Aliens Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
241Game Info
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Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
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I've covered Aliens on my channel before, but I thought I'd record a new longplay at higher quality, and it would give me a chance to collect my thoughts on this licensed arcade blaster.
Both Alien and Aliens are masterpieces of cinema. With its "Truckers in Space" aesthetic and unique take on the world of science fiction, it remains an absolute masterpiece. However, it is Aliens which remains my favourite of the two - James Cameron's spin on the franchise, creating what was effectively a NAM-esque war movie, was genius. With the audience already familiar with the xenomorph, trying to maintain the same level of suspense, as well as keeping things fresh, would seem like an impossible task, but Cameron nailed it, and then some.
The film came out in 1986, so was already 4 years old by the time Aliens: the arcade game was released. I guess the games industry had reach a point where hardware and technology had matured to a point where developers felt they could return to franchises such as Terminator and Aliens -- still relevant enough to be considered an untapped source of commercial potential -- and produce credible games with enough clout to draw in the gaming public.
To give Konami credit, Aliens is a very solid and capable shoot 'em up. The graphics and animation are excellent, particularly with respect of capturing the grimly industrial overtones of the Hadley's Hope colony, and the designers expanded the roster of xenomorphs faced by the player with some particularly unique and intriguing designs.
Gameplay is simply a case of walking to the right and blasting anything which moves, collecting extra weapons along the way, and taking down the particularly unsavoury bosses which guard the gateway to the next level. The APC sections with Ripley blasting away at Xenos from atop the vehicle add some variety to the proceedings, although I found the collision detection and aiming to be somewhat unpredictable.
The one big oversight, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact the player never gets to use the most iconic of all the weapons from the film. If only Konami had included the pulse rifle with THAT sound effect, this would have been absolutely perfect. Yes, the smart gun certain is part of the Alien universe and distinctive in its own right, but for me, the pulse rifle will always be king.
That detail aside, Aliens is a very competent coin-op blaster. It looks and sounds the part, and any fan of the films will find plenty to like here.
Information & Trivia
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Video Notes
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Related Longplays & Videos
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Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
01:32 Stage 1
03:05 APC section 1
03:40 Stage 2
11:10 APC section 2
11:47 Stage 3
18:00 Stage 4
21:19 Final boss (Alien queen fight)
22:39 Ending
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