These are lean times for fans of 2D run-and-gun games. 2D is out, you see, and developers are doing their darnedest to stay in the comfort zone of the all-important, sales-friendly third dimension. Konami keep fiddling about with Contra, making ill-conceived ventures we ll away from the game that fans know and love, and now, horror of horrors, the Metal Slug series is also making the dimensional switch.
All is not lost. There is a saviour. And he looks like the bastard son of Roobarb (from Roobarb and Custard) and Disney’s Stitch character.
Do you see?
The name Alien Hominid might ring a bell. That’s because it was one of the most popular Flash games of all time. But it’s been rebuilt from scratch for the consoles, and it’s only turned out as a bit of a mini-masterpiece.
The concept is simple enough: get the nasty little alien past the marauding FBI agents and other enemies so that he can get his nicked spaceship back. Actually pulling it off is something else. As with Flash original, Alien Hominid is rock. If you get hit, you die, and as you’re constantly having stuff chucked at you, you’re gonna die a lot.
He could probably give these fuckers a good kicking while he’s at it.
That doesn’t mean it’s not fun though, and it’s rarely frustrating. Some of your attacks will give you a chuckle (biting the heads off enemies is always good), and when you manage to bag a vehicle, well… it’s the most enjoyable vehicular carnage since Burnout 3. In fact, it’s more enjoyable, because running over crowds of FBI agents is perversely hilarious.
Piling through all 16 levels is great fun and a hell of a challenge to all but the most gifted of players, but if you do happen to need a break, there are a few fun mini-games thrown in just to change the pace a bit. None of them are exactly earth shattering, but they’re a nice way to up the value of the package just that bit more. Oh, and there’s a two player co-operative mode, too. Nice.
We like trucking, we like trucking, we like trucking and we like to truck.
Old-school game experiences have made something of a comeback this year, and Alien Hominid continues this in glorious fashion. It’s packed with style, spirit, character and challenge and it’ll show you a damned good time. It looks phenomenal, plays like a (vicious) dream, and is cheaper than most, much lesser, games. It’s currently only available in the US, but if you can get it, get it.
PAULEMOZ, December 2004.
(What the fuck! Yeah - we've gone starry, four stars and it's fucking ace, five and we are talking legendary)
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