Max Damage and the Alien Attack Arcade Pokies Review

There are literally thousands of online pokies that can be played for real money these days, but very few compare to Microgaming‘s September 2012 release of Max Damage and the Alien Attack. It’s a skill-based arcade pokies machine that delivers genuine shoot’em up action, just like the arcades of old.

Technically speaking, it’s not a pokies machine at all. There are no reels, no paylines, no wilds, and no free spins to be awarded. Microgaming’s Max Damage and the Alien Attack is truly the first skill-based, real-money gambling game to hit the digital market, well ahead of its time as land-based casinos are just now taking up these arcade-style pokies in an effort to attract millennials to their floors.

Max Damage and the Alien Attack Review

News Flash – The aliens are attacking planet earth!

There’s only one man who can stop them, and his name is Max Damage. Donning his futuristic space suit and high-tech laser equipment, the sparkly-toothed, red-headed hero climbs aboard a rocket-fueled spaceship to intercept the enemy attack…

That’s where players come in, taking control of the destroyer to eliminate alien spaceships as they make their way towards earth. Players use the arrow keys on their keyboard to move left or right, and the spacebar to fire on the enemy ships before they reach the planet.

To make things a little easier, players can click the Auto-Fire button at the bottom of the screen. There’s also a Pause button, in case you need to make a stop at the little girl or boys room.

Although this arcade pokies doesn’t supply the traditional wilds, scatters and free spins most of us look forward to in a pokies machine, there are still plenty of freebies to take advantage of and help you on your quest to save the world. In true shoot’em up arcade fashion, players will receive random boosters for killing enemy ships. These include things like heat seeking missiles, health boosters, damage shields, ship upgrades, nukes, extra lives and more.

Players work to progress through 9 levels of game play, each being a little harder than the last. In the first level, all alien ships slowly float down from the top of the screen towards earth, giving the player ample time to slide back and forth across the screen and blast them out of space. Those ships get a little faster with each new level, eventually gaining the ability to change direction, slide in from the side of the screen and fire missiles back.

You’ll start with 3 lives, and will lose a life anytime an alien ship makes it past your defenses to reach earth. If an enemy is getting to close, you can slide into it to blow it up, but your own ship will take damage. Lose enough health, and you’ll lose a life for that too.

Every alien destroyed and level beaten harvests coins to determine payouts. The highest pays are awarded for beating the alien bosses on levels 3, 6 and 9. It’s not just about winning money, though. You’re also fighting for your reputation.

Max Damage and the Alien Attack is the first Microgaming arcade pokies to incorporate a leaderboard, again mimicking the 1980’s arcades so many of us grew up on. Taking out the final level 9 boss – and earning enough score along the way – earns an esteemed place on the Max Damage leaderboard.

The game ends when the player runs out of lives or defeats the level 9 boss. At that point, the score is tallied up and all payouts, if any, delivered.

If you’re the type of person that would rather click a button and cross your fingers, this skill-based pokies game may not be your cup of tea. But if you grew up on skill-based arcades and think you have what it takes to blast away those alien invaders, you’ll love this game as much as I do.

Max Damage and the Alien Attack arcade pokies can be played at Royal Vegas and most other Microgaming powered online casinos.