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Greetings comrades! I suppose you're wondering why I called this emergency meeting of the End-Of-Level-Boss Committee. Well to be honest I'm fed up to the back teeth with complaints from you lot about the pay and conditions. You knew the workload when you started, you knew some of the heroes would get past you in the end. So what's the problem? I'll tell you what the problem is... Beak Face!

He's back, and this time he's brought more weapons than we can hope to deal with. It's just too much. The only thing we can do is gang up and give him the fight of his life - something to really test the might of his firepower. We're going to take the fight to him and populate every level of his next adventure. Let's see him get through that one. Let's get to work!

Programmed by veteran development team. Treasure, Alien Soldier follows in the fine shooter tradition of Gunstar Heroes.

Blast your way through level after level of boss-infested mayhem, armed with firepower galore.

True to Treasure form they've gone completely overboard on the weapons up for grabs. What's more you have to pick four weapons from a selection before even starting the game. But choose your weapons carefully as tactics are the order of the day when it comes to tackling some of the trickier bosses, and always bear in mind that no weapon is built to last.

If you liked the fast and furious action of Gunstar Heroes, you'll love Alien Soldier. This is a real gamesplayer's game - the difficulty setting is on tough and the unrelenting waves of alien enemies in the mini levels prior to the bosses will have you running for cover.

Talking of bosses, although the majority only take a couple of attempts to submit, don't be surprised if you find yourself stuck in front of a real meanie!

Even though there's nothing revolutionary about the gameplay, the detail and challenge is so polished you get the feeling as soon as you start, that you are playing a classic. Go and have a go if you think you're hard enough!

The pattern with Treasure games is beginning to establish itself. Whatever it is, it has to be different. This time, the traditional format of the shoot-'em-up has been turned on its head. It's the bosses who take up the gameplay time - the minor baddies are relatively unimportant.

At first, it looks like an idea too far, a recipe for disaster, but Alien Soldier is saved on the strength of its two dozen bosses. They are all well-designed, challenging and impressive to behold. This said, there is little of the technical experimentation seen on other Treasure games. But perversely, Alien Soldier ends up having more variety than other sprawling long-levelled blasters.

Graphics 87%
P. Fast, furious, full of colour and explosions! Some fantastic designs for the bosses.

Animation 83%
P. Fluid movement of the large boss sprites and Epsilon.

Music 84%
P. Punchy, pumping tunes that set the pulse racing.

Effects 85%
P. Cool screams and squeals for the guns, and meaty FX to match the size and scale of the bosses.

Playability 86%
P. Hectic and exciting! The challenge is tough but oh so much fun.
N. Initially the control system is a little troublesome.

Lastability 87%
P. Super tough challenge, piles of levels, and bosses galore! I think this will stand the test of time.

Overall 85%
A modern classic that turns the concept of platform blasting inside-out, but that suffers from being a bit samey.