The Limited Edition of Stern’s The Avengers, released in 2012 and designed by George Gomez, assembles Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for a fast, hard-hitting machine based on the blockbuster Marvel film. With twin four-bank drop targets, a spinning target, an upper playfield with a bridge that raises and lowers, and a shaker motor, the LE pairs premium art and trim with a layout built around the clash between the Avengers and Loki.
The scoring revolves around the heroes and the villain. Spelling LOKI at the inlanes lights the multiball lock at the left orbit, and completing the Avenger shots lights their inserts in the center playfield — get two lit and hit their shots back-to-back to start a “Vs.” multiball mode. Hulk Multiball is lit by completing the Hulk drop targets three times (the standups behind Hulk spot targets), started at the Hulk saucer. There’s clever skill-shot strategy too: a soft plunge can repeatedly grab LOKI letters, so you only need a couple of left-orbit shots to light the lock for multiball.
Smart play rewards control — a soft plunge gives a gentle feed back to the right flipper, which then lets you hit the left orbit all day, while holding the left flipper and full-plunging around the orbit sets up a 750K-plus Black Widow skill shot. Loud, fast, and packed with superhero spectacle, the Avengers LE is an enjoyable Gomez machine that rewards a player who learns to assemble the team and stack the multiballs. Avengers, assemble — and chase that high score.