Attack from Mars

Bally

Attack from Mars

Pinside Rating

This game received 1224 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.788 /10

8.788

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 1st in the game group "Attack from Mars". The group itself ranks #4 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.



Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.9

Artwork: 8.567

Sounds/Music: 8.361

Other Aspects: 8.992


Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

9.176

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Found 672 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 672 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 1 of 27.

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9.577/10
60 days ago
One of the most fun pins out there.
9.420/10
65 days ago
I play this often at a local bar. Simple rules but very fun! Always excited to play this pin every time I go! Shots are decent to make and don't have that straight to drain some of the newer pins have.
9.800/10
78 days ago
More or less the perfect game for me- I’ve been lucky enough to play a few examples of this game and it’s always been a joy. The schlocky aliens theme and humour elevate the experience, good risk reward toy to destroy the saucer, the ramps are great and it’s so well done. In the long term this would be a decent game to own as I think it would be challenging to complete rule the universe-as an arcade experience it shines and I always want just one more game to save each country and work through the other modes
9.236/10
81 days ago
I finally got to spend time on an original Attack from Mars at my friend's house. I saw how high the community rating is, and was interested in seeing my take on this game. First of all, the theme is absolutely great. It's funny and really entertaining. The music fits well and all the voices are really well done. On theme alone, it is one of the best experiences you will get playing pinball. Now as far as the play goes, let me explain a little. I am a fan of pinball layouts that have multiple flippers and a wide variety of shots from different directions. Also I'm a fan of a really deep ruleset. This game doesn't check off either of these. And I knew that going in to playing it. What surprised me was how fun the fanned out ramp shots really were and as I kept playing, I started to get the ruleset and figure the game out. Even though it's not the grindy type game I usually like, it was super fun to me. I would say an amazing change of pace game from what I normally go for in a pinball machine. And as I did my ratings, I was kinda surprised how high I rated it as well. I guess it does deserve to be pretty high. Really fun game!
8.747/10
83 days ago
The quinntessential original ip for a pinball game. Easy to learn, hard to master.
7.436/10
3 months ago
Very Popular game, but way overrated from my point of view. When compared with new Keith Elwin's design AFM do not earn many points from rules or lastability. Theme is out of date now days.
9.900/10
3 months ago
The best pinball ever, it’s stood the test of time, the code and gameplay perfect, flows perfect, theme perfect, everything within the game is balanced, awesome shots, fabulous as a home game.
So far this is my all time favourite:)
8.356/10
4 months ago
Love this game. Great theme and great to play!
8.820/10
4 months ago
I prefer AFM to MM. fight me
9.120/10
4 months ago
After playing multiple newer gen sterns this game (in comparison) still remains a lot of fun. So ahead of it's time. The price of this machine reflects that as well.
6.973/10
4 months ago
Love this pin. Theme, artwork, animations, sounds, music and voice acting are done so well. The UFO is really fun to shoot. The barrier in front of it is not that fun to shoot though.

The fan layout would make this game flow but the rules basically just say "shoot the middle" which actually makes it stop & go. All shots are super satisfying. At some point the symmetry of the playfield and the linear code get boring. The inflated points on this machine are weird but somehow they fit.

On the gameplay and playfield side Spiderman by Stern really killed AFM for me. It does everything a little better except of course theme.
9.020/10
5 months ago
Attack from Mars is a true masterpiece and a classic game. It is by far my favorite amongst the WPC-95 (or any Bally/Williams) machines and the best game of the 20th century.

Newcomers to pinball might dismiss the game by saying “It is not complex enough” but for me pinball doesn’t need to be complicated in order to be good. It might be a bit less replayable due to the repetitiveness of the callouts or so but that doesn’t make it bad or inferior to other games.

All of the shots (especially the center ramp and flying saucer) are purely satisfying. The flow of the game is amazing, especially when you have enabled the loop shots to loop the ball around. And if the game is adjusted correctly, the backhand shot of the right ramp is purely satisfying. It is one of the rare times a backhand ramp shot on a WPC-95 game is possible.

The ruleset is not that deep in comparison to modern games but it was truly revolutionary. With this gamecode Lyman Sheats has changed the way we play pinball and how we look at gamecode standards. What makes this code truly iconic is that it was a predecessor to many features we have grown accustomed to today. The grace period on the Jackpots, Combos and the last chance Super Jackpot is awesome. And Rule the Universe, despite being inherently pretty simple by Wizard Mode standards has still influenced many other games’ approaches to final modes. It is non-stop fun and that can also be said about the rest of the ruleset.

The artwork as well as the animations are excellent. Everything perfectly matches the Martian theme. I especially love the backglass art on this machine.

The callouts are the most iconic of any game. Everybody loves hearing that "Multiball!" or "Super Jackpot!".

Overall, Attack from Mars is a truly iconic, revolutionary and fun game which deserves its high spot as it will appeal to beginners and casual players as well as to advanced players.
8.800/10
5 months ago
An absolute classic. Was originally hooked on the VPIN version due to its theme and simple rules. When I stepped up to the real thing though I just loved it more. A game that you can understand in quickly and explain to a complete noob in under 1 minute. It has more depth than just bashing the saucer but that's the great thing about this game. It's fun for pin heads and non pin heads.

The callouts are funny and a joy to listen to again and again. The UFO mech is super satisfying to hit and see destroyed. The little aliens jiggling around during the attack mode is just charming.

Some people get over this game quickly. I can see that. For me it's endlessly playable. I don't own this game (I would if I could) but whenever I see it out on location I make sure to feed it some coins. Partially out of respect for a classic but mostly because I really want to play it.
6.304/10
5 months ago
This one boggles my mind. I have to believe that it’s a running joke for everyone to work together trying to keep this game in the top 5. It’s possibly a top 100 but I prefer every one of the top 100 that I’ve played so far. It’s just way too basic and symmetrical of a layout. Definitely vastly overrated on here in a way that just doesn’t make any sense unless it’s an inside joke. If someone lets me in on it then maybe I will bump my rating up…
9.720/10
5 months ago
Simple layout, but an extremely fun one. This game will never leave my collection
7.696/10
6 months ago
Own the original many years ago. Played it at the Ohio pinball show and felt like I needed to get one. Was able to find one a few hours away for the then HIGH price of $3500. Got it home and played many games on it. Loved the theme and the callouts. Loved how campy it is. The shots are not very varied but the show is fun. My biggest problem with the pin was that after a month, it just didn't hold my interest anymore. I was already looking to trade down and get a couple other machines for the money I had in that pin. I'll play a game of it when I see it out, but I have never regretted selling mine.
8.825/10
6 months ago
I always enjoy playing this classic game. Destroying Martian spaceships is very satisfying. Music and speech are great. One of the best pinballs ever.
9.000/10
7 months ago
This pinball machine is truly one of the best rated pins ever!

Less is more is the magic word here :)
The simplicity makes you want to keep playing.
the gigantic scoring make it more than addictive.

Nice humor and funny language accents :)

The sound of the spaceship as soon as you defeat it remains in your head.

In any case, I would like to own this pinball machine again one day.

I have an FF Premium myself and it doesn't have the theme of a stranger :) #AFM
10.000/10
7 months ago
Just as a pinballmachine should be.
Fun, pretty speedy, balltime not too long, good understandable gameplay.Endgame duable.
Just a few games and start the day, no extreme long rulesheets.But that is a matter of taste.As a retrogame Afm can'
t be better than this.10 plus!!
8.947/10
8 months ago
I played an original Attack from Mars machine and have to say that this game has withstood the test of time and was pretty revolutionary at the time the machine was released. Between saving one country by bashing the alien saucer in the middle of the playfield to the little green aliens shaking you can see why this game had many awesome features which really make you want to play the machine again and again.
8.600/10
8 months ago
This game is probably what a lot of people think of when they think of pinball, very approachable for beginners with a solid ruleset for the more experienced. The Theme is great, the art is great, the music and callouts are great, Bally Williams was at the top of their game.
9.600/10
9 months ago
Crazy and fantastic machine. Probably one of the best Williams Pinball machine with the MM and the MB
9.199/10
9 months ago
I really enjoy Attack From Mars, and I absolutely understand why it is held in such high esteem. I play it most opportunities I get (about once every 2 weeks) but if I was to own it I could see myself growing bored of it. It is an amazing example of what a pinball machine should be, especially for beginners, but the ruleset is not very deep, and if you are competent enough it can become tedious. However if you have not played it or have played it seldomly I cannot recommend enough that you feed it a few quarters next chance you get.
9.056/10
9 months ago
In my opinion this is the best game of the WPC-95 era.

It has a great fan layout with well placed shots with a lot of flow. The rules are easy to understand and they also implemented a nice wizard mode (rule the universe) into the game. It has 3 nice mulitiballs. Overall the game has a lot of humor which makes me smile during playing.

Of course the flying saucer is a great toy and it is always a pleasure to bash.

It is a game that was one of the best at its time (1995), but falls back to modern games due the the lack of a deeper ruleset. It s still a classic that will always keep it's place in the tops!
9.080/10
9 months ago
The original is the best one, such a classic! This pinball makes even people that are not into pinball love it! Great sound, great gameplay and this pin has a easy set of rules. Fun one for sure!
There are 672 ratings on this game. Currently showing results page 1 of 27.

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