Alien Syndrome
Reviewed by Joe
Fringe stuff is cool. Anything rare or odd or bizarre, I like it. Alien
Syndrome is my type of game. First of all it is unlicensed (which means
Nintendo didn't oversee its creation). This is always good kind of a "fight
the system" thing. Second, the game was made by Sega. Yes, THAT Sega. It
seems that Sega adapted a few Master System titles to the NES when they
figured out that only about 3 people in America owned a MS (I know one of
them). Tengen gladly released them to make Nintendo mad. Plus, the game is
gory and violent always a plus on any pre-Mortal Kombat game. In fact, the
game has only one TEENY flaw....... but I'm getting ahead of myself.....
Graphics 7 out of 10
The codemasters behind the scenes did a nice job transferring the game.
I've never played the MS version, but the graphics look great on the NES.
Each level has a different "theme", the aliens look nice and bizarre, and
the bosses are fantastic! Plus, there's blood! And a massive death scene
for every boss! Neat in my opinion. There's a little fuzziness around the
edges, but that's about the only problem.
Music and Sound 5 out of 10
Standard. No better or worse than any licensed NES game. The soundtrack
seems to consist of the same tune over and over, with the same boss tune
over and over. It's a nice tune, but it does get annoying after a bit. But
this isn't the flaw. Oh no, that just happens to be the......
Game Challenge 2 out of 10
I beat the game on the second try. THE SECOND BLOODY TRY!!! And I'm not
really that good! The game consists of six stages on each one you must
save a bunch of "comrades" of yours (they're all RED too... hmmmmm....).
Unfortunately, they are all in the same location every time you play. And
you're told where they are too. But wait, aren't there foes and bosses and
evil hordes to impede your quest? Not if you get the laser. Just find the
laser in every stage, fry the aliens as you run to your Soviet allies, and
kill the boss. You'll win in under 30 minutes.
Game Play-Fun 9 out of 10
The ease at which the game is beaten adds to the fun though. You really
feel like you're a superhero blasting away the fiendish invaders, and plus
there's the (unintentional?) Communistic undertones to add to the high
spirits. And who doesn't want to see blood gush in an NES game?! Dang
prudish censors.... Oh yeah, you can pick a male or female hero very modern.
Frustration
FRUSTRATION? Yeah, sure! I guess if you're fighting the boss with anything
other than the laser, thing could get tough. And that level 6 boss is a
tricky one. But really, anyone can win this game.
Replayability 4 out of 10
Well.... you could try and win without the laser..... or with a hero of the
opposite gender, even though the ending is the same. Beyond that, not much
to come back to.
Game Value 8 out of 10
Funcoland will rock you 4 bucks for this. Go ahead, just don't pay more
than six bucks for this. It won't last.
Overall 6 out of 10
Great graphics, great playability, great history. An oddity and a rebel too.
But it's easy. It's just TOO EASY! In a way, this is the mirror image of Rolling
Thunder, another Tengen title. Both are great games, but the challenge wounds
them badly a drunken horse can beat Alien Syndrome, and few humans can
beat Rolling Thunder. Overall, Alien Syndrome is above average, until you
win, which could take you less time than reading this review did.