Treasure produced some of the finest games for the Sega Megadrive such as Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy, both of which are available on the Virtual Console. Alien Soldier follows in that great Treasure tradition by being a great game that shows off what Sega’s 16 bit wonder was capable of. Outside Japan this game only came out in PAL regions – a misfortune for North America.
The storyline is the usual aliens are taking over the world guff. As this is a run n’ gun game in the mould of Contra, it is hardly important. You’ve just got to shoot everything that moves and stay alive!
To aid you in your quest you can pick from six different types of weapons including a flamethrower, laser and homing gun. You can take four of these different weapons or multiples of the same weapon to switch between in the heat of battle. Ammo can be picked up along the way which will fill the gun currently in action.
The central protagonist Epsilon is a nimble little fellow. He can perform a hover jump by jumping again while in mid jump. Pressing down and jump will allow you to teleport and with full health you can turn into a fireball and cause destruction to whatever gets in your path.
The stages are broken up into short sections where you take out all the little nasties to collect the power needed to beat the big bosses. Unlike most games of this ilk, which save the big boss until the end of the stage, Alien Soldier will throw a boss your way every few minutes, usually 3 or 4 per stage.
The graphics, and in particular the animation, are some of the best you will see on the Megadrive. All the characters are rich in detail and some of the bosses are huge. The music is excellent and there are speech effects thrown in from time to time as well. The on-screen action is sometimes hectic and yet there isn't even the slightest trace of slowdown.
The action is fast and furious, so if that sounds like your bag then this could be the game for you. Given the similarities to Treasure’s own Gunstar Heroes, however, Alien Soldier sort of falls short, mainly because the platforming elements are not as good. It is also frustratingly difficult at times as well, which may put off some gamers. Still, this is an enjoyable run n’ gun game in its own right and well worth a look for fans of the genre.
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1. Outrunner
29 Sep 2007, 18:42 GMT
AWESOME! Can't wait for this to come to Europe. It's the only Treasure game I missed on Mega Drive. NEEDS IT NOW!!!!
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2. deggs
30 Sep 2007, 00:29 GMT
this game is supposedly legenday. many call it one of the best run n' guns of all time. i really hope it comes to north america because i want to see what the hype is about...
can treasure do no wrong?
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3. Craig H
30 Sep 2007, 04:24 GMT
This game is one of the most sought after mega drive games ever. I remember it used to ebay for $100AU
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4. Spore
01 Nov 2007, 23:35 GMT
I see it for 50 dollars at the least on Ebay. It might be one of the games I buy on the VC instead of a cartridge copy due to the hassle of buying both the expensive cart and a converter to play it on an American Genesis.
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5. Steve!
02 Nov 2007, 07:58 GMT
This is one of the best Megadrive games ever. Personally I like it even better than Gunstar Heroes. I once bought it used for about €11,- converted to current money, not knowing it was so good or rare. I played it to death, enjoying every minute of it. When I had to sell it made me €75,-
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6. djshep
02 Nov 2007, 08:31 GMT
I have to admit I wasn't all that fussed when I read the review for this, but having taken it into consideration after watching the video clip, I might be changing my mind.. this looks really good!
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7. Andy
05 Nov 2007, 14:27 GMT
That clip makes me feel like I'm back in Toys R Us in the mid nineties. I'll definitely consider buying that.
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8. Jazzem
05 Nov 2007, 22:09 GMT
This game is so darn awesome! I'm so glad I'm finally able to play it, I'm a huge fan of Treasure, and this is them at their finest. Marvellous stuff =D
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9. SKTTR
29 Nov 2007, 15:18 GMT
I got this game and it's great. Every action fan, play this!
At first select your weapons, and then go into action. The gameplay is easy but can be challenging.
I love the levels, they're damn short, three teleports and then a boss approaches. After you beat it you get a password and move on.
This isn't much of Gunstar Heroes, but there are some similiarities. But it's more "Teleportmove-to-the-next-boss-n-use-the-right-weapons-n-find-a-tactic-to-kill-it"-game. And how many stages has this? 24 or sumthing? As I get better and better and progress, the game also gets better with every stage. The bosses keep you motivated, because they're so different and so big and so cool animated, with many different moves. It's nearly a fighting game. And the learn curve of the smooth controls is just perfect.
Once again, a real treasure by Treasure! I'm on stage 6 or 7 but there's one highlight after another. Blasting awesomeness!
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10. SKTTR
01 Dec 2007, 17:32 GMT
OK I'm now on stage 18. Was pretty easy most of the time (playing it on SUPEREASY, which isn't supereasy at all, but with passwords and unlimited continues and weapon select after each death. The levels got slightly bigger and more detailed and different but still are very short. It's always easy to move on after getting used to the controls, chosing the right weapons and beating the cool bosses. After a huge boss stage in level 17 it seemed like the game ended, but it was just a cutscene and now I'm on a completely different planet. Still 5 Stars.
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11. alvieao
10 Dec 2007, 18:30 GMT
Alien Soldier is indeed an awesome game from Treasure. Compared to Treasure's own Gunstar Heroes, Bangai-O, and Sin & Punishment, this game is a boss-fest and no doubts about it. The entire gameplay is nothing but the raw meat and a tough challenge (even on the Super Easy difficulty). For North Americans, the emulation is based on the European Mega Drive cartridge, but nonetheless a must download. VISUALSHOCK! SPEEDSHOCK! SOUNDSHOCK! NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 HEART ON FIRE!
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12. King Pie
31 Dec 2007, 14:06 GMT
Awesomeness, pure unadulterated fun.
I have been waiting twelve years to exact my revenge on sevenforce and now its dead. Ha.
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13. CENGOMANIA
20 Jan 2008, 11:21 GMT
This game is SWEEAT.... The levels are short, but the endgame monsters are AWESOME. One of the best VC games ever
Bye it, if U like Shoot ém mutherfucking up games...
I love it...
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14. President_Leever
30 Jan 2008, 14:14 GMT
King Pie said it well, Ill just add that the learning curve could've been a tad smoother. This game keeps you on your toes from the get-go.
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15. Nigel
09 Feb 2008, 03:05 GMT
I beat Gunstar Heroes in no time and yet I can't defeat the first boss in this game!
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16. Manicfatty
16 Feb 2008, 20:32 GMT
I have waited a VERY long time for this game. I downloaded it the second I got home on the day it was released. I played it all night and ever day that week. What an amazing game. This was the promise the VC held for me; a cheap way to distribute here-to-fore unreleased games in the US. I never thought it would happen so soon. This saved me a great deal of money!
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17. Marvel_Maniac
25 Feb 2008, 17:09 GMT
Just downloaded this. It really is a beautiful game. My only point of critique is that the levels are a little short for me. It seems almost a waste that Treasure went through all this trouble to paint spectacular backgrounds when they don't give you a "standard" sized level to enjoy them. Really, the levels are just a point to take a breath before the next boss. In a lot of ways, this plays more like a fighting game than an adventure game, but thankfully, I enjoy both genres.
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18. Worenx
17 Apr 2008, 11:41 GMT
Had this downloaded since mid-February, and I'm still playing it.
It's insane difficulty curves are strangely addicting and I just can't put it down.
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19. Golgo
01 May 2008, 09:45 GMT
Was a little disappointed with this. The weapon-switch system is overly fiddly and the difference between weapons is unclear. Also, most boss battles (at least half of em, which is as far as I've got) can be overcome by continuously zooming behind and sticking em in the back.
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20. CopyofCopyX
02 May 2008, 19:35 GMT
I'm also disappointed. The graphics and animations are great but the controll is overly complicated, the difficulty is EVIL and the game is just not as entertaining as Gunstar Heroes.
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21. lockelocke
04 May 2008, 22:42 GMT
This is hands down my favorite Genesis game. The mechanics are brilliant, especially the blocking feature which turns enemy fire into health. Also, "difference between weapons isn't clear"!? The difference in weapons is the beauty of this game; Organic enemies are highly vulnerable to fire, and certain weapons don't even work on robotic enemies. That's where the strategy comes into play: you go into a level with a mixed variety of weapons and feel out which ones are useful and which aren't, then if you die and have to go back through the level, you can choose the weapons you know will do some damage. A highly intelligent shooter, Word Up!
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22. GEOFF
14 May 2008, 12:59 GMT
Considering the games that got 5/5(eg landstalker, what a joke),this game should of got 5.It plays brillantly ,is so well designed and hasn't aged badly like most megadrive games.OK the controlls take some time to get used but that's because we've been playing simple modern games.This game requires you to think about which weapon to use when and saving ammo is vital.If your skills aren't up to much there's the password system.buy buy buy
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