Marvel Comics' celebrated Civil War storyline will be featured in a Zen Pinball table this week, and although it's one table, it follows the story's theme of choosing sides, said Marvel licensing manager Chris Baker on the PlayStation Blog.
Marvel's tagline for the Civil War arc was, "Whose side are you on?" Marvel suggested a pinball table based on Civil War to developer Zen Studios, but only if the developer could integrate that central theme into the gameplay, according to Baker. The storyline concerned a Superhuman Registration Act in the United States; Iron Man led the team of Marvel superheroes that were pro-registration, while Captain America and his followers were anti-registration.
Choosing sides in the table has a bunch of subtle gameplay effects, like different ramps and bonuses, but also provides a more significant change. If you choose the pro-registration team, you'll receive assistance from the Thunderbolts, a team consisting primarily of reformed villains; The Punisher helps out anti-registration players.
In addition, the better you play, the more undecided characters you'll recruit to your cause — which will alter the balance of power in head-to-head battles between Captain America and Iron Man. Fans who are familiar with the Civil War comics will also enjoy Zen's inclusion of story beats both major and minor, such as Spider-Man unmasking himself as Peter Parker.
The Civil War table is available today in Marvel Pinball on PlayStation Network, and as Cross Buy content for Zen Pinball 2 on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, for $2.99. Tomorrow, Nov. 21, it will be released in Pinball FX2 on Xbox Live Arcade for 240 Microsoft Points and on Windows 8 for $2.99; in Zen Pinball 2 on the Mac App Store for $2.99; in Zen Pinball on iOS for $1.99; and in Zen Pinball THD on Android for $1.99.
Check out a dramatic trailer for the Civil War table above.
