Zen Pinball Street Fighter II Tribute

Score: 88%
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: Zen Studios
Media: Download/1
Players: 1 - 2 (Online)
Genre: Classic/Retro/Arcade

Introduction:

In my review of Zen Pinball, I implied that it wouldn't be long before Zen Studios started delivering downloadable tables for its rather excellent pinball simulator. As the title suggests, Zen Pinball Street Fighter II Tribute is a pinball table themed to the most beloved arcade fighter of all time. That means it's a table full of little gizmos and multipliers adorned with the likes of Ryu, Blanka, Chun-Li, and Zangief. If you're not already sold on the idea alone, read ahead -- Zen Studios can consider me a temporary pitch man for the next few paragraphs.

Graphics and Sound:

It's easy to appreciate Zen Pinball Street Fighter II Tribute's treatment of Capcom's venerable fighting classic. The art on the table is fantastic, albeit way too busy. Simultaneously having great visuals and cluttering the entire table with them is kind of an unwritten law for pinball tables, so it's a great approach. Just like in Zen Pinball, there are some crazy special effects that aren't quite real enough to belong on a real pinball table. However, it's perfectly fine when it's as believable as this. Watching the Blanka statue pulse with electricity never gets old. In addition, the dot matrix displays authentic Street Fighter II character animations. Watching Bison taunt you is no less infuriating when he looks like he's part of a Lite Brite display.

The audio is also fantastic, partly because some of it is really cheesy. The developers have made use of some sounds from Street Fighter II, but all of the music was re-recorded for the table. You'll hear Dhalsim shout "Yoga!" when a ball is saved, and you'll hear a re-recorded version of the Game Over screen music when you lose a ball. This kind of goofy sound design is implemented in the majority of pinball tables that are based on licensed properties. Because of that, this release has a wonderfully nostalgic feel to it.

GamePlay:

Zen Pinball Street Fighter II Tribute is still Zen Pinball at its core; nobody should pick up an expansion to a pinball game and expect to find loads of innovation. The differences you'll find here are purely thematic. Instead of hitting multipliers themed to shamans and zooming up ramps themed to motor vehicles, this table has you doing things like punching out the Red Cyclone and executing the famous Spinning Bird Kick. It's a match made in heaven.

Like I said earlier, this is the same game with a different name. Everything I wrote about Zen Pinball applies to this downloadable table. You can play around with the slow-motion, change the camera angles to get a close look at all the great designs, or play with a friend online (provided both of you have the table, of course).

Value:

For $2.50, Zen Pinball Street Fighter II Tribute is a steal. If you didn't like Zen Pinball for whatever reason, one table won't change your mind -- even if you're a hardcore Street Fighter II fan. That being said, this table meets the high standard of quality set by the tables in the original release. It's a tribute to all things pinball and Street Fighter II, and you'd be lying if you told me that didn't simply ooze awesomeness.

I'll just put it plainly: if you liked Zen Pinball enough to buy it and you also like Street Fighter II, this downloadable content should be a no-brainer.

-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications
AKA Jon Carlos

Introduction:

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