2D Revival Gathers new Support - Alien Hominid Gains full Console Release
The Behemoth reveals its potential Metal Slug killer.
At a time when the games industry seems dominated by a handful of giant uber-publishers, the likelihood of ever seeing a game produced in a ‘cottage-industry’ type way had seemed rather improbable. So when The Behemoth, an independent developer announced that it was re-working its modest Flash-based mini-game for release on PS2 and Gamecube, it was surprising news.
Even more surprising is the fact that the game in question - Alien Hominid - actually looks considerably more exciting than the fare often put out by developers with far more extensive resources. And the way in which the project has been approached makes it all the more interesting. Citing influences like Contra, Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug, The Behemoth describes itself as “...a small group of veteran developers who self-fund their work and take orders from no one! [They] oversee every aspect of production from start to finish...”
Given that the game has been picked up by O~3 Entertainment - run by former Capcom President Bill Gardner for general console release - it was obviously in need of some additional work. Although the original Flash-based prototype has been downloaded over 6 million times, it would be hard to envisage Sony letting such diminutive work through its ‘quality control’ systems as a stand-alone PS2 release.
The hand-drawn artwork is still directed by Dan Paladin, and looks every bit as colourful as fans of the original would hope. In addition, the substance of Alien Hominid has been thoroughly expanded. There are 16 levels, ridiculously large bosses, more weapons, a two-player co-op mode, trench-digging, vehicles, head-biting, enemy-riding, grenades… the list goes on. On top of this potentially Metal Slug-beating list of zany 2D gameplay features, there’s even a separate multi-player mode with over 200 levels of mini-games for up to four players.
If Alien Hominid can reach the final stages of production with the same confidence and aptitude displayed so far, it could be something great. If The Behemoth manages to teach the big boys a lesson at the same time, then that would be worthy of extreme admiration.
Even more surprising is the fact that the game in question - Alien Hominid - actually looks considerably more exciting than the fare often put out by developers with far more extensive resources. And the way in which the project has been approached makes it all the more interesting. Citing influences like Contra, Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug, The Behemoth describes itself as “...a small group of veteran developers who self-fund their work and take orders from no one! [They] oversee every aspect of production from start to finish...”
Given that the game has been picked up by O~3 Entertainment - run by former Capcom President Bill Gardner for general console release - it was obviously in need of some additional work. Although the original Flash-based prototype has been downloaded over 6 million times, it would be hard to envisage Sony letting such diminutive work through its ‘quality control’ systems as a stand-alone PS2 release.
The hand-drawn artwork is still directed by Dan Paladin, and looks every bit as colourful as fans of the original would hope. In addition, the substance of Alien Hominid has been thoroughly expanded. There are 16 levels, ridiculously large bosses, more weapons, a two-player co-op mode, trench-digging, vehicles, head-biting, enemy-riding, grenades… the list goes on. On top of this potentially Metal Slug-beating list of zany 2D gameplay features, there’s even a separate multi-player mode with over 200 levels of mini-games for up to four players.
If Alien Hominid can reach the final stages of production with the same confidence and aptitude displayed so far, it could be something great. If The Behemoth manages to teach the big boys a lesson at the same time, then that would be worthy of extreme admiration.
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Comments
Joji 2 Aug 2004 13:42
1/1
Looks and sounds interesting. Whether it'll beat Metal Slug is another question. I think developers are starting to realise that the more that get in bed with large companies the more their freedom is restricted. Games like VJ, Metal Slug prove that games don't have to be large 3D online epics to sell. they also prove that a bizarre concept can work if given a chance, regardless of being in 3D or 2D.
Chances are it's only a matter of time before the clones attack, but it would be nice if this game isn't one of those.
Chances are it's only a matter of time before the clones attack, but it would be nice if this game isn't one of those.