Pinball FX2 Bethesda Pinball Pack Review

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• Developer: Zen Studios
• Publisher: Zen Studios
• Genre: Pinball
• Release Date: 6/12/16
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam, Mac, iOS, Google Play, Amazon
• Game Supplied by: Zen Studios

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They have only gone and done it again! And this time with a new partner, industry giant Bethesda. Incorporating 3 of the best known games in Skyrim, Doom and Fallout there is something for every Bethesda fan in this pack of Pinball tables.

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[su_spoiler title=”About Bethesda Pinball” style=”fancy”]

Zen Studios and Bethesda, the worldwide publisher behind the blockbuster franchises Fallout®, DOOM®, and The Elder Scrolls®, have joined forces for an unbelievable pinball experience! Coming to Zen Studios pinball platforms in December, Bethesda® Pinball presents three exciting pinball tables based on Bethesda’s epic gaming universes: Fallout, DOOM, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Stay alive in the stunning yet hostile environments of three fantastic pinball tables inspired by the most iconic Bethesda franchises. Explore the secrets of the post-nuclear wasteland in a world decimated by atomic war, join Factions, raid Vaults and collect Bobbleheads on the Fallout Pinball table, fight your way through the UAC research facility while taking on hordes of demons to earn the DOOM Slayer name on the DOOM Pinball table, and craft weapons, wield magic, equip armor, buy and sell goods, mine materials, find trainers and complete side quests before defeating Alduin and fulfilling your destiny as the Dragonborn on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Pinball table. Each table features leaderboards, score tracking, exciting social features, and more!

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Those of you familiar with my Pinball table reviews will know that there is very little more I think is possible in a pinball game to make it more exciting and develop it yet time and time again Zen Studios just pull another one out of the bag. This is yet again no exception.

Each table offers an almost full game type of experience. By this I mean you need to choose a character, progress through the level, earn upgrades and unlock perks and weapons to use against the enemies. Upgrades are not very easy to apply and this is definitely something they need to work on, and old fashioned B button to go back would suffice, no need to hold flippers down to go back, it was very annoying. Also the text background and pixelated style they were using also made it a little hard to read, why have a beautiful table, as per the images below and blow it with crappy menus.

Fortunately that’s the only bad thing I have to say about these tables. The Skyrim one had me going back to it again and again, I even opted to change characters a few times and play out the game differently.

For the first time having loads of additional options in a Pinball table has really paid off. Not only are you encouraged to explore the table but also learn it, understand it and it will benefit you as you inevitably earn a higher and higher score.

Below are the tips and tricks for each table.

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[su_spoiler title=”Doom Pinball Tips & Tricks” style=”fancy”]

• Main Missions vs. side modes and multiballs: Activate side modes or multiballs during main missions for increased scoring and more complex gameplay! Most of the game modes can run at the same time, even multiballs!
• Collect weapons: Expanding your arsenal is crucial if you’re going to fight your way through the demons of Hell. It is also important to use the best weapon for each given situation. The Chaingun will do damage against the drop targets and the demon. The BFG9000 will tear almost everything apart with one shot but its ammo capacity is very limited. Changing your weapon once in a while can make all the difference.
• Power ups: Power ups will give you a temporary boost that will always come in handy. But if you time the activation well you could hit the jackpot. Let’s just say the Quad Damage score multiplier boosts every score, even the ones for winning a mission.
• Argent Cells: Completing a main mission will grant you an Argent Cell. Be aware that upgrading your health or armor will automatically fill it up as well.
• Meltdown mode and multiballs: Activate the Meltdown mode and start a multiball! You will notice that you can heat up more than one ball by shooting them through the lava.

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[su_spoiler title=”Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Pinball Tips” style=”fancy”]

• Rollover Progress: Progress will be saved between games, including your character level, weapons, apparel, magic spells and other items, completed main quests, available side quests, your gold, and even the time of day. Nearly everything works the same as in the original game.
• Blocking: You can use your shield and melee weapon to block incoming physical attacks. Hit the targets marked with the flashing shield lamp to block the next attack and you’ll suffer less damage. Hitting targets triggers bashing damage to the enemy!
• Power Bar: Hold one of the flippers during a battle till the yellow “Power Bar” fills up completely. You will have a couple of seconds to hit the enemy while the Power Bar flashing resulting in a power attack with a melee weapon or dual cast with a destruction magic spell. You can cause higher damage this way, but use this feature wisely since it consumes much more stamina and magicka.
• Inventory: If you run out of stamina during a battle, access the inventory by holding the launch button and choose a destruction magic instead. If you run out of magicka, choose a melee weapon and continue the battle. Don’t forget the various rings and amulets that can aid you in battle, as well as the many kinds of potions you can loot from enemies or buy from shops. They can save your life along with the healing spell that can be applied to your character permanently and independently from other spells. You can cast it at the left orbit, you’ll definitely want to use it regularly.
• Travel: If you buy a horse at the shop (visit a town to access it), you can travel faster via shooting the side target banks so you can explore more places, get more points and visit more towns. Be careful however because you can lose your horse (and some of your gold) if you get defeated. If your health is nearly depleted, consider fleeing by shooting the side targets. You can save your horse and your gold, so it worth a try!
• Multiballs: Hits to the unlit skillshot hole provide you with additional time in the Treasure Chest Multiball, where you can hit the chest for gold jackpots only for a limited time. The additional time can grant you more gold! Shots to the loot hole at the right side will raise the jackpot value of the Dovahkiin Multiball.
• Crafting: It is advised to keep the various raw materials you find during your adventure and use them to craft weapons and armor when you arrive to a town as you travel. You will advance in your smithing skill if you do so and become able to craft more and more advanced items.
• Spells: Consider using non-destruction magic spells during battles, such as conjuration where you can summon a being that helps you defeat the enemies, or the alteration where you can apply various magical armors like Oakflesh. These can provide great help in tough battles. You can find these spells via looting enemies or in the shop. Just apply them in the inventory and hit the right ramp to cast them during a battle.
• Loot: You will gain a lot of loot as you defeat more and more enemies during your adventure. All of them have some weight. Eventually you will become over-encumbered, resulting in slower traveling speed and greater stamina consumption while using melee weapons. You can sell any of your items in the shop to decrease your carry weight and make some extra gold or you can even drop your items from the inventory.
• Gold: You can exchange your gold to score directly at the shop. The seller however will have only a limited score amount every time you visit a shop in a town so keep moving to the next town if you want to exchange more.

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[su_spoiler title=”Fallout Pinball Tips & Tricks” style=”fancy”]

• Be aware of the radiation bar at the bottom-left of the table. A high radiation level will greatly reduce your maximum amount of health (which is crucial in battle), and highly affects the scores achieved throughout the game.
• Vaults can be extremely dangerous if one goes in unprepared. Try leveling up by completing side quests and Faction Quests before clearing a Vault.
• Hitting an enemy with a regular melee attack (hitting the enemy target itself) will stop the attack timer for a couple of seconds.
• Sneaking not only gives a damage boost on all attacks for a limited time, it will also pause time for a short while during an attack sequence.
• Enemies blocking the mininuke lane during the Attack sequence? Hit the mininuke lane during the dodge sequence for a clear shot and an explosive result.
• Too many enemies attacking you? Use the mininuke, or if it is not available, hit the Throw lane to damage multiple enemies.
• Having trouble defeating a boss enemy? Maximize the V.A.T.S. bar and grab a couple of mininukes before a fight.
• Always think about which skill should be upgraded to better suit certain situations. A higher strength level might raise melee attack damage, but higher perception provides more time to perform attacking actions.
• No money to upgrade certain items? Raise your Luck skill and collect loot to find pricey shop items for free.
• Raise your Intelligence skill to make levelling up easier. Remember, a higher player level means tougher enemies and higher scores.
• Each of the bobbleheads collected from the Vaults grant special perks. These perks won’t reset after completing the Wizard Mode.
• Join a Faction! Complete your favorite faction’s missions to gain a special reward during Wizard Mode.
• Hitting the Shoot or Snipe lanes during a fight will damage a random enemy on the playfield.
•  The antenna always points at the area where the Eyebot will arrive. If it is pointing at the sky, prepare for the Radiation Storm.
• Hit the Nuka Target to recover a small amount of health. This can be extremely helpful during a fight against tougher enemies.

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Whilst each table offers the raw basics each then diversifies into it’s own unique take on Pinball. Visually as you can see from my screenshots each beautifully sets the scene and brings you into each game’s worlds wonderfully.

Fallout is the best table to look at for simplicity but Skyrim for me had everything going on and more, I was learning more about that table on each flip.

True to it’s past Zen have nailed the sounds too, and whilst it might sound a little repetitive, each table offers authentic game sounds and enhances the overall Bethesda Pinball experience.

SUMMARY

There is no doubt after a few hours on these tables they are the best I have ever played, and being a long time fan of Zen Studios Pinball FX 2 tables and having reviewed almost all of them over the years including classic tables that I adored like Star Wars, Marvel collections and other top Brands it’s clear to me that there is still much more to come from Zen. Bethesda Pinball pack is just the beginning.