Aliens | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Konami |
Publisher(s) | Konami |
Director(s) | Satoru Okamoto |
Producer(s) | Koji Hiroshita |
Programmer(s) | Hirotaka Ishikawa K. Ozaki |
Artist(s) | M. Yoshida Kengo Nakamura |
Composer(s) | Masanori Adachi |
Series | Alien |
Platform(s) | Arcade |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Run and gun |
Mode(s) |
Aliens [lower-alpha 1] is a 1990 run and gun video game developed and published for arcades by Konami. It is based on the 1986 film of the same title. [6] Two players can play the game cooperatively in addition to single-player.
Aliens is primarily a side-scrolling shooter in which the player must defend against various Aliens, with certain parts of the game switching to a third-person rail shooter perspective. Players can play as either Ellen Ripley or Corporal Hicks, who both begin the game with a smart gun and can upgrade to other weapons such as flamethrowers and missile or grenade launchers. The player is given several health points, one of which is lost if the player is attacked by an Alien. The player loses a life if all the health points are lost, and the game ends if all the player's lives are depleted. Boss enemies are encountered at the end of each level, with the final boss being the Alien Queen, which the player fights with a power exoskeleton loader. A two-player mode is also available. The enemies range from standard ones seen in the films to specialized ones created exclusively for this game. When fighting the Alien Queen, two victorious outcomes are possible. In the first, the player simply opens the airlock, as in the 1986 film. If the player chooses, they can fight the Queen further, wearing her down until she bursts apart. [7] [8]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2020) |
The arcade game made its worldwide debut at the Amusement Trades Exhibition International (ATEI) in London, United Kingdom. [1] [2] In Japan, it was exhibited at AOU in February 1990, [3] and then received a wide release in March 1990. [4] It made its North American debut at Chicago's American Coin Machine Exposition (ACME) the same month. [5]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | [8] |
Crash | Positive [9] |
Computer and Video Games | 91% [10] |
Zzap!64 | Positive [11] |
CU Amiga | 44% [7] |
Power Play | Positive [12] |
In North America, Alien was declared the best new conversion kit at the ACME show by RePlay magazine and several distributors. [5] It went on to win a Silver award from the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) for sales achievement in 1990, making it Konami's second best-selling arcade game that year after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . [13] In Japan, Game Machine listed Aliens on their April 15, 1990 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month. [14]
Upon release in arcades, Aliens was met with mostly positive reception from reviewers. [15] [16] Upon release, Julian Rignall of Computer and Video Games gave Aliens an overall score of 91%, noting its "simply brilliant" graphics and describing it as "one of the goriest coin-ops since Splatterhouse ." [10] Robin Hogg of Zzap!64 gave it a positive outlook. [11] Both Martin Gaksch and Heinrich Lenhardt of German magazine Power Play also gave Aliens a positive outlook. [12] Crash 's Mark Caswell praised the visuals. [9] CU Amiga gave Aliens a 44% rating and criticized its "uniformly bland and drab" graphics, its "irritatingly unresponsive" controls, and its "dull" action. [7] Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame gave Aliens three and a half stars, calling it an "enjoyably fast-paced" and "graphically creepy, smoothly animated game". [8]
More than a decade and a half later, Retro Gamer editor-in-chief Darran Jones praised it as a "superb" game. [17] In a more reserved opinion, Stephen Kleckner of VentureBeat included Aliens in his list of "must-play" Alien franchise games, but wrote it "is competent and entertaining for a quarter sucker, but it lacks the creative push in gameplay found in other entries on this list." [18] Den of Geek 's Ryan Lambie described it as "one of the best Alien games ever." [19]
Out Run is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and the hydraulic motion simulator deluxe arcade cabinet. The goal is to avoid traffic and reach one of five destinations.
Flying Shark, known as Sky Shark in North America, is a 1987 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall.
Cisco Heat: All American Police Car Race is a 1990 racing video game developed and published in arcades by Jaleco. Players control a police squad car racing against computer-controlled vehicles. The goal is to finish each race in first place. Players can take different routes to bypass certain portions of the course. Three cabinet types were created, a standard upright, a sit-down, and a motion-based "deluxe" machine; both of these could be connected, or "linked", together to enable multiplayer.
G-LOC: Air Battle is a 1990 combat flight simulator arcade video game developed and published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the company's After Burner series. The title refers to "G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness". The game is known for its use of the R360 motion simulator arcade cabinet. The arcade game was a commercial and critical success upon release.
WWF WrestleFest is a professional wrestling video game developed and released by Technōs Japan for arcades in 1991, featuring stars of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The game was distributed by Technōs in Japan and North America, and by Tecmo in Japan, Europe and Australasia. It is the sequel to Technōs' previous WWF game, WWF Superstars. Compared to Superstars, WrestleFest adds a variety of different wrestlers to the roster as well as enhanced graphics and sound. There are more voice samples, including commentary and pre-match introductions by WWF ring announcer Mike McGuirk. The voiced cut scenes featuring Gene Okerlund from Superstars returned as well.
Mercs, originally released as Senjō no Ōkami II in Japan, is a run and gun video game developed and published in arcades by Capcom in 1990. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade video game Commando. While not as successful as its predecessor, Mercs was well received by critics and was a moderate commercial success. It was followed by Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 in 2008, a downloadable game.
Rad Mobile is a racing arcade game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. It was first published in Japan in October 1990, followed by an international release for arcades in February 1991. Rad Mobile was Sega's first 32-bit game, using Sega's System 32 arcade system board. It was also the first appearance of Sonic the Hedgehog, who appears as an ornament hanging from the driver's rearview mirror.
Blood Bros. is a 1990 arcade game developed and published by TAD Corporation in Japan and Europe, and later published in North America by Fabtek. It is a spiritual sequel to the 1988 game Cabal, with almost identical mechanics. A bootleg of Blood Bros. is known as West Story.
Alien Crush is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the Crush Pinball series. It was followed by three sequels, Devil's Crush, Jaki Crush, and Alien Crush Returns. Alien Crush was later rereleased on the Virtual Console and on the PlayStation Network.
GP Rider is a motorcycle racing game developed and manufactured by Sega, released in as an arcade video game in Japan, North America and Europe. It came in a two-player motion simulator cabinet and a standard upright cabinet. It was ported to the Master System in 1993 and then Game Gear in 1994.
Steel Talons is a 3D combat flight simulator arcade game released by Atari Games in 1991. The player takes on the role of a pilot for an "AT1196 Steel Talons combat helicopter". Steel Talons was ported to the Sega Genesis, Atari Lynx, Atari Falcon, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Jaguar port was announced, but never released.
Detana!! TwinBee, released in Europe and North America as Bells & Whistles, is a 1991 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Konami. It is the fifth entry in the TwinBee series and the second to be released for arcades following the original TwinBee. Set several years after the events of TwinBee, players assume the role of Light and Pastel taking control of TwinBee and WinBee to defeat invading forces of the evil alien Iva and save planet Meru after receiving an SOS message sent by Princess Melora.
Air Inferno is a 1990 flight simulation arcade video game developed and released by Taito, in Japan, Europe and North America. A spin-off from Taito's Landing series, Air Inferno is an aerial firefighting simulation that involves piloting a helicopter on various rescue missions, shooting a fire extinguisher to extinguish flames while rescuing civilians.
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