The creepiest villain to ever use the royal "we" now has his... I mean their own pinball table. Marvel Pinball: Venom gives Eddie Brock and his evil symbiote alter ego the Zen Studios treatment, and the result is a game of video pinball that is every bit as good as most of the ones that came before. The theming is spot-on, the table design is great, and the price is reasonable. That alone should merit a recommendation, but let's take a closer look.

If you know the slightest bit about Venom, the presentation of this pinball table will make you smile. Granted, I only know the slightest bit about Venom, not being a comic reader and not having seen Spider-Man 3 on account of it apparently being a terrible film. But I know the broad strokes.

So naturally, you can expect Marvel Pinball: Venom to have traces of the sinister black goo of the alien symbiote stuck to the table itself. Even the ball launch looks like a ropey strand of it. The night skyline of New York City illustrates the background, and the table plays host to such well-known locations as the subway, Lady Liberty's torch, and the church bell that proves to be the bane of Venom's existence. Carnage waits just beneath the flippers, waiting for a chance to spring free. And of course, Venom and Spider-Man himself are frequently spoiling for a fight, depending on your skill.

The most important Venom elements in the Spider-Man mythos are present in Marvel Pinball: Venom. Provided you meet the requirements to take part in the special story missions, you can participate in activities such as a battle between Venom and Spider-Man, a multiball phase that is inspired by the Black Suit, a multiplier mission based on the Planet of the Symbiotes, and even good old Flash Thompson makes an appearance as Agent Venom.

There are all sorts of little cameos and winks to comic fans both avid and hardcore; third Venom incarnation Mac Gargan, psychotic symbiote host Cletus Kasady (Carnage), and even She-Venom show up. There are a ton of delightful surprises, and it'll take some serious skill to see them all.

If you've been keeping up with Pinball FX 2 and Marvel Pinball, you have a good idea of the value of Marvel Pinball: Venom. It's $2.99. Your lunch today probably cost more than this table! This is a great table at a great price, and if that makes me sound like one of those jerks you see on television plugging some random product, so be it. Zen Studios has kind of made it to where merely talking about their work is as good as pitching it.