Alien Highway
Encyclopedia
Alien Highway: Encounter 2 is an isometric
3D
arcade adventure game released by Vortex
in for the Sinclair Spectrum
and Amstrad CPC
. It was programmed by Mark Haigh-Hutchinson
and is the sequel to Highway Encounter
.
A notable difference is that the player has a single Vorton with an energy meter, instead of five lives; accordingly, the bomb must be pushed by the player, whereas in the previous game it was pushed by the player's spare Vortons.
, the developer
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
arcade adventure game released by Vortex
Vortex Software
Vortex Software was a video game developer founded by Costa Panayi and Paul Canter in the early 1980s to sell the game Cosmos which Panayi had developed for the Sinclair ZX81...
in for the Sinclair Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
. It was programmed by Mark Haigh-Hutchinson
Mark Haigh-Hutchinson
Mark Haigh-Hutchinson was an English video game developer. He is most notable for working on Paperboy, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Star Wars and the Metroid Prime games.-Biography:...
and is the sequel to Highway Encounter
Highway Encounter
Highway Encounter is a computer game released on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Commodore 64 by Vortex Software in 1985...
.
Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to Highway Encounter, with the player controlling a "Vorton" robot in its attempt to deliver a bomb to an alien base at the end of a highway. Various enemies and obstacles lie in its path.A notable difference is that the player has a single Vorton with an energy meter, instead of five lives; accordingly, the bomb must be pushed by the player, whereas in the previous game it was pushed by the player's spare Vortons.
Background
Mark Haigh-HutchinsonMark Haigh-Hutchinson
Mark Haigh-Hutchinson was an English video game developer. He is most notable for working on Paperboy, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Star Wars and the Metroid Prime games.-Biography:...
, the developer
"After Highway Costa [PanayiCosta PanayiCosta Panayi was a computer game programmer during the 1980s. He founded Vortex Software with Paul Canter, publishing games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC....
] wanted to come up with something completely different again. Since I was now working full-time for Vortex it was decided that I should write Alien Highway whilst Costa developed his new ideas. I had previously written Android One for the Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPCThe Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
(in my spare time at University) and then converted Highway Encounter to the CPC in 8 weeks after graduation. Alien Highway attempted to retain the essence of the original game yet expand the gameplay and introduce a random element into the game. It was also considerably faster than the original."