Alien Kill – Mastertronic, 1984
It’s not very often I get the opportunity to skip instructions, so it was a nice surprise to be able to here. And it’s a good job I did, because there really isn’t much to it, and I’d hate to have to read through dozens of screens of crappy, beeping text to find out that I have to shoot through a wall to kill a blue triangle thing.
Also, I should probably have loaded it on a 48K machine. Ho hum – it’s not interesting enough for me to load it up twice. PLAY out of SPECTRUM, and the next one please…
Well, that’s just fantastic. A game so irredeemably old school that it doesn’t have a BASIC loader. Oh no – you just have to know where to load it to, and what address to RANDOMIZE USR to get it to run.
Y’know, Spin is a fantastic emulator, but the one thing it’s missing is the ability to eject a virtual tape and throw it at a virtual wall in an effort to bounce it into a virtual bin. Maybe I should submit a bug report.
Alien Rain – Impact Software, 1983
Space Invaders again. This time the twist is that the aliens stay at the top of the screen, and one at a time charge towards you one. If they get past you your ship moves a level up the screen. Only one life, and the controls feel very much like Alien Destroyer. And like Alien Destroyer, it’s actually not too bad a game. Six out of ten, for sure.
Alien Rupture – Green Fish Software Enterprise, 1984
I couldn’t get past the title screen. Next.
Awesome Mega Speccy ALIEN Reviews!
I doff my wig in your general direction 🙂
Wrong screenshot is shown for Alien – Mind Games, 1984
Ditto “Alien Curse”. Can’t blame you for getting them all mixed up.
This is why I shouldn’t post articles at three in the morning. The screenies should all be right now. Thanks Eq!
“You know how we’re actually quite lucky that Codemasters don’t allow distribution of their games, so I can use it as an excuse not to review all their ‘Advanced Simulators’?”
Hey, hold on! I’m not having that! You promised a review of every Spectrum game ever, not a review of every Spectrum game that isn’t distribution denied. In fact, you can’t even use that as an excuse, seeing as you have reviewed no less than two “distribution denied” titles in this part.
Therefore I respectfully demand that every Spectrum game – including tons of budget-priced absolutely brilliant advanced simulators (and Alien Death Mine Massacre XII and Alien Abduction Simulator from the CGC) – is reviewed by yourself.
Just remember to delete those distribution denied games after you’ve finished reviewing them, eh?
“I’ve a horrible feeling that phrase’ll be on my tombstone.”
No, your tombstone will read:
‘Here lies Nathan. He never did finish reviewing all those Spectrum games.’
Well, I’ve just checked and it turns out there are, shockingly, only three Simulators in the As, and I think I’ve got them all. (On tape! On tape! Don’t sue me!) So I suppose I can put those in the end-of-letter round-up (which is going to be longer than the Alien Special at this rate).
As for the CGC entries, well, er… I’ll definitely get back to those at some point, perhaps in their own ‘special’ section. After I’ve dealt with the numbered games. And all the Spanish text adventures.
Eth eth eth eth. Lawks! Schminky pinky CHRIS WADDLE.
Alien – scorchio!
you’re a genius
whoever did this site
utter genius
bookmarked this bad boy
you know, im very very hungover, but whoever did this writes the funniest reviews too
you’re a genius
should be sitting with mr gorman on the tv
“should be sitting with mr gorman on the tv”
Surely the sofa would be move comfy?