Radical - Alien Intruder A very strange beast (Like Tomy 3D)

[joke account]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3211.....1438.l2649

Very weird. Anybody know anything thing about this? Any more games in the series? Google is useless.

[Rik]

Depends on what you consider a 'series'. Radica made several other binocular-shaped games (Google 'Radica Stealth Assault' for one of them, 'Tank Assault' is another). I assume there's others.

They are newer than the types of games I follow (early 2000s I think), and they made a ton of other games and toys... The company was bought out by Mattel in 2006.

[joke account]

[mmackin]

I can be of some assistance on the Radica Alien Intruder. I own one and have played it. Let me start off with; if you like the Tomytronic 3D game machines. You will probably enjoy this one. Radica made a few binocular shaped games, but most of those are not like this. They usually have an LCD monochrome screen inside. The Alien Intruder works a lot like the Tomytronic 3D games. It needs to be lit from above with another light source to backlight the display. It’s a full color display, it looks VFD, but it may be using a colored LCD tech. Not sure on the exact technology. When you get hit in the game there is an LED that does light up.

I’m doing most of this from memory, so a few of the facts may be wrong.

As for a LCD handheld the gameplay in this is one of the more involved games I’ve played. It has quite a bit going on. I can’t remember the number of levels it has, but It may be around 10-12 levels. The game talks, and tells you that there is trouble in a sector 2C. So you look at the galaxy map, which you press a button and it flips up a grid map, this is just a sticker on a piece of plastic, there is nothing fancy here, but it gives you an idea of what obstacles you may run into. So you might have to figure an alternate route. I believe it also pauses the game while you are holding down that map button. So for example you will start in a sector 2A, your mission is to take off from a planet fly into orbit, fly to the correct sector while battling ships. Once you are in orbit, you can turn your ship and a compass will tell you what direction you are moving in N-E-S-W. So let’s say I’m in 2A and need to go to 2C, I’m in orbit but my compass says N, So I’m going to want to turn my ship to the right to face East. There is a control stick with fire button under the system. So you turn right align the ship to E. And then hit the Warp button. This makes for a quicker trip to the sector, and you don’t have to fight while in warp, but you only get to use it once per planet and in one direction. So part of the game is figuring out when to use it. Sometimes you have to move a few sectors over still and you have to battle while doing that. Once you arrive to the proper sector, and do some more battling. The planet starts to show, and then you descend to fly over the planet. Here you will be looking for the landing strip. This is probably the hardest part, because visually it’s not communicated that well. A diamond pattern will display on the ground to indicate that the landing area is coming up. Sometimes you can just land and pick up the survivors, other times there are obstacles on the landing area and you have to do a bombing run first. You also have to land quickly because the runways are not always long enough, and if you overrun you crash. Once you’ve landed you load up the survivors, you takeoff go back into orbit, and dock with a mothership and drop them off. Once you do that you complete the level.

The game has an automatic save function so once you beat a level you don’t play that level again. But each time you die you restart at the beginning of the level you are on. It will keep that level saved so you can play in sessions.

The game gets progressively more difficult. You have to land on more than one planet; there is more than one runway to pick up survivors on etc, figuring out how to get to a certain sector. There is a boss fight once you get to level 5 maybe 6, and then another later on, but I haven’t beaten the game yet.

I personally find the game a lot of fun. There is strategy, action, and a lot of replay value in the game. I like the complexity of the game. You are playing the map grid part in your mind, because besides the grid number indicator there isn’t any visual indication of where you are. Graphically it isn’t that great, I think the 3D Tomytronics are better looking. But the game makes up for it in depth of game-play. I was impressed with the play mechanics. This is a worthy game machine to have, and it deserves a place next to the 3D Tomytronics.

If you have any questions just ask.

[Rik]

Cool, thanks for the info. I may have to try this out just for the game play.

It's definitely LCD though, VFD is self-illuminating (and draws a lot of battery power), thus can be played in total darkness. I don't think VFDs have been used in handheld games since the mid 80's.

Rik

[joke account]

Super intresting info, there, mmackin. Will definately have to add this game to my wanted list

[mmackin]

[mmackin]