Aliens Pinball FX 3 (Nintendo Switch) Review
Recently, Zen Studios released Pinball FX 3 on the Nintendo Switch, bringing many of their tables from their previous title, Zen Pinball 2, over to the portable/home console hybrid, with a upgraded experience. This pack is also available on Xbox One, PS4 and Steam, which was released on Pinball FX 3 back in September.
One of the few licensed packs that were ported to the Nintendo Switch was the Aliens pack, which includes three different tables, Aliens, Alien vs Predator and Alien Isolation. The pack is priced at $9.99/£7.99, so works only only a few dollars per table, so there is plenty of value in them.
The Aliens table is based on the “James Cameron” movie and features Ellen Ripley as she confronts the Alien Queen and helps the Colonial Marines eliminate LV-426’s alien infestation. With this being my favourite Aliens movie, this was my go to table and it didn’t disappoint.
With the Alien Vs Predator table also delivering some great pinball action and having both major characters standing on the sides of the table help theme together the pack. There is an odd puzzle size quest involving moving blocks around, which took me a few attempts, but its things like this, that you’d never see on a pinball table in real life.
While the Alien: Isolation table is based on the video game, which is my least favourite table from the pack, simply because I haven’t played that game (yet!). As with any table from the Pinball FX 3 range, it sometimes doesn’t matter if you like the “theme”, since the actual game is still tons of fun and will easily entertain pinball fans.
One of the great things about the Nintendo Switch version is that you can press the – button to flip the screen vertically, which is perfect for handheld mode, since you can now rotate the Switch to play long ways, which is something I used to love with the PS Vita version, but the size of the Switch screen makes it much clear.
All three tables feature some impressive artwork and the sound effects all tie in nicely with the movies. I’ve previously played all of these tables on the PS4 and PS Vita in Zen Pinball 2, so while these aren’t new, having them upgraded made them worthwhile playing again. I couldn’t see any difference between the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
Pinball FX 3 is completely free to download on the Nintendo Switch, however purchasing the tables or packs, unlocks the tables to play freely, since the free version only lets a player have a couple of minutes of play. But easily enough to try out the tables before purchasing.
The upgrades for Pinball FX 3 include new Leaderboards, score tracking, exciting social features, plus other things to keep you playing the table over and over. I personally love the challenge section, which gives lots of reason to replay over and to offer a serious challenge to pinball fans.
I love the Pinball FX platform and it being on the Nintendo Switch is fantastic, while I’ve been using the Playstation versions for years because of the cross platform support of the PS4 and Vita, the Nintendo Switch delivers all of that in one nice little package. This is the perfect Switch game to have installed for when your out, since it can be booted up, you can play for a short burst and just have pure fun with it. With a simplistic control system, anyone can play, making it a great game to fire up when with friends or family (especially when sat in an airport!).
OVERALL: This Aliens pack offers a great experience for fans of the franchise since the tables are tied in nicely with the movies and have a different feel to them compared to the more brighter tables like Family Guy or Zen’s own tables, since it does feature original voiceovers and sound effects directly pulled from the ALIEN franchise movies. It’s a great game for casual players to pick up and play, while also offering a challenge for Pinball fans.
REVIEW SCORE: 8 out of 10
You can purchase this table now directly through the Nintendo eShop