Wii Virtual Console Review: Alien Soldier

Developer: Treasure
Console: Mega Drive (Sega Genesis)
Original Release: February 1995

Only released in Japan and Europe, Alien Soldier is a fast-paced run and gun game similar to Gunstar Heroes and Contra Hardcorps. What makes it different is that the game is made up almost entirely of boss fights. More boss fights than you can count. Now, thanks to the Wii Virtual Console, American gamers can enjoy the frustration they had been missing for 12 years.

The plot is pure Engrish nonsense, and once you start playing you won’t hear about it again. I’ll try to explain: The once leader of the terrible Scarlet group is reborn as a birdman who now fights for humanity and… nah, forget it.

The graphics are pretty good for the time, with big sprites and colorful backgrounds. The main character animates well and looks sort of cool, for a cyber birdman, but the regular enemies you encounter on each level are ugly as hemorrhoids. Some look like rotten vaginas, which is never a good thing. The music and sound effects fit the game well, and the few voice samples are pretty clear even for the Genesis' super crappy sound chip. Treasure always delivers the goods.



I must warn you - Alien Soldier is hard. Tough games can be fun for hardcore gamers, but no one else will keep coming back for more after getting killed 10 times in a row by the first boss of the game. The controls, while responsive, take a while to get used to, making battles even more frustrating. Sometimes you’ll move through the screen with the greatest of ease, but in the frenzy you accidentally press down and the jump button, making you dash across the screen, right into an enemy or into a bottomless pit. Thankfully, you can change the speed of the game at any time in the pause screen if things get too crazy, and you’ll be doing this quite frequently. There’s also a password feature, so you won’t have to go through the 25 levels in one sitting.



The game is very playable, although not as fun as other run and gun games, mainly because there’s no multiplayer. It’s still worth checking out, since every game developed by Treasure has its charms. For example, in one stage you have to rescue a cute blue teddy bear that’s being harassed by horrible banana-shaped monsters. He shows his gratitude by giving you a ride on his boat, only to be killed moments later by the stage boss. His last words are “Help!”. You gotta love that.

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