Zen Studios has been busy lately putting out tables for its popular Pinball FX 2 game.Those who are fans of the franchise will find themselves right at home playing Zen’s latest release: Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue. it is available for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Arcade and $9.99 on PlayStation Network.Vengeance and Virtue is the second Marvel package Zen has put together, adding to its ever growing collection of character-themed tables. the first package consisted of Wolverine, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Blade. Individual tables sold separately include fantastic four and Captain America. now three more characters join the Marvel cast: Thor, Ghost Rider and Moon Night, with the fourth table revolving around the X-Men.Thor is my favorite of the bunch. Zen packed an impressive amount of detail in this table, as seen with the fire and ice theme that splits it apart. the details on the playfield are sharp, and the flashes from Thor’s lightning powers are a nice touch. Activating mission modes, which are not difficult and require shooting the ball up the middle at the Gate of Asgard, will treat players to Thor hopping around the table and doing battle with his mischievous half-brother Loki, Ymir, the ruler of the Frost Giants, and power of the Destroyer armor. like most special pinball missions, completing a series of timed shots up ramps and at hit points will complete these and award millions of points to players.although I’m not familiar with the Moon Knight character, I put its table as my second favorite. the story here involves Marc Spector as the Moon Knight, who wields the power of Khonshu and acts as the Egyptian god’s vengeful avatar, fighting crime in New York City. like the Thor table, there’s a variety of villains to take on in mission modes: Bushman, the Black Spectre, Midnight and Morpheus, which Moon Knight will also hop around the board when necessary.this silverish table also has unique visuals like the Moon Copter flying around, a minigame involving shooting the pinball from a crossbow at baddies, and shooting the ball into the moon to activate a minigame. this is easier said than done, however, as it requires quick reflexes to time the shot right with an extra flipper.one visual I didn’t care for was the glowing white lights surrounding the balls during multiball action. In all pinball tables, this mode can get pretty hectic, and here it was difficult to time my shots right.the most radical of the four goes to Ghost Rider, which is the smallest and most tightly packed of the bunch. Being so, there’s no lollygagging around here. you hit a ball up and around a ramp, it’s coming back at you in a hurry.I really like the table setup as well. Since Johnny Blaze is a stuntman, you have all the sounds and visuals you would expect from a stunt show. There’s a ramp up the middle that’ll prompt you to "jump" the ball over a small gap. Sound effects include the roar of the motorcycle and an enthusiastic announcer.Of course, it wouldn’t be Ghost Rider without Lucifer, who will taunt you a lot as you play. there are other villains here to take on, like Scarecrow with its crows flying around the playfield, and Orb, who will knock your ball around with his laser attacks. getting the ball into the shotgun is a treat, allowing you to shoot the ball into lit targets for points. Continued…
- 1
- 2
- See Full Story
Related posts: