Mac Attack is a Physical Pinball Table designed and illustrated by Tony Ramunni, with music and software by Alberto Frabetti. It was released by Italian Pinball maker Zaccaria (operating as "Mr. Game") in 1989.
As with their other releases at the time, Mac Attack was part of an attempt by Zaccaria to turn their fortunes around with distinctively bold games — in addition to conventional pinball controls, the slanted futuristic cabinet featured two grip handles with firing buttons, a vacuum-formed playfield filled with details, and a 9" color CRT in the backbox. The game itself hints at a Summer Blockbuster plot, as a team of three commandos use Jet Packs, a rocket-powered tank, and their Attack Base full of guns to blast their enemies. Run up the Take Off Ramp to fly into action, fire the two pinball-launching guns at the enemy base, get the Mac Mobile into position, then play through the three Video Modes to qualify for a Special.
Needless to say, Mac Attack is a very hard table to find today, due to both Mr. Game's shrinking fortunes and the machine's unwieldy nature; the cabinets were extremely heavy and hard to move, the legs required a special set of straight threaded pipes for attachment, and there was no provision for rewiring the game for 110 volts, further limiting its reach outside of Italy.
Mac Attack demonstrates the following tropes:
- Ass-Kicking Pose: The backbox art shows the Captain with teeth clenched as he grips a pair of gun controls. Behind him are his two crew members, each with a raised fist and a large gun ready to fire.
- Excuse Plot: More like Implied Excuse Plot, but still...
- Heroes "R" Us: The Mac Attack team appears to be this — they have only three members, but enough hardware and firepower to rival a small country.
- Hostage Situation: One of the Video Modes.
- Jet Pack: Used by the heroes to fly into action, and the subject of one of the Video Modes.
- More Dakka: The backbox and playfield art is covered in large-bore cannons; the player's Attack Base alone has eight gun barrels visible, and that's without counting the two pinball-launching cannons on the cabinet.
- The Smurfette Principle: The Attack team has one (unnamed) female member.
- Faux Action Girl: She is shown only doing two things: standing around, and being a Damsel in Distress in one of the Video Mode games.
- Space Clothes: The Mac Attack team wear form-fitting shiny spandex outfits with round aviator helmets.
- Tank Goodness: The Mac Mobile ground tank, seen on the upper playfield. Hitting a center target with the pinball cannons moves the tank, exposing a ball trap and enabling one of the Video Modes.
- Video Mode: Three of them, all played on the 9" color CRT screen with the two firing buttons:
- The first game has the player use a Jet Pack to fly up the side of a building, dodging gunfire from enemies appearing in the windows.
- The second game requires running and climbing up a construction site to rescue a hostage.
- The third game is a reaction test game, requiring the player to shoot at enemies while avoiding hitting civilians and fellow Mac Attack members.
