Pinside rating

This game received 228 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.868 _/10

7.868

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 2nd in the game group "X-Men". The group itself ranks #57 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game design: 7.691

Artwork: 8.392

Sounds/Music: 7.235

Other Aspects: 8.028

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

8.565

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This game is part of a group

Note! There are multiple versions of this game!
This is "X-Men (Pro)".
The other version is: X-Men (LE)

Ranking history

An overview of this machine's ranking over the last years. Lower is better.

Rating history

An overview of this machine's rating over the last years. Higher is better.

Found 100 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 100 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 4.

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8.676/10

3 months ago

WHO

Malenko

Pinside member

4y 75,400 1,477 10

Review based on 1.51 code.

This is the most recent pin in my collection and the only one released after the Smashing "Pumpkin's Siamese Dream" .

Game Design:
A well populated fan layout. Both the Wolverine and Magneto molds are oversized and don't really seem to fit in well with the machine aesthetics. Wolverine as a bash toy wont last forever and I'm a big fan of the newton ball mod that replaced him. Game rules are great, the default settings are a great way to play the game but there are plenty of changes to be made to make the game more newbie friendly or tougher for more veteran players. Game play is fast and fun with lots of fun shots, and some tough ones too.

Art:
The pro package has the best art of the 3 variants. Villains (and Deadpool) on 1 side and the heroes on the other. The translight has a mix of both. The playfield is clear and colorful, with shots being well defined. The DMD animations are stellar and makes me a little sad that LCDs have taken over the traditional DMD area..... now I know how segmented scoring people feel about DMDs.

Audio:
The one major knock on this machine is some of the voice acting. Beast is the sore thumb of the bunch , he sticks out in a big way. Overall the voices are good enough. The music is really good but man do I wish they licensed the theme from the animated show.

Everything Else:
The lighting is really good, easy free mod is to rewire magneto's spotlight to GI lighting so that the back of the machine is always lit. The one thing the Pro has over the LEs is that the villain light colors are easily swapped out. I've had this game about a month, so its too early to judge its lastability, but I find myself frequently wanting to play "one more game" The theme is great and the rules and layout all make sense; my only real complain is the lack of bad guys being represented on the PF, they pretty much all are huddled around the light above the flippers and no where else (except magneto)

This is the most fun pin I own and I wish I could afford more newer games like this.

7.004/10

8 months ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

2y 242K 6,446 11 260

I like the wolverine bash toy and the ramps. The art is pretty good too. I'm not much of a comics fan, but it is a nice pin I wouldn't pass up playing on location.

Daditude edited previous rating on November 11, 2020.

7.967/10

9 months ago

???

samantha123

Pinside member

Unknown

4y 11,000 10

I have owned this title about 5 weeks and I traded it out. That damn Wolverine figure is a pain in the ass. The artwork, sound etc...is great....can get repetitive thou. Not a keeper for me. Traded it for a Mustang Pro.

samantha123 edited previous rating on May 27, 2020.

8.091/10

1 year ago

CUZ

mcuzz

Pinside member

5y 107K 376 130

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). DMD animations are top notch, music and some callouts are not.
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.

9.360/10

1 year ago

MDM

Morhaus

Pinside member

St. Louis, MO

5y 51,650 216 1 10

I will add this back one day. Great rules - once code was completed. This has weighted to the overall rating for the game too low IMO. Possibly the greatest bang for your buck in the top 100.

Morhaus has owned this game in the past.

7.991/10

1 year ago

APO

Happy81724

Pinside member

3y 105K 1,109 10 50

We have owned X-men for around a year. It is a super fun pin. You fight villains, collect the heroes. Has a lot of borg feel and play. If youre able to find one in the wild I would recommend playing it. I think this pin will surprise a lot of people if you give it a couple chances. Its very fast and fun.

Happy81724 has owned this game in the past.

7.008/10

1 year ago

JIN

Pinasco

Pinside member

Malmö

4y 35,650 81 3 59

Spectacular and colourful pinball based on the famous marvel comics.

This is a densely populated playfield with a high number of possible shots and different paths through the game and its characters. The gameplay is very entertaining and this is one game where I felt that the sync between playfield action and DMD info/effects was rather good. Music here came across as cool and fitting to the theme, followed by a steady stream of call-outs. All in all the sound of this game doesnt get too repetitive or corny.

Its a game that keeps your adrenaline going, although the ball returns are not quite as fast as on Star Trek or Spiderman for instance.

The only negative thing that could be said is that the location of the Wolverine figure looks a little strange on this playfield- blocking the view of more interesting parts on the upper playfield.

Exciting and fun game from Stern. Not unique or insanely fast - but a really entertaining title nonetheless.

6.058/10

1 year ago

WIL

Willathrilla

Pinside member

Calgary, AB

7y 76,800 301 13 46

Pros: The cabinet art is gorgeous. X-men is a great theme. The upper flipper Storm shot is very satisfying. There's a few different shots to be made with the upper flipper. I also really liked the professor X shot and the physical ball lock.

Cons: I had only played the LE version of Xmen when I bought the pro. The absence of the spinning disc is a big loss on the pro. IMO stern didn't adequately change the code for the pro. It just dumps the balls from the ball lock, catches them on the magnet, then releases them all at once.
The voice call outs are awful and were the number 1 reason I got rid of the game in under two weeks.

Takeaway: I think the LE is the better value in the used market. It's probably worth the time and effort to change the callouts. I still might throw a buck or two in this game on location but I haven't missed having it in my collection.

Willathrilla has owned this game in the past.

7.005/10

2 years ago

BEB

bestbrad

Pinside member

3y 30,800 6 45

The layout doesn't work well with the placement of Wolverine. It kills the flow and really limits the shots to have a smooth game.

8.360/10

2 years ago

BJO

otakudre5

Inactive member

Solingen

8y 19,900 8 1 7

Somehow this seems to be one of the machines, that are hit or miss with the community and I can see why. The great anticipation vs. reality when it came out just ruined it for many people.
But I wish more people were willing to give it another chance, once the code was not the once pale bare bone anymore.
This game rocks! The variation of shots, multiballs and strategies it has to offer, really make it stand out in my opinion.
Look beyond the first code experience and the callouts (for those that get entangled with that) and you will have a blast!

otakudre5 edited previous rating on December 04, 2018.
otakudre5 has owned this game in the past.

6.910/10

2 years ago

WWW

Shadrac

Pinside member

5y 45,800 353 2 24

Rules are fun, shoots are satisfying, there's different ways to play the game, collect Xmens or defeat Vilains, or both if you're really good, two Wizard modes hard to get. The cabinet is really beautiful, the playfield and translite too. I think it's a good game, with an accessible price, better than some of newer Stern. The Mezel newton ball for Wolverine is a must, and of course good leds instead of incandescents.
The layout is really intersting and you can have awesome flow when you begin to master the shots. I find it better than Tron.

EDIT: after many plays, with leds, Mezl newton ball and a custom code i made myself, i think the game is really great, fast, fun and very exciting. Better than i expect at first. A true game for players and shooters, a very challenging pin, i love it more and more.

Shadrac edited previous rating on September 18, 2019.
Shadrac has owned this game in the past.

7.952/10

3 years ago

DPF

dontpanicflip

Pinside member

3y 57,900 119 6 27

I think the scrunched up layout is the only real negative to this game. The left side of the pin is awful. If you can look beyond that, it is a beautiful fun pin.

dontpanicflip edited previous rating on September 27, 2019.

7.880/10

3 years ago

SUS

Grayont

Pinside member

Encinitas, CA

3y 37,750 4 1 72

Fun shooting game with decently deep rules. Good dmd animations and fun gameplay. If you are a fan of the theme then this would be a great game for you.

Grayont edited previous rating on December 07, 2018.
Grayont has this game on the wishlist.

7.641/10

3 years ago

BDM

brianmcculloh

Pinside member

Avon, IN

4y 33,650 87 3 24

Not a fan of the third flipper. The Wolverine toy is too imposing and in the way. Not a fan of the magnet spinner either. But it does have a good theme and a lot of shots.

8.836/10

3 years ago

JDM

jsyjay

Pinside member

Unknown City

7y 67,400 232 4 28

Beautiful cabinet, backglass and playfield art. Wolverine scale a little off but Magneto looks good. The rule set is excellent after some seriously needed updates which tarnished its reputation early on after release. Some call outs are aweful and completely over the top but others like Deadpool are hilarious. Everyone loves an upper flipper to ramp shot and this one is awesome. Overall very good and I'm probably in a minority of one but I actually prefer it to the similarly laid out Tron!

jsyjay has owned this game in the past.

7.964/10

3 years ago

JTJ

LesManley

Pinside member

Woodbury, MN

9y 109K 5,262 7 44

I lot of game packed into one machine. The dots and cabinet graphics are top notch. Most call outs are good. A variety of challenging shots, lots of hero and villain modes and a challenging, deep code keep me coming back for more. It's a great value compared to what you will pay for newer more stripped down games.

LesManley has owned this game in the past.

8.840/10

3 years ago

MIK

Micky

Pinside member

4y 147K 2,605 42

Xmen is a really fun game with lot of shots to hits. It seems like it has endless combos and modes and some very cool multiballs. Sound and artwork are top notch. The quality of the artwork is great compared to previous stern photoshop efforts. I really like this game a lot!

7.664/10

3 years ago

AXL

Evildead

Pinside member

Hamburg, NJ

4y 23,000 3 13

I really like X-MEN. Very fun game to play.Voices get a bit annoying. The only major issue I have with X-MEN is the placement of Wolverine. I just think it's too close to the flippers. I think if it was situated in a different spot, or even smaller this game would be top notch. Overall I do like and recommend it.

9.520/10

3 years ago

CHE

Che

Pinside member

Waterloo, ON

5y 30,400 10 45 10

Love this game. Of all my pins this is the one that brings me back more than any other. Fast, hard and fun!

Che currently owns this game.

9.080/10

4 years ago

JOE

Habu

Pinside member

Las Vegas, NV

7y 24,150 9 4 7

One of my favorite games, and one I can't see leaving my collection anytime soon.

Having played both the Pro, which I own, and a Magneto LE, at the local Pinball Hall of Fame, I have to say I'm more pleased with the layout of the pro over the LE. The only feature I really wish was on both is the spinning Magneto Lock area. I can do without the Nightcrawlers and the moving right Iceman ramp; both are prone to mechanical failure from what I've seen. The ramp especially seems more akin to failing, and ending up loose, not providing good drains coming off of it.

If you're a comic book fan, I would rate the game as a must-have, as it's not based on the films at all.

One thing to note: The game is NOT easy, and I would hesitate to recommend it to someone who's just getting into the hobby. It's definitely what I would consider to be a slower "shooters" game that rewards painstakingly accurate shots. Don't buy this and expect it to flow like it's a Richie!

Habu currently owns this game.

5.038/10

4 years ago

SGC

sevenrites

Pinballer

6y 112K 1,382 94

This game doesn't count because it's a pro, therefore it's not the full game. It's 1/2 a game, stripped of extra options, since they made 1/2 effort for full price, they're getting 1/2 my appreciation on this one and all other pros.

10 Pinsiders flagged this rating/review.

7.462/10

4 years ago

SMH

Lord_of_the_pins

Inactive member

Calgary, AB

4y 38,800 170 4 10

X-men is a decent game with very good art work .great game for beginners and kids easy to get multi balls bashing wolverine and magneto .excellent light shows very nice play fields that play very smooth .sounds and call outs kinda weak .good game overall .

Lord_of_the_pins has owned this game in the past.

7.676/10

4 years ago

AJR

guymontag451

WedgeHead

Portland, OR

9y 81,300 1,006 26 120

Solid Stern Pin. Marked the first time Stern actually listened to the fans and put in Comic book art instead of low res pictures from the movie adaptations everywhere. Magneto is a very cool toy and multiball mode. The start of it is the best that I have seen since the bally williams golden era (theatre of magic, addams family, whitewater). Lots of very tight shots and fun to play.

7.771/10

4 years ago

QRK

fattdirk

Pinside member

9y 114K 4,983 12 1

X-men is a fantastic game. I was hesitant to get one since the early code suffered from some serious flaw but am happy I did. I find this game is great in a home environment because once you learn the ruleset is just really a fun shooting pin. I played it on location when it first came out and was turned off because it wasn't super obvious what the goals of the game were and in typical Stern style has a worthless instruction card.

I really enjoy collecting all the x-men by hitting their various shots. Professors X's mode of finding the mutant is super cool, but can be frustrating since some of the mutants shown aren't obvious which shot they go to and when you hit it again for it to light the shot, it isn't obvious which shot is lit.

Collecting storm is one of my favorites and I think the lighting effects when hitting the pop bumpers with the GI going off and the flashers lighting up simulating a storm is fantastic. It feels so great when you stack this with weapon X or magneto multiball.

I don't find the ease in starting weapon X multiball to be that annoying as others do. I still have the factory wolverine on there and while it's hard to strategize when to start the multiball, the randomness doesn't always come at a bad time.

I have xmen stacking turned on so I can collect multiple characters at once while playing thru the game. I personally find this more enjoyable and eliminates a little bit of the linearity that you would have if it's turned off.

My usual strategy is to try and collect a few xmen while making combos to get close to lighting deadpool and also lighting a villain at the scoop. I then will play the villain and I pick one depending on if deadpool is lit or not. If I have him, I'll usually pick sabertooth or Omega Red since I find those two modes to be more challenging to make the shots. If I don't have him, I'll pick sentinels since all shots are lit or shadow king.

I have yet to get to dark phoenix but have almost beat danger room.

My advice is to play a more than a couple of games on the machine before you judge it. It really is a great game, but lacks that easy to learn ruleset of the classic 90's B/W pins and takes a little time to learn. It is well worth it once you do.

9.180/10

4 years ago

???

Daisy

Inactive member

Unknown

9y 5,000 2 13

Love the side ramp on this, it's one of those yes shots, loads of nice combos and easy to understand the rules but quite difficult to beat the villians.

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