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Alien Syndrome

Not Rentable
Also on:PSP Games
GF Rating
4.0

728 ratings

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

Young lady, blast your aliens or you're grounded!

posted by JCDenton (FREEDOM, NH) Dec 28, 2007

Top Reviewer

Member since Mar 2006

13 out of 13 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Alien Syndrome has gotten plenty of mediocre to negative press and my expectations for the game were suitably low going into it. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and proved somewhat addictive. It can be fun, but it has flaws. In the game you play Aileen Harding who needs to blast away at a bunch of creatures that have been mutated by an alien organism. The story is pretty useless as you get berated by your uncle and other male characters via com unit (because they couldn't be bothered to fight an extraterrestrial ground war). The game plays like a sci-fi version of your typical hack-n-slash, like X-Men Legends, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or even Diablo II, which isn't a bad thing. You level up by blasting or hacking your way through hordes of creatures, occasional mini-bosses and the very infrequent boss. Gaining levels and proficiencies and finding cool weapons and armor are the high points of the game and prove engaging. You also unlock higher difficulty settings so you can keep on blasting. Also worth note is the use of the Wii remotes IR sensor for targeting which makes strafing and firing quick and easy. There are some problems with the gameplay though. The nunchuk's motion sensor is used to swing the camera, which means every time you scratch your forehead, the screen looks like a time-warp. Killing streams of monsters gets pretty repetitive and the challenge is minimal. You'll find that even boss characters are no real threat and by the time you unlock hard, you'll be even more powerful than the first time through. Graphics and sound are serviceable at best and the voice-acting is lackluster. This game takes about 20 hours first time through, but there were several points at which I think they could have ended the game. It started to feel like they were artificially stretching the length before the quarter mark. It just gets old, but it's still fun. It's definitely worth renting, flaws and all.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Fun controls, disappointing presentation

posted by nescedral (MISSION, KS) Aug 23, 2007

Member since Jul 2007

4 out of 4 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I sent this game back after playing through the first few levels with a couple of friends.

I really wanted to like Alien Syndrome: the method of aiming and firing was just so dang fun when combined with the top down view. However, other controls like controlling the camera angle were annoyingly difficult, and managing a vast array of equipment (that mostly looks the same) was agonizing.

If you have a lot of time to spare and some friends to join in for the multiplayer, feel free to give it a shot. It's an OK game, but there are certainly better. If you're like me and you gaming time is a little cramped around the corners, then look elsewhere for a fulfilling experience.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

Not Fun

posted by bjtdevera (Las Vegas, NV) Aug 7, 2007

Member since Apr 2007

23 out of 26 gamers (88%) found this review helpful

The biggest strength of this game is its controls. They feel very natural; allowing the player to walk in any direction while shooting in any direction. Every top-view shooter should control this way.

The pitfall is the gameplay. First of all, the cutscenes are nothing more than concept art with voice-overs. While this would have been fine on the SNES, this is sub-par according to today's standards. It doesn't present the story in a way that immerses the gamer.

Secondly, it's just not fun enough to play through. One would think that shooting aliens would be a blast (no pun intended), but this game makes it more of a chore. The maps are boring. The aliens are boring. The graphics look primitive.

What this game needs: Better graphics, infinite bullets, cool-looking weapons, CGI cut scenes, fun maps.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

alien wii wii

posted by puggalug (CLEARWATER, FL) Aug 4, 2007

Member since Mar 2005

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Please tell me that this game is not indicative of Wii games to come. Not only did I not enjoy this "game", I am disheartened by the total unplayability of it. I parted ways with this dud after giving it more than a fair shot. (15 minutes). I am rapidly losing patience with the Wii, the best games came with it when I bought it.

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

We've seen this one before

posted by Jugger777 (WOODLAND, CA) Aug 18, 2007

Member since Jul 2007

3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

This game is fun but feels like a really close copy to the mechanics of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. So the game play will be familiar to most but has its own kicks with the Wii aiming and alien blasting.

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

2 is Generous...

posted by Skyshroud3 (PALM CITY, FL) Sep 12, 2007

Member since Mar 2007

7 out of 10 gamers (70%) found this review helpful

Alien Syndrome is a game I wanted to be good. The Wii is a bit lacking in the mindless shoot-em-up category, and I thought AS would fill that gap nicely. After all, what could possibly go wrong when you have an ARPG loaded with thousands of items and hordes of alien scum for the slaughter?

A lot, apparently. AS is a game that was designed with the PSP in mind, and it shows. The camera remains fixedly zoomed-in on your character at all times, which is fine for a handheld, but when you have a big TV screen to look at, the extra space could have been used to show the area outside the ten foot box around your character. Instead, the camera remains frustratingly close, leading to vast amounts of guesswork when getting into battles with bosses you cannot see. Another disadvantage of the zoomed-in camera is that it mercilessly subjects you to graphics which would have been laughable on last-gen systems, nevermind the Wii.

The sound effects are annoying at best, the music is forgettable, the control scheme is okay, but uninspired (don't get me started on having to jab the Wiimote forward to thrust a melee weapon forward), the menus for customization of your character and item creation are just slightly less intuitive than accessing the internet by banging a rock against your monitor, and the "genetic mutation" is a poorly-designed exercise in frustration and should be avoided at all costs.

In my efforts to remain positive, I've been trying to think of ways to make this game fun, and have decided that the only way would be to take the disk out of the Wii, going outside, and using it as a frisbee.

Don't do that with Gamefly's disks, though. I'm pretty sure they frown on that.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Waste of Time

posted by raynes (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) Aug 30, 2007

Member since Aug 2007

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

Simply put the Alien Syndrome remake in the Sega Classics Collection (or 3d Ages in Japan) was so much better than this game on every level. From the graphics, to the music, even the controls.

So what exactly are the problems with this game?
-It's way too dark.
-I have an HD TV and it was difficult to see what was going on.
-It's simply not fun. The power up system is confusing. There is some crafting but it made no sense to me.

Really just skip this one and go play the Sega Classics Collection version on the PS2.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Good Game!!!

posted by slicric14 (HOUSTON, TX) Jul 26, 2007

Member since May 2007

12 out of 21 gamers (57%) found this review helpful

I personally love this game. It has easy controls, and lots of baddies to be killed. It kinda reminds me of X-Men Legends and Champions Return of Arms. Lots of weapons in the game and a high lvl content. This game will provide hours and hours of gameplay while running solo are playing with your friends.

Of course the camera will sometime be a bit frustrating, but it is to fix by rotating your nunchuck (i don't know if that's how you spell it). But overall it's a good game and everyone can have fun playing.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Another below average cash in...(or lack of cash)

posted by Thelink (PRAIRIEVILLE, LA) Jul 30, 2007

Member since Mar 2003

6 out of 13 gamers (46%) found this review helpful

This is one of the few games I have ever returned the next day after getting it from Gamefly. I played all night when I got it hoping to get "some" enjoyment out of it...that never happened. First I will start with the graphics. How embarrassing to think that 3rd parties are willing to attempt this, but they do. The graphics are below first gen gamecube. Very bland. No detail. Colors are almost blurry. On to the gameplay. Or lack there of. Your view is extremely limited. Not knowing what you are about to run into. After 10 minutes of just walking I finally found an enemy. A brown blob with legs. This pretty much sums up the game. Extremely generic and boring. Graphics should not be that bad especially in a game so void of any kind of action. How about using at least 1/10th of the wii's power next time Sega. Or at least push the budget over 1,000 dollars. The score may seem really low...but this game doesnt nothing to push it self...not even into mediocrity. Another lame attempt at cashing in on the wii. Another win for lazy developers and another loss for gamers looking for something fun and worth their money.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

blaaaaaa

posted by foshiman (HOLLYWOOD, FL) Jan 5, 2008

Member since Aug 2007

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

this game made me want to puke.

the view was from above head. the scenting was extremely dark throughout several levels, so i couldn't see a thing. the other horrible part was there was a small selection of weapons

in my opinion the game alien syndrome was stupid, dont waste your time waiting for this game

p.s. i would only waste my time writing a review if the game was

TERRIBLE

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Couldn't even force myself to keep playing

posted by RKDynamic (PLANO, IL) Aug 30, 2007

Member since Feb 2007

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

Boy, I feel like I shouldn't even write a review because I didn't play the game long enough to really speak for it. At the same time, I wanted to share my thoughts on the game to give others a chance to avoid it!

I only played 2 hours of the game, but after that 2 hours, I just wanted to put it back into the envelope & mail it back. I actually played 1 hour, then I went away from it for 3-4 days. Then I tried to get into it again for an hour or so, and I just didn't like it at all.

What I liked:
Always start with the positives, right? The concept of the game was cool. I liked the Diablo in space type concept where you can upgrade equipment, attributes, and skills, etc, while you battle your way through the game. That is about it.

What I didn't like:
Controlling the camera rotation with the motion sensors in the NUNCHUCK was ridiculously horrible. One of the strengths of the wii control scheme in a game like this should be that you can kind of relax with the nunchuck in one hand the wiimote in the other (unlike a standard controller where your hands/wrists are glued together on a dual analog type XB360 or PS3 controller). You should be able to sit back with your nunchuck arm on the armrest of a couch & just move your thumb to control the guy on the screen. Here, you can't do that... if you do, the camera begins spinning around this top-down view. You are forced to hold your wrist level, which sucks. I don't like the top-down view in general, truthfully. And I think the running-out-of-ammo constantly stinks, too. It is pretty much an action shooter, so why give you limited ammo? The menu system stinks, too. I was constantly hitting the + instead of the - on the wiimote to get into the right set of menus. And there was very little variety in enemies the entire time that i played.

I didn't try the multiplayer, because I couldn't convince anyone that had seen the game to play with me.

All in all, pass this one up. Sorry for the rambling.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Alien Whatever

posted by Holden28 (BEDFORD, TX) Jul 30, 2007

Member since Apr 2003

3 out of 7 gamers (43%) found this review helpful

I wasn't necessarily expecting too much with this one. I was not disappointed. I would have to say that this type of game is not my niche. It reminded me of ultimate alliance with guns, but at least ultimate alliance had marvel characters. This game got played for about 30 minutes. I didn't like it.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Alien Syndrome Sucks

posted by Notyavgkat (AUTRYVILLE, NC) Aug 28, 2007

Member since May 2007

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Just lemme put it to you like this...do not ever rent or buy this sorry excuse for a game...I mean what was Sega thinking. Bottom Line this game really sucks

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GF Rating
3

Bad

this is not wii fun

posted by mars188 (BRISTOW, OK) Jul 28, 2007

Member since Dec 2003

1 out of 32 gamers (3%) found this review helpful

frist off this one guy on the game when you frist start the game he looks like Adoff is this a war war 2 game please say no. you know a game dont have to be perfect to have fun are look great. but this is going to have to stop. this game looks like a ps1 game from 1998 WHY, i cant take games like this nintendo can say hey its wii fun thats all that matters RIGHT WRONG, i want a game to look good no lower then the ps2. this is a dog pile of a game. bad job sega bad job nintendo for letting this on the wii, i am at the point and thinking is the wii a gamecube inside a new box. is it what is this with awful looking games. stop this. the public wants more then a ps1

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

An OK fantasy shooting game for wii

posted by Austin13 (SULPHUR, OK) Feb 7, 2009

Member since Jan 2009

Back in the mid-eighties, Alien Syndrome was an addictive run-and-gun quarter-muncher that quickly followed-up its arcade success with multiple PC and console ports, most notably on the Sega Master System.So now its on the Wii with obviously better graphics and color but is the gameplay better?I think the gameplay has gotten better so for that i give it an ABOVE average!

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

KRAP

posted by psychoh (EDMOND, OK) Apr 19, 2008

Member since Feb 2008

My title says it all.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Terrible

posted by maximus92 (SAN ANTONIO, TX) Feb 18, 2008

Member since Jun 2006

This game seems very fun at first. Unfortunately the controls are sometimes difficult and it is hard to do exactly what you want to do. The game is a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Unless you like playing a game that is repetitive and complicated stay away from it.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Really dissapointing remake

posted by oldschool (DALY CITY, CA) Feb 18, 2008

Member since Sep 2005

As a big fan of the old Alien Syndrome game, I think Sega completely missed the boat with this one. They weren't even standing on the pier. Even more dissapointing than that, I think that AS is a good game to update.

Unfortunately the control system is horribly complicated, it's difficult to shoot in the direction you want to, the aliens pop up out of nowhere killing you quickly and the run and gun essence of the original game is just not there.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Fair game co-op a plus

posted by DalenMel (WINSTON SALEM, NC) Feb 16, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

While the game has several flaws; repetitive, fighting monsters just off screen, uneven difficulty. It is still a fun co-op experience.
Definitely worth a Game-Fly rental.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

almost good

posted by ThanatosAz (LAKE ARIEL, PA) Feb 6, 2008

Member since Oct 2007

the camera angels spoil the game. You have no real control over the camera. also the "mini-games" in this are far to precise to be fun they are just hard. other than that the graphics were OK and the environment was good looking.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Not perfect, but fun.

posted by 35yrgamer (CLIFTON SPRINGS, NY) Nov 6, 2007

Member since Aug 2006

The point of playing any video game is to have fun. And this game delivers in spades. Multiplayer is crazy fun. The graphics are weak, but passible. The control is the best I have seen on the Wii. I want to see more top down shooters that play like Alien Syndrome. I want a Wii Gauntlet asap.
This is one of those games where the good out shines the bad. The story is generic, but so is Halo, so is RFoM, so is FF, so are countless other games. The camera is a tad out of wack, but you can rotate it easily with the nunchuk. The bosses can be epic, but you can always find a way to win. The graphics are weak, but the screen is filled with gun fire, enemies, flashing lights and effects. So many games draw pretty enviroments but save for one or two things remain empty, AS will swarm you. You could point out three or four reasons to not play the game, and I can only counter with one good reason to play it: Its fun. This is the way games should be 300MPH, shooting in all directions, white knuckles, crazy chaos, and it gets better the more players you have playing. Do yourself a favor, rent it. Don't expect Halo, but get ready for a fun ride. Oh and to the people that play 10 mins, call it boring, and slam the game...sucks to be you, your missing out. Of course it starts slow, they are giving you story background, and allowing you to learn the controls and game menues. By the time I hit stage 5 I was hooked, 25 stages later I was unable to put the thing down. Great Game, and a great suprise.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

this game is BAD

posted by hardcore44 (SPRINGERVILLE, AZ) Oct 14, 2007

Member since Oct 2007

it is el horrible, the top view camera, the gameplay is bad. put it in played for abotu 10 minutes and sent it back.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Oh my god,why!!!????

posted by Timmytim (CHESTER, NY) Aug 30, 2007

Member since May 2004

This is the most horrible game ever, i hate myself for buying it.I wanna punch the guy who made this in the ear.Dont even think of buying it.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Sega at its worst

posted by GRock99 (White Plains, NY) Aug 27, 2007

Member since Dec 2006

Well, SEGA has done it again. They have released a game that is down right one of the worst games I have come across since NES days. In fact this game would have been perfect if it was released on an 8bit system. The graphics are painful, gameplay is garbage, and the overhead camera (view while playing) is so 1990's. I had a little faith in SEGA, thinking since the stopped making systems to focus on making games, but this is just wrong on so many levels. I do not recommend this game to anyone unless they want to timewarp back to early NES/SEGA games and even then it is not worth it. I know the Wii is still in its early stages and graphics will not get as beautiful as PS#/XBOX 360 but come on!!! This is a definate do not rent or buy. Until my next game review......over and out.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

There are other ways to shoot aliens

posted by veelaunch (GLENDALE, UT) Aug 25, 2007

Member since Nov 2006

This game is kind of fun in the arcade style and it adds a lot to play with a buddy. It becomes to monotonous and boring with obnoxious alien noises blaring at you. I eventually just turned the sound off. It felt as though there were the makings of a great game there but really I was just doing the same thing again and again. With Metroid Prime coming out next week I think that I will have found a game with a little more heart.

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