Got Alien Hominid! Review!

Verbatum · Nov 24, 2004

First I must give my hats off to the folks at Behemoth for putting up all they did to self-fund this game and keep all thier artistic and publishing rights!

OK, the basics for the PS2 version:

Graphics: 9

+: Great, great hand-drawn art with wonderful animation and hilarious expressions! The screen scales a-la Samurai Spirits, and stage intros are very, very funny! Lots of character here folks!

-: The refresh rate could be a bit smoother.

Sound: 8

+: Very good music that fits the mood and functions well. SFX are very nice and rewarding.

-: The explosions could be a bit more powerful, and while the gun SFX are good, they could be better.

Control: 9

+: Near perfect control makes the game very intuitive to play

-: I really wish you could aim at an angle.

Gameplay: 8

+: Challenging in that Contra sort of way!

-: The curve of difficulty could use a bit of smoothing. For example 1-1 might be a cakewalk, 1-2 hard as nails, then 1-4 easy again.

Fun factor: 10

+: It's been a long time since I have enoyed a game like I enjoy this. Reminds of the old days!

+: With the long levels, over 200 PDA Atari-style-meets-caveman-drawings mini game levels (Plus a level editor to make your own!), challenge levels, and 30 hats to unlock and wear, I really can't see the fun factor drying up any time soon!

Over-all: 9.5

Like Metal Slug and Contra? Do you like goofy shit? Get this game people! Support this company and let them know that you love great 2-D games! I really, really hope they will make more!!!!!

twalden · Nov 24, 2004

Nice review. Did you get the PS2 or Gamecube version? Also, can the controls be re-configured?

Verbatum · Nov 24, 2004

twalden said:
Did you get the PS2 or Gamecube version?

PS2 version sir.

Verythrax · Nov 24, 2004

Cool, I just can't wait to play this.

What you say about the "cheap deaths"?

Orochi Iori Y · Nov 24, 2004

Nice, I will be picking this one up in the next couple of weeks...

syringe · Nov 24, 2004

GC version is supposed to be a bit smoother framerate-wise which is why I'm holding out for it.

Having played the PS2 version of it though...it beats the unmerciful shit out of Slugs 4 and 5 and really it's up there with Slugs 1,X,3 in terms of design and gameplay.

I love the ability to burrow like an orbweaver and dissapear into the ground, not to mention the decapitating head chomp, it's fucking great.

The developers of the game are "on record" fans of the Neo-Geo and the Metal Slug series so in all seriousness this game was made with us specifically in mind.

Sundance · Nov 24, 2004

I played it last nite (PS2 ver.). My friend was holding out for teh GC ver. also but changed his mind when he saw that the PS2 ver. has progressive scan....that and he didn't have prog. scan cables for his GC. All in all i was suprised at how much fun the game was. It's both fun and artistically creative. Visually, it's something of a cross between Earthworm Jim and JSRadio. It plays like a Metal Slug/Contra on steroids though. My only complaint was the fact that you can't shoot in 8 directions, only up, down, left and right. I did like some of the mini-games and thought the buyable accessory section was a cool idea (once you accumulate enough money you unlock wigs, hats, etc to customize you alien). If i had to rate the game i'd give it 8/10 for overall fun and creativity. And its definitely more fun w/a friend. :cool:

Jedah Doma · Nov 24, 2004

I have been very interested in this game as of late, but sadly I don't know if I'll be able to get it. Thanks to low cash and MGS3 owning my soul, it seems I won't be able to play this for a bit.

Although I do have a question that has been asked but not addressed: what about those so called "cheap deaths"? Are they prevelant, or is it just as hard as say Contra or Metal Slug as far as deaths go?

GoSpits · Nov 24, 2004

I play the demo almost every day until I can pick up the GameCube version (should be soon.)
Glad to hear the full game is pretty solid, though. Care to share any more comments on multiplayer? Any slowdown, etc?

Verbatum · Nov 24, 2004

OK folks, about the cheap deaths:

There really aren't any. It just has that balls-to-the-wall hardness at times. There was one point in which I thought a boss was a bit cheap, but then I discovered the right way to do things, and he was a piece of cake.

Really, think of it like Shin Contra+Metal Slug: Master, master, master the patterns.

One thing: The vehicles are FANTASTIC!!! Everything from tanks, trucks, buzzdovers and even Yeti are in here! Also, the spaceship stages are very much like asteroids on crack. On has you getting back your ship armor and weapons, only to be shot down again by Soviet warheads (crazy shit).

Each level has some gurth, and the bosses are really very, very cool. Some even envolve a tiny bit of puzzle solving. They're big, nasty, and fun as hell to thrash!!

I have yet to play multi player, so I can't comment on that. @ Sundance: You un-lock hats by completing and or meeting certian requirements in stages, such as blowing up a specific building and such.

Verythrax · Nov 24, 2004

Cool Verbatum, thanks.

Highlander67 · Nov 24, 2004

Sounds like an interesting game. I played the flash version, boy is that game hard.

GoSpits · Nov 24, 2004

Verbatum: How far are you into it now?
Any repetitiveness at all? Does the full game seem to favour cautious players, aggressive or balls-out? The demo seemed to cater to both types, in my opinion.

Thanks for the details, as I know all we're doing is pulling you away from the game.

redrum666 · Nov 24, 2004

went to eb and gamestop they did not have it yet :blow_top:

Verbatum · Nov 24, 2004

GoSpits said:
Verbatum: How far are you into it now?
Any repetitiveness at all? Does the full game seem to favour cautious players, aggressive or balls-out? The demo seemed to cater to both types, in my opinion.

Thanks for the details, as I know all we're doing is pulling you away from the game.

Well, all games are repetitive to a point. Yes, you shoot a lot. Yes, you blow stuff up a lot. Yes, you bite off heads or throw baddies a lot. At it's heart, it's a Run N' Gun game done to near perfection. The levels add a great deal of variety, and each has it's own flair with lot's of bosses.

I'm about halfway through the game. I could go further, but I'm trying to master it. You know, bit by bit.

vagabond · Nov 25, 2004

I guess Verbatum is a far sexier guy than myself. When I wrote up a thread praising this four days ago, it fell from the first few pages in like 12 hours.

GoSpits · Nov 25, 2004

Verbatum said:
Well, all games are repetitive to a point. Yes, you shoot a lot. Yes, you blow stuff up a lot. Yes, you bite off heads or throw baddies a lot. At it's heart, it's a Run N' Gun game done to near perfection. The levels add a great deal of variety, and each has it's own flair with lot's of bosses.

I'm about halfway through the game. I could go further, but I'm trying to master it. You know, bit by bit.

Yeah, sorry. My fault. I meant to ask how repetitive the level design was. The movie shows quite a few levels, so it seems pretty varied...I was curious if you agreed.
As you described it, it's your classic shooter and I love the genre on a whole.
Don't blame you for going about the game that way, though. Kind of like the Slug series. The more time you spend with it, the more you appreciate its intricacies, right?

Sorry to continually bug you with the questions, though. Go, enjoy the game. I'll be picking mine up Friday. :buttrock:

Verbatum · Nov 25, 2004

GoSpits said:
Yeah, sorry. My fault. I meant to ask how repetitive the level design was. The movie shows quite a few levels, so it seems pretty varied...I was curious if you agreed.
As you described it, it's your classic shooter and I love the genre on a whole.
Don't blame you for going about the game that way, though. Kind of like the Slug series. The more time you spend with it, the more you appreciate its intricacies, right?

Sorry to continually bug you with the questions, though. Go, enjoy the game. I'll be picking mine up Friday.

No problem man! The level design is fluid and varied. Not ot mention they look GREAT! Let me know how you dig it!

Mushiki · Nov 25, 2004

I bought the PlayStation2 release, and I played it for a while.

I am not dissapointed, why? Because I knew this would be a port of a internet Flash game, and nothing more. And that is what it is.

Graphics - The color palette is extremely limited, we see the same enemies attacking us all the time, very little detail in characters overall, the bosses have simple and repetitive attack animations... the only thing I really liked is the explosion animations, other than that, pretty weak.

Music/Sound - Average, doesn't stand out in any way, good or bad. The sound effects fit the game very well, they are repetitive though. The music isn't good, just... average.

Control - Pretty good, but for a shooting game, it offers to much options/variations, it's easy to forget that certain buttons actually do things.

Gameplay - Fun and simple. You have to get used to the weird physics and "flash-type" movement, but entertaining. The bosses tend to have simple and predictable attack routines, and the revival-invincibility time is extremely short. The different weapons are nice, and, like stated before, the difficulty seems to be pretty unbalanced at moments. The game sometimes offers too much options/variations, and you will most likely forget you can do certain things.

This game is "entertaining", but nothing special really. Seriously a slightly modified port of a Flash game. I believe people at NG.com got very excited about this Metal Slug-type game and over-hyped it too much. Some of you may love it, I personally find it pretty mediocre, especially when you consider how hard is for a 2D game to be released nowadays. I congratulate the development team though, they are small, still achieved to release a 2D game on a current generation system.

syringe · Nov 25, 2004

Fact: It's not Japanese so Mushiki hates it.

Who couldn't of seen that coming? :rolleyes:

Mushiki said:
I bought the PlayStation2 release, and I played it for a while.

I am not dissapointed, why? Because I knew this would be a port of a internet Flash game, and nothing more. And that is what it is.

Graphics - The color palette is extremely limited, we see the same enemies attacking us all the time, very little detail in characters overall, the bosses have simple and repetitive attack animations... the only thing I really liked is the explosion animations, other than that, pretty weak.

Music/Sound - Average, doesn't stand out in any way, good or bad. The sound effects fit the game very well, they are repetitive though. The music isn't good, just... average.

Control - Pretty good, but for a shooting game, it offers to much options/variations, it's easy to forget that certain buttons actually do things.

Gameplay - Fun and simple. You have to get used to the weird physics and "flash-type" movement, but entertaining. The bosses tend to have simple and predictable attack routines, and the revival-invincibility time is extremely short. The different weapons are nice, and, like stated before, the difficulty seems to be pretty unbalanced at moments. The game sometimes offers too much options/variations, and you will most likely forget you can do certain things.

This game is "entertaining", but nothing special really. Seriously a slightly modified port of a Flash game. I believe people at NG.com got very excited about this Metal Slug-type game and over-hyped it too much. Some of you may love it, I personally find it pretty mediocre, especially when you consider how hard is for a 2D game to be released nowadays. I congratulate the development team though, they are small, still achieved to release a 2D game on a current generation system.

Hot Chocolate · Nov 25, 2004

The guys at Best Buy look at me like I'm stupid when I ask about it course they do that when I ask about Metal Slug 3 and SvC: Chaos( one of the workers has gone on record as saying the Madden series is the best thing to hit video games )

And my friend at Hollywood Video Game Crazy says it'll be another month or so before they get any

, there's to many games out right now damn it

Mushiki · Nov 25, 2004

Scanline said:
Fact: It's not Japanese so Mushiki hates it.

How many fucking people could of saw that coming?

It's a mediocre game, Japanese or not Japanese, it is still a mediocre game.

If you are a old school/2D/non-mainstream fanboy, that is your problem.

Any of the Metal Slug games is thousands of times better than this game, in every aspect.

syringe · Nov 25, 2004

Right...considering it's getting rave reviews from everyone who's touched the game except for you. As in the person who trashes the Ipod, Xbox, and coincidenty anything else not made in Japan.

Mushiki said:
It's a mediocre game, Japanese or not Japanese, it is still a mediocre game.

If you are a old school/2D/non-mainstream fanboy, that is your problem.

Any of the Metal Slug games is thousands of times better than this game, in every aspect.

Mushiki · Nov 25, 2004

Scanline said:
Right...considering it's getting rave reviews from everyone who's touched the game except for you.

The same person who trashes the Ipod, Xbox, and anything else not made in Japan.

Regarding the reviews, not my fault, if people like Flash games, not my bussiness. Just like with Sons of Liberty - almost everyone "hates" it, but it is one of the highest rated games ever.

I trash the Ipod? I have several Ipod-mini, but I don't use them as portable music players, since I prefer Hi-MD. And I love Apple products.

When did I say I am against the Xbox? I enjoy playing Halo2, Burnout3 and Dead or Alive Ultimate a lot. I also play some of the earlier titles as well.

Me, Now Loading and CurtWRX are not the same person, don't make stupid assumptions.

syringe · Nov 25, 2004

If this statement was made by anyone but a known obsessive japanophile there might actually be a valid point in there somewhere.

Mushiki said:
Regarding the reviews, not my fault, if people like Flash games, not my bussiness. Just like with Sons of Liberty - almost everyone "hates" it, but it is one of the highest rated games ever.

I trash the Ipod? I have several Ipod-mini, but I don't use them as portable music players, since I prefer Hi-MD. And I love Apple products.

When did I say I am against the Xbox? I enjoy playing Halo2, Burnout3 and Dead or Alive Ultimate a lot. I also play some of the earlier titles as well.

Me, Now Loading and CurtWRX are not the same person, don't make stupid assumptions.

Got Alien Hominid! Review!

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