Marvel Pinball swinging to XBL, PSN this year

Like any good comic book character, pinball never truly dies. Zen Studios underscored this fact today with the announcement of Marvel Pinball, a downloadable collection of four super heroic virtual pinball tables for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Set for release in December, Marvel Pinball includes tables for four of the comic company's film-featured heroes: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Blade. Each table will have music, artwork, and objectives specific to the characters, along with animated 3D representations of the heroes, as well as villains like the Green Goblin, Silver Samurai, Mysterio, Whiplash, The Mandarin, and Doctor Octopus.

The Xbox 360 edition of the game will be released as an expansion to Pinball FX 2, a free platform launched on Xbox Live last month that allows users to try individual tables before purchasing them. On the PS3, Marvel Pinball will be a stand-alone game.

Regardless of the version purchased, gamers will be able to look forward to more Marvel tables released as downloadable content. On the game's official website, Zen Studios is running a poll to determine which Marvel property gets the pinball treatment next. The four options listed are Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, and the Hulk. In early voting (under 100 votes total), the Hulk held a slim lead.

For more on Zen Studios' pinball pedigree, check out GameSpot's review of Pinball FX 2.