A new version of The Behemoth’s classic action side scroller ‘Alien Hominid’ is finally out for download for us next-gen freaks that missed the original. Personally I’m not that into arcade games, but I since I wanted some action right there and then, Alien Hominid was the obvious choice. So I brought my zapper and left my home planet to invade Earth.

Earth. An alarm goes off in the FBI’s headquarter as a single alien approaches the planet. Only seconds later, the poor alien is shot down from the sky and crashes into the ground. The agency quickly shows up, steals the spaceship, leaves the alien to die and steals the candy of a fat kid standing nearby. Armed only with his trusted gun, the alien sets out on a journey to reclaim his precious ship.

The humans are a dangerous breed in desperate need of extermination. With this determination in mind, I jump over the FBI agents and spray them from the air. With the screen clear of enemies, I’m allowed to continue. Shortly after, I am ambushed by a large number of black suits. I stand my ground as I quickly and efficiently keep invaders coming from both sides busy with bullets. Frustration hits me as I fail to dodge the nearly invisible enemy bullets. The frustration is turned into rage as I power up the gun when I respawn. I watch in awe as the massive light ball travels across the screen, turning every evil agent into nothing but bloody remains. Mission Accomplished.

This is pretty much how the game plays out. You shoot, dodge, shoot some more and then you’re permitted to continue through the invisible blockades. The gameplay is as classic as can be, however the art alone makes Alien Hominid unique in its own way. The game was originally a flash game published by Newsground before setting out on a quest to conquer the consoles market. The first version was created for the last generation of consoles (PS2, Xbox and Gamecube), with additional stuff that was not featured in the net game. Not surprisingly, the HD version comes with even more bonus material. The offline co-op mode works like a charm, but it’s still a shame it’s offline only.

What surprised me the most is that I paid no mind to small things I usually go nuts over in games like this. Like little variation in enemy models, few weapons and dumb AI. Yes, you’ll find all of these inomlien Hominid. Actually there’s only one model per type of enemy (not including the bosses). You’ll notice this when you’re ambushed by a large number of soviet soldiers in Russia. It doesn’t really matter, though, as they’ll all be turned into gravy only seconds after they appear on the screen. Which is a good thing. As if the game letting you shred enemies to death without mercy isn’t enough, they also have a chance of dropping power ups! Basically, power ups lets you mash enemies in different ways, but they are all equally strong in power (except for the purple super zapper. It definitely needs a nerf). This makes it possible to set fire to enemies, freeze them to death, or just cut them up twice as fast. My favorite.

As I mentioned above, the enemies are plain stupid. Which they are supposed to be. And that’s a good thing. They will simply walk out into the open no matter how many of their comrades you have already slain. The rate of fire and accuracy depends on the difficulty, naturally. While they can’t do a lot to you, except grabbing and shooting, you have various ways to interact with them! Jump on top of them and bite their heads off is recommended. This way you’ll make sure the enemy is dead, you won’t waste bullets, and the enemy will work as a meat shield as long as he’s alive. Additionally, you can pick up and throw enemies. You will rarely find yourself using strategies like these, however, as they have little impact on the hoardes of evil guys swarming around you (save for them screaming if you munch on their mate’s head). In the end, you’ll just  blast away until you’re done.

The amount of gunfights would without a doubt grow tiring and boring quickly if it had not been for the great variety in landscape and gameplay(!). While the game appears to be a simple side scroller, you will be presented with other challenges and game styles along the way. In one of the earliest levels, you’re on the highway going at top speed, and a single mistake will leave you tumbling to your certain death. In this level you are restricted to the single screen you start on, but don’t think for a second it’ll be any easier. You have to stay on top of the cars while fending off incoming black suits. They will be coming from cars and helicopters, along with the normal foot soldiers. You could always throw one of the drivers out and take over a vehicle, but if you jump out of it, it will spiral out of control and blow up every car it comes in contact with. And once you’re finally getting familiar with the level, it ends. You’ll be hurled into a new set of levels. This way, you’ll always be facing new challenges, and this is the game’s strongest point. The element of surprise.

You will usually have to face one or more bosses per level. They have to be dealt with in a specific way, and gives you a nice break from all that killing (except for when you have to kill his minions too). The bosses are fun, both in design and combat wise. They might look hard at first, but they always follow a specific attack pattern, so you’ll be able to predict their movements.

One of the drawbacks in Alien Hominid is the play value. The game itself is short, and you will most probably put it away after two or three playthroughs. Of course, co-op opens a whole new world, so I recommend giving this a try. Also, you can collect hats through the levels you can wear. Additionally, you’ll unlock mini games as you progress through the story. These mini games can be played online, and features a wide range of different arcade games. The platform based PDA minigame comes with a whooping 200 levels. You can even download more via Marketplace if you’re interested. This will most definitely keep you busy for a while.

In conclusion, Alien Hominid HD is a more than solid title. While the gameplay isn’t of the most original sort, the simply outstanding design and humor will entertain even those that aren’t into this genre. You just gotta love that yellow guy.