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Ahead on Points

From Bandol to Menton, Space Invaders are here

Paris-based artist "Invader" pays hommage to the retro 1970's computer game Space Invaders, reinvented as contemporary urban art. In the last ten years, Invader's tiled mosiac installations ("invasions") have spread to major cities across the world. Equipped with ladder and tile, his mosaics have sprung up overnight fixed high on walls at major important locations. Its now a "reality game".

Last year, thirty five mosiac installations were put in place in twenty four towns aross the Riviera: five in Nice, three in Cannes, and at least one in every main town including St Tropez and St Paul de Vence. Spot them all, grand total of 990 points to be won.

The pleasure is in the hunt, and the discovery. The Earth must be saved, not from so-called Global Warming, but from Invaders from Space. And there's points to win!

Invaders website is here: Space Invaders
(Click on "Cote d'Azur" or indeed anywhere else in the world you fancy - this is Virtualtourist after all) , click on "cities", then click on the invader in each picture to be taken to the next location)

Exciting video of SpaceInvader creating an installation under cover of darkness here

You can find out more, and even join The Resistance, here:

Invader Hunters on Flickr

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Lets spot some of those installed in the French Riviera, and win some points

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The first battlefront opens up: Place Massena

Invaders go shopping!

With its balmy climate, a change of wardrobe is definitely required if you are going to invade the Mediteranean. Girly Space Invaders take time for a little shopping at Nice's Galleries Lafayette at Place Massena. Try out a pixel-hugging little designer number in black. Vavoom, definitely "high score" potential.

Now where was I - ah yes, on with the invasion.

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Invaders love this cute village - twenty points

Every day, tourist invasion. Now, space invasion!

After invading the worlds' major financial and industrial centres - London, New York, Tokyo - Space Invaders have headed south to the Mediterranean, to relax and take in a little history and culture on the way. Here at the entrance to St Paul de Vence, France's second-most visited tourist site, our Space Invader gets out the guide book.

From their video game persona, its easy to assume that Space Invaders are just war-like heartless maraudering aliens, whose sole purpose is our destruction. In fact, they have a sensitive artistic side, with a flair for design. Space Invader Interiors - an exciting new publishing venture, illustrates the latest in modern battlecraft interiors. Far from traditional Alien-style, the smart younger Invader introduces walls in lime, pink and turquoise, with scatter cushions, scented candles, and eclectic taste in ethnic pottery.

Some Invaders have even invested in a little retirement property in the South of France. You can't go on invading for ever.

After a light lunch and a stroll round the gift shops for a little something to take home for Mrs Invader, its back to work. There's more invading to be done.

"Eat leaden death, earthlings" PRESS GO TO CONTINUE.

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Palais Rusca and Palais de la Justice: Nice one

Judicial Invasion: Palais de la Justice square

When the day's video battles are done and the arrow keys fall silent, it's time to chill out a little. Where better than in one of Nice's fine squares opposite the Palais de Justice?. Adjoining the Palais Rusca, and above one of the squares several cafes, our invader sits perched on the wall, reading light above his head. What do space invaders read at bedtime, you ask? Books like "War and Peace", of course, though they tend to skip over the "Peace" bits.

The Invader keeps watch over the wheels of justice opposite, grinding extremely slowly. No doubt wondering if he had made the right career choice enlisting as a Space Invader. " If only we invaders were paid like these lawyers, by the hour, rather than by the victory". Still, its not a bad life being a Space Invader. You get to travel the universe, invade a lot of interesting places, and there's lot of good mates for company.Though admittedly many don't make it past the opening levels.

Next morning, our friend on the wall checks the previous day's Space Invaders obituary notices: several thousand pages long. Then its back into battle formation.

Let waves of wanton destruction commence! PRESS GO TO CONTINUE

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Cannes does the Timewarp (again)

They've taken Cannes! Resistance is useless!

Standing guard over the rue d'Antibes following the conquest of Cannes by Invader. In keeping with history whenever France is invaded, the French immediately capitulated to Invader, setting up a collaboration with their new occupiers.

Ever pragmatic, the Maire commented to the daily Nice Matin:" We are always being invaded, c'est normal. First the Greeks then the Romans, more recently the English, the Swedes, the Italians. Even the Germans, briefly. Why not extend hospitality to our new Space Invading friends?

INSTRUCTIONS FROM SPACE INVADER
There is no time to lose. There are cities waiting to be annihilated.

PRESS GO TO CONTINUE

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Deadly mind-probe rays?

Les Ponchettes and the Quai des Etats Unis

Facing the sun, this invader's eyes reflect beams of light from shadows under the arches of the Ponchettes.

The rays are almost certainly harmless.

Probably.

Though you never know with these invaders. They're tricky. They could be psycho-rays, things that cause humans beings to malfunction, become gullible. Like believing that the solution to interplanetary conflict is through talking to the enemy rather than defeating them. The rays are working!

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Not only blood-thirsty but bloodshot.

Cours Saleya - would Cezanne have approved?

In his cubist period, most definitely.

Overlooking the familiar yellow Cais de Pierlas in Nice's Cours Saleya, surrounded by restaurants and cafes, just one invader, on sentry duty, his eyes a little bloodshot as a result of the previous evenings party in the Cours. One bottle of Pastis too many, these invaders know how to let their pixels down. So the story goes, one evening an invader collapsed directly onto a Scrabble board, covering so many of its squares he acheived the highest known triple word score ever in one go. (Seems no-one challenged the number of O's in "Space Invader")

Update June 2009: Cours Saleya Invader, R.I.P
Lost in Action, this bloodshot little invader pictured is no more, falling victim to the renovation of car parking access in the Cours Saleya. Replaced now with a tasteful period Trompe l'Oeil. One down, but many remain, thirsting for revenge for their fallen comrade...

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Nice Matin 25th August 2008

Media Invasion!

Two weeks after your faithful correspondent NiceLife breaks news of the space invasion on VirtualTourist, the daily Nice Matin (25th August 2008) puts the story on every breakfast table on the Cotes d'Azur. Coincidence? Or possibly we have a spy in our midst. Posing as a virtual tourist but long into the night secretly microfilming VT pages and tapping important strategic information in morse code back to Invader Headquarters.

Hello London calling London calling. The invaders have taken up their position. They are poised for victory. There's only once defense left: to use the secret code. The secret code word is <zzztt..crackle...crackle...brrrrttt crackle >Hello London can you hear me? (zzzztt...crackle...ffftttt>

PRESS GO TO CONTINUE

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and they are spreading...

Mind control!

Not content with capturing our cities, the invaders are now after our youth. How can you tell if your own children have been taken over by the invasion? Telltale signs include long periods of sleep during daylight hours, and the giveaway they have been communicating with distant galaxies - astronomical mobile phone bills.


GAME OVER. INSERT COIN TO BEGIN AGAIN.

or travel to other Riviera Invasions:
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Juan les Pins - the jazz invader

Cannes Croisette, Chanel no5, Invader no2

More to come....