Attack from Mars

Attack from Mars is a 1995 pinball game designed by Brian Eddy, and released by Bally Midway. Despite similarities, it was not licensed, or based on the movie Mars Attacks! (1996). According to George Gomez, Brian Eddy had the concept planned long before the movie, as a means of celebrating classic 50s sci-fi movies like The War of the Worlds, but with a modern sense of humour.

Like most pinball games, there isn't really much in the way of plot: the Earth is under attack by Martians, and you must stop them from kidnapping women and destroying the world's monuments, before ultimately taking the fight to the source on Mars itself and trying to rule the universe.

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 when the player destroys it in-game.

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

1) Super Jets: Score a specified number of hits on the pop bumpers to boost their value for the remainder of the current ball.

2) 5-Way Combo: Make at least five lit shots in quick succession.

3) 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.

4) 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. "Martian Bombs" can be earned during the game and used in the 30-second countdown by pressing the ball launch button; each bomb will destroy one Martian.

5) 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. Completing a ramp/loop while a hurry-up is in progress will reset it to a higher value, or immediately award that value if the ramp/loop starts Total Annihilation.

6) 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 a city 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, a four-ball multiball in which all shots and scoring modes are active. The goal is to score 5 billion points without losing every ball; doing so awards a further 5 billion. Once Rule the Universe ends, the player can immediately begin to make progress toward enabling it again.

Attack from Mars is noted for its lasting cultural impact and its ability to appeal to both newer and experienced players, and received attention for its unusually high scoring. The table has a fan layout, meaning all shots can be hit from the two flippers at the bottom of the playfield. The video mode in Attack From Mars was taken from an old Apple II computer game called "Sabotage".

Around 3,450 units were produced, and on release it was reportedly earning around $300-325 a week for operators. A sequel called Revenge From Mars, was released in 1999. It was designed by George Gomez, and most of the original Attack from Mars design team. It was the first game to run on Williams' Pinball 2000 platform.