With tomorrows release of the next big Marvel film, Ant-Man, I figured it would be a perfect time to check out the “sort of” companion game that goes along with the film. While this isn’t a full-fledged action game, or anything like that, it is nonetheless a really fun tie-in thanks to the wonderful developers over at Zen.
Ant-Man Pinball is the latest table to be added to Zen Pinball 2 for pretty much every single platform out there. As with other tables from Zen, you’re going to be getting a quality pinball experience regardless of the license. As most of you all know, I am a huge fan of Zen and their offerings, as well as a gigantic pinball fan, so getting my hands on this table was exciting.
As with other properties Ant-Man is a single table that offers up a few cool tricks to keep you coming back for more. While I did have a lot of fun with time this table, I do feel a little conflicted with it as a whole. Of the multitude of tables I’ve reviewed over the last year or so, Ant-Man is both the most fun and most aggravating table of them all.
Getting started I was overwhelmed by the amount of points I was racking up. While I do love pinball (both real and virtual) I am by no means MLG Pro at the art. Still, with this Ant-Man table, without knowing the lanes or bonuses, I managed to easily rack up 50 million points on my first ball. The lanes were simple to follow, the table was chock full of Ant-Man stuff, and there was a lower play level just under the center the was easy to find and access. It was all pretty cool right off the bat.
The aggravating part was that it all almost felt too easy. This Ant-Man table, while cluttered with science stuff all over the place still sort of felt empty. After racking up so many points early on I had already seen most of what the table had to offer up. The only thing on the table that differentiates this table from others is the large Pym Particle that sits in the upper right of the table.
This Pym Particle can be struck for points and after so many hits during play will begin to shrink. Once you smack it enough the particle will fly from its location and become another ball in play. It’s really awesome to see this Pym Particle go nuts and it has a few cool features while in play. Juggling multiple balls is always a nightmare for me, but as long as you keep the Pym Particle alive the game will always save your real ball. It’s pretty awesome and the Pym Particle seems to last for a good amount of time, but the sound it makes it really off-putting. When you hit this particle it will bounce around making the sound of a basketball which is really weird to me.
As with other tables you have a number of “action” moments that play out during certain situation. Ant-Man flying about on a flying ant, Yellowjacket jumping from behind the table and leading to a in-game shootout. It’s all really well animated and fun to engage with when these moments trigger. It should be noted that after playing for a while I have yet to see the mini Michael Douglas come down and start kicking ass.
Again, this is all really cool (minus the basketball sound), but makes the game a tad bit too easy. I never really felt challenged while playing this Ant-Man table even though I was having a really fun time. As always with Zen the table has a lot of high quality lights and sounds, and it wouldn’t be a Zen table without some really bad voice acting. Well, not bad, but just not all that close to the characters they are trying to emulate.
Another cool feature is the shrinking mechanic that Ant-Man can access. Hitting the correct targets will open up a special lane that allows Ant-Man to shrink down. Once he does you’ll be able to play the underground section of the table. The idea is really cool, unfortunately that underground section is far too small to really have fun with. You can toss Ant-Man around, but it’s almost impossible to control the ball because of the small size. That shrinking mechanic isn’t only limited to that special play area as the balls in play can also be shrunk down giving the table its only really challenge. I love seeing stuff like this as it would be impossible to a physical table to pull off.
The Ant-Man table from Zen is very pretty to look at and is laid out nicely for those looking for a simple pinball table. But if you are a person looking for a table with a lot of depth, or for once that offers up a good challenge, you may want to look elsewhere. Still, if you are a fan of Ant-Man and want to enjoy a game based on the film that doesn’t spoil the film the Ant-Man table from Zen is a great choice for less than the cost of a movie soda or popcorn.
Also, can I just mention how great that Ant-Man helmet looks. For a character that not many people are aware of (I myself own his first appearance in Marvel Tales) his outfit is one of the coolest I’ve seen in quite some time. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go wait in line to catch this premiere.
*A copy was provided for this review*
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