Where is this magical place?

​By: Ryan Winslett

ZEN Studios is set to strengthen its stranglehold on the arcade-style pinball market with the release of Pinball FX 2, available Oct. 13 on Xbox LIVE Arcade as part of the "Game Feast" promotion presented by Microsoft Game Studios.

For those readers too young to know what this crazy-sounding "pinball" business is all about, before computer games could be played in the home, folks actually had to leave the house and go to something called an "arcade" to play their games.

One of the most popular styles of games in these archaic establishments involved whacking a metal ball with flippers in order to explore themed game boards and wrack up points. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but people really seemed to enjoy it.

​
Nowadays, all this fun can be had in the comfort of your own home with the release of Pinball FX 2, sporting the most advanced ball physics and social features, like leaderboards and Achievements, as well as a fresh batch of meticulously crafted tables to play on.

For those who already own Pinball FX, you'll be happy to know this new iteration will be free to download, updating existing tables with enhanced graphics and adding additional Achievements to boot. From there, four new tables will be available to try and, if you like what you play, purchased to be added to your own collection.

According to Microsoft Executive Producer Mark Coates, "robust access to the core game" will be provided for all Xbox Live Arcade users as well. If you never got into Pinball FX but want to see what all the fuss is about, FX 2 will be a free download sporting trial versions of each table from the original and the FX 2 follow-up. From there, you can purchase whichever tables you enjoy most.

Considering how many quarters you can pump into an actual pinball cabinet, this is likely the cheapest way to experience all the thrills and stay firmly rooted to the couch at the same time.