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A few years ago, Marvel released the comic series entitled Civil War. In this series, the Superhuman Registration Act was introduced. If passed, everyone with super powers would be forced to register with the federal government and reveal their true identities to the whole world. This caused the superheroes of the Marvel Universe to divide. Those in favor of the act were lead by Iron Man. Those that opposed it were lead by Captain America. What resulted was an epic battle that can now be relived in pinball from, as Zen Studios has released a new table for Pinball FX 2. Get ready to choose a side and fight for what you believe in.
The game starts off in typical fashion, with a tour of the table before putting our pinball skills to the test (and this table will truly test them). When the game begins, we are treated to a new feature that Zen incorporated: a multiball mode. This takes place before the normal game begins, scoring as many points as possible before losing a ball. I liked this mode for a couple of different reasons.
First, whatever score you are able to accumulate is added to your total score at the end of normal play. Second, this is a great way to get the feel of the table and take in all the great things it has to offer. In multiball mode, I found myself focusing more on the beauty of this table, instead of my score. Once again, Zen has done a remarkable job, and I truly believe that this is the best looking table to date.
Once multiball play has ended, it is time to pick who you want to stand behind and choose a side. Personally, I chose to fight with Captain America for my first play-through because I believe that all heroes should stay masked. No matter what side you choose, your goal is to recruit other heroes to your side. If you have played any of the other Marvel tables (or any Zen tables in general), you will be familiar with these. Hitting a ball in the proper spot activates these objectives, which can be completed to rally your forces.
The tasks are completed by making tricky, timely shots. For me, completing objectives in any of the Marvel tables has been a problem. Losing a ball ends the objective in failure, so I typically just shoot the ball anywhere and everywhere until I complete the mission. I do believe that the objectives in this Civil War table are a bit harder than in previous tables, and if you fail them, the hero you are trying to recruit will jump ship to the other side.
For me, the best thing about Zen’s tables are they way they look and sound. There is always so much going on as you play. That has not changed with this table. It looks fantastic and has a lot going on in the background. The 3D fights are still there, and there is now a TV that pops up from time-to-time that will broadcast breaking news of current events. With the last table that Zen released, I said that the voices of the characters didn’t fit.
This time around, my opinion has completely changed. The voice acting is done well and fits the characters. Besides the great look and feel of each of Zen’s tables, the music has always stuck out. In Civil War, the music has been amped up a notch to fit in with the action. It is some of the best music I have heard in any of their other tables (possibly in any other games) to date. And Zen is so proud of the music they produced, they are offering the soundtrack as a free download. Just go to the Marvel Pinball site and download it.
Zen Studios has done it again, with an incredible pinball table that is extremely fun and addicting to play. With stunning graphics and an amazing soundtrack, this is by far my favorite Marvel table. The only real trouble I had is the sheer difficulty of it. The speed the ball travels seems to have been given a boost, and there is a huge opening in the middle of the table that forces you to use the “bump” button a bit more that I cared for. But those problems aside, this is another great table from Zen that should not be passed up by fans of either Marvel or pinball in general.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
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Anon No Mus
Have to disagree with this review. The Civil War table is the worst I’ve played in the (Zen) Pinball Fx franchise. All earlier tables were entertaining for at least several hours. This one was annoying right from the start and never improved. The sound track is annoying. The loud, clacking flippers are aurally abusive. The table itself is an unpleasant experience both visually and in gameplay. The political “debate” storyline is as repulsive and pointless as a Republican/Democrat debate. There is nothing at all that this table does right. After the excellent Avengers series of tables, the Civil War table is a major step backwards.