Zen Studios' Sky City-themed Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 pinball table will attempt to capture the frenetic action of Tecmo's game, with five multiball game modes, tons of missions, weapon combos, electrical ramps, and something called "ball slicing effects" which actually doesn't sound all that appealing. I'm not all that sure I can bring myself to spend my hard-earned dollars with anything that carries the phrase "ball slicing" in its description.

The table is tentatively scheduled for an October release, so stay tuned to PSN and the ZEN Pinball website to know when you'll be able to get your ball slicing on.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 ZEN Pinball Table [PlayStation Blog]

Zen Pinball is essentially the PlayStation Network version of Xbox Live Arcade's Pinball FX, albeit with a different set of tables. Last year Zen released a Street Fighter II Turbo-themed table for Pinball FX, and now it looks like they are releasing another one for Zen Pinball. Or potentially the same one. We've contacted the developer to find out, but have yet to receive a response. Just seems silly to release a Super Street Fighter II Turbo table at this juncture, unless you're releasing something you already have done.

Still, even if it is the same table, it was a rather nice one, and the tightened physics of the PSN pinball game should only make things that much better. No word on price, but we should find out by the end of this month - Zen has an August 2009 release date penciled in for the new addition.

ZEN Pinball Street Fighter Table [PlayStation Blog]

'The Punisher: No Mercy is a first-person shooter starring the Marvel Comics character that has failed to truly take off outside of the comics scene and t-shirt stores despite three movies and several video game adaptations. Zen Studios, perhaps best known for their pinball titles for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, hope to perhaps change that a little come July 2nd, when the game goes on sale for $9.99.

No Mercy features a strong focus on online multiplayer action, allowing up to eight players to step into the shoes of iconic Pushier villains and allies, shooting their way through both solo and team-based missions. For those of you scared of online play, there is also a single player story mode with art by Marvel's Mike Deodato.

On one hand it is a lower-budget game based on a comic book license, but on the other, it's Zen Studios, who haven't done me any wrong so far, albeit in a completely different genre. From a comic book fan's standpoint, there's also original Deodato art, which for me adds greatly to the value of the title.

Anyway, it's your call. The Punisher: No Mercy will hit the PlayStation Network with next week's update.

The demo version of Zen Pinball comes complete with Eldorado, one of the four pinball tables launching with the full version of the game. The board is heavy on early South American imagery, evoking the legend of the lost city of gold.

"We have received huge success with our Pinball FX title on XBLA and fans around the world have been clamoring for a solid pinball title on PlayStation Network," said Zsolt Kigyossy, managing director for ZEN Studios. "We're pleased to offer a free sample pinball table that introduces players to the intense realistic pinball physics and mechanics that can be found in the full edition. If you enjoy arcade games this is definitely a title you'll want to check out!"

Zen was gracious enough to pass on a few exclusive images of the demo table, along with shots of the Shaman, Tesla, and V12 tables as well. The full version of the game will be available on May 14th for $9.99.

Announced just last month, Zen Pinball delivers four tables worth of mission-filled pinball action to pinball-hungry PlayStation 3 owners. According to the developer, the final product is looking very good.

"Arcade fans have been anxiously waiting for this game, and we're pleased to announce that we have confirmed the release date," said Zsolt Kigyossy, managing director for ZEN Studios. "Our team has put a lot of hours and hard work into developing this title and the results look amazing!"

Of course developers always think their final product looks very good, just like parents always think their babies are cute. Hopefully Zen Pinball builds on the gameplay Zen established with Pinball FX on the Xbox 360 and isn't just another ugly baby.

The PlayStation Network release is from the same developers that brought Pinball FX to Xbox Live Arcade, which was far from perfect, but Zen Pinball looks sharp. Whether they'll be able to pull off a capable pinball table simulation remains to be seen, but we'll make sure to give it a whirl and let you know.

We already know the game has a built-in virtual level, so things seem to be going in the right direction.

Zen Studios is the developer behind Xbox Live Arcade's Pinball FX, which has proven to be one of the best 3D pinball games on any platform, as well as one damn fine marketing tool. Now they're preparing Zen Pinball, a completely new pinball title for the PSN. The game launches with four different tables - V12, Tesla, Shaman and El Dorado - with the promise of more on down the line.

Zen Pinball also comes packed with options, with local, online, and worldwide tournament multiplayer; an operators menu that lets you tweak the game's settings to your liking; and nifty features like mid-game saves and slow motion to take advantage of the whole video game aspect of video game pinball.

Keep an eye on the official website for screens and video, which they should have up any day now.

BAM, here it is:
XX53-X4BB-3EJK
RK8R-7DBA-C9EM
C5NF-A3BH-HERF
9KDE-TRB5-JIXD
F3T2-5IBC-4XG9
58XJ-XHB6-DJB5
A5E4-XDBT-6KFD
KG2K-DDBC-XD7R
FHA5-BABR-6C44
5EA9-J4BP-N2CC
44HC-5GBR-KN8A
NNNB-6IBP-3A26
GG9M-DHBH-JXGE
TIMT-8BBT-96IR
M9KR-ADBI-IR7G
7CEC-NPBK-EG9C
22NB-FIBA-R2IM
4T9B-PNB5-48B3
79IN-MTBM-AF8R
4I2F-RRB9-BMNJ
ITPH-PIB7-AD69
HA47-FTB7-H9RM
JDDD-26BP-8FCH
GMXI-2DBK-25MD
N3EX-3JBB-C93R
N74G-2HB7-54PF
BPTH-CIBF-FTD4
P78I-PEBC-X472
33T5-8IB7-RCHE
BKTT-8FBJ-DB8R
4BH4-74BD-TPMI
98MD-B4B8-X7H5
2D4D-DEB6-DF8D
KGIP-9BBJ-XJBI
HGTC-GPB5-PJGJ
GEIC-C2B3-ND9J
EKXT-R2BI-23P2
ATAA-8NBA-398K
C9MM-5IB4-9TAD
PMNR-MCBT-DXKJ
P8CP-MFBR-2KJ3
J4MA-X7B7-K583
8P9E-92B9-F6IR
7M2A-J3BG-RH7M
I766-42B5-5JB3
FR7G-TABR-PNIJ
82MI-KEBR-3DJC
27CJ-P2BK-I8RH
CEDM-CRBT-8TNP
EG26-54BF-5H8N
BTIF-3GBJ-E8C6
B9P9-CFBF-NDP2
4C9N-P6BM-C4AE
DMHK-78BR-RREF
HK4T-35BE-BTAT
KKET-BMBP-3D3H
N9CJ-ABBK-6BKT
989M-3JB6-E5JG
2JKT-BGBC-3EIC
EB7F-A4B2-2MJC

The new table is due out on November 12th, and while I am not seeing a price in the press release, I'm sure it'll be in line with previous expansion tables at around 200 points. It's two great tastes that taste great together!

ZEN Studios Partners with Capcom® to Bring Street FighterTM to Pinball FX!
Officially licensed themed table is the latest expansion for the best selling Xbox LIVE Arcade pinball game

Budapest, Hungary –November 5, 2008 – ZEN Studios, a videogame developer and digital publisher known for its innovative arcade, strategy and action games, announced today it is working with Capcom® to release an officially licensed Street Fighter™ table for Pinball FX in celebration of the soon to be released Super Street Fighter™ II Turbo HD Remix. Pinball FX is the latest in a wide selection of pinball tables for one of the best selling titles on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The table will launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 on November 12th, 2008.

“It is so great to bring this awesome intellectual property of Capcom’s over to Pinball FX. I’ve long been a fan of the Street Fighter franchise and felt they made the best fighting games regardless of platforms,” said Zsolt Kigyossy, managing director of ZEN Studios. “This is our fourth expansion table for Pinball FX, and we will continue to work hard to give our fans the best possible pinball game with loads of tables and variety.”

“Capcom is pleased to team up with ZEN Studios to kick off our celebration of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix immanent release,” said Christian Svensson, VP of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Capcom Entertainment Inc. “Capcom aims to be one of the top providers of digitally delivered game content in the industry and teaming up with ZEN Studios adds an entirely new dimension to our portfolio of competitive titles.”

With this new table, the legendary Street Fighter franchise comes alive in an all-new Pinball FX experience. Street Fighter™ II Pinball FX comes loaded with the characters that revolutionized the fighting genre and created a global legacy like no other. Experience the arcade thrills of traditional pinball with enhanced gameplay, unparalleled graphical detail and innovative features not found in any other pinball game, such as:

* Enter the World Warrior Championship fighting as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Guile and battle against Sagat, Evil Ryu, Vega, and Balrog, then win the final round of the championship against M. Bison!
* Discover special combo shots, animated punches, kicks and special moves as you fight against opponents using ramps and a variety of orbit shots.
* Multiple in-game challenges featuring objects, art and memorable items from Street Fighter™ II.
* Table soundtrack, sound effects and voices from the original Street Fighter II.
* Brand new hot-seat multiplayer.

For more information about Capcom or the Street Fighter franchise, please visit www.capcom.com. For more information about ZEN Studios or Pinball FX, please visit www.zenstudios.com.

The Punisher: No Mercy Coming Exclusively to PSN [PlayStaton.Blog]