Alien (Atari 2600)
Alien is a 1982 maze video game for the Atari 2600 published by 20th Century Fox.[1] It is a maze game,[2][3] based on the 1979 Alien film, and was written by Doug Neubauer who is credited in the packaging as "Dallas North." Neubauer is best known for 1979's Star Raiders. Alien for the Atari 2600 is the first officially licensed game of the Alien film series.
| Alien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Fox Video Games |
| Publisher(s) | Fox Video Games |
| Designer(s) | Doug Neubauer |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release | November 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
The player controls a member of the human crew pursued by three aliens in the hallways of a ship. The goal is to destroy the alien eggs laid in the hallways (like the dots in Pac-Man). The player is armed with a flamethrower which can temporarily immobilize the aliens. Additionally, "pulsars" (like the power pills in Pac-Man) occasionally appear which turn the tables, allowing the human to overpower the aliens.
Level 1
Level 2
Reception
Alien was released for the Atari 2600 in November 1982.[4]
From contemporary reviews, The Video Game Update did not recommend the game, stating it was a "one more rehash of the eat-the-dot maze" finding the graphics to be "only fair and game play is just too much like other games already available to create much interest."[5]
References
- "Alien (Atari 2600) – Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- Corriea, Alexa Ray; Riendeau, Danielle (2014-10-03). "From Atari to Isolation: A video and written history of Alien games". Polygon. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
- Buffa, Christopher (2014). "Alien Evolution – From Atari 2600 to PlayStation 4". Prima Games. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
- "Availability Update". The Video Game Update. Vol. 1, no. 9. December 1982.
- "Atari 2600-Compatible". The Video Game Update. Vol. 1, no. 9. December 1982.
External links
- Alien at Atari Mania
- Alien can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
