oh I must say the gushing over Pinball FX2 has me really perturbed...
tell me, those who claim it is amazingly fun.. have you ever played an actual pinball machine?
every Pinball FX2 table I've played is so boring and insipid and has virtually no challenge in keeping the ball alive to the point that it just becomes tedious to play..
Pinball Arcade FTW
Aye I have played pinball in real life, and I didn't get much enjoyment out of them like I do this one or Pokemon Pinball or Metroid Pinball and other non-standard Pinball games.
It's not designed around coin eating game play, the tables aren't designed to constantly try and make you lose the ball, and it's designed to have people seek to get ridiculous high scores tables physical tables and their simulations would never get for the average player. Zen Pinball FX2 is a fun arcade experience where a lot of the joy comes not from "I can keep this ball alive forever!", but rather completing the board and accomplishing all that it offers with the knowledge that the majority of the time the ball will be lost because you messed up, failed a mission, or didn't react in time.
Tis true you can keep the ball around for a very long time, in a way that if one wants to just casually and relaxingly play, the can enjoy it akin to an endless mode in a puzzle game as long as they keep up at it or want to keep playing, making it a Zen experience. It's in the name after all. When I simply want to relax and keep the ball going through all the loops and have a smile on my face on Ms. Splosion Man table as I listen to some jazz during a rainy night, I can do so and enjoy it all without even needing to care about score. Not something I do regurally, but it's nice I can do so.
There is challenge if one wants it, in the same way as any pinball through getting a good score. Simply keeping the ball alive doesn't mean one without any skill will do well in points, and by seeking some of the high scores on certain tables can result in lost balls due to certain challenges.
The meat of the game over Pinball Arcade or others that seek to be as near as possible electronic analogues of the physical game, of which this is not just as Mario Kart is not a physical representation of KZ/Formula C racing, but rather an arcade experience where you seek to get high scores, have multi-ball and do as well with them as possible, find hidden secrets in the game (such as the simple shoot-em-up in a Star Wars table), and complete missions (tasks to do in game).
Is it the same challenge as mastering The Twilight Zone pinball table in real life by getting the best score in the world? Nay. Yet it's a challenge for many to get all the Avenger balls to complete their mission and fully defeat Loki, and a large number of players across all the platforms have not accomplished this.
Some enjoy the game because they are different representations of stories they experienced as comics or movies or games and it's interesting to see all of that in a different light or fashion. Some enjoy finding secrets or references because they care about the franchise it comes from. Some get a lot out of seeing how they took an aspect from the lore the table is based on and implemented it be it getting higher score because Wolverine is in his rage mode or defeating a villain from Star Wars by recreating a trap seen in one of the cartoons.
Many can also get enjoyment out of the game offering tables that do more than what is constrained by physical constraints in the real world. PIN•BOT is a classic table to be sure, full of love for it by many a person, but it will never feature playing the table upside down, time dilation, or the ball randomly teleporting around as it can at different points in The Infinity Gauntlet table.
From my perspective, it's the same as the difference between original Pac-Man and Pac-Man Championship Edition series, both the same core game play, but different focuses and mindsets in what they are having you do for the "fun" of the game. Do you want a game where you need to master it all, but it never stops being arcade coin eater or, or one where you can keep playing as you mess up and keep trying to get the best possible run you can. Neither is bad, just to different tastes.
Many of us do love Zen Pinball FX2, but it's not going to be for everyone and if it's tedium educing for you for you either without attempting to do the missions and challenges, or despite them because you simply don't care about those aspects, then I would say simply don't play it any more.
Enjoyment, no matter what type of pinball one prefers, for the win.