
	Platform Playstation 3 Genre Arcade Publisher SCEA Developer Zen Studios ESRB E (Everyone) Released January 15, 2010

- Well designed table - Endless replayability - Excellent value for money

- None to speak of

Review: Mario Pinball Land (GBA) Review: Pinball Hall of Fame: Gottlieb Collection (PS2) Classic Review: Devil's Crush (TG16)
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Zen Pinball: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2

Score: 8.0 / 10

I'll start off by saying that this probably qualifies as the smallest expansion I've ever had to review. One might wonder if there's enough to make a review out of what's been presented. I would certainly say so. Zen Studios' Zen Pinball is one of many downloadable titles on the PlayStation Network and it's one that is enjoyable because pinball is so utterly simple, yet so very difficult to master. Pinball tables

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- Playstation 3 Game Reviews

have gotten flashier over the years, which Zen Pinball has reproduced quite handily, and they continue to do so with their new table based off Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

Like any good pinball table based off a licensed property, there's a lot of images and art taken from or based off of NGS2. There's even a small Hayabusa model that whirls around with a Dragon Sword when you send the ball up the right ramp or hit the right targets. The level

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of detail and care that went into making this feel like an actual physical pinball table simply cannot be overstressed. If somebody wanted to make a physical table off NGS2, they'd either have to license Zen Studios' design or come up with a better looking one, and I don't see how somebody could do it.

Sound and music have been given the same sort of care that the visuals have. From the sound of bumpers clattering to the final death cry when your ball is lost, everything works to get the player into the game. It's almost subliminal in some respects in how it fades into the back of your mind, hearing it, knowing it's there, but not really paying attention to it. Just like with a real pinball table.

It's pretty hard to screw up gameplay with pinball but it's harder to get it just right. Zen Studios got it right. The gameplay is fast, twitchy, and utterly enjoyable. It will likely take long hours of practice to master the table and unlock the trophies that come with it, but that's part of the fun of any pinball table. Replayability is practically infinite, not only because there's always the drive to get the highest score on a table, but also to beat out the top players who have the highest scores of the week.

For less than $3, even if you aren't a fan of NGS2, you can add a pinball table that plays well and will keep you busy for hours on end. While it's not a transcendent gaming experience that redefines Man's place in the Universe, it's a hell of a lot fun, and a tremendously good value for the money.

- Axel Cushing

(March 10, 2010)