Arcade, lost the same license.[8] These tables can be played in two visual modes that otherwise do not impact the game: one based on the more realistic appearance of the actual pinball games, and another that added Pinbal FX 3's simulated elements like animated characters, and unique ball trail colors.[9] However, as to retain the game's overall ESRB Everyone 10+ rating and to avoid the cost and difficulties of re-rating the game, original graphical elements of the pinball tables had to be censored or altered, such as altering innuendo that was present on the Fish Tales backboards.[10][11][N 1] Zen Studios' Mel Kirk said that while these tables had been released in The Pinball Arcade under its E10+ ESRB rating, Zen Studios' internal review believed that there was no way that the tables could have fallen within E10+. Kirk stated that he believed that with The Pinball Arcade, "somehow they flew under the radar and it was not caught".[11] Further, Zen Studios had had past issues with ESRB content ratings with games such as Infinite Minigolf and wanted to exercise caution.[11] The first of these tables were released on October 9, 2018.[10]
Tables
edit| Table | Pack | Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Sorcerer's Lair | N/Azp1fx2 | Zen Studios |
| Secrets of the Deep | Core Collectionfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Biolab | Core Collectionfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Pasha | Core Collectionfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Rome | Core Collectionfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Earth Defense | Sci-Fi Packfx1,zp1 | Zen Studios |
| Mars | Sci-Fi Packzp1 | Zen Studios |
| Paranormal | Sci-Fi Packzp1 | Zen Studios |
| Excalibur | Medieval Packfx1,zp1 | Zen Studios |
| Epic Quest | Medieval Packfx2,zp1 | Zen Studios |
| Shaman | Zen Classicszp1 | Zen Studios |
| Tesla | Zen Classicszp1 | Zen Studios |
| El Dorado | Zen Classicszp1 | Zen Studios |
| V12 | Zen Classicszp1 | Zen Studios |
| The Walking Dead | N/Afx2,zp2 | Zen Studiosip |
| CastleStorm | Iron & Steel Packfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Wild West Rampage | Iron & Steel Packfx2 | Zen Studios |
| Portal | N/Afx2 | Zen Studiosip |
| Wolverine | Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Spider-Man | Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Iron Man | Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Blade | Marvel Pinball Original Pack fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Captain America | Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Fantastic Four | Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Doctor Strange | Marvel Pinball Legendsfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Venom | Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Civil War | Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Deadpool | Marvel Pinball Heavy Hittersfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Thor | Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Ghost Rider | Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Moon Knight | Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| X-Men | Marvel Pinball Vengeance & Virtue fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| The Avengers | Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Fear Itself | Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| The Infinity Gauntlet | Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| World War Hulk | Marvel Pinball Avengers Chronicles fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron | Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Ant-Man | Marvel Pinball Cinematic Packfx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| A-Force | Marvel Pinball Women of Power fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| Champions | Marvel Pinball Women of Power fx2 | Marvel Pinball |
| The Empire Strikes Back | Star Wars Packfx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Boba Fett | Star Wars Packfx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Star Wars Packfx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Return of the Jedi | Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Darth Vader | Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Starfighter Assault | Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| A New Hope | Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Han Solo | Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Droids | Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Masters of the Force | Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Rebels | Star Wars Pinball: Unsung Heroesfx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Rogue One | Star Wars Pinball: Unsung Heroesfx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Might of The First Order | Star Wars Pinball: The Force Awakens fx2 | Star Wars Pinball |
| Family Guy | Balls of Gloryfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| Bob's Burgers | Balls of Gloryfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| American Dad! | Balls of Gloryfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| Archer | Balls of Gloryfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| Aliens | Aliens vs. Pinballfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| Alien: Isolation | Aliens vs. Pinballfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| Alien vs. Predator | Aliens vs. Pinballfx2 | Fox Pinball |
| DOOM | Bethesda Pinballfx2 | Bethesda Pinball |
| Fallout | Bethesda Pinballfx2 | Bethesda Pinball |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Bethesda Pinballfx2 | Bethesda Pinball |
| Adventure Land Pinball | Carnivals & Legends Pack | Zen Studios |
| Son of Zeus | Carnivals & Legends Pack | Zen Studios |
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Universal Classics | Universal Pinball |
| Back to the Future | Universal Classics | Universal Pinball |
| Jaws | Universal Classics | Universal Pinball |
| Jurassic World | Jurassic World | Universal Pinball |
| Jurassic Park | Jurassic World | Universal Pinball |
| Jurassic Park Pinball Mayhem | Jurassic World | Universal Pinball |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Star Wars Pinball: The Last Jedi | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Ahch-To Island | Star Wars Pinball: The Last Jedi | Star Wars Pinball |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack | Star Wars Pinball |
| Calrissian Chronicles | Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack | Star Wars Pinball |
| Star Wars: Battle of Mimban | Star Wars Pinball: Solo Pack | Star Wars Pinball |
| Fish Tales | N/A | Williams Pinball |
| The Getaway: High Speed II | Volume 1 | Williams Pinball |
| Junk Yard | Volume 1 | Williams Pinball |
| Medieval Madness | Volume 1 | Williams Pinball |
| The Party Zone | Volume 2 | Williams Pinball |
| Black Rose | Volume 2 | Williams Pinball |
| Attack from Mars | Volume 2 | Williams Pinball |
| Theatre of Magic | Volume 3 | Williams Pinball |
| The Champion Pub | Volume 3 | Williams Pinball |
| Safe Cracker | Volume 3 | Williams Pinball |
| White Water | Volume 4 | Williams Pinball |
| Hurricane | Volume 4 | Williams Pinball |
| Red & Ted's Road Show | Volume 4 | Williams Pinball |
| Tales of the Arabian Nights | Volume 5 | Williams Pinball |
| Cirqus Voltaire | Volume 5 | Williams Pinball |
| No Good Gofers | Volume 5 | Williams Pinball |
| FunHouse | Volume 6 | Williams Pinball |
| Space Station | Volume 6 | Williams Pinball |
| Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray | Volume 6 | Williams Pinball |
| Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure | N/A | Williams Pinball |
| Creature from the Black Lagoon | Universal Monsters Pack | Williams Pinball |
| Monster Bash | Universal Monsters Pack | Williams Pinball |
^fx1 Table originally from Pinball FX
^fx2 Table originally from Pinball FX 2
^zp1 Table originally from or was also released on Zen Pinball
^zp2 Table also released for Zen Pinball 2
^ip Non-Disney-owned IP(s) licensed to Zen Studios
Accolades
editThe game was nominated for the Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game at the New York Game Awards 2018,[15] and won the award for "Game, Special Class" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[16][17]
Notes
edit- ^ The Steam version and the stand-alone Williams Pinball mobile app available on iOS and Android will feature the uncensored, unaltered versions of the tables,[12] the latter which consequently was issued higher content age ratings (17+ on the Apple App Store and the ESRB's Teen rating on the Google Play Store, respectively).[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b Matulef, Jeffrey (June 28, 2017). "Zen Studios says goodbye to last-gen with Pinball FX3". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c Fahey, Mike (August 17, 2017). "Pinball FX 3 Is All About Cross-Platform Competition". Kotaku. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 28, 2017). "Pinball FX3 Aims To "Redefine" The Video Game Pinball Experience". GameSpot. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ Glagowski, Peter (November 1, 2017). "Pinball FX3 is tilting on to Switch soon". Destructoid. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Zen Studios ditches plans to patch Pinball FX3 Nintendo Switch performance". Eurogamer. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "Pinball FX3 – Nintendo Switch Update". Zen Studios. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
- ^ Good, Owen (11 April 2019). "Entire Star Wars Pinball collection coming to Switch, with new modes". Polygon. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (September 4, 2018). "Classic Bally/Williams pinball tables coming to Pinball FX3". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (September 20, 2018). "Pinball FX 3's Williams tables will feature Classic and all-new Remastered modes". Destructoid. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Moyse, Chris (October 10, 2018). "Pinball FX 3's Williams tables are available now, feature censored elements". Destructoid. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c Orland, Kyle (October 12, 2018). "Zen Studios alters classic pinball art to protect family-friendly rating". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Pinball FX 3 Williams Pinball - Frequently Asked Questions". Pinball FX 3. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "App Store listing for Williams Pinball". Apple App Store. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
Rating: Rated 17+ for Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, Gambling and Contests, Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity, Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling, Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
- ^ "Google Play Store listing for Williams Pinball". Google Play Store. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
Rating: Rated Teen for Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes and Simulated Gambling (ESRB)
- ^ Whitney, Kayla (January 25, 2018). "Complete list of winners of the New York Game Awards 2018". AXS. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ "Nominee List for 2017". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 13, 2018. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.