Better Dead Than Alien!

Better Dead Than Alien is an arcade shooter starring Brad Zoom, who battles the Brain Eaters from the Purple Planet in a homage to vintage action games, primarily Galaxians.

Across 75 levels accessed through passcodes, you control a spaceship at the bottom of the screen, firing upward at alien formations while moving in four directions. Some stages feature splitting asteroids or a single boss alien, and aliens with green eyeballs can release power-ups including improved weapons, shields, and bombs.

You have one life, with points awarded both for surviving and for destroying enemies. Careful, slower play can therefore be more rewarding than simply rushing into the action.

Game Details

• Genre: Arcade, Shooter
• Developer: Oxford Digital Enterprises Ltd.
• Publisher: Electra
• Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, Atari ST/STE, Commodore Amiga, Commodore C64/128/MAX, DOS
• Release date: December 31, 1987