Alien Breed + Tower Assault

First time i have played this game on any platform, wish i had played in in 1991.... For the time it must have been quite impressive, obviously dated now but still enjoyable. It would be nice to see Alien Breed 2 and 3 available on GOG.

Note that this is an adaptation of the Amiga version for DOS, and it does not measure up to the original on Amiga. The game is slower and less vibrant.

Alien Breed was one of THE top-down shooters during the Amiga era and "Tower Assault" is arguably the best in the whole series. For the first time it wasn't strictly levels based but let the player chose the path through the stages themselves by branching out into two or more exits in some stages. This can result in shortcuts but also in much tougher enemies before aquiring better weapons. Ultimately all ways progress the game so there's no real free exploration. Merely longer or shorter routes. The game has to be played several times to check out the best options for the own playstyle. It has two player coop gameplay as well which makes shooting enemies easier but also shortens supplies as the credits to level up throughout the game are not doubled. So it doesn't really make the game easier but more just different. The controls feel tight and work pretty flawless. Other than the first two games Tower Assault also has a retreat option that lets you shoot in one direction while walking backwards away from danger. For all the good things in the game it is tough as f*ck, though. And not just for the right reasons unfortunately. As is tradition in games from the days - gamedesign wasn't always made to be able to succeed all the time. You can play yourself into a corner and screw up your whole progress: The game uses keycard mechanics in the later levels which means that you have to have keys to open doors. If you run out of keys doors can be shot open but it takes a LOT of ammunition and time in which you are overrun by enemies. Ammunition is NOT infinite so you will also have to keep track of it or buy new one if you are lucky enough to have credits and be close to a terminal. Worst of all some levels have an auto destruct mechanic in which you are required to reach the exit through a maze in a very short time. Otherwise: GameOver! These three mechanics should be your make or brake factors for deciding to buy. So: be aware of Amiga game difficulty before buying. ;)

NOT RECOMMENDED. The only good thing about this is the PC conversion menu music by Nigel Taylor. The controls are clumsy and the hit registration with the gun delayed by at least 0.5 seconds. Moving vertically is very dangerous because of the low resolution i.e. you cannot see enemies hiding five steps in front of you. You cannot really hip shoot because of the cumbersome controls and delayed hit registering. It is in a desperate need of a remake (instead of the usual rehashes). Tower Assault added its own problems such as enemies that take a way too much shooting to kill and timed, trial-and-error-heavy end level sequences. This game is for those who want to deep dive into the dirt of the past. It is a technically obsolete, basic top-down run-and-gun deal with an alien theme. The controls require a lot of patience to put it nicely. P.S. There is a copy-protection prompt in the beginning, though it's disabled and you can press Enter twice to get past it. Here's the PC-version-exclusive menu theme by Nigel Taylor you get with the default settings audio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgZZ4FJyWdg

Difficult to rate this one: they both are pearls from the past, so if you are a fan surely it's worth, but the gameplay has aged rather badly (it's still fun, but not for a long play), plus the method of saving the game is truly annoying, considering you have to restart a level without any power-ups or keys. So, two good top-down shooters (the first is subdivided in mission, the other with a map interconnected, way more fun and way more confusing) that if you give them time, can bring some action-packed fun.