Here we have a 1995 Gottlieb Mario Andretti pinball machine in action.
This is genuinely one of my favourite machines from the 90's. The rules are unique, but are easy to understand. The shots are satisfying and the playfield layout is fun. The art package is decent and the sound is good. It's just a fun machine all around and can generally be found for much less than the standard fare from Bally/Williams and Data East from the same era.
The basic goal of Mario Andretti is to finish three races in first place. Doing so takes the player to the World Championship race. Races are completed by hitting the pop bumpers, sling shots and lit targets. Hitting these things moves your car around the track in the centre of the playfield. Hitting the green-lit shots ensures Mario remains in first place for the race. Hitting red shots drops Mario down to 2nd or 3rd place. If the race is completed in first place, Mario moves on to the next race. Regardless of the place at the end of the race, the player gets to choose a multiball mode and has either a two ball or three ball multiball, depending on whether the player is successful in plunging the ball to the correct spot.
The car models spin around the centre of the playfield when certain shots are hit and during multiball. The cars also act as hittable obstacles due to the posts that hang below them.
The game has adjustable settings that keep the centre post between the flippers up for periods of time as well as the kickback in the left outlane and the ball save gate in the right outlane. As a result of these settings, games can be made to last a long time, which may appeal to the younger crowd.
Mario Andretti was designed by Jon Norris with artwork by Constantino Mitchell and Jeanine Mitchell.
For more information on this game, see here: www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=3794