Aside from Marvel, Star Wars is probably Pinball FX2's most prolific license. Unlike the Marvel tables, almost all of the Star Wars tables have been considered quite good by fans of the license and of pinball. With a new "Star Wars" movie coming out this year, it should come as no surprise that Zen Studios wants to do another table based on a galaxy far, far away. What is a little surprising is that the latest one is based on the new animated series, "Star Wars Rebels."

Like past licensed tables, this is a great representation of the property. You've got a desert outpost serving as the backdrop, while the right side of the table looks like one of the desert buildings. The left side is more Imperial in nature due to the dark steel, while the metal ramps look like the perforated steel that's so prominent in the films. Other decorations include some turrets and metal crates as well as Chopper, the surly R2-D2 droid. The decorations actually function, with the turrets shooting lasers in one mission and the wall getting some graffiti after completing an objective. Character models from the show are all over the place, especially on the upper half, where the main characters and the Ghost reside. As for the sounds, they're authentic Star Wars as far as effects go, and the cast from the show lends their pipes to the game. The only problem is with repetition, as you'll hear the same lines several times during the course of one playthrough, making them lose their value to fans and non-fans alike.

The table layout is pretty standard for what Zen has done over the past few entries. The bottom half has plenty of space to work with, as the left side contains three drop lanes, and the right side has two. There's a pit on the left side and a holder on the right that come in handy for missions and bonuses. The upper half has a nice amount of ramps, including one on the left side with a spinner. Underneath the platform where the characters are standing is a set of bumpers with an outlet that leads to a flipper on the right. The middle of the table contains a locking station for multiball and a set of targets that reveal a pit when hit enough times. One of the highlights of the upper half is the Ghost, which reveals a mini table when it takes off. Though there are no flippers here, Chopper acts as your paddle during the mission that uses this space. Bordering the space are a number of pathways that spit the ball back to the lower flippers.

Despite the familiar enough layout, the table manages to pull off a few surprises. The skill shot, for example, is just hitting any one of four lighted pathways above the bumpers, so you can easily get the bonus if you're fast enough and can successfully predict where it'll hit. The thruster area where multiball starts is also surprising since it lets you determine whether you'll launch multiball at two balls or hold out for more to fall into the space. You don't get that sense of control in most tables, so the option to do so is pretty nice.

The mission are a good mix of what's possible and impossible to perform on a traditional pinball table. A number of missions have you trying to hit ramps in a set amount of time and in a particular order. Others have you hitting targets on the board, like crates or cardboard Stormtrooper cutouts that parade back and forth on one lane. Each mission feels like it has an ample amount of time to complete, but they all try to incorporate some kind of video game element to make them exciting. One mission sees Chopper carry the ball to the bonus playfield once you hit his target area. Another sees you transforming your ball into a grenade while The Inquisitor spins his lightsaber to deflect turret shots. Sending the ball his way creates an explosion that he actually reacts to. Even in failure, a small ship flies back to the launcher area to launch a new ball set into play. Little details like that remind you why video game pinball can work, and the effects aren't overdone to the point that they start covering up the screen and become distracting.

From a gameplay standpoint, only two parts of the table feel like they could use some work. The first is with the bonus area, namely Chopper's movements. The area is quite small, and Chopper doesn't move all that quickly, leading to many situations where you're only able to let the ball bounce once before you miss and have to send it back up to the area to complete the mission. Also, the ball seems to have a tendency to aim for the middle when descending into the table's lower half. This is especially true when you hit the middle thruster area and there's no spin to the ball. The effect doesn't happen so often that it can feel cheap, but you will sigh when you see it happen more than a few times.

Like the past tables that used the license, Star Wars Rebels is good. The license is used effectively for a solid presentation, and the extra flourishes are a nice touch. The missions are easy to trigger, and some of the standard things, like multiball, have nice twists. Outside of a few situations where the physics seems unfair, the layout makes for decent scoring sessions and gives players the impetus to play just one more game. For pinball fans, this is definitely recommended.

Score: 8.0/10