Attack from Mars

*Attack From Mars*
Manufacturer	Midway
Release date	December 1995
System	Midway WPC-95
Design	Brian Eddy
Programming	Lyman F. Sheats Jr.
Artwork	Doug Watson
Mechanics	Robert C. Friesl
Music	Dan Forden
Sound	Dan Forden
Production run	3,450

Last updated February 12, 2024

Attack from Mars is a 1995 pinball game designed by Brian Eddy, and released by Midway (under the Bally label).

Notable features on the playfield include four mechanized Martian figures, a strobe light (for Strobe Multiball), and several flying saucers mounted above the ramps/loops. The largest of these, placed above a set of targets at the top center of the playfield, can shake and flash in time with the player's success in defeating Martian forces.

Objectives

Six objectives must be completed in order to qualify for the Rule the Universe wizard mode, as follows:

Super Jets: Score a specified number of hits on the pop bumpers to light Super Jets (worth 3 million points per hit).
5-Way Combo: Make at least five lit shots in quick succession.
Super Jackpot: Shoot the lock repeatedly to lock three balls and begin regular multiball, with both loops, both ramps, and the lock lit to award jackpots. Collecting all five lights the Super Jackpot, which cycles among the five shots; shooting the lit one awards the points and relights all jackpots at increased value.
Martian Multiball: Hit all seven MARTIAN targets to light Martian Attack at the "Stroke of Luck" scoop. Once the mode is started, destroy four Martians (by hitting T, I, any of M-A-R, and either of A-N) within 30 seconds to begin Martian Multiball. This is a two-ball mode in which all MARTIAN targets can be hit for extra points.
Total Annihilation: Shoot all four ramps/loops three times each. Each of the first three ramps/loops completed in this fashion will start a hurry-up countdown, collected by hitting the saucer at the top center. The fourth immediately starts Total Annihilation Multiball (four balls), with all four shots and the lock lit for jackpots.
Conquer Mars: A bank of three stand-up targets rises to block access to the saucer. Hitting all three lowers the bank and starts an attack wave, in which the player must defend Earth against the Martians by repeatedly shooting the saucer. Once five waves are completed, the player can start a sixth one in which the goal is to destroy Mars by shooting the saucer 10 more times.

Once all six objectives are met, the player can shoot the "Stroke of Luck" scoop to begin Rule the Universe. This is a four-ball multiball, with every playfield shot and target lit for maximum scoring. If the player scores at least 5 billion points without losing every ball, the playfield briefly goes dead and a further 5 billion points are awarded before play resumes.

Multiballs

The game includes five multiball modes, the four described above as well as Strobe Multiball (three balls), which can only be started as a random "Stroke of Luck" award. The stand-up target bank rises to block access to the saucer; repeated hits to these targets score points and give awards.

If the player starts either regular multiball or Total Annihilation while Martian Attack is in progress and then destroys all four Martians, Martian Multiball will begin as well. If the player starts Martian Multiball and completes all four ramps/loops, Total Annihilation will begin as well, with a total of four balls in play and a new ball saver.

Game quotes

"Nobody messes with the USA."
"Take that, you pasta head!"
"Sacre Bleu! The martians are destroying the Eiffel Tower!"
"Get your hands off me! All four of them!"

Sequels

Attack From Mars was followed up with Revenge From Mars , released in 1999. It was designed by George Gomez, and it featured most of the original AFM design team. It was the first game to run on Williams' Pinball 2000 platform. WMS Industries introduced slot machines in 2011 called Attack from Mars and Revenge from Mars.^[1]

Digital versions

Attack from Mars is available as a licensed table of Pinball FX 3 for several platforms and formerly available for The Pinball Arcade. Attack from Mars was also included in the arcade game UltraPin. In 2019 ZenStudio released Williams Pinball on IOS and Android and included Attack from Mars. Unlicensed recreations of the game are available for Visual Pinball.

Remake

In 2017, the Chicago Gaming Company released three new editions of the classic Williams title: Attack From Mars Classic, Attack From Mars Special Edition, and Attack From Mars Limited Edition.^[2]^[3]^[4] Each edition has some cosmetic differences, including different options for cabinet trim, a large color display with HD graphics, lighting effects on the speakers, and an animated topper on the backbox.

Related Research Articles

<i>Medieval Madness</i> 1997 Williams pinball machine

Medieval Madness is a Williams pinball machine released in June 1997. Designed by Brian Eddy and programmed by Lyman Sheats, it had a production run of 4,016 units. As of April 3, 2022, the Pinside pinball community lists it as the #2 highest-ranked pinball machine ; many adherents consider it the greatest of all time.

<i>The Addams Family</i> (pinball) Pinball machine adaptation of the 1991 film of the same name

The Addams Family is a pinball machine released in March 1992. It was designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar and released by Midway. It was based on the 1991 film of the same name, and features custom speech by the stars of the film, Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia. It is the best-selling solid state pinball machine of all time with 20,270 units sold.

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> (pinball) 1993 pinball machine

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a widebody pinball game, designed by Steve Ritchie and released in November 1993 by Williams Electronics. It was part of WMS' SuperPin series, and was based on the TV series. It is the only pinball machine that features three separate highscore-lists. Apart from the regular highscore-list and the buy-in-list, it also features a reminiscence to The Machine: Bride of Pin*Bot billionaires club. It is also the third pinball game overall based on the Star Trek franchise, following the 1979 pinball game by Bally, and the 1991 game by Data East, and preceding the 2013 pinball game by Stern.

<i>Twilight Zone</i> (pinball) 1993 pinball machine

Twilight Zone is a widebody pinball machine, designed by Pat Lawlor and based on the TV series of the same name. It was first released in 1993 by Midway. This game is part of WMS' SuperPin line of widebody games alongside Star Trek: The Next Generation and Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure.

<i>Cirqus Voltaire</i> 1997 pinball machine

Cirqus Voltaire is a 1997 pinball game, designed by John Popadiuk and released by Williams Electronics Games. The theme involves the player performing many different marvels in order to join the circus. Some of the game's distinctive features include a neon light running along the right-hand ramp, a pop bumper that rises up from the middle of the playfield at certain times, and a magnet at the top of the left ramp that can catch balls and divert them into the locks. The most notable feature is the Ringmaster, a head that rises at certain times and taunts the player.

<i>High Speed</i> (pinball) 1986 pinball machine

High Speed is a pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics in 1986. It is based on Ritchie's real-life police chase inside a 1979 Porsche 928. He was finally caught in Lodi, California on Interstate 5 and accused of speeding at 146 miles per hour (235 km/h).

<i>The Getaway: High Speed II</i> 1992 pinball machine

The Getaway: High Speed II is a 1992 pinball game by Steve Ritchie. It is a sequel to 1986's High Speed.

<i>Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure</i> 1993 pinball machine

Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is a 1993 widebody pinball game designed by Mark Ritchie and released by Williams. It was based on the Indiana Jones movies. It was also part of WMS' SuperPin series of widebody games.

<i>Demolition Man</i> (pinball) 1994 pinball machine

Demolition Man is a Williams pinball machine released in February 1994. It is based on the motion picture of the same name. It is part of WMS' SuperPin line of widebody games.

<i>Fish Tales</i> (pinball) 1992 pinball machine

Fish Tales is a fishing-themed pinball game released by Williams in 1992. It is one of the top 20 most produced pinball machines of all time, selling more than 13,000 units.

<i>The Flintstones</i> (pinball) A pinball game

The Flintstones is a pinball game released by Williams in 1994 and based on the movie of the same name which is based on 1960–1966 animated television series of the same name. This machine is not to be confused with another pinball machine, a redemption game, based on the TV series and also released in 1994, manufactured by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment (ICE).

Doctor Who is a pinball machine designed by Bill Pfutzenreuter (Pfutz) and Barry Oursler, and released by Midway in September 1992. It is based on the television series Doctor Who. As stated in the Gameplay section, the rulesheet is rather different from other pinball machines released at the time, which didn't help popularity as casual players did not understand the complex rule changes that occur during the game.

<i>No Fear: Dangerous Sports</i> 1995 pinball machine

No Fear: Dangerous Sports is a 1995 pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams. It is based on the clothing line. This game has an extreme sports theme and features skydiving, free climbing, water skiing, extreme skiing, supercross and car racing. This was the last game Steve Ritchie designed for Williams.

<i>Star Wars Episode I</i> (pinball) 1999 pinball machine

Star Wars Episode I is a 1999 pinball game designed by John Popadiuk and released by Williams and the second machine to use the Pinball 2000 hardware platform. It is based in the Star Wars film The Phantom Menace.

<i>Monster Bash</i> (pinball) Pinball machine

Monster Bash is a pinball machine produced by Williams. The game features some Universal Monsters including The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy.

<i>Creature from the Black Lagoon</i> (pinball) 1992 pinball machine

Creature from the Black Lagoon is a pinball machine designed by John Trudeau and released by Midway. It is loosely based on the movie of the same name. The game's theme is 1950s drive-in theater. The pinball game was licensed from Universal Studios by Bally so that all backglass and cabinet artwork and creature depictions would resemble those of the original movie.

There have been four pinball adaptations of the film Jurassic Park franchise: a physical table released by Data East the same year the film came out, Sega's 1997 The Lost World which is based on the second movie of the series, a virtual table developed by Zen Studios on the franchise's 25th anniversary and a new physical table released by Stern Pinball a year after. All four tables behave differently.

<i>Revenge from Mars</i> Pinball machine designed by George Gomez

Revenge from Mars is a pinball machine designed by George Gomez and manufactured by Williams Electronics Games in 1999. It is the sequel to the similarly themed Attack from Mars.

<i>Who Dunnit</i> Midway pinball machine

Who Dunnit is a Midway pinball machine with a 1940s style and a murder mystery theme. The playfield features up to five different murder mysteries in which the player must find clues and evidence by making indicated shots. The machine accepts up to four players, and features four-ball play.

<i>Hurricane</i> (pinball) 1991 pinball machine

Hurricane is a pinball machine released by Williams Electronics in August 1991. It was designed by Barry Oursler as the third game in Oursler's amusement park themed pinball trilogy. The first being Comet, released in 1985, and the second being Cyclone, released in 1988.

References

↑ "Attack From Mars Slot Machine (WMS Gaming) (The Best of 2011)", YouTube review, December 26, 2011
↑ "Chicago Gaming Company".
↑ "News : Attack from Mars Remake on the Assembly Line". 13 May 2017.
↑ "Chicago Gaming Unveils Attack From Mars Remake, Brings Pinball Manufacturing Home | Articles | Vending Times". www.vendingtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25.

External links

Official Attack From Mars page
Attack from Mars at the Internet Pinball Database
Attack From Mars promo video
YouTube - eight minutes of gameplay with Attack From Mars

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Attack From Mars Slot Machine (WMS Gaming) (The Best of 2011)", YouTube review, December 26, 2011

[2] "Chicago Gaming Company".

[3] "News : Attack from Mars Remake on the Assembly Line". 13 May 2017.

[4] "Chicago Gaming Unveils Attack From Mars Remake, Brings Pinball Manufacturing Home | Articles | Vending Times". www.vendingtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]