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In space no one can hear you say pluagarismn!!! Alien Breed was a big nod to the Hollywood trends of the time, the film trilogy of Alien, Aliens and Alien³ have a lot to answer for spawning not just their own games but spin offs that nodded obediently its way.. this was one of them games.
Ladies and gentlemen I present to you - Alien Breed II
So this game built upon the hype of the special edition and the original Alien Breed game, which were both very successful, but they lacked a certain something that could have made them classics.. they sold very well but this was the one that made the series worth while.
Set deep into the future on a terraformed planet, soldiers are sent to investigate why communications here have suddenly ceased (sound familiar?). Unfortunately the planets defences have gone haywire and all but one ship is blown to bits.. yours. So begins your journey through the complex to find out why... and how do you do that?
The marine way of course.. blow everything up and ask questions later.
The game actually starts with a very annoying section which can see you drained of all your lives before the games even started if your not careful, it involves the planetary guns letting off mortar shells at your ships position.. you happening to be in that general vicinity can expect to get high explosions planted on your head like a wig if you stand still for a little too long.. but once this section is over the real beauty of the game comes to light.
I'm having deva vu ripley.. ripley?.. Oh wrong game
So you're in a hanger type section and it's now up to you (or a mate if you have a 2nd joystick) to go kill everything in the most violent ways possible.. but what about aesthetics?
First off, the graphics.. suitably dark and metallic and the aliens are such a nod to giger (the creator of the Alien in the films), their big black melon heads shining in the light as they relentlessly pursue you, add to this face huggers and different colours of alien plus sentry guns that have gone haywire and a fair few little surprises you have a lot of things to kill in this game. All the while trying to stay alive, collect keys to open doors and credits to buy yourself supplies and guns.
It's the guns that really do push the game a little further than the originals. There are around 6 of them, ranging from your average machine gun to a grenade launcher. All of them have their uses and each one could be stored in your bottomless pockets. These guns really do help to break the monotony of killing endless identical aliens, without this inclusion I doubt the game would have been nearly as much fun.
The teeth grindingly hard first section
So what else is there? There's some great sound fx use in this game.. from the aliens screams which are high pitched and again a huge nod at the film industry, there's the exploration aspect of the game, there are some really huge maps for you to look around and finding a set of extra key's is always welcome, there are the few strict time limit level's which cause so much panic and anguish, if your caught out that's it.. game over.
I found that too be pretty unfair and it spoils the game, you get that far only to be brought back to the front screen because you got caught on some scenery or didnt go through the right door.. that's a little unfair and maybe a restart point where you'd just lose a life would have been better.. but then life's unfair too.
Please note hitting the helicopter things = instant half health bar
Looking back at this game now, I kinda realise that it was more sugar coated than something new and fresh.. it was just the original game with bells on.. but back then it worked and it was marketed superbly throughout the magazines.. and back then we were hard pressed for decent shoot 'em ups, always having to rely on team 17 to give us the goods, and I don't think they ever actually failed.
Same goes for this .. its generic, its your basic alien vs human template, it has very few innovations, there isn't much in the way of diversity between the things that you kill, it has some damn unfair instant death sections.... but..... its fun, its great great fun and if you get a mate involved.. its double the fun.
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Worked very well for the day and people are still making games that look like this now (albeit with a little more sheen).
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Allister Brimble does the soundtrack to this game.. and it is as usual "excellent"
the sound fx though sparse and few and far between does their job well.
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Absolutely addictive gameplay. You have to get to the end.. open that last door, get that new weapon.. stop dying in the damn airlock sections
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| This game is a classic, I'm not sure why now looking at it with adult eyes.. but I still have fond memories of this and I'm sure people that are reading do too. For those that don't, go find yourself a copy and see for yourself... it's worth it. |
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Get Amiga Forever with pre-installed Workbench, games, applications, and much more.
It also contains the original Amiga ROM-files, 100% legally!
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