Originally published in May 2011, reprinted for additional content.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

There are certain games that I believe will always be transported into video game form, no matter what generation of console is on the market. Board games like chess and checkers, and sports like baseball and football will always find a home somewhere in the digital world. But we must not discount an arcade staple of such simplicity, and yet such intricacy, that has survived the gaming world for ages – pinball. Pinball FX2, an Xbox Live Arcade franchise, is slowly becoming the gold standard for casual play, and they have just released a new themed table, Mars, which has a sci-fi outer space theme.

The objective of Pinball FX2: Mars, if you want to be simplistic about it, is of course to score as many points as possible by launching a small ball around a surface while directing it with flippers. But Mars really has a lot more going for it, as it employs mini missions and goals to help give the usual pinball playing experience more plot and story. One mission requires the player “collect” fuel by hitting various targets, and then aim the ball back into the shuttle.

Controls for Mars are about as simple as you can get. Your Xbox controller has a left trigger and a right trigger, and that’s how you operate the flippers on either side of the table. There are also various camera angles to try, and ways to nudge the table a bit, but too much fussing about will cause the game to tilt, essentially calling you a cheater and penalizing you with a lost ball.

I’ve played a few of the Pinball FX2 tables, and while I’m partial to the ones with themes, I think Mars may be the most engaging and entertaining. To start, the graphics are rather sharp, and employ a fun combination of retro pixel screens that show events and your overall score along with a highly detailed table. Also, the missions are just plain fun and unlike other pinball games, the objectives are quite clear (but still have an appropriate level of difficulty). I also love the local split-screen multiplayer where you are racing with infinite lives to obtain a score faster than your opponent.

The flaws of Pinball FX2: Mars aren’t really flaws, but rather just two things that we must accept as truths: 1) the cost of this downloadable game (240 MS points instead of the 200 it costs for other tables) is rather high because 2) even if it is really fun to play, and holds more replay value than other pinball games…it’s still a pinball game. By their very nature, these games are short and for some I could see the price tag being a bit of an issue. Other than that, however, the actual game just works.

In the end, I’m giving Mars a nice high grade, but I’m not going to recommend you just go out and buy it instantly. I say this because this is the kind of game that some people will find totally fun and amusing and others could justifiably argue that it’s repetitive and frustrating. I think this is one of the better pinball games, and tables, I’ve had the chance to try, so if that sounds up your alley, give it go!

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

Update: Pinball FX2: Ms. Spolsion Man

The latest table for the hugely popular Pinball FX2 series has been released, and it features one of the newest stars of the Xbox Live Arcade world – Ms. Splosion Man. Drawing upon the female-centric character from her self-titled game, Ms. Spolsion Man, the table allows pinball enthusiasts to partake in the challenge of racking up points by navigating shiny round spheres across an elaborate table. In this case, all of the challenges and obstacles are designed with the Ms. Splosion Man world in mind.

The two primary colors of the Ms. Splosion Man level are hot pink and baby blue. These colors, while wonderful for decorating a newborn’s nursery, are not quite as kind on the eyes when you’re trying to focus on a tiny ball careening across the screen. I’m usually a big fan of the Pinball FX2 tables, but this one seems unnecessary, a trifle annoying, and almost too easy. A friend of mine had a score of over 260 million that the game kept taunting me to beat. I feel like I could have done it, but my fingers were sore from the continual flipper pounding, and my ears hurt from the repetitive annoying song. When you are almost wishing your ball would get lost, that’s not a good thing.

There are better pinball tables available for Pinball FX2, so you can probably let this one pass you by.