Pinball FX
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''Pinball FX'' is a
pinball machine Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
for the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. It was developed by
Zen Studios Zen Studios is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with headquarters in Budapest, Hungary and offices in the United States. It is known for its game franchises, ''Pinball FX'' and ''Zen Pinball'', a ...
and published by
Microsoft Game Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
. It was released on April 25, 2007 via the Xbox Live Arcade service. The game features three tables, with six more available as
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
,
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and online multiplayer. A sequel to the game, ''
Pinball FX 2 ''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows ( XP and higher) and is the sequel to '' Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It was ...
'' was released on October 27, 2010. The game received mixed reviews from critics, with aggregate websites
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
and
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
reporting scores of 70.56% and 69/100, respectively. Critics generally felt that the physics did well emulating a real pinball machine. Reviewers were divided on opinions of the game's multiplayer, with some calling for splitscreen gameplay, while others appreciated the online multiplayer component. It was a commercial success, selling over 362,000 copies as of July 28, 2010. Following the release of ''Pinball FX 2'', the game was delisted from Xbox Live Arcade marketplace, and all of the table purchases carry over to ''Pinball FX 2''. However, as the corresponding tables are not available in the
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
version of ''Pinball FX 2'', the game is still available as Xbox One backwards compatible title and can be installed if it was purchased earlier.


Gameplay

''Pinball FX'' utilizes the same basic rules as a physical pinball machine, albeit in a virtual environment. As with a traditional pinball machine, the player fires a steel ball onto the
playfield A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For most sports t ...
using a plunger. Once the ball is in play the player controls the flippers and can nudge the machine to influence the path of the ball. Each of the game's tables become more complex as the game advances, opening new paths and opportunities. The game allows use of the Xbox Live Vision camera to operate the flippers and to video chat with
Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an Internet, online multiplayer video game, multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox ...
opponents. It also features
leaderboards A ladder tournament (also known as a ladder competition or pyramid tournament) is a form of tournament for games and sports. Unlike many tournaments, which usually have an element of elimination, ladder competitions can go on indefinitely. In a lad ...
and online multiplayer for up to four players. Multiplayer games are won by being the first to achieve the set high score, which can be adjusted from 10 to 100 million points. Penalties can also be set for losing a ball with players losing anywhere from 5 to 25 percent of their score when a ball is lost.


Tables

''Pinball FX'' was released with three tables, Speed Machine, a racing-themed table, Extreme, which features a skateboarding theme, and Agents, adorned with secret agents and spy gadgets. A fourth pirate-themed table entitled Buccaneer was released October 31, 2007 as a free download. Five additional
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tables were released prior to the release of the game's sequel, ''Pinball FX 2''. The first table was released on January 16, 2008. Entitled Nightmare Mansion it features a campy, horror movie theme. The second paid table features characters from '' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' and was released April 2, 2008. A third table featuring characters, sounds and music from ''
Street Fighter II Turbo ''Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting'' is a competitive fighting game released by Capcom for arcades in 1992. It is the third arcade version of ''Street Fighter II'', part of the ''Street Fighter'' franchise, following '' Street Fighter II ...
'' was released November 12, 2008. Earth Defense, the fourth table, features an alien invasion theme. It was released September 21, 2009 The fifth and final table, Excalibur, was released January 27, 2010. This table features a theme based on
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
and the
Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...
. Free downloadable content
Paid downloadable content
Also available on other major Zen Studios pinball games


Development and marketing

''Pinball FX'' was first revealed to the press November 7, 2006 at a Microsoft press event in San Francisco. It was then shown at the
Game Developer's Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tut ...
on March 6, 2007. It was released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade service on April 23, 2007. The game has been delisted from Xbox Live Arcade as all content can be imported into ''Pinball FX 2''. If players wish to have the original tables but did not own the game, they can buy the ''Pinball FX Classic'' pack for ''Pinball FX 2'', which contains the three original tables plus the Buccaneer table.


Reception

''Pinball FX'' received mixed reviews from critics. On the aggregate sites
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
and
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it holds a score of 70.56% and 69/100, respectively. The game was a commercial success, selling over 362,000 copies as of July 28, 2010.
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
's Dan Whitehead described the game as "a fantastic virtual pinball engine", comparing it to ''
Pinball Dreams ''Pinball Dreams'' is a pinball simulation video game developed by Digital Illusions and originally released for the Amiga in 1992. It spawned several sequels, including ''Pinball Fantasies'' and ''Pinball Illusions''. The MS-DOS port was digital ...
''. PinballAddicts praised the cost-to-value ratio, stating "at around US$10 you really can't go wrong." GameZone's reviewer stated ''Pinball FX'' was "a visual treat and a solid challenge."
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's Jeff Gerstmann praised the addition of online multiplayer, stating that it "has some neat ideas that keep things interesting a bit longer." Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead was more critical, stating use of the Xbox Live Vision camera was "an oddly remote and distant way of playing." GameZone's reviewer disagreed, noting that use of the camera set the game apart from other titles. The reviewer further praised the game's sound effects, saying that they "carried the game forward." ''Pinball FX''s physics system was a common point of criticism among reviewers. While some praised the physics, others felt the system had issues. Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer felt the physics were precise. The reviewer from GameZone agreed, stating they "handled very well." "For the most part the physics in Pinball FX hold up, but there are a few issues that harm the overall experience" stated Hilary Goldstein of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
. Jeff Gerstmann felt that the "ball movement never feels realistic." Reviewers were critical of the variety in the game. Hilary Goldstein of IGN felt the game did not have enough features, stating it had "three mediocre boards, a couple-hundred Achievement Points, and little else." Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot also criticized the variety, calling the table designs "generic", adding that they "grow old quickly." ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
''s Will Herring agreed, saying that the tables were "a little blander than might have been hoped for."


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinball Fx 2007 video games Microsoft games Embracer Group franchises Pinball video games Video games developed in Hungary Xbox 360 games Xbox 360-only games Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Zen Studios games