X-MEN (Stern 2012)

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Game Information:

X-Men Pro/LE Rules - Latest Code: v1.51

Skill Shots:

Plunge without hitting the Phoenix switch. Hitting either the Storm or Rogue shots with the upper flipper awards a Skill Shot. Hitting Xavier awards a Super Skill Shot.

Blackbird:

Light the Rollover lanes to prime modes and awards at the Blackbird scoop. The first Blackbird completion will light Mystery.

Mystery awards as follows:

  • 500,000
  • Add-a-ball (during multiball)
  • Light Extra Ball
  • +9X Bonus
  • Pops Grow
  • Shot Awarded (during villain modes)
  • Hold Bonus
  • Ball Save
  • Hold Bonus X
  • +25X Bonus
  • Start Nightcrawler
  • Light Special

The second Blackbird completion will light Villain mode start.

Shooting into the scoop when Villain is lit will display a screen where you pick which villain to battle. Use the flippers to move over the villain you want to face and press both flippers to start the mode or wait until the 10 second timer counts down.

When a villain mode is running, you can only complete the rollover lanes for another Mystery award.

Thereafter, two Blackbird lane completions will light mystery and two more completions will light Villain.

If you have qualified either the Hellfire or Brotherhood villain modes via their respective targets, they will be lit and hitting either target will light the Villain for Mystery without having to complete the Blackbird lanes. If you choose not to start the Hellfire or Brotherhood multiballs villain modes that you have qualified, the ability to shoot the Hellfire or Brotherhood targets to relight the villain mode remains after exiting the villain mode.

The Blackbird is also where the wizard modes, Dark Phoenix and Danger Room are available, and where Extra Ball is awarded when lit.

Combos:

The base combo value starts at 125k. Extending the combo into another shot adds 25k to the combo award but does not carryover when the combo ends. So, the combo award is base combo value + (number of chained shots) * 25k. Every 10 combos qualifies Deadpool. Information on the number of combos you have made are in the Instant Info section.

Unique Combos

Shoot unique hero combos for a special callout. You won’t see/hear these when a Hero mode is running but there are still collectable and you can check the number you are at in the Instant Info screen. The first unique combo does not increases the base combo value but every unique combo after that increases the base combo value by 50k. Shooting 10 different unique combos will light an extra ball.

  • Beast → Xavier “Sharp minds!” - Beast
  • Beast → Rogue “Beauty and the Beast” - Rogue
  • Beast → Wolverine “Savage Animals”
  • Beast → Storm “Meteorology” - Beast
  • Cyclops → Xavier “Teacher’s Pet” - Cyclops
  • Cyclops → Storm “Gold and Blue Leaders” - Cyclops
  • Cyclops → Rogue “Power Drain” - Cyclops
  • Cyclops → Wolverine “Rivals”
  • Iceman → Xavier “Brain Freeze” - Iceman
  • Iceman → Beast “Angry Yeti” - Iceman
  • Storm → Iceman “Hailstorm!” - Storm
  • Storm or Xavier → Phoenix → Wolverine “Unrequited Love” - Phoenix
  • Storm or Xavier → Phoenix → Iceman “Fire & Ice” - Phoenix
  • Storm or Xavier → Phoenix → Cyclops → Wolverine “Lovers Triangle” - Phoenix
  • Xavier → Cyclops → Storm → Wolverine “X-Men Leaders”

Deadpool:

Shooting any 10 combos by default activates Deadpool. The words DEADPOOL are seen on the DMD and a machine gun sound effect will be heard, followed by a callout by Deadpool. Deadpool automatically helps you further progress in Villain modes but Deadpool will not make the last shot of a Villain mode for you.

When hired, the playfield flashers will pulse to signify he’s available. You can “hire” Deadpool while in non-villain mode play, he will activate immediately on the next villain mode you choose. If you hire him while in a villain mode, he will start immediately, so it’s best to keep track of how close you are to hiring him and put off hiring him until you’re not in a villain mode to make sure you get full value out of him.

Deadpool is switch based. Deadpool helps you by advancing towards a goal in the villain mode that you would normally accomplish with the lit red arrow shots. The game keeps track of an internal Deadpool counter and advances the counter by 3 for every switch hit and by 1 for every pop bumper, and once 36 is reached, Deadpool is called. Usually you will see a DMD animation that says “Deadpool has helped you!”, and Deadpool will say one of his many sarcastic remarks, as is his character. The Cyclops’ spinner could help MELT through villain modes because each spinner switch hits adds up quick.

Deadpool is active until you either beat a villain or drain the ball. So if you time out of a villain mode, but don’t beat the villain, he will still be available for your next villain fight, assuming that you don’t drain the ball. After you beat the villain or lose your ball, Deadpool is gone and you must “re-hire” him. If you know that you have a final shot left on a villain, if you have a choice, it would be beneficial to not have Deadpool running when you finish that villain mode and utilize Deadpool in a villain that you haven’t made progress in.

See the Villain Modes section for how Deadpool affects each villain modes.

Nightcrawler:

After completing 3 heroes and 6 heroes, Nightcrawler mode is ready. Completing Nightcrawler lights Extra Ball.

  • LE
    • Hit big pop-up targets that block the ramps a number of times for points. Pop-up targets shift every few seconds.
  • Pro
    • Red arrows indicate shot to make and shift every few seconds. Left Nightcrawler is Xavier scoop or Storm ramp, right Nightcrawler is Iceman ramp. 2-3 shots will complete this.

Gambit Hurry-up:

Hit the pop bumpers to count down the activation of Gambit Hurry-Up. Pop bumpers score 3k plus 1k for every chained pop bumper hit, up to 10k per pop bumper hit. When hurry up activates, you must shoot the Beast shot and combo to the right pop bumper with the upper right flipper to collect the hurry up points counting down from 15M! Depending on the incline of your machine, holding up the upper right flipper may redirect the ball into the right pop bumper.

Magneto Multiball:

Activate a ball lock by hitting the upright targets to the right and left of Magneto. Lock a ball by shooting Phoenix, Rogue, or Magneto - whichever Lock indicator(s) are flashing. Lock 4 balls for Magneto Multiball. Alternatively, after locking the first ball, hit the captive lock ball 7 times to start a Magneto Multiball with the current number of locked balls (i.e. it is possible to start a two or three ball Magneto Multiball in this way). Starting Magneto a second time takes 9 hits to the captive lock.

All Hero shots are lit at the beginning of the mode. Hero modes that you have not started are worth 50k points. Hero modes that you HAVE started are worth 300k plus 100k for each hero that you have started + 50k for each ball beyond two balls that you brought into multiball. So, for example, for a 4-ball Magneto multiball with 5 heroes started, the 5 hero shots are worth 900k. (This total is also the victory lap point total if you beat Magneto.) Additionally, if you started all 8 heroes, 400k is added to each Hero shot. On the DMD, Magneto will indicate the number of balls in the multiball by having 2-4 steel balls float around him. On the playfield, the number of flashing or solid hero inserts indicates the number of heroes you have started.

Hitting Magneto at the lock awards 50k points, but, more importantly, recharges the Hero shots that correspond to the Hero modes that you have started. All Hero shots do damage to Magneto initially, but started Heroes do more damage. If you start Magneto with one or two heroes, the Magneto lock will do more damage to Magneto than the heroes that you have started. So, the more heroes you bring in, the greater the chance you will complete Magneto. Typically, it will take 10-12 lit shots to lower Magneto’s damage to zero.

Finally, once the damage meter is down to zero, the Magneto lock is lit. Shoot it for the Super Jackpot which is a base value of 4M plus 400k for each hero started plus 200k for each ball beyond two balls that brought into multiball plus another 2M if you have completed Magneto in a previous Magneto Multiball. Additionally, if you brought all 8 heroes in, 1.6M is added to the Super Jackpot total. So, for example, for a 4-ball Magneto multiball with 5 heroes started, the Super Jackpot is worth 6.4M. For 4-ball with 8 heroes started, it is worth 9M the first completion, and 11M for the second completion. Certain shots will now be lit for victory lap points and more Magneto quotes.

Hero Modes:

Start a hero mode by shooting that hero twice, except for Wolverine. By default, only 1 hero mode can be running at a time. Turning Hero Stacking to On in the game settings allows heroes to be run in parallel. A hero can be started additional times by an additional number of shots: 6 for the second time, 9 for the third time. Completing hero modes awards 2-3M points, with the exception of Wolverine multiball. Completing a hero a second time can award up to twice the first completion and a third time can award up to three times the first completion.

Completing a hero increases the bonus multiplier by 3. Bonus multiplier does not carryover to the next ball unless Hold Bonus Multiplier is awarded from Mystery at the Blackbird scoop. Completing the same hero multiple times in the same ball will add 3x to the bonus multiplier for each completion.

Wolverine/Weapon X:

Wolverine is a multiball mode that is is stackable on top of villain modes. Shoot the lit red shots to advance in the multiball mode. The red shots that flash faster advance you faster out of his captivity. The DMD also indicates which half of the playfield advances Wolverine faster. The first Mystery award from the Blackbird will be an add-a-ball. After shooting a path, an armed guard will be on the DMD and lit at Wolverine. After shooting thru a path and thru a few armed guards, an armed boss will be lit at Xavier/Magneto/Cyclops. The minimum path to the boss can be 3 shots and 2 guards, while the maximum can be 7 wrong path shots and 6 guards. Shot any of those shots twice and Wolverine will be lit to bust thru the last door.

  • Shooting the wrong path or the armed guard at Wolverine is worth 250k + 50k for each previous Wolverine completion.
  • Shooting the right path is worth 700k plus 100k for each previous Wolverine completion.
  • Shooting the armed boss shots are worth 900k plus 100k for each previous Wolverine
    completion.
  • Shooting the exit door at Wolverine is worth 2m plus 2m for each previous Wolverine completion
    and adds 3x to the bonus multiplier up to the game’s per ball maximum bonus multiplier.

Beast:

Shoot the Beast shot twice to mutate Beast. Shoot the pop bumpers to rattle Beast’s beakers and mutate Beast after many hits. It’s possible to complete mode by shooting a combination of Beast and the pops.

Xavier/Professor X:

Shoot the mystery shot corresponding to the mutant outline shown on the DMD to complete Xavier. Shooting Xavier during the mode reveals the mystery shot by lighting the lamp corresponding to the switch, but decreases the amount of points given for mode completion. Each mutant outline shown on the DMD always corresponds to a particular switch. If you recognize the mutant outline and know the correct shot, you can finish the mode without having to reveal the mystery shot by shooting Xavier a second time. See the table below for Professor X mutant outlines and their associated shots if you lack psychic powers.

Rogue:

Shoot Hero shots for Rogue to gain that Hero’s power. Shooting 3 Hero shots completes Rogue. Shooting Rogue completes the mode with or without shooting other hero shots.

Storm:

Shoot Storm ramp to end mode. Shoot the Cyclops spinner to make it snow and to complete the mode after many hits. Shoot the pops to create lightning and complete the mode after many, many hits. It’s possible to complete mode by shooting a combinations of Storm, Cyclops, and the pops. (I believe in v 1.51, that Professor X shot will trigger a successful Storm shot when the ball rolls past the switch after the VUK.)

Cyclops:

Shoot Cyclops, and combo the upper flipper into either Storm, Rogue, Professor X, the right pop bumper, or Wolverine.

Iceman:

Shoot Iceman ramp twice to complete.

Phoenix:

Shoot Phoenix right orbit twice as one way to complete the mode. Shoot Cyclops to complete mode after 6 hits. Shoot Wolverine to complete mode after many, many hits. It’s possible to complete
mode by shooting a combinations of Phoenix, Cyclops, and Wolverine.

Villain Modes:

Complete the Rollover Lanes enough times to light the Villain insert at the Blackbird scoop. Alternatively, light the Villain insert by shooting the Brotherhood or the Hellfire Club standup targets. By default, you can stack one Villain mode with a Hero mode. You can also stack Villain modes with Magneto Multiball. Non-multiball villain mode completion can award 5M-12M points.

Sabertooth:

Shots on either the left side or the right side of the playfield will be lit. Shoot the lit shots to fight Sabretooth. Wolverine is always lit, but worth 50k and little damage. Hitting a lit shot or Wolverine moves the lit shots to the other side of the playfield. The mode scoring favors the left shots.

  • Left shots value
    • 300k for the 1st shot
    • 500k for the 2nd shot
    • 700k for the 3rd shot
    • 900k for the 4th shot
    • 1.1M for the 5th shot
  • Right shots value
    • 300k for the 1st shot
    • 450k for the 2nd shot
    • 600k for the 3rd shot
    • 750k for the 4th shot

If the number of right shots exceeded the number of left shots, the final shot has a base value of 4.5M plus a bonus of 150k for each right shot. Otherwise, the final shot has a base value of 4.5M plus a bonus of 200k for each left shot.

If you didn’t finish Sabretooth, damage progress is saved but shots progress is not. So, if you have only two shots of damage left when you restart Sabretooth, the first left shot and first right shot will be worth 300k and the final shot would be worth 4.7M.

  • Optimal pattern:
    • 300k left
    • 50k Wolverine
    • 500k left
    • 50k Wolverine
    • 700k left
    • 50k Wolverine
    • 900k left
    • 50k Wolverine
    • 1.1M left
    • 5.5M final shot
    • for a mode total of 9.2M

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool does bonus damage as if you shot the lit shot, except for the final shot at Wolverine; you still have to hit Wolverine.

Shadow King:

Xavier is lit to start the mode. Shooting Xavier lights a Hero shot. Shoot Xavier or the lit Hero shot to proceed. Xavier is then lit again. Repeat until Shadow King is finished. Points progression starts at 450k, increases by 450k every shot, and ends at the fifth shot for 2.25M. The final shot is worth 5M.

If you restart Shadow King, progress is stored in damage to Shadow King but the shot progress is not, so, a second Shadow King mode starts back at 450k.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool does bonus damage/progression as if you hit a lit shot, except for the final shot at Xavier; you still have to hit Xavier for that.

Hellfire Club:

To be able to choose this villain, qualify it by completing enough left side (Hellfire Club) stand up target hits.

Multiball mode. Shoot the lit red shots. You face three waves of 2-3 gunmen. The position of the gunmen on the DMD corresponds to the shots on the playfield. Shooting shots on the left takes out the gunmen on the left, shots on the right takes out the gunmen on the right. Shots around the center takes out the center gunmen. After the three waves of gunmen, you face Sebastian Shaw. The final shot to complete the mode is worth 4M. You can keep playing this mode and face the Hellfire Club again by keeping multiball in play.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, damages opponents as if you hit the lit shot. Deadpool does not help with final shot on Sebastian Shaw.

Juggernaut:

Lit shots (Storm, Rogue, Cyclops, Iceman) damage Juggernaut’s helmet and awards the jackpot value. Orbit shots (Beast and Phoenix) increase the Juggernaut jackpot value by 100k, with the current jackpot value displayed each successful orbit shot. Cyclops and Iceman shots are worth 300k plus the jackpot value. Rogue and Storm shots are worth 750k plus 2.5 times the jackpot value.

It takes 6 shots to Iceman or Cyclops to remove Juggernaut’s helmet. Rogue and Storm shots are double the damage to his helmet. When Juggernaut’s helmet has been removed, shoot Professor X to disable Juggernaut and complete the mode. The final shot to complete the mode is worth 4M plus 5 times the jackpot value.

If you are unable to complete Juggernaut, the jackpot value is reset to zero on the next Juggernaut mode start, and damage progress is saved.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool alternates between increasing the jackpot score or making a shot to Juggernaut’s helmet.

Brotherhood of Mutants:

Must qualify this villain by completing enough right side stand up target hits.

Multiball mode. Shoot the lit red shots. Each member of the Brotherhood must be defeated, in order, Toad, Blob, Pyro, Avalanche, and Mystique. The first lit shot you make will be the shot that weakens the opponent faster and it will flash faster. Defeating each member of the Brotherhood will reset the weakening shot and the first shot on the next member of the Brotherhood will be the opponent’s weak point. There is a energy gauge at the bottom of the DMD telling you how much life the villain has. Mystique is the last one standing and defeating her is considered to be completing the mode. After defeating Mystique, the Brotherhood keep respawning with the same objectives until you exit multiball play. The final shot to complete the mode is worth 4M. You can keep playing this mode and facing the Brotherhood again by keeping multiball alive.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool deals damage to the current villain as if you hit a lit red arrow. Deadpool does help with final shot to Mystique!

Sentinels:

All shots are lit. Shots on the left damage and destroy the left Sentinel. Likewise, shots on the right damage and destroy the right Sentinel. Destroy 4 Sentinels for 2M each to complete the mode.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool damages one of the sentinels for you.

Omega Red:

Omega Red captures a Hero at the start the mode. Shoot that Hero to free him/her. Then, Omega Red captures a different Hero. Repeat until Omega Red is defeated. Towards the end of the mode, Omega Red captures two Heroes at the same time. Next to Shadow King, this is one of the more lucrative villains, with each lit shot starting at 500K, increasing by 500K to 2.5M. The final shot is worth 5M.

Deadpool: When Deadpool is hired, Deadpool deals damage/progression as if you hit the lit red shot, except for final shot at Wolverine; you still have to hit Wolverine for that.

Wizard Modes:

There are 2 Wizard modes in the game, Danger Room and Dark Phoenix available at the Blackbird scoop when their respective inserts are lit.

Danger Room:

Danger Room is Professor Xavier’s training room for his X-Men.

Lighting Danger Room at the scoop differs based on whether or not you have Hero Stacking turned on.

  • Hero Stacking Off (default): Complete all heroes (there is no requirement to start or complete Magneto).
  • Hero Stacking On: Start all heroes prior to activating Magneto Multiball. Start a max 4 ball Magneto Multiball. Earn Magneto Super Jackpot by defeating Magneto.

This is a mode where you must destroy the lasers, flamethrowers, and electronic tentacles shooting at you. Advancing levels will increase the balls in play. You can still be in the Danger Room mode with one ball in play. The red shots and character inserts on the playfield correspond to the lasers that are to be destroyed.

On the first level, Beast, Phoenix, and Magneto shots are lit for 2M. Completing those shots lights the Blackbird shot for 2M and the next level starts. The second level is a two-ball multiball and Beast, Xavier, Magneto, Iceman, and Phoenix shots lit for 3M, with a final shot at the Blackbird for 3M. The third level is a three-ball multiball and Hellfire, Beast, Xavier, Magneto, Iceman, Phoenix, and Brotherhood targets are lit for 4m, with a final shot at the Blackbird for 4M.

The final level is a four-ball multiball battle with Danger, the android embodiment of the artificial intelligence that is the Danger Room. Storm, Rogue, Xavier, and Iceman are lit for 4M, 6M, or 8M and the Brotherhood and Hellfire targets are lit for 1M. Danger does not have a damage meter.

In the end, this mode can be worth up to 110M. If you fail to complete this mode, completed heroes stay lit, but you can still start the heroes mode again from the beginning and you will not be able to restart Danger Room, even if you complete each hero again. If you succeed in completing Danger Room with a multiball, you retain however many balls you have left from the multiball and completed heroes also stay lit.

Dark Phoenix:

To light Dark Phoenix at the scoop, you must defeat all of the villains. Dark Phoenix is even cooler than Danger Room.

To get to Dark Phoenix, focus on lighting Villain at the scoop and try to have a villain running as much as possible. Two strategies for this:

  • Make sure you light the Launch lanes as many times as possible. Every time a ball comes down a ramp return, concentrate on lining up the Launch lights so that you can collect one of them.
  • Shoot for the Brotherhood and Hellfire clubs, but don’t start actually these modes until you’ve completed the other villains. Once you qualify BH and HFC, it only takes one shot to the respective targets to relight the villain light (as long as you don’t start that MB). This is the quickest way to relight the villain light.

Try to take a villain into Weapon X MB or Magneto MB. This can be just as useful for beating them as Deadpool (almost, anyway).

Generalized villain ranking without Deadpool:

  • Hardest:
    • Shadow King is the hardest for me. Even with Deadpool, you still have to make the final shot to Xavier yourself (Deadpool generally doesn’t make final shots). Xavier is the hardest shot on the board for me.
    • Omega Red. Not as hard as Shadow King, but can be tough. Much easier with Deadpool.
  • Medium:
    • Juggernaut. I usually fight Jugs without Deadpool, but only because he is easy right up to that last shot to Xavier.
    • Hellfire Club. Definite Deadpool Candidate, but can be done without.
    • Brotherhood. Another Deadpool Candidate, but also can be done without.
  • Easiest:
    • Sentinels. Not very hard because you can shoot any shot. I like to start them with Magneto. I rarely waste a Deadpool on them.
    • Sabretooth. Shoot a few combos and he’s done. Don’t really need Deadpool, but sometimes I’ll start him with Weapon X.

I added heading and quick links. I removed hard line breaks.

I added the mutant outlines image that was included in the original doc.