eShop Preview: Zen Pinball 3D

One of the headlining releases for the eShop this week will be the 3DS version of Zen Pinball, a compilation previously released on iOS and the PlayStation Network that features four different tables for players to master. So far this port seems like a decent simulation of the real deal.

Ball and table physics are realistic and well-done, and the visuals look great. Using the L and R buttons to control the flippers is incredibly intuitive - you'll feel like you're a jangling pocketful of quarters and a sticky floor away from being at an actual arcade. Each of the four tables plays differently, and each has a different shtick, such as Excalibur's knights and swords theme or El Dorado's treasure theme. Throw in Hot Seat gameplay (where you pass the system around to up to four players) and four challenges to complete for each table and you have a decent amount of content. The $6.99 price tag still seems a bit high considering you're only getting four tables and no online though. Unspecified DLC is planned for the future.

While it's fun to toy with, Zen Pinball 3D's main problem is that it almost too closely simulates real pinball, offering little in the way of innovation specific to the 3DS platform. This no-frills approach will probably appeal to traditional pinball enthusiasts, but will likely fail to hold the attention of other gamers. I also disliked that the table is shown in its entirety on the top screen. Given the 3DS top screen's relatively diminutive size, this can make it hard to keep track of any complex happenings on the table, especially at the more eventful tables, like El Dorado. The bottom screen, which is only used to display score information, is all but wasted, which is quite the shame.

Our full review and score of Zen Pinball 3D will be available in the next day or so, so check back soon!

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