Marvel's superheroes are larger than life characters with explosive personalities. Their antics usually result in high-flying acrobats and at least one building blowing up in the process. When their exploits are brought to the big screen, Hollywood filmmakers spend hundreds of millions of dollars faithfully adapting these comic book champions. They may have tackled every other entertainment medium, but does Spider-Man have what it takes to be shrunk down to the size of a pinball table?
Marvel Pack 1 delivers exactly what it promises, brand new Pinball FX 2 tables inspired by four of Marvel's best-known characters. You get the usual suspects with big budget movies circling theaters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man and Wolverine. Oh, and did I mention that Blade shows up? Together these four disparate superheroes team up to create a pack of incredible pinball tables.
With masked crime fighters involved, I wasn't sure what to expect. It would have been easy to turn this video pinball game into a fantastical experience, full of boss battles and other things you couldn't do in a real life table. Games like Devil's Crush and Sonic Spinball have drawn a line in the sand, clearly demonstrating how far you can go when you throw out those pesky rules of real world pinball tables. But this Marvel pack doesn't do any of that. Oh, you still battle bosses, there's no doubt about that. The game is full of intense moments and familiar faces. But all of this excitement is crammed into a fairly realistic recreation of a pinball table.
But enough pontificating about what these games aren't, let's dig a little deeper and see what we can learn from all four Marvel tables. Let's start with the web-slinger himself, Mr. Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man).
Spider-Man: Peter Parker may not get the respect he deserves on Broadway, but he's no slouch when it comes to virtual pinball. Spider-Man delivers the goods with a whole host of recognizable bad guys just waiting for him to screw up. As the battle heats up, Doc Ock will take to the board, using his long arms to cause havoc all over the center of the table. The Green Goblin and Mysterio show up when you least expect them to join in on the fun, which can sometimes mean completely reversing the flipper controls. This Spider-Man table is more than just a few villains to contend with, Peter Parker will also need to take pictures to satisfy his cranky boss. Successfully juggling all of these responsibilities is the key to earning a high score and getting your name on the leaderboard.
Iron Man: This Iron Man table is an obnoxiously flashy mess of a pinball machine. This board does a few things right, including making Tony Stark front and center from the very get-go. Throughout the course of the game the player will assemble the Iron Man suit and eventually dress this cocky alter ego. On each side of him stands a villain, just waiting to screw up your game. I like the strong emphasis on character, but the table feels a little too crowded for my tastes. There are two ramps to the upper level that, more times than not, send my poor ball into a bottomless pit. I've suffered more cheap deaths on this level than the other three combined, which is probably why I would rather not spend my time with an arrogant playboy.
Wolverine: It turns out that the star of every X-Men movie knows a thing or two about pinball tables. This diverse pinball machine is heavy on combat, which is perfect for this violent superhero. Several popular villains sit at the top of the table, patiently waiting for you to make your move. This board is good at giving the player something to shoot for, all while offering a number of cool hidden doors. Since most of the action happens on the sides, there's a wide open center that keeps this table interesting. Wolverine is a great beginner table, since it eases the player into defeating bosses and achieving the various goals. And like all of the boards in this pack, Wolverine has a surprising amount of depth, something that is not immediately apparent.
Blade: His movies may not be a big deal anymore and I can't even remember the last time he starred in a video game, but Blade is the winner in this Marvel pack. His table is a mix of gothic architecture and comic book panels. However, it's not the look of the table that matters. The reason this table is so compelling is because there's a day/night cycle that manages to impact the gameplay in a number of exciting ways. For one thing, the goals and bonuses you shoot for are different from day to night, constantly forcing you to pay attention and plan. I was initially turned off by the comic book covers that adorn the table, but the fact that I was able to ignore them is a testament to how much fun Blade's board is. This is one of the few tables in Pinball FX 2 that doesn't feel a little too cramped; there's more than enough room to set up a number of crushing blows against the darkness ... or whoever it is that Blade battles.
Despite their colorful designs and super villains hanging out, these Marvel pinball tables are no different from the standard Pinball FX 2 levels. Each superhero has its own batch of awards to earn, usually unlocked by racking up points and going head to head against the dreaded bosses. These goals are tied to your achievements, adding another 200 points to the mix. On top of single-player awards, each table tracks your high scores and compares them to your friends. It's a great way to simultaneously feel good AND bad about your high scores.
No matter whether you're new to Pinball FX or somebody just trying to improve your super score, this Marvel pack is extremely easy to get into. Each trigger controls a flipper and the right analog stick allows players to tilt the table. Outside of choosing the camera angle and flipping through high scores, there isn't much of a learning curve. But don't get too cocky, just because you think you know a thing or two bout pinball, that doesn't mean you're going to be ranked number one. I learned that lesson the hard way.
It turns out that the Marvel superheroes and pinball is a perfect pairing. It turns out that the combination of super powers and exciting villains was the one thing Zen Studios could do to set themselves apart from the competition. If this was an arcade and my Xbox 360 was powered exclusively by quarters, I would have easily spent over $100 on these tables. Thankfully this superhero-inspired pack is only ten dollars and my Xbox 360 isn't powered by quarters. Whew, dodged a bullet there.
