Mars Attacks: Ten Minute Takedown Review - with Tom Vasel

Tom Vasel takes a look at this fast dice flicking game from Steve Jackson

00:00 - Introduction
01:09 - Overview
02:47 - Final Thoughts

[Syncopator]

I would agree that the themeing probably hasn't stood the test of time so well.  But that said, when I was in grade school in the early 1960s, I had the original Mars Attacks bubble-gum cards, and at that time they were AWESOME.  We'd never seen sci-fi trading cards, and these had blood & guts on them-- the series of cards told the story, with a short paragraph on the back of each card.  Martians come to earth, and first they start raygunning people from their space ships.  Scenes of melting bodies and burning buildings ensuded.  Then they unleashed giant robotic machines that ran over people and impaled them on huge pincers.  After that, they modified insects with radiation to make them grow huge and then there were scenes of giant flies carrying people off and spiders wrapping them up and all sorts of horror.  But about 10 cards from the end of the pack, earth finally decides to fight back and there are scenes of the US military battering the aliens-- and of course, the aliens with their exposed brains were really cool looking in the 1960s.  Finally, Earth sends rocket ships to Mars with atomic bombs and blasts them into oblivion on their home planet...  THEN END.   Really cheezy now, but man, back then they were the awesome-est.   Though this game doesn't grab me that much, I did get the dice game-- for old time's sake.  The movie was kinda dorky tho.  It didn't quite hit the feeling of the original cards, which weren't "campy" at the time...

[maxmaxwell]

Agreed, this is a fun dice flicking game. Wish here was slightly more to the mechanics but for about 7 bucks and as easy as it is to play this was a must buy for me after I saw Zee' s Origins preview, been enjoying it for a couple of weeks now. Somehow I think a pack of cards could expand this....

[homelessjoe]

I don't get the "Mars Attacks"  fascination personally. But I guess it's cool that those who are into it have games to play in that theme.

[wetwillyccma]

I thought the same thing you did Tom, so I bought it also. In to my collection! (I have to stop getting too big.) Oh who am I kidding, it will never stop.

[raccoon]

3:30 It's basically a fxxking .... : O

[StrickenRecord]

Gotta admit, thought you were gonna poo-poo the game with how this review began.

[elvishawakening]

I would not pay more then 3 dollars for this.

[DefiasBrotherhood]

This looks better than the Mars Attacks! Dice game.  That one is boring and has terrible artwork.  This at least looks moderately