X-Men (LE)

Stern

X-Men (LE)

Pinside Rating

This game received 290 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.036 /10

8.036

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 1st in the game group "X-Men". The group itself ranks #75 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.877

Artwork: 8.519

Sounds/Music: 7.345

Other Aspects: 8.133


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 7 of us have rated this game.

8.806

Your Rating?

You need to be logged in before you can rate pinball machines. No account yet? Registering only takes a sec!


This title is part of group: "X-Men"


Found 165 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 165 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 2 of 7.

List options






7.458/10
5 years ago
So I know there are issues with the wolverine toy. But, the place I play at fixed those issues, but sadly the iceman ramp was permanently disabled. The artwork for the cab and backglass is amazing both LEs look great, but the Magneto really pops. Playfield art is a bit too sparse for my liking, and also just bland. The top of the playfield is too dark, but that might just be the pin I was playing on. I'm not a big fan of the layout. Or its rules. They're clunky rules and I really still don't know how to light villain... And I've played this many, many times. It tells me when I've lit it, and I know how to do everything else. Mostly I just go for Weapon X multiball. So far I've never really made this game explode, as its just the type of ruleset/layout that I just can't seem to really get big scores on. That's my fault... The code I do think is deep, as lots of different modes, both the X-men modes which you unlock doing the shots and the villain modes. I like the sound effects and the voice actors. I think they do a great job sounding like the 90s fox cartoon. I also really enjoy the animations in this game. Sadly, this game just doesn't pack too much of a fun punch for me. I play a few games of it and I'm content. Its just not a layout that I personally like, and I don't like the ruleset... Not saying its bad. Just not my thing. You got a lot of different ways to play this pin and things to focus on. Magneto MB is pretty cool, but I seldom get it because I never focus on it. The toys are cool, but again... Good luck utilizing most of them as I think I've only done nightcrawler mode a few times. If I had a 50 pin collection I'd like to have either the Wolverine or Magneto LE in my collection. It is a fun pin to play. And I think its a nice pin for a small collection as its a deep rule set. Just not my cup of tea, but if I owned it I think I would do better at understanding how to shoot it and better game strategies. Which might cause me to like it more.
6.667/10
5 years ago
X-Men drives me crazy. The playfield is basically a bunch of ramps you have to hit...including one that moves around and gets in the way. Those ramps are hard to hit because Wolverine, the table's bash toy, gets in the way constantly. And Magneto's the other hinderance. Neither does a damn thing. Wolverine tosses your ball around occasionally and Magneto does the same -- sometimes, right into the side drain. The game hates you, draining your ball left, right and center, making nudging a necessity to keep things going. The rules aren't clear here, either. I guess you have to hit a certain ramp or ramps to grab heros and occasionally pit them against villains you get from other ramps(?) and it isn't even clear how you finish those stages. It doesn't matter because both Wolverine and Magneto always get in the way, even if you're aiming your shots carefully. It's beyond annoying. Skip this one.
9.352/10
5 years ago
This rating is for a Magneto LE. Probably Stern's best art package of all machines, including recent games like Maiden and Deadpool. The Magneto art package is gobs better than anything before it and rivals Stern's latest offerings. The layout is fun with several different shots from the upper right flipper. The game rules is where this machine shines. Each of the different heroes have different things to shoot for, with nice nods to the comics and animated TV series. The lighting effects are amazing. Stern could have done great things with RGB lighting, if it was commonplace at the time for this game. The game suffers most from two poorly voice acted characters. The others are passable and mimic what we know from the animated series well enough. Again, lots of thought was put into the rules, modes, and character relationships as found in the stories. A great shooting game!
9.720/10
5 years ago
I can't believe this game can sell in the 5k range, what incredible bang for your buck. I have Wolverine. I've cycled through a lot of great games over the years. TH, SM, LOTR, TS, TWD. & have played all the great B/W titles.
This game when dialed in & tweaked is beating them all at this point in time. Wasn't sure at first but it grew on me quick. Having said that, the game does benefit from a few things such as the latest code. Of which I have the custom version with some improved callouts & music.
& I've also done the newton ball mod which takes the game back to how it was originally designed, along with a better smaller wolverine figure. Add to that a flipper fidelity sound system with 10" sub, shaker, & mirror blades. I've even replaced all the stern GI bulbs with frosted for a better light spread & used an ice blue for the blue's. Gave me a little less of an overall purple color.

I was already a fan of theme, being a comic art fan & having collected these comics back in the day. But I think even if I wasn't I would still applaud the artwork. Zero complaints there especially from an era not far removed from when everything was photoshop.
I went LE because basically in the market at the time I'm spending little over $1k for enhanced lighting, spinner, ice ramp, nightcrawler pop ups & extra magnet. I thought it was worth it. & no regrets there.

I've played quite a few games & there seems to be no end to having fresh-ish content. Every game can play a little different. Modes don't get old, they are well executed & there are a ton of them. & choosing your villian mode is also a real plus. Not a fan of games with linear modes. I have a small collection & it fits great into it. If I had to have an only pin, this one might have to be my choice. I also don't like long ball times. Often this game kicks my ass, but if I'm hitting shots & use a little strategy I can have a satisfying longer game.
I'm also not always a fan of 3rd flippers, partly because I suck at the 3rd flipper, but this one isn't too difficult yet still challenging & something I get better with over time & I like that there are a few shots you can hit with it.

Lastly not only is this one of the cheaper LE's out there, but perhaps it has the best build quality? It feels like old b/w quality. I have a couple newer sterns next to it & they just don't feel this solid. Furthermore, while those are covered with dimples, this one is not! I think this game is a somewhat hidden gem. Being a wolverine fan I jumped on mine when I saw one for a good price.
10.000/10
5 years ago
This game is very underrated. Amazing shots and an awesome light show.
8.536/10
6 years ago
I debated and waited a LONG time before finally picking up an XMen LE. I’ve owned Tron and Tron Le. LOVE Tron layout and the game is immersive but a bit shallow.

XMen LE, though is basically a reversed Tron with several more shots and some extra features like Nightcrawler targets and iceman ramp.

Love the Magneto ball lock and clever stacking. One of the last great value Stern LEs.
8.211/10
6 years ago
The comic book style artwork looks great if you are into that, the variety of shots make this game a real challenge.
I really like the way you have to battle and defeat the villains and collect x-men for your team (deadpool is a great addition). Magneto multiball is especially good on the LE with the spinning magnet disc. DMD animations are top notch, music and some callouts are not. Lighting is cool on the LE as it changes from red to blue to white depending on the villain or mode.
Take out wolverine and put in the newton ball for a much better playing game. Change the music and callouts for a better sounding game.
8.312/10
6 years ago
Picked up a low use Magneto LE for a pretty good price. Speaker upgrades are necessary as well as the newton ball mod. I added a. Color DMD and the dots with it are real good. Pretty good rule set. Shots from every Flipper. The unique combos are fun and this pin has got me going thru the movies to understand the call outs and more. Many varied ways to play this game. A pretty good value for those in the 5K market. Some people knock the voices for the call outs. I think that is a bit over done in the criticism area. There are a lot of call outs. The Deadpool rules are a great concept.
7.113/10
6 years ago
It's fast like bolt-fast and surprising at times. Overall, the looks of it is great but I'm not the big fan of everything "superheroes" so the theme is not a preference to me. I do understand the correlation between magnets and Magneto, but way, way to much magnets for me, and they are powerful to say the least. That big Wolverine got me many balls stuck under his left arm for long periods of time.
8.900/10
7 years ago
X-Men is a very good game. Though it is a fan layout, it has a few interesting shots. Nothing super creative, but decent layout. Rules are very complex and strong. Deep code. I don't love the theme, but not terrible. The major weakness is the ridiculously huge Wolverine figure in the center. WAY too big. Someone should make a mod to remove this silly thing.
9.288/10
7 years ago
Wow! This game is fun! This has to be the most underrated pinball of all time. If you have a chance to get one, do it! You won't be disappointed. From what I understand the code was so bad when it first came out that a lot of people gave up on it, but that is their loss. This is probably my new favorite pin right now. The artwork is beautiful on the mirrored backglass and the cabinet. The playfield has TONS of shots and combos and the action is intense with what I think was probably the best use of a magnet and spinning disk that I have seen on a pinball machine. I know people complain about the oversized wolverine on the playfield but I actually like the placement of it because while the shots are still doable it makes a few of the a little tougher, not to mention that wolverine mode is fun to start anyway. Speaking of, if you like multi ball modes like I do then you will love this machine, it has many multi ball modes and magneto multi ball is my all time favorite.
7.275/10
7 years ago
As far as newer Sterns go, this is one of my favorites. I love the "customized" combos, that incorporate the different characters together, it is a very nice touch. Borg packed a lot of shots into this playfield space. Modes are also well executed, and stay true to the theme. While I do prefer the backglass art on the Pro edition, the limited models also have decent art to feature their respective characters. I'm not really bothered by the oversized Wolverine on the playfield, but I can see how it is a bit of an encumbrance, blocking the action in a very important area of the playfield. The voice actors used for the game are awful, simply put.

Take my review at face value...I enjoy the gameplay of X-Men more than I do Tron! *gasp*
9.860/10
7 years ago
Having played this pin quite a bit over the last 4 months, I am confident in giving it an excellent rating. It is a lot of fun and has good depth. Very underrated in my opinion.
9.336/10
7 years ago
This machine is a giant killer! I put it in a death match, one on one, against a lot of my machines to decide what to sell. It beat WoZ, The Hobbit, GB Premium, AFM, SMVE. It is still here and one of my favourites. Yeah, some of the callouts are cheesy, but if that's the only thing that kills it for you, then you're not in it for the playing of the pinballs! Super layout, super shots, great variety in the rules. No two games are the same.
8.976/10
7 years ago
Visually, this game makes a great first impression and it's easily among the best looking machines out there. The hand drawn comic book artwork that adorns the cabinet, backglass, and playfield looks great and tons of characters are represented. Also, the machine puts on a visually impressive lightshow and the color changing GI really adds to the experience. The animations are great and there are few machines that have better quality dots or more content. All the expected main characters are represented, but I really appreciate all the minor characters that were fit into the animations. This game looks especially great with a Color DMD. Overall, this is a stunning machine to look at.

The first few dozen times I played this machine, my impressions were lukewarm at best. The shots are tight and the gameplay can feel a bit clunky, especially when shots are constantly being bricked. The geometry feels a bit different than many machines and the playfield magnets and spinning disk really add to the chaos. Ball times can be brutally short and this isn't a machine that gives high scores for just banging the ball around. The oversized Wolverine on the playfield seems to be something I've read a lot of complaints about, but the newton ball mod makes that issue disappear. After the visuals made a great first impression, I was a bit let down by the way the game played.

However, after putting in 100+ games, I really feel this machine is a winner. The ruleset is super deep and the code feels very polished. Learning how to complete the modes can be really lucrative and there are so many stacking possibilities and strategies that can be used. I actually started to love the tight shots, especially the Beast shot thru the pops and the Professor X shot. This machine really rewards hitting combos and hitting enough of them will activate Deadpool to help progress thru the modes. The flow is actually pretty good when shots are being made and the third flipper is loaded with things to shoot for. The 4 multi-ball modes are relatively easy to get to, but the strategy lies in starting them at the right times. In fact, the Magneto multi-ball (which has a great starting sequence) is worth very few points if it's started prior to completing a handful of hero modes. The 2 wizard modes require completing a lot of objectives to get to and many players will never see them. The LE features like the Nightcrawler pop up targets, Iceman moving ramp, and spinning disk are all fun toys.

Overall, this is a great looking game that can really shine in a home environment. The deep code offers lots of ways to play and the huge amount of content insures that it will take most players a long time to see everything. This is a really fun game that can be very rewarding for those players that are willing to learn the subtleties of all the shots, modes, and features.
9.340/10
7 years ago
I favor pinball games and which I feel like I am fighting an enemy. This is the reason that I get much enjoyment out of playing this game. There is a good amount of strategy if you want to make it far. There are at least 4 if not 5 shots with the upper flipper! The music, sound effects, and DMD graphics are outstanding. One of the cheaper LE'S to obtain. The extras on this model make it well worth the little bit of extra money spent. It's very creative Nightcrawler pops up and moves back and forth. Hitting him 5 times earns an extra ball which is much needed. I particularly like the Wolverine Edition. It's beautiful with the blue powder coating. Thank you Stern for putting time into a mirrored backglass. Shaker motor rocks it. I can't believe how cool the Sentinel's mode sounds on an external bass subwoofer. I find this game very challenging as I have yet to make it to that last wizard mode. Overall a great game. The Playfield layout is a little hard to get used to as its cluttered on the left side.
9.820/10
7 years ago
Based on the magnito version, probably the best art work I have seen on pinball machine it just looks mean, have seen the Wolverine an it looks good but the magnito is awsome, I own a pro version of xmen an totally love it, was wondering if I would regret the purchase after finding an playing the Le but I don't I'm happy with the pro, the Le is fantastic but for around 3k different here in Aus for me it's not worth it, so the extras to pro are the moving ice ramp , spinning disk an night crawler pop ups, I'm sure the lighting might be different in modes but in all honesty I have never noticed things like that in any Le to pro model. The moving ice ramp is cool, but blocks a lot of your vision when your playing an swinging around, I like it though but I didn't like how it dropped a ball between my flippers forcing me to loose the ball, can maybe see why people want it disabled, next the spinner looks really good when magnito multiball starts but hate when it spins during single ball play, xmen is a tight game where precision is key, it's not a game u can flail on an hope for the best an the spining disk randomising the shots kills me because u can be as accurate as u want but the disk is going throw it off, night crawlers didn't get a chance to see them because they honestly don't get used in the game much so doubt it's a deal breaker, one very positive thing from the Le to pro is the xavier shot you can actually see it clearly, on the pro I really only get it out of luck, a lot of people say the beast shot is to tight with the wolverine being mounted different between the 2 models, I don't mind it though I don't think it is impossible, all in all its a great machine that looks fantastic, for me personally not sure if the extras are worth the price rise , but each to there own, either version is awsome!!!!
9.328/10
8 years ago
I love the X-Men but the call outs in this game are horrible. I can't stand the voices. It nearly ruined the game for me. That being said I really enjoy the game. Great shots with the upper flipper and great flow to the game. It has a really deep rule set and is very challenging.
I like the use of magnets and I think the start of Magneto multiball is awesome.
9.620/10
8 years ago
Storm ramp gets me every time. So hard but when you nail it so satisfying. First time I made it to Dark Phoenix I was wrapped in what they did with mode and sounds. Why did I sell this game.
8.968/10
8 years ago
What a game! Rules are way deep.
Very hard to come into it at The beginning, was even ready to sell or trade it and finally after having assimilated to The rules as and it appears that this game is a pure adrénaline rush.
My only grip is the bland soundtrack and callouts, could have been better so far.
I like combos pinball machine, tough but rewarding shots.
7.340/10
8 years ago
Game Code is deep and rules are really good.
Some of the call outs lack a little panache (Beast).
Loaded with toys and great artwork.
Has one of the best multiball starts in pinball.
There is a huge difference between LE and pro versions of this machine.
Lots of tight shots.
A widebody trapped in a standard body design.
9.880/10
8 years ago
If there was some way to replace the call outs with voices from the cartoon this game would be perfect
9.680/10
8 years ago
Great Machine, fun to play, great addiction to any collection !
8.460/10
8 years ago
What a delicious machine... as far as I can remember right now, this is my favorite superhero machine, probably. There are super satisfying shots on this table, plenty of missions to play, and Magneto keeps things exciting.
9.480/10
8 years ago
The cabinet and backglass on this game is stunning. The art is all taken from comic books, and theming is top notch. This is one of the few games I have yet to get tired of playing since it was released. Shots are tight, all kinds of named combos, and a deep ruleset with dozens of modes, 3 multiballs, two mini wizard modes, and a main wizard mode that is challenging to reach for even the best players. It would be one of the last to leave my collection.
There are 165 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 2 of 7.

You too can add your own comment by rating this game! Click here to rate this game!

Over the years

Visualizing this game's rating and rank over the years

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/x-men-le/ratings/2 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.