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Alien Syndrome Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Decent shooting action; Manageable control system; Above-average presentation.
Too much trouble to set up a multiplayer game; Horrible item management system; Grows monotonous; Terrible mini-games.
Back in 1987, Sega slithered Alien Syndrome into arcades, introducing yet another lovable action/blaster game that one or two players could happily invest in, a quarter at a time. The game was fun enough to be considered worth playing again and again, especially when Sega re-invented it for its Sega Classics Collection (aka Sega Ages Collection) a couple of years back on the PlayStation. Now the series has gone through a revamping AGAIN, with Totally Games rebuilding it for the Nintendo Wii and Sony PSP. The Wii version wasn't bad, easy to play in multiplayer but coming up with a few problems in gameplay that left a lot to be desired. The PSP kind of works the opposite way -- it's easier to play, but may leave those seeking out complex gameplay and working with friends a bit more in the dark.
Players control a space agent named Aileen (and her friends, if buddies join in) as she invades an alien-corrupted space facility called SAT5. Her agency's lost all contact with it, so rather than send in a full infantry team, they send one agent and her robot. Never mind the fact that this place has more creepy-crawlies than Willy Wonka's factory had candies, she's a kick-ass woman that can really take care of herself. And after all, it wouldn't be any fun if computer-controlled allies shot down everything, now would it? Aileen progresses through the game, using brutal force and weapons of all kind to send them into total obliteration.
The gameplay itself reverts to the old-school nature of the arcade original, as players simply have to shoot everything in sight. On occasion, the gameplay takes a slight detour, as they will have to strategically battle boss aliens while making proper use of a shielding system. They also have to equip themselves with specific weapons in a painstakingly bad item management system, which should have just been click-and-go but instead feels more like click-several-times-and-then-maybe-go-if-it-works-this-time. Worse yet, Totally Games has thrown in several frustrating mini-games, which players have to get through in order to access special chests. Really, skip these if you can and just go for the normal chests.
The graphics and sound don't exactly show that this game has aged well, but they work acceptably on the PSP. The dialogue reminded me of really bad space operas, with the actors trying desperately to fill their roles but coming across like bad jokes themselves. The sound effects deliver where necessary and the music, while repetitive, isn't half bad. The graphics look better on the PSP than they did on the Wii, if only because Nintendo's version appears to be a near-straight port. Most of the levels look the same but the aliens have slightly impressive animation (especially the "giant space noodles" -- yes, giant space noodles, damn it) and some details, like parallax scrolling in the floors, have a nice touch.
A single player can take on all of this evil, but up to four can join in for manic Gauntlet-style action. Unfortunately, here's where Syndrome runs into a snag. Although the multiplayer action can be a lot of fun, four copies of the game have to be put into play before a game can be picked up. Seriously, tracking down someone who owns the old director's cut laser-disc version of Aliens may seem easier than finding three friends in the mood for playing Alien Syndrome on the PSP. Still, if you find just one person, it's worth it -- especially if you bring a six-pack of beer with you. "Take that, space noodle varmints!"
In the end, Alien Syndrome could've turned out a lot worse than it did. Yeah, true, it could've been better as well and Sega and Totally Games could've installed some kind of Game Sharing option for multiplayer. But then again, the game could've gone through some kind of reinvention that rendered it completely unplayable. As it is, it's a solid blaster and worth a few hours of your time. Just pray that those hours aren't spent trying to equip a flame thrower. Stupid item screen.
