NES Alphanumeric! #053: ALIEN SYNDROME (Tengen) + Mad City (Full Playthrough)
6I live stream 8-bit Nintendo games at least once a week, usually WedNESdays from 10–11 p.m. Eastern, and sometimes play other games on Friday nights (NES, Game Boy, SNES, Wii, etc.) or whenever the mood strikes and I have time.
MINI-REVIEW: Alien Syndrome is pretty fun. I think the Nintendo "Seal of Quality" may prejudice us against some unlicensed games and expect them to be inferior in some way, but this game is just as good--in fact better than--many licensed third party titles. The game is colorful, the music is repetitive but effective, and it controls really well. I imagine once you know the level layouts and boss patterns it would be pretty easy, but with around eight stages and bosses, with limited continues, this is a fair game that offers just the right amount of challenge. (Though I can tell the difficulty is going to ramp up as you progress.) It feels like the kind of game you'd pop in to relax and zone out for a while, just shooting aliens and rescuing your "comrades." It seems like a good arcade port, and it's not an expensive cartridge, so it might be worth adding to your collection and playing if you're looking for a little diversion some weekend. Plus, since it's an arcade game that tracks your score, there's a bit of replay value, and it's probably even more enjoyable with a Player 2.
I wrapped up this week with what ended up being a full playthrough of Konami's Mad City, an easier, fun version of what we know in North America as The Adventures of Bayou Billy. It's actually ridiculous how different these two games are; it took me an hour to play through one stage of Billy in an early NES Alphanumeric stream, and I beat this version in about 30 minutes.
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UPCOMING "NES ALPHANUMERIC!" LIVE STREAMS:
Cabal - 2/28/18
Darkman - 3/7/18
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EQUIPMENT LIST:
Console: NES-001 (Front Loader)*
Controller: Hudson Soft Joycard Sansui SSS
Monitor: RCA E13320 (13" CRT)
Capture: Dazzle DVC 100
PC: Asus Zenbook UX305
Software: OBS Studio
Mic: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
Headphones: Sony MDRZX100 ZX