Alien Hominid, where have you been all my life?

alpha5099 · Post by **alpha5099** » Tue May 31, 2005 2:02 am

I got Alien Hominid for Christmas, and played it once or twice before becoming infatuated with Paper Mario 2. It sat there, languishing on the shelf, until yesterday when I finally put it back into my GameCube. What could I have been thinking? I've wasted so much of my life by not playing this.

Those damned Style Points, I can't get more than a few hundred, it's just not practical to go about, biting off the heads of FBI agents and flipping about. Although maybe I should figure out how to roll better, I'd probably avoid more bullets that way.

The problem with the game is that it's just too damned long. I've only gotten to the second level of Russia, and that took about an hour, unless the levels get super short this is just too long to be played "properly." A 1CC seems impossible, and playing like a more traditional run 'n' gun will be taxing, I think the best bet is to approach it more like a regular platformer. Or maybe taking each area to be like it's own game, trying to beat just the American part, then Russia, then whatever comes next.

Of course, most people probably complained that it was too short.

I hate the blob boss of 1-3, a raging prick. Still, I love the game, and it's got me itching to play more run 'n' guns. I should play more Metal Slug Advance and Gunstar Heroes.

sjewkestheloon · Post by **sjewkestheloon** » Tue May 31, 2005 1:18 pm

well i'm skint at the mo so i won't be getting it straight away, but the game has just come to pal regions on the ps2 and having briefly played it yesterday i can announce that i am in love. what a game.

from initial impressions it ranks with viewtiful joe for classic modern 2d scrollers. and i love that game

Ataru · Post by **Ataru** » Tue May 31, 2005 1:42 pm

the balance in this game is insanely off, imho.

it feels like they give you a ton of extra lives because they couldn't bother to make the game possible to one life clear. your pea shooter is also severely underpowered, but at least the charge shot makes up for that in boss battles...

far to easy to get killed by bullets obscured by the background. just because they are all flashing in different colors doesn't manage to make them high contrast....

the game art is absolutely beautiful, but I'm frustrated with how it plays. Perhaps I just need to spend more time with it, or to watch some videos of someone playing it flawlessly in order to correct my impressions...

FatalError · Post by **FatalError** » Tue May 31, 2005 1:58 pm

I didn't care for Alien Hominid. I played it (the Playstation 2 version) a few times, and I felt the same frustrations in the gameplay. Although the animation and the art is gorgeous, the gameplay needed to be tightened up. My big problem was not the whole game, but a lot of little annoyances that added up to a frustrating game experience. The level balance was way off. Some levels were easy, and some were just way too difficult. I also agree that the game is too damn long.

No diagonal fire in a platform shooter? Unacceptable.

snap monkey · Post by **snap monkey** » Tue May 31, 2005 2:23 pm

FatalError wrote:No diagonal fire in a platform shooter? Unacceptable.

Years of playing Contra made me think the same thing until I tried out Metal Slug. It can be done properly.

Alien Hominid is a very cool game, but the flaws listed above prevent me from playing it much. I pop in Contra: Shattered Soldier instead, which I highly recommend to Contra fans or anyone for that matter.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Tue May 31, 2005 2:27 pm

I really tried to love this game, as it just oozes charm, but as a long-time Metal Slug fan I just couldn't get past the busted balance. It's a fine little game to just mess around with, but I soon got bored of that and came to the same conclusion that a one-life (and really a one-credit) clear wasn't very possible. I think with a ton of memorization and life-management then a clear might be done, but again, the game is just too long for such an endeavor. The Metal Slug's never go over six levels and even that's pushing it sometimes. A great budget title, but broken.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:01 pm

great fun but impossifuckingble.

zero warning attacks, bullets blending in with the bg, etc.

glad i bought it, good for screwing around. that alien boss in the first desert stage makes me mad though. i don't want to attack him, he's so adorable! ^_^

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:04 pm

So what's the general consensus on this game? We have guys like undamned that love it and guys like Kaneda that puke at the thought of it. Is it safe to say that I can completely ignore the release and not miss out on anything major?

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:09 pm

Alien Hominid Flash
play this. imagine it bigger, prettier, too long, and more unfair, more fun. you have it. oh and it costs $20 (on gc at least, the best version).

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:27 pm

Yeah, I've played the flash game. As much as I like the art style and would like to support an independent developer, I think my $20 would be better spent going towards buying Metal Slug 3.

theevilfunkster · Post by **theevilfunkster** » Tue May 31, 2005 10:45 pm

captain ahar wrote: oh and it costs $20 (on gc at least, the best version).

$20!!?? It fucking costs £30 over here. god damn this country sucks!!

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Tue May 31, 2005 10:51 pm

Yeh... my local Blockbuster was selling their beat-up rental copy for $30 CAD, and the last time I saw it at EB was for around $40 used.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue May 31, 2005 11:01 pm

My lord.

Guys, Alien goes for 20 around here and if you want some change for junk food, used is an option. In other words, move.

Post by **system11** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:05 pm

theevilfunkster wrote:
captain ahar wrote: oh and it costs $20 (on gc at least, the best version).
$20!!?? It fucking costs £30 over here. god damn this country sucks!!

Yeah, I'll be refunding mine this weekend, hope there's something good out to trade it for. It looks pretty but it's impossible to see what the hell is going on.

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:01 pm

Personally, I love this game and don't find it as difficult as people are claiming. Learning to roll as often as possible is a must, though (and digging is more useful than it initially seems).

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:16 pm

plus digging is hilarious to watch. my brother was watching me play once and couldn't figure out what was going on when my character disapppeared, until i reached up through the soil to grab a suit to eat his suited ass.

ryosnk · Post by **ryosnk** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:30 pm

I enjoy games like this but I heard their would be an xbox version of the game coming soon. What will be added, any differences, and the price?

Post by **system11** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 11:26 am

bloodflowers wrote:
theevilfunkster wrote:
captain ahar wrote: oh and it costs $20 (on gc at least, the best version).
$20!!?? It fucking costs £30 over here. god damn this country sucks!!
Yeah, I'll be refunding mine this weekend, hope there's something good out to trade it for. It looks pretty but it's impossible to see what the hell is going on.

Traded it for a copy of Area 51 - nice game, seems better than Doom 3 to me, because it doesn't rely on bad lighting to make things tense.