Pinball FX2 (XBLA): "Fantastic Four"

I have collected, and read many comic books in my lifetime, but the Fantastic Four series wasn't really one of them. I am quite familiar with the characters involved as well as their backgrounds, but I wasn't quite impressed with their story arc. Not too long ago the Marvel Zombies series came out and involved this famous team of four. It followed their discovery of an alternate earth where all of the superheroes/supervillains were zombies. I know that topic is not really related to this table, but I thought I'd share a little comic book knowledge with you guys. I also mention the Marvel Zombies bit, because it did spark my interest in the Fantastic Four team just for a while. If you have ever read the Fantastic Four comic book series, or even watched the movies then you might just be interested in this brilliantly designed Pinball FX2 table ...

When I first layed eyes on this Pinball FX2 table (The Demo) earlier this year I was quite impressed. Unlike the other Marvel Pinball tables this one seemed to go along with the Fantastic Four's newer look (costumes ...). The table featured all four members (Mrs. Fantastic, Mr. Fantastic, Thing, The Human Torch) each with their own interactive dialogue/parts to contribute. The only interactive villians on the table included Dr. Doom, The Doombots, Galactus (which I was unable to trigger) and the Super Skrulls. Silver Surfer was included as well but only as a dot matrix character. Thing, and the Human Torch offered some comic relief while Mr., and Mrs. Fantastic where the more serious of the team. This kept true to the nature of the comic book which was definitely cool. The artwork on this table featured the entire Fantastic Four team, Dr. Doom, Super Skrull, and even Mole Man. I really loved the look of this table. It had a sort of cosmic feel about it, and the artwork/features stayed true to the series.


Scoring on this pinball table definitely takes a steep learning curve. The ramps aren't as easily accessible as some of Zen Studio's other Marvel Pinball tables (Wolverine, Spider-Man). Your best bet for acheiving a highscore is to complete the interactive objectives with the 3D Fantastic Four characters. I actually found that choosing the 'Thing/Doombot' sidequest yielded some major points. The Mr. Fantastic sidequest was a little more tricky, and involved you hitting the pinball into his outstretched hand at various points on the table. Mrs. Fantastic's sidequest involved keeping up her invisible shield to protect her from Dr. Doom's beam. This was also a difficult task considering her ramp is not so easy to access. I never really completed the Human Torch's sidequest objective, but I do know it involves passing the pinball through a flaming spinner beside the last ramp on the left side of the table. The Galactus sidequest that I was unable to trigger involved the 'Baxter Building'. I'm not actually sure how to trigger that event though. In the end I found that getting the best score possible relies heavily on completing these sidequests, and keeping up the multi-ball event. As with any other Zen Pinball/Pinball FX2 table there is a help menu that explains the objectives in more detail in case you ever need a quick reference to the table's goals. I would say that this Marvel Pinball table is definitely worth adding to your collection. The 240 msp asking price is definitely fair.