Number 178
(12.8 points)
Alien Breed Special Edition '92
1993: 69
Perhaps the supposed antagonism between Team17 and Amiga Power is exaggerated, because this is the first of several entries for their popular Alien Breed series. Atmospheric top-down shooter, anyone?
Taking heavy influence from the Alien films, and looking a bit like the arcade classic Gauntlet, Alien Breed sees you running around space stations, blasting respawning aliens and collecting credits and keys. The former can be used in machines to buy items, the latter are obviously used to open doors, of which there are many. While the original game was well received, this Special Edition was released at a budget price and became very popular, prompting further games in the series. Aside from some minor gameplay tweaks, the main difference is in the levels: there are 12 instead of 6, and they are all new compared to the original, so this game can be seen as a companion to the first game, rather than a replacement.
I can see why Alien Breed became popular on the Amiga, but there are a couple of things that put me off a little bit. One is the respawning aliens: you have a limited amount of ammo, though you can buy or collect more, but having to keep shooting aliens every time you go anywhere gets tiring - compare to Doom where you can clear the entire level permanently. The other thing is the key system - so many keys, and you have to take care in where you use them, in case you run out and have to go pay for more. Still, these are not major gripes, and Alien Breed is certainly an easy game to pick up and play.
Recommended TOSEC disk(s):Alien Breed - Special Edition 92 (1992)(Team 17)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr Ministry]
Alien Breed - Special Edition 92 (1992)(Team 17)(Disk 2 of 2)
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