Is Alphan Mission 2 worth buying?

Liquid Snake · Oct 24, 2002

Just wondering if it's good to have in my collection.

I played it once at arcade back in the early 90s and my memory can't not retrieve those old time footage

evil wasabi · Oct 24, 2002

I have it and it's a shooter, but it has it's own unique feel and style to it.

If you've played Alpha Mission on the NES then you pretty much have an idea of how part 2 will look and play. The gameplay is somewhat slow and deliberate with the emphasis placed on prioritizing your targets and really using your weapons with pinpoint accuracy. By prioritizing, I mean knowing which ground targets to take out with your slow launching missiles all while fending off any enemies air targets (many of which die in one shot). You get frequent powerups and the "mega" powerups themselves are pretty strong, but not really all that useful.

It has a unique feel to it and it's nothing like Ghost Pilots or Twin Cobra. You are given plenty of ground targets to contend with, your missiles have a slight delay when launching, and your bullets generally take enemies out in one shot (save for the bosses which will take either bullets or missiles). The game is quite hard and again, the play style and overall feel is nothing like many of the vertical shooters you've probably played. Kind of like a vertical scrolling version of RTYPE.

NeoDragoN · Oct 24, 2002

ASO 2 kicks major ass the grafix, the music, oh the music, the weapons, the bosses everything about the game plain and simply rocks i still think its the best Neo shooter and is definately in my top 3 shooters ever!!!

RabbitTroop · Oct 24, 2002

Alphan Mission? hehe, sounds like a Kebler game or something... Sorry, couldn't help that. ASO2 is a classic... GREAT shooter. The powerup system is wonderful and adds a lot to the game, the visuals are retro brilliance. The sound is in stereo and pans as you fly from one side of the screen to the other (which scrolls). I like this game a lot, my friends don't get it, but I love it... same thing with Andro Dunos, classic shooter fun at its best.

-Nick

Dolphin · Oct 24, 2002

It's one of my least favorite Neo-Geo shooters. Since it's fairly cheap, there's no real reason not to own it, but I highly disagree with the people who claim it's great. As a representative of the overhead shooting category, it can't hold a candle to the best games from that genre (Raiden series, etc)

NSX-T · Oct 24, 2002

Who cares.

evil wasabi · Oct 24, 2002

Originally posted by NSX-T:
Who cares.<hr></blockquote>

We care.

Liquid Snake · Oct 24, 2002

Originally posted by NSX-T:
Who cares.<hr></blockquote>

Nobody asks you for your opinion.
Get the fuck out of here

ttooddddyy · Oct 24, 2002

I think its a good game, it spends more time in the cab than out. Agree with Dolphinlord, nothing to do cartwheels over. But well worth having in your collection. Definate thumbs up

Cole · Oct 24, 2002

I think it's worth owning since it's one of the cheaper games you can get (dogtag only <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" /> )..

It got one hell of a challenge to it, but imo as far as Neo Geo vertical shooters go it has nothing on Aero Fighters 2.

The Chief · Oct 25, 2002

Alpha Mission II is tops. It's not my favorite but an awesome shooter none the less. I love the weapon power ups.

Robert · Oct 25, 2002

ASO 2 is the best "old school" shooter of the neo geo. The power up weapons system is really interesting and it offers you a variety of shoot. Animations and gameplay are perfect. And it carton box has a high collecting value if it's mint .

Dolphin · Oct 25, 2002

ASO 2 is the best "old school" shooter of the neo geo.<hr></blockquote>

I personally find "Last Resort" to be more deserving of this distinction, but to each their own!

buster_broon · Oct 25, 2002

Originally posted by DolphinLord:


I personally find "Last Resort" to be more deserving of this distinction, but to each their own!<hr></blockquote>

i agree

But Alpha Mission is still very good

Hell i also love Ghosty Pilots

toy_brain · Oct 25, 2002

Alpha Mission 2 is fairly average. Its a bit slow-paced and the graphics have not aged very well (looks like a Megadrive game).

But its dirt cheap, so you might as well.
I mean, its not terrible, it just doesnt do anything particularly interesting or out of the ordinary.

ttooddddyy · Oct 25, 2002

Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters is my fav of this era.
You get what you pay for I guess.

Widowmaker · Oct 25, 2002

Initially, I was put off with ASO2 due to its difficulty but after spending some time on this game, I found that the fun actually grows on you.

This is definitely not a no-brainer shooter. You need to plan what weapon to buy or collect and to use on each stage.

Its a bit slow-pace but the music and sound is top notch. If you manage to finish the game in 1 credit on the AES, you can play the game all over again at a higher difficulty. Kinda adds to the replay value.

Hakkun · Oct 25, 2002

Maybe not the greatest shooter in the world but I suggest you to go for it...

Liquid Snake · Oct 25, 2002

Originally posted by buster_broon:


i agree

But Alpha Mission is still very good

Hell i also love Ghosty Pilots
<hr></blockquote>

Wow....another ghost Pilots lover here

Last Resort is an excellent horizontal shooter. Too bad that gameplay is too hard.......

ronjermeyforpres · Oct 25, 2002

AM2 is OK. And like everybody said, if its cheap go for it. The only thing I really dislike about th game is the extreme disparity in difficulty between using a ship with no powerups and a powered up ship. And of course, one little mistake and you can lose ALL your upgrades. Although common in games of that time, it still frusterates me to no end. Even though it's not a fair comparison, IMHO the most badass vert shooter is Strikers 1945 + (but its not cheap or 1st gereration like AM2)

Takumaji · Oct 25, 2002

AM-NeoGeo pretty much summed it up, but I have to add a few more things.

The Armors (special high-powered weapons) in ASO2 are a cool addition to the game. By collecting three parts of one Armor version (there are 11 different Armors in the game), you can store up to five of them. There are guided missiles, chargeable lasers, shields, mega shots, etc.

While activated, the Armor gradually loses energy, which can be refilled by collecting energy icons.

Watch the attract mode for a while to see an example for a very effective use of Armors in 2P.

As soon as you collect and use the Armors properly, you will see that ASO2 is challenging, but not overly difficult (except for the last level). Always keep in mind that some spots are nearly impossible to master without the right Armor, they're the key feature of the game, and one of the reasons why I like it so much.

Right after Sonic Wings 2, ASO2 is my fave Neo vertical shooter.

leGionellz · Oct 25, 2002

One of the first games that gave me a Neo experience

On MVS it's great, but personally I wouldn't purchase it for my AES because of the 4 credits limit ... It's WAY too less imo. I once tried to finish it on MVS and gave up after a credit or 10. later on it gets REALLY hard

But the feel is special, I agree on that.

X-death · Oct 25, 2002

Well, I have it. I would say if you like the video game Strikers 1945, go for it.

RabbitTroop · Oct 26, 2002

Originally posted by X-death:
Well, I have it. I would say if you like the video game Strikers 1945, go for it.<hr></blockquote>

OK... I have to go on the record and say that is the worst comparrision ever Alpha Mission 2 and Strikers are NOTHING alike. OK, so they are both shooters, but what else is similar about them. ASO2 you buy/assemble weapons, have air and ground attacks, are in space... I can go on, but these are some good ones to start on. Strikers is an old war shooter, with multiple planes, panic bomb attacks, power meters, only one type of shot for air and ground.

I would say Stirkers is similar to AeroFighters/Sonic Wings... Ghost Pilots in a way... but ASO2... no way man... no way. ASO2 reminds me of old NEC shooters or something... I don't know, I am tired.

-Nick

NeoDragoN · Oct 26, 2002

Can i just say your all wrong!!

Definately 1 of the best Vert shooters ever!!

Is Alphan Mission 2 worth buying?

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