Any time Zen Studios announces a new Pinball FX 2 table, I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning to come. The latest table is an original design that pays homage to the classic World Cup Soccer Midway table from 1994. It’s no question I am a pinball junkie, however I’m not a soccer, sorry football fan by any means so I was somewhat concerned if this would be a table where I was ultimately left somewhat disappointed.
One of the cool things about this table is you can pick your favourite football club and use your best score towards large community goals and challenges. On release there are 8 teams to choose from; Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Juventus, A.S. Roma, and for those (like me) who have no allegiance you can always pick Team Zen. Each team has an assortment of real life players, Team Zen complete with a team full of developers.
One caveat to that — and one I have to admit is disappointing — is that when you initially download the table you are asked to pick your team. Once you pick it, there’s no going back – unless of course you purchase another team which costs the same as the original table $2.99. I assume this is because each individual club had to be licensed separately, it’s just disappointing to have to pay again, and again (depending on how many teams you want) to get what is essentially a re-skin with different player pictures. The gameplay of the table doesn’t change at all regardless of the team you have selected.
Let’s be honest here: skins aside, it’s all about gameplay. “The Super League” table is much more complex than it looks. With only 3 ramps, and an elevated second play area it doesn’t come across as overly complex but boy is that a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You actually play a full game of football, divided into two halves complete with a multi ball halftime break.
Just hitting the ball around is fun enough, but as you slowly start to understand the table mechanics and the ‘missions’ the beauty of the table starts to show itself. From trying to score goals by getting into the upper play area, to defending by hitting lit lanes. There is a legitimate strategy and finesse to it and merely trying to power through will not work. It reminds me a lot of the “Iron Man” table, but not nearly as frustrating.
The flow of the table is smooth, with the lanes and shots feeling spot on; but for one. The right ramp that leads to the elevated area seems to have a much smaller sweet spot and less room for error which caused some frustration for me. One other thing that is more personal issue is the ball is textured like a soccer ball, which makes complete sense. However, in my time with it there were some moments where it was distracting and took my focus away from the table. With that said, next to Epic Quest this table may have my favorite soundtrack out of all the tables.
Being an original table, Zen Studios is taking a risk making a table without “Marvel” or “Star Wars” branding, instead tapping into the biggest sport in the world trying to draw new fans to the genre. Fans of Zen Pinball will have no problems getting into this one and start racking up some high scores. New players will also be okay, however may face a little bit of a challenge when they start going after more serious goals and accomplishing tasks. The learning curve is gentle and should serve to introduce new fans to what Zen Studios can do with pinball. I’m not disappointed in the least with this latest offering.
Pinball FX 2‘s “Super League Football” is available for $2.99 USD on Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, PS4, Steam and Mac and $1.99 USD on iOS, Android, and Amazon.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
