What better way to spend the upcoming 4th of July than with an American hero in an American game? Marvel Pinball: Captain America pits the famous WWII superhero against Baron Zemo and the Red Skull in a table that may be the best Marvel Pinball game yet. It’ll be available this week on Xbox 360 LIVE and PSN (360 version reviewed here).

Marvel Pinball on the 360 is compatible with Pinball FX2, so all you need to do is download the free hub and choose the tables you want. This table has a WWII motif, with old army medals, barracks, bunkers, parachute-shaped bumpers, ramps that look like trenches, heck; even the flipper bumpers make gunshot sounds when the ball hits them. As with all other pinball games, you must send the ball up certain ramps and targets to start missions that will boost your high score.

The Captain America table is a bit more complex than the previous Marvel Pinball entries, but it’s easier to start missions. They usually involve stopping Baron Zemo’s evil plans, such as using Cap’s shield to break open canisters of the dangerous Adhesive X (whatever that is). The neat thing about the Adhesive X mission is it activates magnets on the table to make your ball feel like it is getting stuck in the spilled goop.

Other missions involve hitting targets to spar with Red Skull, all the while the Captain America and Red Skull action figure guys at the top of the table are punching each other. Send the ball up lit ramps to try and rendezvous with the rest of Cap’s troops. You’ll also hit targets to collect the Cosmic Cube (whatever that is), and use Captain America’s shield to block bullets in a mini-game. And much more! So if you like pinball and comic books, you’ll definitely want to check this one out!

Kid Factor:

Marvel Pinball is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief. Captain America punches Red Skull and throws his shield at things, but that’s it. And they all look like action figures anyway so it’s not violent at all. It’s pinball, so you know it’s family friendly and no reading skill is required. Great fun for the whole team of superheroes at your lair.

Tags: Game Reviews