Fantastic Four tilts the table in mid-May

When Marvel Pinball was announced last November, Zen Studios put up a poll on its website asking visitors what comic-inspired table they wanted for the game's first postlaunch downloadable content. Today the developer revealed the winner and next table to be released for the game will be based on the Fantastic Four.

In North America, the Fantastic Four table will be downloadable for Marvel Pinball on the PlayStation 3 starting May 17, with Pinball FX 2 Xbox 360 players able to purchase it beginning May 18. In Europe, players on both platforms will need to wait until May 18 to get their hands on the new content. When it launches, the game will feature new trophies and achievements, as well as full support for Zen Studios' various social features.

The playfield is loaded with references for fans to pick out.

The table itself sees the Fantastic Four doing battle against a cosmic rogues' gallery featuring such heavyweights as Dr. Doom, the Super Skrull, Galactus, and the Mole Man. The playfield is littered with references to other parts of the comic foursome's mythology, with the Silver Surfer, H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, the Fantasticar, and the Baxter Building all making appearances. The game will even provide examples of superpowered teamwork, with the Invisible Woman putting a force field on an outlane as a ball save, and Mr. Fantastic stretching his arm across the table to pick the ball up and move it to safety.

Those who don't fancy the Fantastic Four can hold out hope for more heroic pinball action on the way. Among the other Marvel properties considered for pinball conversion in the original Zen Studios poll were Captain America, Ghost Rider, and the Hulk.

For more on Marvel Pinball, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.