Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Attack from Mars is the table that makes this pack worth owning. Within a few shots, you are firing at a flying saucer, knocking around four green Martians, and pushing back an invasion of Earth before taking the fight to Mars. It is a theme that pinball understands perfectly: every major shot feels like it belongs to the same escalating battle, so even an average game has a sense of momentum.

The saucer is the star. Hitting it is immediately satisfying, and it gives your shots a clear focal point without making the rest of the table feel irrelevant. The strobe-lit Strobe Multiball adds a big, unruly reward when the action breaks open. Attack from Mars shares layout ideas with Medieval Madness, and you can feel why that style endured: it gives you obvious goals, satisfying targets, and enough spectacle to make repeated attempts feel lively.

Genie comes from a very different pinball era and asks you to slow down. Its goals are fundamentally score-driven: build the end-of-ball bonus and multipliers through drop targets and rollovers, while chasing the special. That simplicity can feel stark after Attack from Mars, especially if you want a table full of theatrical objectives. Give it a few games, though, and its demands become clearer: precision matters, route choices matter, and squandered balls hurt.

The widebody layout helps Genie stand apart, as do its five flippers and the small upper-left mini-playfield with two smaller flippers. It is an unusual arrangement that makes the table feel more like a demanding score machine than a quick mission. You may bounce off it if you need constant new objectives, but classic-pinball fans will appreciate a table that turns a clean bonus-building game into its own reward.

Graphics

Attack from Mars has the flashier table art and toys: a saucer sitting at the top of the playfield, four dancing green Martians, and a strobe light during Strobe Multiball. These are bold, playful sights that fit the 1950s-style alien-invasion mood.

Genie looks more mechanical and old-school by comparison, with its broad playfield and compact upper-left mini-playfield drawing your eye to the extra pair of small flippers. The contrast makes switching between the tables feel like jumping across two distinct pinball generations.

Story

Attack from Mars has a simple, wonderfully silly arcade narrative: Martians are attacking major cities, Earth needs saving, and eventually you head to Mars to bring down the Martian Empire and take the planet. It is not story in the cutscene-heavy sense; it is a running excuse for the table’s targets and escalating mayhem. That is exactly what it should be.

The strength is how clearly the objective reads while you play. You are not merely farming points from disconnected lanes. The saucer, Martians, and trip to Mars all feed the same invasion theme, which makes progress feel more memorable than a typical score chase.

Genie does not try to compete on narrative. Its drama comes from the ball, the accumulating bonus, and the possibility of earning the special. For a 1979-style table, that stripped-down focus is fitting, though it also means its personality emerges through repeated play rather than a campaign-like sequence of goals.

Overall Experience

This pack succeeds because it does not give you two versions of the same table. Attack from Mars is lively, approachable, and packed with obvious targets that invite one-more-game retries. Genie is slower, tougher, and more interested in disciplined scoring. Together, they cover both the immediate thrill of themed 1990s pinball and the measured craft of an older widebody.

If you are only here for one table, make it Attack from Mars. Brian Eddy’s design remains an easy favorite: the saucer is memorable, the Martians are goofy in the right way, and the invasion objective gives every successful run a satisfying shape. It is the sort of table that can hook you before you fully understand its scoring.

Genie is the deciding factor for the pack rather than a mere extra. You should give it time if drop-target accuracy, rollovers, bonus multipliers, and a less guided pursuit of points sound satisfying. If that style leaves you cold, Attack from Mars still carries the purchase. For more virtual silver-ball context, see the related Pinball Arcade entry.

Retro Replay Score

8.2/10