<\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2018s flipped a virtual flipper knows that nobody\u2019s done more in recent years to keep the flame burning for video game pinball wizards than Zen Studios. Both Pinball FX<\/em> and Pinball FX2<\/em> (not to mention Zen Pinball<\/em> and Marvel Pinball<\/em>) have kept our plungers plunging with plenty of clever and colorful DLC tables, some based on licensed content (Ninja Gaiden, Marvel, etc.) and some entirely original. While there’s several multiballs\u2019 worth of excitement and anticipation trained on Zen\u2019s forthcoming Epic Quest<\/em> and the Marvel Pinball Vengeance and Virtue<\/em> four-pack, it\u2019d be a ball-lost bummer if pinball fans overlooked the addition of Sorcerer’s Lair<\/em> to the Pinball FX2<\/em> lineup on Xbox Live Arcade. <\/p>\n

It certainly wouldn\u2019t be the first time. The table\u2019s debut in Zen Pinball<\/em> had the misfortune of coinciding with the PlayStation Network hackfest that took down Sony\u2019s online platform for more than a month earlier this year, delaying its release substantially. Coinciding with the early waves of the 2011 holiday game season isn\u2019t great timing, either, but maybe XBLA is where the table\u2019s magical curse finally breaks.<\/p>\n

The table backstory is a simple one\u2014a brother and sister get lost and stumble into the confines of the titular sorcerer’s citadel. Bad move, obviously. With the help of a ghost named Whisper\u2014the implication is that she may have been one of the wizard\u2019s previous trespassers\/victims\u2014they have to escape through a haunted forest or whatever secret passages your ball-flipping skills can unlock. <\/p>\n

Sorcerer’s Lair<\/em> sports a great layout, featuring multiple ramps that lead to huts that spin when you hit them, changing the direction of the ball\u2019s route and descent back to the flipper gutters. Virtual animated figures are now a staple of Zen\u2019s tables, and two hover over the action here\u2014the sorcerer himself, who has the personality of Dick Cheney on a bad day, and a gigantic golden tree that sometimes drops into the table area to block off one of the key routes. Best of all, the table is not rigged to route balls to the ball-lost gutters like certain other Zen tables (hello, Spider-Man and Excalibur). In fact, the table\u2019s standard \u201cball-saved\u201d function is actually pretty generous here\u2014when your ball drains, it\u2019s your fault, not the table designer’s. <\/p>\n

Like the table based on Marvel\u2019s vampiric Blade, Sorcerer’s Lair<\/em> really comes to life when the table goes dark. Unlocking the ghost mission, where ethereal creepies pop up on the table for you to blast, is awesome. It\u2019s better still if you can route the ramps to disrupt the sorcerer’s research three times\u2014he\u2019s camped at the top of the table, poring through books and pouring potions, waiting to swipe your balls and lock them up. It’s multiball-in-the-dark time, only the bumper bonus can send your score sailing more quickly. <\/p>\n

More tricks also await. There\u2019s a sub-table in the sorcerer\u2019s creepy cellar, where the ball can be flipped to bash spiders and skeletons. There\u2019s also a somewhat bizarre non-pinball mini-game mission, where you guide the ball down a set of moving gears and platforms by shifting their directions with the flippers. Only the savant can possibly hope to ace it the first several times you unlock\/access it \u2014 you have but seconds to figure out the flipper control scheme, and a single mistake sends you back to the main table. <\/p>\n

The only complaint is the same one I\u2019d level at many of Zen\u2019s virtual tables: There\u2019s so much visual information flying, mach speed, at your eyes, that it\u2019s often impossible to shift your focus away from the ball to the scoreboard to figure out which bonus you ought to be targeting next. (Not to mention enjoying the amusing LED animations that accompany everything you do.) That\u2019s why it pays to play multiplayer with a friend: Not only does your friend\u2019s score juice your overall Pinball FX2<\/em> wizard score, but you can finally focus on everything you\u2019ve been missing. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ Great integration of story and gameplay
\n+ Clever table design is sensible and fair\u2014no cheap ball drains here
\n+ Multiball in the dark brings the table to life<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Too much visual information makes scoreboard watching impossible
\n– Mini-game missions pop up too quickly for players to react<\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: Xbox Live Arcade DLC
\nPublisher: Zen Studios
\nDeveloper: Zen Studios
\nRelease Date: 10\/12\/2011
\nGenre: Pinball
\nESRB Rating: Everyone
\nPlayers: 1-4
\nSource: Review code provided by publisher<\/p>\n