Allie<p>November 28, 2023 - Day 331 - NewPlay Review<br>Total NewPlays: 351</p><p>Game: Pinball FX</p><p>Platform: Steam<br>Release Date: Apr 13, 2023<br>Installation Date: Aug 22, 2023<br>Unplayed: 98d (3m6d)<br>Playtime: 17m</p><p>Pinball FX is a pinball simulator, and is a sequel to Pinball FX3.</p><p>Bit of an odd game to be reviewing, but it's literally the only thing I played yesterday, and is my only review option.</p><p>Pinball FX uses the razor business model of giving the game away for free, and selling the tables as DLC.</p><p>Over time I'd collected quite a few tables in Pinball FX3 (14 hours playtime), but I'd specifically downloaded it for one specific table - The Getaway: High Speed II.</p><p>This pinball table is a core memory for me. I spent countless hours and dollars playing the real-world version of The Getaway. Any arcade I entered (or still enter!), I will scan for this machine. Given that it was released in 1992, I'm usually disappointed.</p><p>When Pinball FX3 presented the opportunity to be able to play it again, whenever I wanted, I jumped on the opportunity. For what it is, it's great. It's not the same though.</p><p>In 2021 the dev team behind Zen Studios announced that they were going to reboot the Pinball FX series in Unreal Engine 4 (with a now-expired exclusivity deal with the Epic Store), and that all future tables would be released on Pinball FX, not Pinball FX3.</p><p>Of course, existing tables that were purchased for FX3 do not transfer to Pinball FX, meaning if you want to play your tables in FX, buy them all again, sunshine.</p><p>However, they've since made concessions, and you can buy a "bundle" for any owned DLC that provides the FX version of the table at 50% off.</p><p>For the Black Friday sales, they heavily discounted all of the DLC, which meant that I was able to upgrade my Getaway table for $2.64.</p><p>As for Pinball FX itself? It's good. The interface is a lot cleaner that FX3. The flippers seem feel a little bit... off, but I need to investigate more.</p><p>However, what it DOES do properly is ultrawide portrait mode, which was broken in FX3.</p><p>Playing Pinball FX3 on a QHD monitor in portrait mode was a revelation (thank you again, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://firefish.city/@atomicpoet" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>atomicpoet</span></a></span>), but it was miserable on an ultrawide in portrait mode.</p><p>Pinball FX, however? Being able to see the whole playfield AND part of the cabinet brings a whole new sense of immersion, and enjoyment, and feels as close as I'll get to owning The Getaway (real table? AUD$5500) which makes that $2.64 worth it.</p><p>The thing which takes the edge off is the seemingly ever-present microtransactions built into the game. They don't seem to be necessary, and I'll likely continue to ignore them.</p><p>Even so, I'm more than happy to declare Pinball FX:</p><p>5: Excellent</p><p><a href="https://aus.social/tags/PinballFX" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PinballFX</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Pinball" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pinball</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Simulator" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Simulator</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Gaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Gaming</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Project365ONG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Project365ONG</span></a></p>