Comparison: Elite vs N-Strike Part 1.5: Retaliator vs Alpha Trooper CS-18

Because the Recon was such a bad match for the Retaliator, I decided to make this post. It won't count towards the Elite vs N-Strike score because the Retaliator isn't an Elite AT, but it might help those of you trying to pick a new blaster to buy.

Aesthetics:
The Retaliator resembles a generic assault rifle you'd find in CoD games. Combine that with the awesome Elite colour scheme and you get one fine looking blaster.
The Alpha Trooper is quite simple, but looks quite cool with the 18 drum. It's not like the Raider where its 35 drum is overkill; the Alpha's drum is very small and cute.
I prefer the Retal only slightly, because the AT looks kind of cool, especially with its 18 drum.
Accessories:
The Retaliator comes with itself, a stock, a barrel, a foregrip and a 12 clip (mag) with 12 darts.
The AT comes with itself, an 18 drum and 18 darts
The Retaliator comes with a lot more stuff, and so wins this round.
Range/Power:
The Retaliator, as mentioned in the earlier review, gets a consistent 14m with the barrel on, and 11-16m with the barrel off.
The Alpha Trooper gets 11-13m relatively consistenly, with occasional duds and freak shots.
Obviously the Retaliator wins.
Accuracy:
The Retaliator's accuracy is non-existent without the barrel, but surprisingly good with the barrel, being able to hit moderately sized targets at ~12m. The Alpha trooper gets relatively good accuracy, being able to hit a moderately sized target at ~9m. Because both have good accuracy at approx 17% below their full ranges, this round is a tie.
Usability:
The Retaliator is easy to use, rarely (if ever) jams, and comes with a number of useful components. The AT is also easy to use, rarely jams, and its components, though much less than the Retal, are extremely useful. The Retaliator's slide is extremely smooth and easy to pull back, as is the Alpha's pump. Additionally, both have a satisfying muffled *thunk* when fired. I've experienced a few jams with ATs, however this could be put down to user error (I've personally never jammed an AT - my friends jam them), clip (mag)/drum misfeeds and bad darts. I haven't experienced a jam with my Retal, but that's likely because I only use Elite darts with it and it's a lot newer, hence has much less combat experience. The Retaliator's component parts all work extremely well at their functions, as does the AT's dum and slamfire.
Because both are so easy to use, function so well, and jam so rarely this round is a tie.
Rate of Fire:
The Retaliator has roughly the same ROF as the Recon at around 2-3dps. It is limited by its locks and lack of slam-fire. The AT, with its slam fire, is capable of over 5dps.
The Alpha Trooper takes this round with ease.
Capacity:
The Retaliator holds 12 in its clip (mag), while the AT holds 18 in its drum.
Again the AT wins this round relatively easily.
Value for Money/Availability:
TheRetaliator is rare among retailers, but those who do sell them usually have a lot in stock. Likewise, the AT is a Target exclusive, but there is always plenty of stock. Because both are great value for what you pay for, and are both currently equally rare among stores but common in stores, this round is a tie.

At the end of this comparison, the Retaliator has won 2 rounds, the Alpha Trooper CS-18 2 rounds, with 3 ties. Therefore statistically this comparison is a tie. There are some things I should note however. The Retaliator is more effective at longer ranged combat because it has more power than the Alpha Trooper, but the Alpha Trooper is more suited to close combat because it is not at a range disadvantage, and can exploit slamfire to maximum effectiveness. I rarely, if ever use slam-fire because I like conserving darts, so my personal favourite is the Retaliator, but at the end of the day both are equally good choices.