Tables starring Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Thor, and the X-Men will be available for Marvel Pinball in the brand-new Vengeance and Virtue table pack, coming to PlayStation Store later today for $9.99! Owning the original Marvel Pinball is required for the V&V expansion – but if you don’t already have that critically acclaimed four-pack, you can download it now for FREE for a limited time as a PlayStation Plus member (more on that at the end).

Let’s take a brief look at each of the tables in the Vengeance and Virtue pack so you can understand how we’ve captured these dynamic concepts and the personalities of each character.

The Ghost Rider table captures the atmosphere and apocalyptic visuals from the comics of the past few years, inspired largely by his 2006 series as well as Jason Aaron’s 2009 “Heaven’s on Fire” storyline. The table is set up like a stunt show set from Hell, with Johnny Blaze front and center on his custom chopper and the Hellfire shotgun at his disposal. Lucifer is constantly taunting Ghost Rider, and he holds the key to several missions and modes within the table. Johnny Blaze must also fend off the Orb’s laser blasts, defeat swarms of crows sent by Scarecrow, defeat the fallen angel Zadkiel, and even make deals with the classic villain Mephisto. Needless to say, there is plenty of devilish action in this hellish carnival playfield!

Let’s be honest, you are all sitting here asking yourself, “why Moon Knight”? Let me tell you why! The integral aspects of Moon Knights story – villains, weapons and the powers of the Egyptian Moon god Khonshu – translate into an amazing pinball experience. As Moon Knight, Marc Spector wields the power of Khonshu and operates as the Egyptian god’s vengeful avatar on Earth, fighting crime on the streets of New York City. One of the coolest things this one brings to the, uh, table is the addition of actual boss fights, complete with health bars. Moon Knight faces off against some of his most classic villains, including Bushman, Midnight, the Black Spectre and Morpheus. He even pilots the Moon Copter, and Marvel allowed us to create a brand new weapon for his arsenal – the Moon Crossbow, used in a special minigame.

Now that we’ve seen what the “Vengeance” half of this collection has to offer, let’s delve into its “Virtue”-themed characters…

Thor is all about the glory of victory, and this table has no shortage of electrifying battles against some of Thor’s biggest enemies. Trigger these boss fights by activating the Gate of Asgard and then hitting the ball across the Rainbow Bridge. You can then select which boss fight to engage: Loki, Destroyer, Ymir or Surtur. The God of Thunder will unleash strikes of brilliant lighting and the powerful hammer Mjolnir as he defends Asgard and the Nine Realms. The table comes replete with nice added touches, including a ramp that circles Asgard and exits the ball through the mouth of the Midgard Serpent.

The X-Men table embodies the classic conflict between Professor Charles Xavier’s band of Super Hero mutants against Magneto and his Brotherhood. Players must deploy the powers of Iceman, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Psylocke and Storm as they take on such classic villains as Mystique, Juggernaut and the Blob, as well as mutant-hunting Sentinels. The table features missions inspired by actual comic events, such as Magneto’s destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge (NEW X-MEN #147) and a pinball version of the Dark Phoenix Saga that uses actual dialogue from classic issues of THE UNCANNY X-MEN (#135 and #136). There is even a confrontation with the Juggernaut in which Cyclops, Iceman, Colossus and Psylocke exemplify good teamwork as they attempt to stop the unstoppable.

Each of these tables is designed from scratch around their characters’ personality, traits, weapons and stories in place. We go through a very careful planning process to make sure each table really captures the essence of each character, and it’s great having the support of Marvel all throughout the process.

And now for more on that offer to PlayStation Plus members. Now through January 3, 2012, members can download the original Marvel Pinball pack featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Iron Man for FREE! The Captain America and Fantastic Four DLC tables will be 50% off, so you can pick them up for $1.49 each.

If you would like the latest information on Marvel Pinball and any of our other games, be sure to follow us on Twitter or Like us on Facebook. I will be here answering all of your questions, so fire away.

Oh, and happy holidays!