Zen Studios is back with another triple pack of Pinball tables to add to your already large collection. Several of them are based on licenses of well-known franchises such as Star Wars or Plants vs. Zombies, and now the team has turned its attention to another well-known franchise: Aliens! I bet you all have seen at least one movie in the series, right? I have seen them all multiple times (I even own the boxset!) so I was definitely ready for this pinball pack. I’ll be splitting my Aliens vs. Pinball review into three parts so that each table can get a chance to shine. First up, we have the Aliens Pinball review!
At the start of the table, a message pops up asking you if you want to play in mission order or selectable order, which is a nice option since it gives you the freedom to play the table as you see fit – I’d love a similar feature to pop up in future tables.
The first table is set around the Aliens movie, with the missions based on what happens in the film, even going as far as to include some of the original dialogs! This table starts off with Ripley talking to Burke: “Just tell me one thing, Burke. You’re going out there to destroy them, right? Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them out.” I remember that line like it was yesterday, and it is up there with some of the most iconic dialogue in movie history, so to have that included definitely adds to the game’s atmosphere.
The table is full of ramps to hit, and spelling words like Ripley will open a jackpot opportunity to score big points: Ripley is placed in the middle of the table holding a rifle, and there is a huge Xenomorph sitting at the back of the table waiting to catch your pinballs.
Like the movie the missions involve fighting off the queen’s minions, ending with the destruction of the remaining xenomorph eggs. Succeeding will reward you with a big multiball afterward so you can go to town and eradicate as many aliens as you can.
There are a lot of spelling missions that unlock rewards: spelling Burke gives you multipliers, spelling Bishop activates ball save mode, Vazquez decreases reload times, Hudson raises alien scores and finally spelling Newt activates vent escape mode.
There are some mini-games to unlock in this one, but they are pretty tough to activate. One memorable mini-game has you driving a set distance, and you must avoid obstacles in your path, and should you succeed you’ll be rewarded with massive points. Another minigame tasks you with surviving an alien attack for 45 seconds, and the action is very fast-paced and fun!
The animations and voice acting on this table are really first class. I was very impressed because the table does a great job of capturing the Aliens film in playable form, and hopefully you have a lot of fun with this table. It was very fun doing this Aliens Pinball review, and I’ll definitely keep playing this table for a while!
Come back on Wednesday for my review on the Alien: Isolation Pinball table!
