Alpha Strike Laser Tag

This place is super fun for indoor laser tag playing. The staff are awesome and most often join in on your games.
Not a big fan of putting strangers on your team… would rather the opposition, because, hey, i get confused easy.
Great place for some quick fun.

I’ve gone back to Alpha Strike a couple times since the Unilocal challenge get together and it’s always a fun time.
It’s a lot of fun playing with people you know and it’s just as fun playing against people you don’t know.
Staff seem to always be polite and answer any questions you have.

I played laser tag for the first time this past weekend in honor of my boyfriend’s birthday, and I’ve got to agree with my fellow Unilocalers — it was crazy fun.
Now, before going on I’ve got to level with y’all. I’m terrible. No, no, I mean TERRIBLE. While my friends were getting scores in the 500‑1500 range, my scores were 342, 79 and 423.
79 points. (Though a friend told me someone he played with once got zero points, so I guess it could’ve been worse. And in my third game I found out that you can just hold in the trigger, not click it three individual times, so that helped.)
So yes, laser tag? Such a blast. My one complaint was that time seemed to fly by, but that’s probably just because I was having so much fun. I also loved hanging out in the arcade between games, surprising people with my skills in foosball and arcade basketball. It’s too bad this place is in Burnside since that’s awfully far, but I’ll totally be back.

Over the past few weeks I’ve come to realize that I rather enjoy laser tag! I’ve played twice, once with my new office over lunch, and once with some Unilocalers.
The location definitely leaves something to be desired if your car-​less, because it’s in Burnside, though it is fairly close to the bus stop. The inside space is a little barren but it serves its purpose. There are some arcade style games (including obnoxiously loud air hockey) and snacks in the main area. There are also 3 party rooms which can be opened up to accommodate groups of different sizes.
The actual game room is spacious with lots of walls and partitions to hide behind, and can lead to good strategy or just all around crazyness. The games are about 8 minutes long but feel longer, in a good way. They give you print outs after your game is over, with the different statistics, so remember what your code name is.
I like that if your a group that’s playing alone, they allow you to change things up, like create smaller teams, have one shot kills etc.
I also enjoy how easy they make it for parties, my office scheduled a birthday party package, even thought it wasn’t a birthday, and during the breaks between games we had coins to use in the arcade games, and they have a deal with PizzaTown next door, which delivers pizza, so we had our lunch all set out for us while we were paying a game.
All in all good times, and the prices are really reasonable too. Laser tag, it’s the most fun you can have sober on the Darkside!

I hadn’t played lazer tag since I was a young teen, and I had forgotten how much fun it can be. My first visit to Alpha Strike was in celebration for the 30-​Day Unilocal Challenge — 30 reviews in 30 days.
Alpha Strike is located in Burnside, a place that seems to shut down at dark. You may have difficulty getting there, although you can see it from the highway my GPS didn’t know where it was. Myself and the other victorious Unilocalers played three rounds; 2 in teams of 4 and 1 in pairs. It was late in the evening, therefore leaving the playing field just to our group.
You purchase your game passes from the counter, and the staff let you know when to enter. First, you watch a brief video that instructs you how to use the guns. After the video finishes you are moved to another room where it’s time to suit up! Let the games begin!
For the basic players (which we were), there are two weapon types; the blazer and the phazer. There are also two ways to play; with one-​hit kills and three-​hit kills. (I recommend the one-​hit kill) The field is large with plenty of nooks to hide in, the maze is colorful and lit with black light. There are power stations where you can receive additional points.
There seemed to have been two kinds of players in our group; those who went for it and those who hid and waited. I’m no COD sniper by any means, but did enjoy some good hits while sneaking up behind my opponents.
At the end of the 8 minute rounds we were provided with print-​outs with our game stats, which let us know exactly where we stood in comparison to our opponents. Stats include as well with your point total; «Most Accurate» and «Mr. Trigger Happy» (I got one on those).
In the waiting lobby there are big booths to sit, a canteen and arcade games to tie you over until your next round or to review your strategies. Trash talk highly recommended.

My first visit was for the CMYE 30-​Day Unilocal Challenge Victory Party (
). I’m going to tell you right now, it definitely won’t be my last visit. Those three rounds were some of the best fun I’ve had in quite some time.
If you don’t know where you’re going, the place can be a little tricky to find at first. It’s located in one of the many strip malls that line the highway. At night, since most of the area shuts down at 5 PM, it’s a little dark and scary, but don’t worry, it’s worth the eerie trip across the parking lot.
The décor is missing a bit of an identity; a smattering of arcade games are tucked away in the corner while some faux-​Zeus statue lurks over you over the grecian «ruins» that adorn the walls. But, there are some rather comfy booths where you can sit to gather your strength between matches and strategize. You can also refuel with chocolate bars, chips, pop, and Slush Puppies, well-​documented food items that optimize your killing potential.
When your time has come, you are led into the Briefing Room, where you’ll be shown a brief video on how to operate your weapon and the rules of the game. You and your team members, or prey, depending on which side they land, are then led into the «VESTibule» to choose your weapon and gear up. Trash talk is heavily encouraged as it’s the last time you can eye down your future victims before storming into the course. It’s not a game that requires much skill, so don’t be afraid about being the n00b of the bunch; I was, and I got «most accurate» on my first match.
The course itself is pretty big and well done. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide and dart between while you hunt. For an added visibility challenge, smoke is sometimes pumped into the room, really making the place feel like a futuristic warzone. Adrenaline pumps through your veins amongst squeals of delight and doses of fear when you come face to face with your enemy. Those seven or eight minutes are some of the longest until your pack powers down and the game is declared over. You can compare your scores with your friends immediately after the match with cool bar graphs and stats that the staff will give you on a print-​out. Great for boasters and scrap bookers!
I really had a great time, and I’m already planning my next visit for a birthday party. You’re really not too old for this kind of fun.

I’ve never written a review about a birthday party, but I wanted to share a terrific experience with AlphaStrike. We held our daughter’s birthday party at AlphaStrike with seventeen twelve-​year-​old kids. They had a blast! It was a very fun party. Kudos to the staff for a clean, well-​organized site, and for friendly and professional service. I’ve done many parties offsite over the years, and this ranks of one of the easiest and best-​organized. We ordered pizza through AlphaStrike, and the staff picked it up from Pizzatown and delivered it with perfect timing after the first game the kids played. There were napkins, plates, cutlery, pizza cutter, cups, crayons, etc. already provided. The room was clean and organized, with paper on the table for kids to colour, and a few streamers and balloons decorating the ceiling. I brought snacks, juice boxes and an ice cream cakes/​candles. That was all!
We did the 2 hour/​3 game package, and it was action-​packed. The kids loved playing the laser tag, the pizza was good, and they all had fun in the arcade. I ordered treat bags from AlphaStrike, which were nicely presented in white paper bags with a red ribbon. Truly one of our best offsite parties ever.

Loads of fun! I’ve been here a few times now and have had an absolute blast every time.
The last time I went was for my birthday, and since most of my group were 30-​something newbies, they let us go in the maze by ourselves, so we had the run of the place. You can play in teams, but they let us play a different version where we were all pitted against each other. Intense fits of laughter and proclamations of «you suck!» followed.
You get a summary afterwards of who had the most points/​kills, among other scores.
If you have to wait in between games, drop a few tokens in the arcade games scattered throughout the lobby area or enjoy an ice cream.
If you’re serious about your laser tag, you can buy a membership and keep track of your scores/​points via USB drive. Certain nights of the week net you bonus points. They also have all-​you-​can-​play nights a couple times a month for $ 20.

Tonnes of fun. They also do a great job with kids’ birthday parties.

Okay. Let’s get real here for a second. After a couple more visits since my first review, I just need to admit that Alpha Strike is badass and one of my new favourite things to do in the city.
Last night I popped in again with three friends to play a few games. The first two were played against four other people (they actually let us play against them instead of randomizing the team), and then we played two more just the four of us which brings me to a pro tip: going on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8−10pm gets you pretty close to having the place to yourself.
In the games where it was just us, they let us customize the game so that it was every man, woman and child for themselves, one shot kills (instead of three), and three-​second recoveries (instead of ten). We left laughing, sweating, and telling our own war stories for the rest of the night — all for about $ 25 each.
Also, another pro tip: don’t trash talk teenagers before finding out if they’re members who go every week and are about to have their way with you like you wouldn’t believe.

I’ve only been to Alpha Strike once but it was a blast!
A friend took me as a birthday gift and I’m glad she did; we both had a great time.
When you arrive, you purchase tokens for games. After a brief overview of how the game and equipment work, you are let loose in the maze! When your turn is up, you return the equipment and get a print-​out of your scores.
I can’t say how long each game lasts but it’s long enough that you have fun but not so short that you feel cheated.
I’d highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun indoor activity.