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

Introduction:
Just in time for Halloween, Zen Studios has unleashed their newest downloadable table for their PlayStation Network hit. Zen Pinball: Paranormal is exactly what you'd expect it to be: a well-designed and well-themed table filled to the brim with secrets. Paranormal is par for the course, which means it's a must-download if you enjoyed Zen Pinball. I just can't imagine anyone not enjoying the game to begin with.

Presentation:
Graphics and sound are important when it comes to reviews like this, because the art style is really the only distinctive property about DLC releases like Zen Pinball: Paranormal. Zen Studios knows pinball, as well as how to illustrate a table. It's always nice to sit and watch as the camera pans (almost lovingly) over each painstakingly detailed section of the table. Of course, a table called Paranormal has to delve into a bit of bizarre subject matter in order to achieve its primary goal. Unsurprisingly, it does a good job of that. If you think something belongs on a table named Paranormal, it's probably there. Ol' Nessie sits on the left side of the table, and a five-ball Newton's Cradle occupies the right side. The dot matrix usually relays the gist of the pinball adventure, and this one follows a wisecracking special agent. The Jersey Devil watches over the haunted mansion at the top of the table, which actually stands vertically. The slingshots near the flippers are decorated with swirling vortexes, and one of them has a crashing plane on top of them; it's easy to gather that it's supposed to be the Bermuda Triangle, and its position is clever.

The sound quality is what we've come to expect from Zen Studios. It doesn't take the focus away from what you're seeing and it mainly stays out of the way. It's a minute-long techno loop featuring distorted whispers and spooky synthesizing. The stuff that accompanies the action on the dot matrix is good, also.


Bells and Whistles:
Looking at the Rule Sheet is always a good way to get acclimated to a new table. The Rule Sheet goes into the details concerning ten ways to score big. For example, it encourages you to get the ball into the Haunted Mansion and work your way up to the second floor, where you must capture ghosts. That's much, much easier said than done, but if you succeed at this, the rush is unparalleled. Remember, though: this is pinball, a game that keeps the player on edge from the beginning to the end. A lot of this stuff will simply happen spontaneously. You'll sometimes be surprised to discover that you've locked three balls and are on the verge of activating multiball mode, even if you haven't been consciously trying to fulfill the difficult requirements.

Value:
If you're so much as reading this review right now, you're probably a fan of Zen Pinball, and therefore need to pick up as many of the downloadable tables as you can. They are all good enough to warrant purchase. $2.49 is not much to ask for a good bit of DLC, even if the combined cost of all the DLC far surpasses the price of the original release. Plus, when you're busting ghosts, taking snapshots of the Loch Ness Monster, and trying to make the legendary chupacabra dizzy, you won't be complaining.

-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications
AKA Jon Carlos

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