Alien Syndrome (Wii)

I just can't understand why several people have panned this game, I have played it for over 20 hours so far and I'm still enjoying it. I think it deserves a decent review.

This game is similar in style to Diablo in that your character goes up in levels as she obtains experience points and earns 1 skill point and 2 attribute points each levelup that improve special abilities, unlocks weapons and 2 improve skills like strength, dexterity etc. which improve HP, carrying ability, speed of movement etc. there are 99 character levels, so there is plenty of scope to improve your character in more than one area. There are also alien item drops, crates, chests and your little SCARAB robot where you can obtain a range of items which can also bear multiple modifiers that can improve your attributes when wearing/using that item. You can also carry neural implants that modify your stats and these can be stacked so if you get more than one of any type they add up. There are about five different sets of armour that you can mix and match and like Diablo there are also special sets with a special look and modifiers. Some armour reflects damage back to the attacker, some improves drop item quality and some helps you gain experience faster depending on the modifiers. Your character also has an energy shield which can be modded to last longer and absorb more damage.

The Aliens teleport in just outside your visual range and you can zoom the camera to three levels. I'm using the component cable on a 36 inch telly and I have no real complaints about the graphics. There are some nice touches too, like when you get a series of critical hits and the Alien explodes leaving a pile of goo instead of doing its normal death throes. There are boss aliens in a range of sizes and several uber-bosses on key stages. There is plenty of variety and you fight usually two or three types of alien at once, they have different attacks and movement styles, some even feign death!

There are four categories of four guns: Flame, Laser, Projectile and explosive. Each gun also has a rating so a Flamethrower MkIII does more damage than the MkIII So far I've seen up to MkIX items (this also applies to the armour and all the other items)

The currency is resource points (RP) and in a single player you collect far more than you will ever spend because unwanted items can be scrapped and converted to RP's. In the later levels you will only pick up stuff you need and just leave the rest lying about.

I think there are 30 levels in total and some of the maps are a little linear but generally there are plenty of paths to take. In one particular level you have to hold a position against a constant barrage of aliens.

At any stage you can import your character from a save game slot into a new game, you can do this several times so you and a mate can both play at your level or you can cheat and copy items if you are a real scallywag. Up to four people can play at once, but I've heard it gets a bit hard to see what's going on when everyone is shooting at the same time.

It's nice to move about with the thumb stick and aim with the Wiimote. you can use health packs and energy packs with the d-pad, but this is sometimes too late. When you die you can respawn from the last checkpoint - there are usually 2 or three per level or restart the map - you don't seem to be punished for dying - no loss of XP or RP.

The storyline is ok, it is a linear plot but who cares, there's plenty of action, multiple objectives and the storyline is just a thread that links one level to the next.

In the one player game there's no annoying lag due to poor game/loader design, everything runs consistently smooth. I've also played in 2 player mode a few times and not noticed any problems either.

To sum up, this is an addictive game with plenty of scope and you will always want to go a bit further to get the next level up/item/objective before you find a good point to save at. If you enjoyed Diablo or remember Alien Breed, you will definetly enjoy this.

For someone to say "its the worst game ever", they clearly haven't played many games.

This game is ok. It's not brilliant, but if you get it for less than a tenner, what can you expect. The controls work ok. The locations are scary as are the monsters. It's got plenty of challenge to get through the levels, and if you do get killed you can re-spawn from the last checkpoint.

It's kind of a slow moving gaunlet meets alien. But it's alright.

What a great game!
Hunker down and blast aliens left, right and centre.
The bad reviews are a mystery.
Maybe it is not so good in one player mode.
I play it with my best friend Daz and we have such fun!