Avengers Assemble!

By now you’ve read the early story of how I found out about and ordered my Stern Avengers Infinity Gauntlet LE. That post tells the story or racing the backroads in the 911 and enjoying some down time in Highlands NC. You can check it out HERE.

I’m writing this review in memory of Andy. He was my best friend and he passed away from MDS exactly 2 years ago today at just 38 years old. I was to lose my Dad from the same exact disease just a few months later. You can read about both of them here on the blog (Andy has a link at the top).

Fast forward to present day and I get the call from my distributor that my AIQ will be shipping soon and they need my cell number so the freight company can call ahead for delivery. Now I’m getting excited. Then, I get another call the same day stating that the Big Buck Hunter HD reloaded video arcade I ordered was getting here the same day!

Just a few minutes after I got the call that AIQ was on the way, I got a message through FB that put a smile on my face. George Gomez decided that I was not as crazy as I appeared to be and took a chance on me. He accepted my friend request 🙂

And, right behind him … the one-of-a-kind artist extraordinaire Jeremy Packer aka Zombie Yeti, the artist on AIQ. Now both of these guys are as humble as they get. I’ve met George at TPF and he was a really down to earth guy. But for us Pinball nerds these guys are celebrities and they were kind enough to accept my request – too cool.

I originally wanted to write about the Avengers Pinball as soon as I got it but with BBH being delivered, let’s just say I was distracted. Well … distracted no more I am (said in best Yoda voice). I’ve got AIQ set up and have played 68 games so far on it and would love to share my early thoughts.

This might take a while.

This pin is “complicated” but in all the right ways.

SHOTS: It’s a flow type shooter. Not really stop and go, until you hit those “moments” – like the Avengers Tower or the Portal. By the time that happens, you’re pretty happy for the break in the action. The shots are mostly open and not difficult at all to hit. The one exception (for me) is the left orbit, but after 20 games or so, even that got easier.

By design, the center right ramp can be hit by EVERY flipper – astounding and according to Keith a fortunate accident. The first time I hit that ramp (Gem collect ramp) with a backhand right flipper, I literally flipped out. I stopped the game and texted my buddy to let him know (he’s getting an LE too) – he quickly replied “it was designed by Keith that way”. Oh, OK … still though – too cool! The upper flipper shot to that same ramp, then connecting to the wireform loop that allows you to “rinse and repeat” is soooooo satisfying. It’s not hard to hit, it’s not hard to repeat (10x+ times) BUT just when you think you could do it forever, boom – you’ll be a fraction of a second late/early and miss it.

The Captain Marvel ramp is easier to hit than you think BUT not consistent in gameplay – and that’s a good thing. Let me explain. When hit squarely and with the proper flipper force, the shot is literally as smooth as butter – and a joy to watch. Not sure I will ever tire of seeing it in action. Here’s the “but” – if you are not square or don’t have enough zip on your flip, your going to see it rise and then fall but come right back out the entrance. The good news is that 90% of the time this is not a fatal error – the ball rarely goes STDM. So shoot away at one of the most unique ramps in pinball history. It’s so cool to watch that I find myself noticing it during multi-ball action – it’s a bit distracting but puts a smile on my face EVERY time!

The Avengers Tower is more unique, more challenging and more game fitting than I thought it would be. I watched the streams like the rest of us and was thinking – why not have it somehow hold all 3 balls? How disappointing is this! Now that I see it implemented with matching game code, I’m impressed with it. The Hawkeye shot challenge is just that – a challenge. The Super Skill shot on a hard plunge makes wonderful use of the tower too and is such a satisfying shot! Plunge hard, ride the wireform all the way to the right flipper and flip right into the tower.

Trapping up seems significantly easier than on other Sterns – maybe it’s me but I find it simple to trap, roll pass, tap pass, etc. on this machine. The shots may be wide open but you will play this game for both score and enjoyment better if you trap and aim vs “spray and pray” (to use an old military term). I think the reason here is there are SO MANY shots! Wow, this is one of the things that makes this game so unique. Left Hulk orbit, then Avengers tower, Sanctum target, Strange disc, Pops lane (right of disc), left center ramp, right center ramp, Hawkeye shot, Captain Marvel ramp, Thor captive ball, right Black Panther orbit, right Pym Labs Mystery VUK – then the entire drop target “bingo” section. The shots seem endless on this machine and that takes me to …

Multi-ball madness. As discussed above there are a LOT of available shots in this game. Kick off a multi-ball and then take your time to make a few of these wireform shots near simultaneously – it’s Pinball magic. If you pull this off, you can literally see as many as 4 (or more) pinballs traveling on wireforms, in common and opposing directions at THE SAME TIME. It’s like being right there in the Infinity Gauntlet fight with Adam Warlock and the Avengers – battling Thanos to save the universe.

DRAINS: I first wrote this as remembering that I was having VERY few center drains (other than during multi-ball). This makes it feel like the pin is fair to the player. So why are my scores still under 200MM? Because … I’m an average player and the side drains are functioning just fine thank you. Since penning that thought I ran back up to the Loft to check the audits. Wow, no wonder eyewitness testimony is suspect! Drain counts: 53 Left, 117 Center and 38 Right. So much for a STDM friendly game. Seriously – this game does NOT feel like a drain monster – and especially not so in the center no matter what the numbers say.

ARTWORK: Zombie Yeti (Jeremy Packer) drilled the art on this machine. It just “feels like” the comics that it derives it’s story from. It’s colorful, beautiful and transports you back to younger less care filled days of reading comics and feeling like you were “right there” with Hulk and the gang- just as worried about the Black Dwarf as they were. If only life was as simple now as then. But that says something about this game – that it can make you forget the troubles of the day and be younger more carefree version of yourself if even for just 15 minutes or so

VIDEO GRAPHICS: They are fantastic. Totally matches the comics look that this machine pays homage to. The colors are wonderfully saturated in places like the killer rendition of the Dr. Strange logo and more subtle where called on to be that way. They are generally rendered simply with little animation and I think it fits the theme just perfectly. Nice work Chuck Ernst and Joshua Clay.

LIGHTING: Enough to play. I would not call it dark but I would not give it credit for “Pinstadium” bright either. It’s OK as is but I added rail lighting to mine and prefer it that way. I play with just LED background lights on and appreciate the extra lighting. The ball trough lighting that lights up the flipper area is a nice touch. Pinball players never like to drain. I think I die a little each time it happens but the light show at the end of each ball is pretty cool on AIQ – it’s a great use of the RGB LEDs to flash them all red white and blue – ‘Merica

TOYS: Not sure there is something in the game to call a “toy”. The Avengers tower is functional, fun and a unique addition to the gameplay via physical locking and code integration. The Portal and integrated spinning disc is a cool way to “go interdimensional” but the subway seems to just slow things down unnecessarily. The subway is also hard to “see into” and given the fact that it has a transparent window, I’m sure the intent was to see the balls. Unfortunately, you can’t see the balls unless you’re 7 feet tall. It’s a small issue but worth sharing.

CALL OUTS: Call outs are pretty good overall. These were Marvel blessed voice actors so I expected a great results. The code is still young so there are spots where callouts are missing or more could be added but according to Keith, those will come soon enough.

SOUND: I really like the sounds – Nice job Jerry Thompson. It’s all very Super Hero like and fits the theme to a “T”. Jerry has done sound for several of the games in my collection – Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park and Batman 66 and I love the sound packages on those machines as well. The sound is “packaged”, tight and focused on the aura of the pin it’s dedicated to. Jerry’s got skills.

GAME THOUGHTS: I love it. It’s so unique. I’ve been texting a few friends back and forth and it’s been difficult to describe what it’s like playing it so I’ll just share some stream-of-thought:

Flying. Yes, flying … I read comics as a kid but not many Marvel ones. I bought the Infinity Gauntlet series by Jim Starlin to familiarize myself with the story and read all 6 volumes. After reading that and playing the game, I get the sense that I’m moving when I play. I know that sounds strange but others on Pinside (as crazy as me) have said the same. I’m not sure why. Maybe because the battles in the comics have these guys flying ALL the time. Maybe because in the Pinball a “battle” must (in my mind) include flying. Maybe it’s the insane amount of vertical and horizontal ball travel that happens in the machine. In multi-ball, you literally can see (all at once) 4 + balls flying in various directions on various wireforms – it’s both thrilling and disorienting at the same time – and I’ve never experienced another game like it

Losing a Gem to Thanos makes me want to cry. It’s a “too serious” moment in a Pinball machine based on comics BUT when you read the comic that Jim Starlin wrote, you will understand why the game has a serious bias and less humor than the “movies” – that is how he wrote it. It was the potential end of the universe and that’s about as serious as it gets!

Acquiring a Gem feels like an accomplishment. Not “I just saved the world” level but pretty close. If you are a top tier player, I suspect you won’t get the same feeling but for us “mortals of pinball” every gem earned is big.

And .. just like in Jurassic Park, Raymond Davidson has provided a very cool way to both “practice” for regular gameplay and to have a boatload of fun doing it – the “Battle Royale” mode. You simply hold both flippers in before you push “start” and you’ll be given a menu that allows you to pick the mode. Here you will battle the Black Order using all 6 Avengers and do so in a timed fashion. It’s a fantastic way to hone your shots for standard gameplay – bravo!

Stern’s Avengers Infinity Quest is a keeper for me. It’s like having the most colorful, living comic book in your house – and as a bonus you can “play it” too! It’s not a “kids story” here though. The original storyline by Jim Starlin was written for adults as most comics are/were and as such biases toward the serious side – just the way I like it. Makes it feel a little risky when you push start and begin to “fly around” the inside of that machine.

Things could get rough in there – Avengers Assemble!