Alien Hominid

"Contra Meets a Very Angry ET."

What do you get when you have FBI agents, Russian KGB, and little yellow aliens with really big guns? You'd get Alien Hominid, the famous web sidescroller, gone console game that is the redefinition of not only side scrolling games, but of the fact that nowadays anybody can make a really enjoyable game.

Story:

The story itself is very simple. You are an alien that has crash landed on Earth, and the FBI took your ship. So, you have to get it back. Along the way, you'll visit urban areas, different countries and fight giant robots.

Gameplay:

This is where the game really shines. Without saying too much, the gameplay can be described as very similar to Contra. You have a basic 1-hit kill system, but that's ok because it's rather easy to gain extra lives. Plus, you have 2 to 5 continues, depending on the difficulty setting you have it on. Personally, I always have it on Normal. Another plus is the fact that if you run out of lives and continues, you can replay any level and get full lives and continues, letting you advance further into the game. Believe me, it's a good thing.

You have different weapons that range from a gun with a faster firing rate to a green gas cannon that melts the enemies. Also, your weapon can be charged to inflict massive damage, especially on bosses. Each weapon comes with a shield that absorbs a few bullets, but stacks with other shields. You could end up with an almost unstoppable shield if you never get hit, but that's impossible. The reason being that there are alot of unfair situations in this game where you'll end up losing lives just because you're in the wrong place. But that's a minor thing.

Graphics:

The graphics are one of a kind. That is because the ENTIRE game was made using Flash. This is a console game first. It has never been done before and now that it has, it opens up bold new possibilities in the game department. Granted, the graphics are all 2-d, and this will bother alot of what I like to call, the Console Munchkins, I personally loved the graphics, as an old-school gamer.

Overall:

Overall, I can't really find any definite flaws in the game. It does get a bit overwhelming at times, but it is never impossible. The Flash Animation and original graphics will make this a fun and unique title for even the most picky game collector.

SBaby recommends this one to all!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/05