Let the crazy retro fun begin again! Alien Hominid hit the Gamecube and PS2 (and Xbox and GBA as well in Europe) to a quiet, yet rigorous fanfare from those who love all things retro. The side-scrolling shooter hit all the right chords for nostalgic arcade hounds and newer gamers who loved the bizarrely primitive artistic stylings, the over-the-top violence, and the general quirky nature of the game. Now with a high definition Xbox 360 facelift, Alien Hominid HD still looks and plays great, and is a Martian ton worth of crazy fun.

Race Wars

Thanks to a plot that is diametrically opposite most games of this type, Alien Hominid HD starts off with an explosive bang and never lets up. Its payback time after the government blows an alien spacecraft out of the sky, leaving a poor little psychotic and very yellow extraterrestrial for dead, and then steals his ship. Through the game, our little yellow ET will face an army of armed FBI guys, along with giant robots, tanks, helicopters, and more, all in a grand expedition to destroy everything in sight. It’s a little Destroy All Humans and a lot Contra, with more than a smattering of South Park.

Attaining that elusive balance between cute and appalling, Alien Hominid manages to grind out a feel all of its own, despite its derivative, retro roots. Much like in Worms, it’s almost hard to believe that such an adorable little animated fella can cause so much wanton destruction, yet the game is nothing short of a blood bath. Guns, bombs, knives, and vehicles will all be at your disposal, and there’s never any shortage of pesky humans to unleash alien fury on.

The gameplay is simple. As with most side-scrolling shooters, the action takes you from left to right, as enemies come at you from all sides. Jump, duck, shoot, slash, climb, and even drive (or catch a ride) to reach the end of the level where some sort of goofy end boss inevitably awaits. The action in Alien Hominid HD is purely old school, and it’s hard—possibly too hard for casual players.

Retro Invasion

Killing enemies often reveals power-ups that modify your gun to shoot a variety of different ammo. Spread shot, grenades, electricity guns, and other fun toys will all be available for your alien’s hot little yellow hands. The gameplay itself is kept very basic of course, and if you’ve played a side-scrolling shooter in the past 20 years or so, then you know almost all there is to know about getting into the Alien Hominid groove.

Fortunately, the old school gameplay holds up nicely. Thanks to the incredibly sharp high definition treatment, the primitive animation style manages to still impress. The animation is smooth and often hilarious, and the joy of Alien Hominid is definitely rooted in the crazy look of the characters and locations. The audio work compliments the visuals nicely, with great, if minimalist voice work, funky effects, and an enjoyable wacky soundtrack.

The over-the-top action moves from rundown-looking cartoon cities, parks, and freeways to the artic tundra and other weirdly animated wastelands. There are 16 levels to traverse, and while the variety of enemies isn’t as vast as it could be, the screen is usually crowded with things to shoot, stab, and avoid. There is also a horde of mini-games to unlock and download thanks to the alien’s PDA game system.

PDAlien

With all the graphic prowess of an old Colecovision game, these PDA games are even more retro takes on truly old school side-scrolling games. You’ll control a bare bones stick figure across a screen-sized room, overcoming obstacles (usually by jumping) and trying to reach the level exit. Developer the Behemoth includes over 150 of these levels with the game, in addition to some other amusing, non-PDA-based mini-games, and there are plenty more PDA levels to download through Xbox Live.

The other mini-games are more multiplayer centric, pitting players against each other and the game’s enemies to score big points and cool hats. Plus, a second player can join in on the main game at any time to wreck even more havoc on those pesky humans.

Hominid a Few Bars

Alien Hominid HD is a great treat for retro-loving gamers. Admittedly, if you’ve played the game already, there’s little reason to buy it again. For 800 points, however, fans of the original won’t be breaking the bank to relive the chaos, and newcomers will find a quirky and unique take on classic gameplay.

Article by: Jason D'Aprile
Video produced by: Mark Fahey