Essentially to do with aspect ratio: notably it means you can play the game with your Switch up on its side, you then have a vertical playing space which goes a long way to representing the vertical orientation of pinball tables and of course a lot of arcade games that the Switch has on the eShop.
@JoeDiddley They confirmed that the physical release would get the patch a couple weeks later as well.
That was a while ago, so it might already be released by now, if not it should be by the end of the month.
Also, for people having trouble getting into these tables, don't feel discouraged.
It takes a couple of weeks to get a single table down and even then, there are things that you'll pick up in the months that follow.
That's one of the great things of the Farsight releases, how they recreate actual pinball tables that were designed over the course of not just a couple of weeks or months, but on average between 9 and 15 months per table before they can go into actual production.
What's also great about these pinball cabinets is that there are so many different design philosophies implemented.
So if you play a certain table and you hate how it plays, it doesn't mean pinball isn't for you, just that that particular theme doesn't fit you.
It's a bit like someone who dislikes strategy RPGs thinking after playing one, that all videogames are just not for him.
Most of the tables in Stern Pinball Arcade are relatively modern ones and thus are quite complicated when it comes to goals and the flow of each cabinet.
I've put close to 30 hours into Ghostbusters at this point, and I'm still learning new things as I play.
When trying to become better at pinball, it's important to pick one table at first, learn as much as you can about it, and stick to it for a while.
Some good resources can be found on Youtube as the instructions in the game itself are helpful, but not always that easy to remember compared to visual aids.
This channel for instance is a huge help:
Sadly there aren't many in depth videos on there. But at least AC-DC also has one.
PAPAPinball is also a great resource to learn more about the ruleset of a whole bunch of games.
Can't wait for the regular Pinball Arcade to release on Switch as I'll be buying every single cabinet once more, even though I own nearly all the ones for iOS, PS3, 360, Vita and PS4.
meppi64
Switch Friend Code: SW-8347-9726-5976 | My Nintendo: meppi64 | Nintendo Network ID: meppi64
@Yorumi I completely agree there. It doesn't give a good impression of what the better tables are about.
It's not the worst table, but it's very low on my list of tables, that's for sure.
I can understand them not wanting to give away one of their best tables for free as people could just keep playing a great one forever without feeling the need to buy a second one.
But on the other side, giving away a so-so table does have the ability to hurt them.
I've seen a ton of impressions, including the review here that call the Pinball arcade an okay compilation while calling Pinball FX the definite pinball experience.
Being an old fart myself, I grew up on real cabinets in the 80's and early 90's, heck even late 70's even though I was 4 at the time. lol
So I might take a more purist view on all of this, but believe me, Im' not a pinball snob.
Got tons of digital pinball games starting from back on the NES, all the way though to today's systems. Pin.Bot NES is still one of my all time favourites till this very day, even though it doesn't feel like the actual cabinet at all.
But I vastly prefer Pinball Arcade, even though there are some very nice tables on Pinball FX, which I also have on a ton of systems already.
meppi64
Switch Friend Code: SW-8347-9726-5976 | My Nintendo: meppi64 | Nintendo Network ID: meppi64
FYI: I just noticed tonight that a new Switch Channel popped up for The Pinball Arcade, announcing that TPA will be launching on the eShop tomorrow (April 6th)!! I can only speak for the North American eShop, no clue if this will launch in Europe too. The news item says it will be free to download, with "Tales of the Arabian Nights" table for free. It will launch with 94 tables for purchase, which I think might mean that covers all 7 seasons that has been released on other consoles/devices. The news items also mentions it will launch with 60fps docked and handheld (docked 1080p), and will have TATE/Vertical/Portrait support both docked and handheld. Will also have leaderboards. Since the game is basically Stern Pinball Arcade, but with a different interface and covers more table manufacturers, it should hopefully run as well as SPA does now after the patch. If you don't follow TPA on other consoles/devices, the seasons of tables are usually priced $30, or $40 to upgrade to Pro tables. No mention if they'll have Pro tables when it launches tomorrow.
I own a bunch of seasons of tables on Steam, but I'm very excited to see how this Switch version turns out. I'll definitely give Arabian Nights a good playthrough before I drop any money, in case this is a complete wreck (I am praying they did lots of testing before releasing this)!
@madmatt213 What is supposed to happen when you get a match after the game is over? I don't get any points nor do I get a extra ball, so it seems useless.
Also, how do I download the new free table? I didn't see it as an option in the NA eShop.
“Unfortunately, Pinball Arcade for Nintendo Switch had to be taken off the eShop today due to a licensing issue. We at FarSight sincerely apologize for any disappointment and inconvenience. Once we get the issue resolved, we will be putting the game back in the store.”
Omg! I'm glad I downloaded it then! I love the Arabian Nights table. Also I didn't know you can change the background lightning and glow. I turned the glow to max, and the background to dark so there's a real cool contrast. Also you can change the actual Pinball design in the extra options. I changed mine to green!
@LinktotheFuture The tables in The Pinball Arcade and Stern Pinball Arcade are replicating real tables that cost money per play, so in real life when you match the score at the end of your play you get a free credit, which you can use to play another round for free. When you're playing these games virtually, matching on the score does absolutely nothing for you, but if you are a real pinball junkie like me you get really excited when you hit the match, just because I'm so use to it saving me quarters in real life when I hit it. FarSight Studios leaves this in their games because to take them out would not be accurate to the real-life tables.
As for your question about the new free table, I'm guessing you are confusing Stern Pinball Arcade with the newly released The Pinball Arcade. They are different games that need to be downloaded separately from the eShop. The Pinball Arcade was taken down from the eShop overnight due to a licensing issue, but when it's added back to the eShop you just download that separate game and you automatically have the one free table unlocked under "My Tables". The Pinball Arcade comes with "Tales of Arabian Nights", and Stern Pinball Arcade comes with "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". You need to pay for all other tables in either game. I don't think there is cross-buy unlocking on Switch, either, as the Frankenstein table is in The Pinball Arcade but it is not unlocked for me. I guess this only works with the PC/Steam version of the two games.
@KaiserGX I was very happy to see the lighting settings being in the Switch version. I also love to have low ambient light with bright table lighting when I play on the PC/Steam version. The iOS version of TPA does not have this, which is a major reason why I've never bought any tables in that version. I just play the monthly free tables on iOS. It's been a long time since I've tried TPA on PS4, so I can't remember if that version have the lighting settings.
In other versions of TPA you can buy different pinball skins, and sometimes get new ones when buying the season table packs. Some of the balls are themed too, like a Star Trek TNG ball, and I think there's a Ghostbusters ball too. No clue if that's the case on this Switch version.
@Yorumi Read the rules for a table. Also I don't know if you know that trick where you have the ball on one side of the paddle and you quickly flick it to get it to the other side. I'm also wondering if there's any other tricks besides that. I know there's one where the ball is going at full speed and towards the paddle that you can not hit it, and it will loop up towards the other side, like in a U shape. Don't know if that makes any sense. Basically it won't go down into the hole, but it needs to be going quick.
@Yorumi Unfortunately I can't impart any wisdom. Practice is probably the best way to get better (and virtual pinball is way cheaper to practice on than real pinball!), but the second best way is to study the table you are playing on. There are instructions and lists of goals for each table in these games. Each table has specific things you are trying to do to get a higher score. These goals are usually indicated while playing by lighting up skillshots and ramps. Practicing shots gets you better at being able to aim where you want the ball to go to hit the lighted shots & ramps to get higher scores. Getting good with nudging the table without tilting is also key, as that's what saves you from draining the ball in the gutters. Good luck, have fun!
I’m curious how TPA will look tomorrow with all the Williams & Bally tables gutted from it, and how they will be selling the DLC. It kills me that I didn’t spend the $210 when it was released that first day. I still need to buy the remaining seasons I’m missing on Steam, because I can’t live without having some of those tables after June 30th.
The Pinball Arcade is up now in the North American eShop! There are 4 table packs for Gottlieb tables (from $8.99 to $9.99 each), plus 2 packs for all the Stern tables ($19.99 each) that are in the standalone SPA game (and my purchase of Stern Table Pack 1 from SPA is not showing up in TPA, which is crummy if I have to rebuy it again. Lastly, the two Alvin G. & Co tables are in a pack for $7.99, and they have the Doctor Who: Master of Time table by itself for $4.99.
All told, the current cost to buy everything in The Pinball Arcade on Switch is $90.92 USD. I sent a Facebook message to FarSight’s The Pinball Arcade page asking if they’ll be able to map over DLC purchases from Stern Pinball Arcade. I’d like to get confirmation before I rebuy pack 1 for $19.99. I feel dumb buying that pack on SPA about a month ago, but I really wanted to play Star Trek.
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