Marvel Pinball heading to Vita, Wii U, 3DS, more

Who was there: TQ Jefferson of the Marvel Interactive team was joined by Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack, Activision's Doug Heder, Beenox's Dee Brown, THQ's Jonathan McMullen, Capcom's Seth Killian, and Gazillion Entertainment's David Brevik.

What they talked about: Game-related announcements have been sparse at Comic-Con 2011, but Marvel had one of the biggest with its reveal of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. At the Marvel Interactive games panel today, the comics publisher had a couple of other minor reveals to share, the largest of which pertained to Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball.

Specifically, Marvel said that the well-regarded pinball game will be brought to a variety of new platforms by the end of 2012, including the PlayStation Vita, 3DS, Wii U, and PC, as well as iOS and Android devices. As for versions of the game that are already out, Zen Studios will be releasing the Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue add-on pack through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this winter. The add-on brings four new tables, one of which will be themed around Ghost Rider.

Marvel Interactive then marched out a number of creators for various comic-themed games that it is overseeing, beginning with Silicon Knights' X-Men: Destiny. Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack and Activision's Doug Heder gave an overview of the game, saying that players will be afforded an intimate and interactive encounter with established X-Men characters. Two new characters revealed at Comic-Con are Emma Frost and Iceman.

The conversation then shifted to in-game costumes, and Marvel said that those who preorder X-Men: Destiny at GameStop will unlock a trio of coordinated costumes for the game's protagonists. This unlock also includes "X-genes," which grant Havok-themed powers in-game.

Later, the conversation turned to Spider-Man: Edge of Time, with Beenox studio head Dee Brown joining Spider-Man 2099 cocreator Peter David onstage. David's contribution to the game is something of a first, as he is thus far the only creator of a Marvel comic that has also penned the story for a game based on his creation. David said that the Spider-Man: Edge of Time project is particularly appealing because it combines a rich narrative with solid gameplay.

Costumes again became the subject of announcement, as Brown said that those who have a save from the Beenox-developed Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will unlock 10 alternate Spider-Man outfits from the get-go. Further, those who preorder the game at GameStop will be afforded four Identity Crisis costumes.

Next, THQ associate producer Jonathan McMullen came out on stage to talk about the uDraw-compatible Marvel Super Hero Squad Comic Combat, which is coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii on November 15. As somewhat of a disappointment, McMullen confirmed that Comic Combat does not feature any actual drawing. Instead, player will simply draw lines or shapes on the screen to move and attack with their characters.

McMullen also briefly touched on the 3DS edition of Marvel Super Hero Squad Infinity Gauntlet, which is set for release on October 11. The action-puzzler isn't the only Marvel- themed 3DS game in development, as the comics creator confirmed Thor, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Captain America, and Marvel Pinball will all arrive for Nintendo's handheld this year.

Marvel then brought out Capcom's Seth Killian to talk about Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Killian briefly addressed some of the changes gamers can expect from this updated release, saying each character will get new moves and that there would be changes to the X-factor game system. Costumes and backgrounds would also be tweaked, and online modes will now have a Spectator mode.

The conversation then shifted to costumes, with Killian saying that the number of outfits for each character will increase to six. X-Men Legacy variants for Magneto, Hulk, and Captain America were shown, as well as the Deathwish alternate for Deadpool from Identity Wars. Spider-Man's new spider armor would be included, and from the new FF comes a white-and-black Spider-Man and Doom. There are also a number of classic costumes for Hawkeye, Hulk, She Hulk, Dormammu, and Captain America.

Lastly for UMVC3, Marvel briefly addressed the new stages, confirming a Shadowland stage will be in the game. The panel also teased a second stage by showing a picture from the X-Men "Days of Future Past" storyline, set in a future where most of the heroic mutant team has been hunted down and killed or captured by Sentinels.

To close out the presentation, Marvel brought out Gazillion Entertainment president and COO David Brevik to talk about the free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game Marvel Universe. Brevik didn't have much information to share, saying only that the studio may be prepared to release screenshots for the game this year. The game will let users play as Marvel superheroes, and it features a storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis.

A number of Marvel superheroes will be in the game, including Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, Nova, and Squirrel Girl. Brevik also confirmed for the first time today that Deadpool will also be playable in the game.

Takeaway: As Marvel's panel today was largely promotional, deep insights were elusive. However, what is clear is that Marvel fans have plenty to look forward to when it comes to games.