Wait, what? Didn’t Star Wars Pinball already launch on PSN? YES! And you are telling me it is launching again? YES! Okay, that was probably super confusing, so let me try to explain. Believe me, it’s a good thing. The initial Star Wars Pinball pack was released in February for Zen Pinball 2 on PS3 and PS Vita. That pack included Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and it’s coming back… this time, with even more features. *Cue Star Wars opening crawl text*

From the very beginning of the Star Wars Pinball project, we’ve been working on a special standalone version of the game that would offer some really fun community features and would be fully branded Star Wars. We managed to finish that project, and it’s releasing next week, exclusively on PS3 and PS Vita!

Now you’re probably wondering, “Why did I buy this for Zen Pinball 2 when I could have bought a game with different features?” Don’t worry, young Padawan, we thought about that too. If you’ve already bought the tables in Zen Pinball 2, you are entitled to download Star Wars Pinball at no charge! This means you can unlock the tables in Zen Pinball 2 and in Star Wars Pinball with one purchase – and both games are Cross Buy entitled with Vita, so if you’re huge Star Wars fans like us, you can have the game under four different roofs for the price of one.

Here are some of the cool features (ultimately the reasons we did a standalone game) that we could not include in Zen Pinball 2, but are in Star Wars Pinball:

• You can choose to support the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance! Once you do, your high scores contribute to the side you choose, creating a Star Wars Pinball community fight for the Balance of the Force! The main game user interface will change dynamically, based on how the community chooses to support each side. You can see who is winning the overall battle at www.starwarspinball.com.
• An XP progression system allowing you to move up the ranks based on Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance support.
• The game looks, sounds, and is authentic Star Wars!

Are you thoroughly confused? If so, I’ll be here all day and beyond to answer your questions. May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Pinball is releasing today as DLC for Zen Pinball 2 on PlayStation Network for PS3 and PS Vita as Cross-Buy entitled content. This first pack of tables will cost $9.99. If you have not yet downloaded Zen Pinball 2, we invite you to do so now – the download is free, and will give you access to the Star Wars tables which you can even demo to make sure you like the game!

The first set of tables includes Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Here is what you can expect from The Clone Wars table, set to release later today on PSN.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars table embraces the striking artistic style and energy of the series and is a perfect fit for a high-energy pinball table. The incredible art, momentous light saber battles, and exhilarating action that makes the series so enjoyable translates naturally into an amazing pinball experience. Check out the trailer above to see the table in action!

Set between the events of the Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars pinball table features Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, both represented as 3D characters, as well as Asajj Ventress, Savage Opress and battle Droids. The table would not be complete without a Republic attack gunship, which is especially spectacular when the table is played in 3D.

To start the main table missions, light the lamps on the center of the playfield that spell out “Council” by shooting the left and right ramps on the table. After spelling the words, the ramp’s right front side will lower, providing a path to the hole to activate the main missions.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts once you have been able to play Star Wars Pinball! Please share your experiences right here on the PlayStation Blog or on the Zen Studios Facebook, Twitter or Forums.
May the Force be with you.

If you missed the Star Wars Pinball announcement from last week, you can read all about the game in the announcement blog post. Today we’re taking a detailed look at the Star Wars Episode V :The Empire Strikes Back table.

The Star Wars Episode V :The Empire Strikes Back pinball table is inspired by the events of the beloved film. The exciting action takes center stage on the main deck of the Executors Star Destroyer, and features iconic scenes that play in the dot matrix display when missions are activated during gameplay.

Join Luke Skywalker as he embraces the power of the Force and leads the charge to repel the advances of Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. The experience would not be complete without a host of fully functional 3D objects including an AT-AT walker (with circling Snow Speeder!), a Tie Fighter, Ion Cannon and, of course, the emblematic lightsabers of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Activating missions on the Star Wars Episode V :The Empire Strikes Back table can be done by hitting the center bank and collecting the letters to spell out STAR WARS. You can then choose which scene to start, causing the Executor to jump to hyperspace and fly to the affected planet of the chosen scene. There are five missions to complete before activating Wizard mode, which drops you in the middle of an epic battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader!

One new feature in this table: checkpoints for the table missions! This will really benefit your game if you happen to run out of time or encounter a ball drain in the middle of a mission. The next time you start the mission, you will start at the last checkpoint.

Star Wars Pinball will be available as DLC for Zen Pinball 2 on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita later this month, as Cross-Buy entitled content. Look forward to a detailed look at the Boba Fett table next week — until then, may the Force be with you!