The Vengeance and Virtue downloadable content package adds four new tables to Pinball FX2 for the Xbox 360 and to Marvel Pinball for the PlayStation 3, capping what’s been a successful year for Zen Studios in delivering pinball to the masses. The tables in this package are challenging and sky-high scores are a bit harder to come by, which is a bit of a departure from many of the recent tables added to Pinball FX2. The new level of challenge and lower scores are welcome changes, helping this $10 (800 Microsoft Points) package earn a strong recommendation.
Title: Vengeance and Virtue
Publisher: Zen Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball Simulation
Price: $9.99 / 800 Microsoft Points
Pros: Four tables is a good value and higher levels of challenge here than the past few tables.
Cons: Ghost Rider table is a letdown, and those used to racking up big scores may be in for a shock here.
Verdict: The Vengeance and Virtue pack is another solid addition to one of the best pinball simulations around.
Publisher provided code for review purposes.
The Vengeance and Virtue package adds tables based on the X-Men, Moon Knight, Thor, and Ghost Rider.
The X-Men table challenges players to assemble the team of popular mutants and take on Magneto in a climactic battle. Completing various missions, by way of executing repeat orbit or ramp shots, unlocks each of the X-Men, one at a time. A special Magneto mission can also be undertaken by hitting all three targets along a bank in the top-center area of the table, but Magneto can make things tricky if players hit an already-lit target by capturing the ball and using magnetic energy to forcefully thrust it back into the field of play. Hitting all of the targets and dropping the ball into the Magneto capture hole initiates a multiball mode that can lead to big points (and should be completed multiple times for big scores).
This table is my favorite of the four. Aside from a couple of overly-difficult orbit shots, basic skill and knowing the table layout can pay big dividends for most players. There is a slight nitpick about Magneto’s voice sounding oddly like Patrick Stewart, but the graphics and sound are both strong here and scoring is adequately fair without cheap ball-outs or outlane drains.
Grade: A
The Moon Knight table is perhaps the most surprising entry of the four. It boasts a lot of side missions to complete, aside from the main objectives. There’s a spherical sub-table (which is accessed by completing successive shots around the left orbit and then a right-side flipper shot into the Moon) which is deceptively challenging and offers five levels of increasing difficulty. There’s a shooting gallery (via the right orbit) that is lots of fun, too. Add at least three different multiball modes, hurry-up shots, and a unique power-up system to increase the value of certain shots on the table, and Moon Knight offers a ton of variety that most tables don’t seem to have.
Even if you’re not familiar with Moon Knight (I sure wasn’t), expect to be pulled in by the characters and some unexpectedly humorous banter at times between Moon Knight and Khonshu, the moon god. Although some on-screen character animations for battles look nice, with impressive character designs, they can hinder the pace of the game somewhat… but that’s a small gripe on is otherwise a great table.
Grade: A-
The Thor table can be initially overwhelming once players see everything that’s going on. There are a lot of ramps to consider when deciding where to shoot the ball, plus rollovers, loop shots, bumpers, a left-side flipper shot which demands accuracy, and a lot more. It’s important on this table, more than any of the others in the package, to slow down and formulate a strategy. The good news is that it’s quite easy to launch a game mode during play. Focusing on the bumpers on the left side of the table is a good bet; 25 bumper hits activates a mode where it’s pretty easy to pull of multiball and really elevate scores. The main missions, initiated by dropping three targets just to the left of the Asgard ramp and ascending a rainbow ramp, are a mixed bag of difficulty. The Destroyer and Brother Duel missions are easy, but the others tend to be a bit more vague and difficult than they should be.
The visuals are beautiful, with vistas of fire and ice to the left and right, underneath the majesty of Asgard at the top. Much like Moon Knight, the music and voice work are solid and some nicely-animated character battles can be seen over the course of play. Unfortunately, the balance between accessibility and challenge is a bit askew here and the overall package isn’t quite as good as the other tables.
Grade: B+
Finally, we come to the Ghost Rider table. This is the weakest of the four, with some noticeable and detracting flaws. For starters, the table design is severely cramped, with ramps that are partially obscured by other features. This makes for some unnecessary frustration when trying to execute key shots at certain times. More frustration comes via a small flipper that’s used to lock balls on the right side of the table; making that shot is vital is getting into multiball, but missing that shot can lead to severe scoring penalties. It’s unique to penalize a player for missing a shot, but holding that penalty for the entirety of the game is unfair and hurts the table’s potential. Too many of these missed shots can completely nullify bonus multipliers for the game, and that’s ridiculous. There are some boss battles to be fought as primary missions. One challenges players to make specific skill shots with the plunger, while another tests ramp accuracy and demands that attention be paid to the scoreboard as shooting out of turn can drain the ball. Even if these missions aren’t completed, initiating all of them activates the climactic battle between Ghost Rider and Zadkiel. It’d be nice to see more tables that follow this idea instead of having to complete every mission to get to the climax.
One final note about this table pertains to the music: a poorly-veiled and oft-repeated cover of Marilyn Manson‘s The Beautiful People will probably annoy you as much as it annoyed me. Consider yourself warned.
Grade: C
Overall, three of the four tables are solid or better, and that’s a pretty good percentage considering that the asking price is slightly less on average per table than usual. All four tables are certainly playable and there’s nothing technically broken about any of the experiences. Since Zen Studios has set the bar so high with its tables here in 2011, it’s bound to happen that one table doesn’t quite measure up. Ghost Rider aside, the bulk of the Vengeance and Virtue package is deserving of any pinball fan’s time and attention. It’s not a requisite to know who all of the Marvel characters are to enjoy these tables, which is a definite bonus. Consider the $10 a donation towards future crime-fighting (and other) tables to come from Zen Studios in 2012.
GrE Grade: B+
Popularity: unranked [?]
