Zen Studios

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The results of the much anticipated collaboration between Zen Studios and Pop Cap have finally been revealed. Much to the surprise of many, this Pinball FX 2 table will …
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A new batch of CastleStorm screenshots have been released by Zen Studios for your enjoyment. The game is being described as “medieval castle vs. castle warfare physics based destruction real time strategy game” or “2D strategaction game” as our Guide Co-ordinator, Todd Schlickbernd, preferred when he got to see the game in action at this years E3. Zen has also released some free CastleStorm desktop wallpapers for you to download and kit yourself out with in preparation for when is published on XBLA later this year by Microsoft Game Studios. Head over to the official website for the wallpapers or hit the jump for the new screenshots.

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Zen Studios have announced a release date for their new PopCap themed table for Pinball FX2. The new table, which was announced back in June, will hit XBLA September …
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According to Gamasutra’s monthly Xbox Live Arcade Sales Analysis Zen Studios needs to be gearing up for an office party or something. As of the first of this month …
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Released on XBLA last week, Zen Studios’ Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles DLC for Pinball FX2 offers up a quartet of new Marvel-themed tables for gamers to flip silver balls around for 800 MSP. According to the Penny Arcade Report, the foursome are the result of two years of collaborative work between Marvel and Zen. Each of the tables was in development for around eight months, with 75 percent of that time being spent on testing.

“The table I’ve been championing literally since we started this whole thing is The Infinity Gauntlet,” Chris Baker, the interactive manager at Marvel Entertainment, told the Penny Arcade Report. “I think it might actually be what prompted the idea for event-based tables in the first place, just because the idea of Infinity Gems becoming their own balls is so conducive to great video pinball missions. I think more than any table Zen has made so far, this is definitely a videogame and definitely not something you could see actualized in a traditional pinball form. One look at the Reality Gem in action, where the table warps your reality by literally flipping it upside down, and I think you’ll know what I mean.”

After going hands-on with the table at E3 and with the review copy, XBLA Fans has seen firsthand the genius of its intricate design. Zen’s blending of visually impressive comic book elements with satisfying silver ball play is the result of seasoned table designers, but the team behind Infinity Gauntlet wasn’t always capable of such innovative works, admitted Zen Creative Director Neils Sorens. “We started out as game developers who happened to be pinball fans,” he said. “Our lack of pinball design experience showed in our early work, which was derivative and doesn’t stand up well to what we’re putting out these days.”

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Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles for Pinball FX 2 was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It retails for 800 MSP and was released on June 20, 2012. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles is the latest addition to the ever growing Pinball FX 2 library. This is a four table pack themed around the Avengers.  With so many tables now available this needed to be a special collection to stand out. After playing this set for some time it’s clear that Zen Studios put something really special together. The four tables are based on the the Avengers, Infinity Gauntlet, World War Hulk, and Fear Itself. Each strikes a perfect balance in style, theme, speed, and challenge. Each table is a worthy addition by itself, but as a set they seem all the more cohesive. Deftly mixing new twists with solid gameplay, The Avengers Chronicles does everything right.

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So our amazing friends at Zen Studios have given us permission to stream one of the new tables this Sunday night. We …
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Zen Studios has announced that the Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles DLC for Pinball FX2 will released on June 20 on Xbox Live Arcade. As should be evident from the …
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Few things are more impenetrable than the mighty castle. Around the 10th century or so, major countries defended their population from sieges with these massive stone structures. Typically castles were constructed several miles apart in strategically superior locations. In CastleStorm, they’re right next door to each other.

Perhaps the real estate was good at the time or maybe the world of CastleStorm is just ridiculously crowded but things get cozy in this 2D tower defense. Your castle has a massive ballista on the front of it, which you use to mow down waves of ground forces and lay siege to the enemy castle. If the one-size-fits-all weapon weren’t enough, you can also dispatch your own forces and use magical abilities to affect the battlefield. Destroy the enemy castle or capture their flag to secure victory.

Real time strategy and the second dimension have blended before with games like Grim Grimoire and Swords & Soldiers, but it’s not the most common of sub-genres. That said, CastleStorm blends the RTS with even smaller genres including artillery shooters (Worms) and tower defense. The resulting smoothie is not only delicious, it offers a unique flavor. Read More

Weekly Roundup compiles all the biggest news stories, reviews, and releases from the week into one handy post on the weekends.

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