So it was inevitable that, despite already having experienced everything Zen Pinball 2 on the Wii U could offer on the PS3/ Vita, I was going to buy the tables all over again. The good news is that Wii U fans can now enjoy the finest pinball game out there. The bad news is that the Wii U version just isn't as good.
We'll start with the mundane, minor issues that the Wii U version encounters. First up? There's not quite as many tables in this version. The Wii U is lacking a couple of licensed tables such as Street Fighter (no great loss there), and Ninja Gaiden (one of the finest tables of all). This would be fine if there was an exclusive table to compensate, but there isn't. This is a case of first world problems, because with over 20 other tables to choose between it's not like the Wii U version is lacking, but it is simply lacking in a direct comparison.
Our video review of the PS3/ Vita game
A bigger issue is that buying new tables is a real clunky mess, though it's hard to blame Zen Studios for this when it's very likely Nintendo's infrastructure just isn't optimised for freemium games. After the initial Zen Pinball 2 download, you'll need to hop back into the eShop every time you want to buy a new table (or collection of tables). You'll need to buy and download each of these individually and in two parts - you'll need to download the demo, as well as the unlock key. Then you'll need to install both before it will appear as a menu option back in the main game.
Until you buy the table it's grayed out in the menu in the main game. With the PS3 and Vita version of the game you're able to purchase and download the tables from this menu, but the Wii U version simply directs you to the eShop. Does it make for an inferior pinball experience? No, but when the rest of the game is so slick, and when the other versions of the game nail the purchasing experience, it's hard to think of the Wii U version as anything more than the lesser cousin.
Where the game experience falls down generally compared to the PS3 version of Zen Pinball 2 is when you move the game from the TV screen to the gamepad. It works smoothly and comfortably, but the gamepad's screen is not quite up to the fidelity of the Vita screen, which is cross compatible with the PS3 version. With Zen Pinball 2 on the PS3 if I buy a table I can also download it to my Vita for free and both versions share my high scores. It looks better on the Vita than it does on the Wii U, and it's also significantly more portable.
Given that pinball works so well when its portable, it is a little disappointing that the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS can't talk and share data. And, because I have some pretty impressive scores on my PlayStation version I don't really feel the need to work to earn them again on the Wii U game. The relative lack of a community with the Wii U version at this stage makes the social leaderboards less interesting, too.
These are all minor complaints in the grand scheme of things, and I'll point to my video review of Zen Pinball 2 on the PS3, as the experience is much the same on the Wii U. It's still the finest pinball game out there, it's just not the best version of it.
- Matt S
Find me on Twitter: @digitallydownld
Find me on MiiVerse: WaltzIT
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5 comments:
Great review. I'm a big fan of the Zen Pinball series, having picked up all of the Marvel ones on PS3 recently. Bummer about not having replacements for the exclusive tables, like Ninja Gaiden.
Oh, by the way... you might want to check your scores on PSN. You still have me on a handful of tables, but I took top score in several others you had been #1 on. ;)
I know :-( I've lost a lot of my top scores - I was at the very top of the leaderboard on like half of my tables at one stage.
Need to get back to practicing!
Man, am I the ONLY one happy with my Wii U? Review was ok but, maybe instead of comparing you should just say how FUN it is! I don't care if it looks like ps3 or not! Who really does this? I'm so sick of "compared to" coming up evertime someone talks about the Wii U
Where did I give any indication that I was not happy with the Wii U? And I did say how fun it is. I called it the 'finest pinball game out there.' I also gave it a score of 4/5, which according to our scoring policy means:
"4 Stars - It's also great, and almost everyone should enjoy it. It just lacks that level of refinement to have it at the very top, or it might have one or two errors than bring its overall value down."
Which is the perfect descriptor of this game.
I gave the PS3 version a higher score because it is actually better. Furthermore our readers are typically multiplatform holders, and they are quite entitled to know which version is the better one.
I have a sneaking suspicion though that you won't be back to tell me that I shouldn't make comparisons when Ninja Gaiden 3 is finally released on the Wii U over here and in my review I mention that it's superior to the PS3/ Xbox NG3. It is my suspicion that you are more upset by a perceived slight against the Wii U than the comparison of one game available on the Wii U to its PS3 brother.
I never got the indication that this was a 'bash' on the Wii U - and I will admit that I do quite often compare releases from different versions. Many games nowadays release on multiple platforms, so if there are differences worth noting (graphically, sound, performance, different modes/options/characters) I feel like they should be called out so people reading the review who had multiple options can be aware of them.
My best recent example? Skyrim. Awesome game that obviously has more flexibility on the PC, but what if you are buying it for either the 360 or PS3? It's worth noting that it performs very badly on the PS3 compared to the 360. Some people it won't matter - they only have a PS3 so that's what they buy it for. But for gamers with moe consoles, those differences can be important when considering which options to buy. Just my two copper on the topic. :)
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