website/content/software/alien-invasion.md

title, tags, years, params

title	tags	years	params
Alien Invasion	shoot them up	1979	image specs screenshots machines company oc_id source /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_alien-invasion_s1.png label value year of release 1979 label value companies Zircon International Inc. label value type game label value media cartridge label value systems Fairchild Channel F label value number of players 1 player, 2 players (alternate), 2 players (cooperative) label value staff Brad Reid-Selth title subtitle text image 1 player game /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_alien-invasion_s1.png title subtitle text image destroy the mother ship! /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_alien-invasion_s3.png title subtitle text image 2 players game /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_alien-invasion_s2.png title subtitle text image easter egg - programmer's name! /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_programmer_ss.png title subtitle text image easter egg #2 - mother ship is now a duck! /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_duck_ss.png title subtitle text image cartridge /media/museum/software/fairchild_channelf_alien-invasion_cart.jpg /museum/fairchild-channel-f /companies/fairchild 71 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230529193248/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=71 2023-05-29

"You are responsible for defending the Earth against an army of alien invaders. The task is not easy. The attackers relentlessly descend toward the Earth as they fire their missile salvos in an attempt to destroy you."

Alien Invasion is an obvious illegal clone of arcade hit Space Invaders from Taito (1978). It is apparently the first adaptation of Space Invaders on a home video game system. And not a bad one considering the system possibilities and the early date.

This version offers some interesting variations from the Arcade version: the 10 options let you specify the number of alien missiles fired at the same time (2 or 4), the number of missiles fired at the same time by the players (1 or 2) and number of players (1 player, 2 players alternate, 2 players cooperative). This last mode, 2 players playing at the same time, is quite innovtaive.

Alien Invasion was the last cartridge produced for the system (Channel F II at the time), by Zircon. It was apparently sold only through mail-order, and was possibly the most complicated game for the console.

Alien Invasion is also known as one of the first games to feature easter eggs (along with other 1978 games, the very first being the Fairchild Channel F demo cart released in 1976!).