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Alien Hominid

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Alien Hominid
North American cover art
Developer(s)The Behemoth[a]
Publisher(s)The Behemoth[b]
Designer(s)Dan Paladin
Programmer(s)Tom Fulp
Composer(s)Matthew E. Harwood[c]
Platform(s)
Adobe Flash
Release
August 7, 2002
  • Adobe Flash
    • WW: August 7, 2002
  • PlayStation 2
    • NA: November 21, 2004
    • EU: May 27, 2005
  • GameCube
    • NA: November 23, 2004
  • J2ME
    • EU: May 23, 2005
  • Xbox
    • EU: May 27, 2005
    • AU: June 23, 2005
  • Game Boy Advance
    • EU: February 3, 2006
    • AU: February 9, 2006
  • Xbox 360
    • WW: February 28, 2007
  • NS, Win, XBO, XSX/S
    • WW: November 1, 2023
  • PS4, PS5
    • WW: TBA
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Alien Hominid is a run and gun video game developed by The Behemoth and first released as a Flash game on the multimedia website Newgrounds on August 7, 2002. It was originally developed in Adobe Flash by programmer and Newgrounds founder, Tom Fulp, and animator and artist, Dan Paladin. It has since been re-released in several expanded and enhanced iterations for home consoles and computers.

The first re-release of Alien Hominid was with an expanded console version released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox in 2004 and 2005. A port for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Tuna Technologies, was released in 2006 for PAL territories. A high-definition version titled Alien Hominid 360 (formerly known as Alien Hominid HD) was released for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.[1] Another remaster, Alien Hominid HD, was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 1, 2023, alongside a sequel, Alien Hominid Invasion. It is also planned to release for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Gameplay

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A gameplay screenshot of the HD version demonstrating the second boss fight of Urban level showing Alien Hominid fight Cyclops

Alien Hominid is a side-scrolling shooter in a similar vein to games such as Metal Slug,[2] where one hit instantly kills[3] and has a two-player simultaneous play.[4] Players take over as the titular hominid, who has to fend off waves of secret agents.[5] His main arsenal is a blaster, while players can also melee close-up enemies and use a limited number of grenades to attack. Advanced moves include rolling under shots, jumping on and biting off enemies' heads, temporarily scaring other enemies, and digging underground to drag enemies down with them.

Players can collect a numerous variety of power-ups which simultaneously give players extra grenades, a shield, and unique ammo. Players can also drive vehicles, ride on top of a Yeti, and pilot a UFO.[6] Completing certain tasks will unlock hats the players can dress their Hominid in.[7] The main game features sixteen stages.[8]

Outside of the main game, there are three multiplayer modes (Challenge, Neutron Ball, and Pinata Boss), a PDA game (featuring around 200 levels and a level editor), an extra mode called All You Can Eat, and a retro minigame, Super Soviet Missile Mastar.[9][10]

Plot

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The Alien Hominid that the game follows is flying over Earth when the FBI intercept its spacecraft, sending it crashing down to the planet. While the alien lies unconscious from the crash, FBI agents promptly steal its ship, causing it to go after the FBI to get the ship back, with the help of young citizens of the city, known in the game as "fat kids". Upon retrieving the ship, the alien flies right into a Soviet missile that was traveling towards America, detonating it and sending the alien crashing down into Russia. The alien then retrieves the ship a second time, before being captured by an Area 51 spaceship. While being transported in a cage by an Area 51 agent across the desert, a bump in the road causes the cage to fall out from behind and break, freeing the alien. During the alien's third search for his ship, he befriends a sentient eyeball that piloted robots the alien fought previously. While the eyeball helps the alien, a similar-looking buff alien fights the alien as the agents cheer it on. After defeating the buff alien, the "fat kids" seize an Area 51 truck, place the alien and eyeball back in the alien's ship, set it to take off, and begin to drive away. With the Area 51 agents on the kids' tail, the alien places a tractor beam over the kids, lifting them out of the truck.[11]

Reception

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The game received "generally favorable reviews" on all platforms except the Game Boy Advance version, which received universal acclaim, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[35][36][37][38] It was nominated for GameSpot's annual "Funniest Game" award, which went to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[39]

Before its release, Alien Hominid received notice in gaming magazines such as Play, GMR, Edge, Dragon, and mainstream magazines such as Wired. In reviews for the game, it was critically acclaimed for its old-school style gameplay, tough level of difficulty, and quirky humor. The game also won many small awards, most notably at the Independent Games Festival (for Innovation In Visual Arts, Technical Excellence and the Audience Award).[citation needed]

Legacy

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Hominid appears during one of the levels in The Behemoth's 2nd game, Castle Crashers, using a lance weapon based on his ray gun. He is playable to anyone who has also downloaded Alien Hominid 360 on the Xbox 360 version, while he is unlocked by completing said level on the PlayStation Network and Steam versions of the game. The green eyeball from an early boss fight also appears as an Animal Orb, firing lasers at enemies. Hominid appears as a playable character in Team Meat's Super Meat Boy, another game that originated as a flash game on Newgrounds.[40] The Super Soviet Missile Mastar minigame from Alien Hominid was released as a free app for iOS on February 7, 2011.[41][42] An improved version of the PDA Games minigame was released for iOS on December 9, 2011.[43] Developer Tom Fulp has cited the PDA Games as being the inspiration for The Behemoth's third game, BattleBlock Theater,[43] which features unlockable Hominid character heads for those who own Alien Hominid 360.[44]

On January 30, 2020, Behemoth announced their fifth game, Alien Hominid Invasion, which they describe as "an all-new re-imagination" of the original game featuring new gameplay and mechanics. The game is in development for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It was released on November 1, 2023.[45] A remaster of the original game, Alien Hominid HD, was released alongside Invasion for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.[46]

Notes

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  1. ^ Ported to Game Boy Advance and J2ME by Tuna Technologies
  2. ^ The PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance versions were published by Zoo Digital Publishing in Europe and O3 Entertainment in North America.
  3. ^ Game Boy Advance music composed by Allister Brimble and Anthony N. Putson

References

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  1. ^ Webber, Scott (July 20, 2006). "Alien Hominid coming to the Live Arcade". Console Monster. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Liu, Johnny (December 28, 2004). "Alien Hominid Review (GC, PS2)". Game Revolution. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Sewart, Greg (March 3, 2007). "ALIEN HOMINID HD REVIEW". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  4. ^ Schiaparelli, Frank (November 19, 2004). "Alien Hominid Review". GameSpy. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  5. ^ Lee, Josh (January 4, 2005). "Alien Hominid". PopMatters. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Rice Burner (January 24, 2005). "Alien Hominid (GC, PS2)". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Tobias, Scott (January 31, 2005). "Alien Hominid". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Metts, Johnathan (January 11, 2005). "Alien Hominid Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  9. ^ Davis, Ryan (November 18, 2004). "Alien Hominid Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Reed, Kristan (December 18, 2008). "Alien Hominid HD". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  11. ^ The Behemoth (2004-11-21). Alien Hominid. The Behemoth.
  12. ^ Edge staff (January 2005). "Alien Hominid (PS2)". Edge. No. 145. p. 97.
  13. ^ a b EGM staff (December 25, 2004). "Alien Hominid (GC, PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 186. p. 100.
  14. ^ Gillen, Kieron (June 14, 2005). "Alien Hominid (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Zoss, Jeremy (December 2004). "Alien Hominid (GC, PS2)". Game Informer. No. 140. p. 168. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  16. ^ Davis, Ryan (November 18, 2004). "Alien Hominid Review (GC)". GameSpot. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  17. ^ Davis, Ryan (November 18, 2004). "Alien Hominid Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  18. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (March 1, 2007). "Alien Hominid HD Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  19. ^ Schiaparelli, Frank (November 19, 2004). "GameSpy: Alien Hominid (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Alien Hominid Review (GC, PS2)". GameTrailers. April 11, 2005. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  21. ^ Romano, Natalie (December 12, 2004). "Alien Hominid - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  22. ^ Lafferty, Michael (December 20, 2004). "Alien Hominid - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  23. ^ a b Sulic, Ivan (November 9, 2004). "Alien Hominid (NGC, PS2)". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  24. ^ Brudvig, Erik (March 1, 2007). "Alien Hominid Review (X360)". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  25. ^ "Alien Hominid (GC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 187. January 2005. p. 138.
  26. ^ Davison, John (January 2005). "Alien Hominid". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  27. ^ "Alien Hominid HD". Official Xbox Magazine. February 2007. p. 74.
  28. ^ "RECENT VIDEO GAME RELEASES". Detroit Free Press. January 16, 2005. ProQuest 436532120. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "Alien Hominid (PS2, Xbox)". The Times. May 28, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2016.(subscription required)
  30. ^ "Alien Hominid for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  31. ^ "Alien Hominid for GameCube". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  32. ^ "Alien Hominid for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  33. ^ "Alien Hominid for Xbox". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  34. ^ "Alien Hominid HD for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  35. ^ a b "Alien Hominid for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  36. ^ a b "Alien Hominid for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  37. ^ a b "Alien Hominid (xbx: 2005): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  38. ^ a b "Alien Hominid HD for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  39. ^ "Best and Worst of 2004". GameSpot. January 5, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005.
  40. ^ McMillen, Edmund (October 5, 2008). "Meat Boy on Newgrounds". Newgrounds. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  41. ^ Revak, Kelly (January 11, 2011). "Super Soviet Missile Mastar controls your iPhone/iPad". The Behemoth. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  42. ^ Revak, Kelly (February 7, 2011). "Super Soviet Missile Mastar launch is GO". The Behemoth. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  43. ^ a b Fulp, Tom (December 9, 2011). "Go Get PDA Games for iPhone / iPad!". Newgrounds.
  44. ^ The Behemoth (April 2, 2013). "Special Unlocks in BattleBlock Theater and Castle Crashers XBLA". YouTube.
  45. ^ "Alien Hominid Invasion".
  46. ^ "Alien Hominid HD coming to Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch, and PC in 2023". 25 August 2023.
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