As an old fool who likes to kick it old school (well, sometimes), I always appreciate when someone makes a side-scrolling shooter that brings me back to the days of Defender, Gradius, and R-Type. Which is why I spent the last couple days playing Shoot The Dragons (iOS), a simple but addictive free-to-play shoot-’em-up that made me want to stick quarters into my iPad.
Long before Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, or The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, fantasy fans who wanted to engage in epic adventures either had to play such table top games as Dungeons & Dragons or they had to read such Chose Your Own-esque interactive novels as The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain. Well, now you can do it all with The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain (iOS), a video game that recreates the titular interactive novel on your iPad by including mechanics from the pen and paper version of D&D.
Between the introduction of Ms. Marvel, the gender swapping of Thor, and Captain Marvel getting her own movie, it’s a good time to be a woman in Marvel Comics. But it’s also a good time to be a fan of those ladies and pinball thanks to Zen Studios, whose newest tables for Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Vita), Pinball FX 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC), and Zen Pinball (iOS, Android, Amazon) are the Marvel’s Women Of Power Two Pack, which feature the ladies of A-Force, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Gwen, as well as a host of bad gals.
In games, your objective may be to save the galaxy or rescue the princess, but the real goal, every time, is to just stay alive. After all, you can’t save the galaxy or rescue the princess if you’re dead. But in the clever puzzle game Life Goes On: Done To Death — an updated and expanded version of 2014’s Life Goes On that’s now available for PlayStation 4 as well as PC and Mac via Steam — the only way to complete your objective is to go against thousands of years of evolution and human nature and let yourself die. A lot.
Last year I put together a story about all the pinball tables I really wanted to see for Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2 — including Indiana Jones, Robot Chicken, Resident Evil, Game Of Thrones, and the BioShock games — and why none of them will ever be made…probably. And wouldn’t you know it, I was right. So far, none of these have been made into pinball tables. So I thought it would be fun to think about what other tables I’d like to play…and why I’ll probably never have the chance to play them, either.
Though it was clearly delayed to avoid spoiling the film — what, Han Solo has turned into a silver metal ball!?! — Zen Studios have finally released their Star Wars The Force Awakens Pack for Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita), Pinball FX 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC), Zen Pinball (iOS), and Zen Pinball HD (Android, Amazon), which includes two tables inspired by the titular film. Though it may be a spoiler for the next movie that the better table is the one that embraces the Dark Side.
For me, Sunday evening’s TV used to be all about watching the cartoons on Fox: The Simpsons, Family Guy, and so on. But while the network may have neutered the night by adding such non-animated shows as Brooklyn 99 and Last Man On Earth to the schedule, Zen Studios are bringing “Animation Domination” back with the Ball Of Glory pack for Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Vita, iOS, Android, Amazon), which features tables inspired by Archer, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad. Though after playing all four, it’s clear you’ll want to play them more than one night a week.
Heroes in video games are usually strong and sure, steadfast in their resolve, as well as tough. All things you can’t say about the titular hero in To-Fu Fury, a puzzling, side-scrolling platformer for iPhone, iPad, Fire phones, and Fire tablets that features a spongy piece of bean curd. But in talking to the game’s producer, Darren Anderson, and Amazon Games Studio executive producer David Holmes, it seems being squishy and flexible can have its advantages.
Just as they did a few months ago with Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the good people at Zen Studios are celebrating the new Ant-Man movie with a pinball table for Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita), Pinball FX 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC), Zen Pinball (iOS), Zen Pinball HD (Android, Amazon), and Marvel Pinball (iOS, Android, Amazon). But while the table has some elements fans of the comic might expect, it also has some unexpected elements that make it an addictive table.