Fallout; Bethesda Pinball

Review by Paul Fiander
Developers; Zen Studios
Publisher; Zen Studios
Formats; PC, PS3, PS4, PSVita, XboxOne, Xbox360, Ios, Andriod,
​​Every time Zen Studios take on a new licenced property there is always a lot of excitement mixed with a little trepidation. The biggest worry usually is what can they do with the general theme of the title to make it something exciting but most of all an addictive pinball experience. For the most part we have had nothing to worry just celebrate the random array of tables from Portal to the Waking Dead and The Force Awakens to Venom. Now though they have taken on a monster in three of Bethesda’s biggest titles Skyrim, Doom and the focus of this review Fallout.
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We already have an Initial Impressions video which can view below, however now with a day of play under my belt I can give a more rounded idea of the table.
​First just like the game it is built around this table acts like an RPG, this is nothing new to Zen as they have already dabbled with the idea of this game type with Epic Quest however Fallout takes this to a level that the older table could not reach. First up is player creation you can opt for a random player or create your own. This lets you choose between a male of female character and then decide how SPECIAL they are. The letters stand for; Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. Each is an attribute you can give to your player and more importantly each has an effect of the way you play the table. My personal favourite is Luck as it rewards you with a better chance of finding loot as you wander around the Wasteland fighting all manner of beasties. Other attributes have a more combat focus like strength and endurance so it is best to read up on each and create your player accordingly. You are also awarded a random buddy who can give you a nice boost in one area, you will be told which one as the scrolling stops then it’s time to begin.
​You can just play your game as a normal table as you can get a nice score without too much trouble. To get the really big points though you need to think of it as an RPG and complete side missions and quests before taking on the vaults. This gives you the benefit of improvements like extra time to dodge oncoming attacks as well as earning more points from each encounter. This means the table rewards you for being consistent and planning your play to best suit your character.
The skillshot is pretty simple to understand if not a little tricky to execute, basically you have to launch the table over the flipper on the right and hit it to the button with the critical sign pointed at it. Simple really and it gives you a rather nice starting kick in the area of 2.8 million, however I have about a 1 in 10 ratio of actually hitting it.
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In regards to starting the game for the #LowScoreChallenge on this table I have managed to get 150,000. This is thanks to the generosity of the table giving you a 50 grand bonus for each lost ball so unless you want to cheat I doubt any lower is possible.
​The table itself is a mixture of ramps and circuits all looked over by a lovingly rendered Vault door. As we have come to expect the art design on the table is top draw and the muted colours work brilliantly to show up the neon colour of the score, which will flow fairly consistently for even the most amateur of Wizard wannabes. The vocal work resembles Fallout with high quality work being done on both the male and female characters not only that but you will be mocked on more than one occasion by your enemy.

Overall this is an intriguing table and adds quite a bit to the world of Zen Pinball and is a great use of the Fallout licence and shows what Zen can really do in terms of innovating within the realms of Pinball.
Review code and screenshots courtesy of Zen Studios
​Screengrab via PS Vita