Anybody that reads The Walking Dead comics or watches the TV show knows that when it comes to defeating zombies – or walkers in the world of The Walking Dead – in the undead apocalypse, anything can be useful as a walker-head-crushing weapon. Frying pans, pool cues, 2x4s, baseball bats … practically anything within reach while under walker attack duress. What wouldn't be particularly useful to slaughter walkers is a single small silver pinball from a pinball machine. Not seeing that as much of a brain-buster. That is unless while playing The Walking Dead Pinball table on Xbox Live Arcade via Pinball FX2 from Zen Studios.
Instead, the table features the two main characters from the first season of the gaming series, Lee and the young Clementine. Also featured are the voice-actors from the game. It uses the stories from each of the five episodes in the Season One game for its bonuses and missions across two distinct levels (the main table and a much smaller upper table). That expands The Walking Dead Pinball into more than just a typical flip-the-flippers-and-hit-the-silver-ball pinball game with an actual pinball-oriented plot.
The table uses the same well-drawn cartoonish graphical and strong audio elements as the game does, and has some The Walking Dead game-inspired touches in both the visual and audio departments, like a huge axe instead of the ball plunger or shotgun blasts for ball kickbacks. Those audio and visual components go along with the once-again stellar pinball physics that are a trademark of Pinball FX2 tables. Locations that adorn the table are once more directly from the Season One locales: the RV and Travelier Motel, the bell tower, St. John's Dairy Farm, and the train & level crossing.
When certain goals are met, it triggers an on-table action sequence, but these can be somewhat distracting at first – "ball lost" distracting. On the left side of the table, Lee will engage in an action sequence. Gamers might get caught seeing how that plays out, and in the meantime, down comes the ball rolling rapidly toward inattentive flippers, careening into the realm of "Ball Lost." The absolutely best mini-game is the walker-sniper one, which stops all activity on the table, while focusing the action on zooming in on walkers popping out of windows and behind objects. With only a limited supply of time and especially ammo, it's imperative to make every shot count in order to successfully complete the points-earning objective of splattering a requisite number of walker brains with sniper rifle bullets.
There's plenty of opportunity to engage in all sorts of walker-defeating missions, which leads to plenty of scoring chances. The Walking Dead Pinball is a high-scoring table, for sure, with a great visual and audio appeal, coupled with solid source material for its story and characters and the always-strong pinball gameplay. The Walking Dead Pinball is a great licensed title that strolls alongside the Marvel and Star Wars tables as a great addition to the strong lineup of licensed Pinball FX2 tables.
The Good:
- Graphics and animations match the quality of the Telltale Games series
- Timed, ammo supply-based sniper mini-game provides entertaining arcade-style gameplay filled with suspense and tension
The Bad:
- Those expecting the table to feature Rick and Carl Grimes, Michonne, Darryl Dixon, et al, from the TV show will be disappointed
- Action sequences on the left side distract from the ball play on the table
