X-Men

Overview

The X-Men pinball machine was developed and manufactured by Stern Pinball. The machine was designed by John Borg and released in 2012.

Gameplay

Game features include:

Common to all versions:

• Wolverine "Bash Toy" with magnet. The magnet is used both to stop the ball, and throw it around the playfield adding randomness to the game

• Magneto figure with physical ball lock. Up to three balls can be locked behind a pair of vertical pins, turning them into a hittable captive ball target

• Magnet in front of the Magneto lock. Pulsed to add randomness, and holds balls at the start of multiball

• Iceman ramp on the right side

• Upper right flipper, which can hit the Storm, Rogue, and Xavier shots (and in some cases, Magneto and Cyclops)

• Side ramp on the left (Storm)

• Vertical upkicker (VUK) feeding the left ramp (Xavier)

• Blackbird scoop shot

The limited editions add

• Mechanical Iceman ramp, which can swing from feeding the right inlane to the left side
• Two pop-up Nightcrawler targets, similar to the trolls in Medieval Madness
• A spinning disc with a magnet in it replaces the Magneto magnet. Adds a much more random element to the balls at the start of the multiball.
• Upgraded playfield supports and lockdown bar assembly
• Powder coated lockdown bar, siderails, and legs
• Mirrored backglass instead of a translite

Game Rules (as of version 1.21)

The core rules of X-Men are to progress to a pair of Wizard modes, as well as the Magneto multiball. Each X-man represented in the center of the playfield has a corresponding mode, started by consecutive shots:

• Beast (left loop): Shoot past Wolverine to make the loop shot twice to start beast. Make additional loop/pop bumper shots to transform Henry McCoy from human to beast form
• Wolverine (Bash toy): Hit wolverine a set number of times to start weapon X multiball. Alternate flashing shots to escape the facility (wolverine and just about any other lit shot)
• Storm: Hit the side ramp, and then shoot either cyclops or storm again to complete. Pop bumpers also appear to score in this mode.
• Rogue: Shoot the left inner loop twice to start Rogue. All hero shots are lit (including Nightcrawler). Hit at least two to steal the X-men's powers and complete the mode.
• Professor X (VUK): Shoot the Xavier shot twice to start "find the mutant". A silhouette on the DMD will show a character. Shoot the corresponding shot to complete the mode. Additional shots to Xavier will eventually light the required shot
• Cyclops: Shoot the right inner loop twice to start the mode. Shoot the same shot again, followed by the Storm ramp, to complete.
• Iceman: Shoot the right ramp twice to start the mode. Shoot the right ramp repeatedly to complete.
• Phoenix: Shoot the right loop twice to start the mode. During this mode, Phoenix, Cyclops, and Wolverine are lit. Shoot Phoenix twice, or Wolverine/Cyclops 4 times to complete.

Completing a hero mode lights their name on the center of the playfield, starting a hero mode flashes them. Completing all Hero Modes opens Danger Room multiball.

Villain modes are started by shooting the blackbird scoop. Two of these: Brotherhood and Hellfire Club, require 8 hits each to the standup targets at the side of the playfield. Completing all villain modes opens Dark Phoenix multiball.

Progress towards Magneto multiball is started by locking at least one ball in the center lock. Additional locks are lit by shooting the two targets on either side of the lock, and then by shooting either the Rogue or Phoenix shots. Locking 4 balls starts a 4 ball multiball. Alternatively, a number of hits to a captured ball will start multiball, although with a reduced number of balls. Scoring in the multiball depends on which hero modes have been completed-the more modes that have been played, the higher the jackpot, and only played hero shots are lit for jackpots, so there is a significant incentive to play as many modes as possible before multiball.