Alpha Mission

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Alpha Mission
Japanese arcade flyer
DeveloperSNK
Publishers
DesignerKoji Obata
ArtistRampty
PlatformsArcade, NES
ReleaseArcade
NES
  • JP: September 3, 1986
  • NA: October 1987
  • EU: 1987
GenreScrolling shooter
ModeSingle-player

Alpha Mission, known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object[a] in Japan, is a 1985 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by SNK for Japanese arcades; it was released by Tradewest in North America. It was later ported to the Famicom in 1986 and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.[1]

The arcade game was a commercial success in Japan, where it was the seventh highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986. A sequel, Alpha Mission II, was released for the Neo Geo arcade system in 1991.

Gameplay

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Alpha Mission is a one-player scrolling shooter game in its segregation of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Missiles are used to destroy ground enemies, while laser-like weapons are used for aerial opponents. Throughout each of the levels, the player must fight off waves of enemies that threaten several space stations and a boss must be defeated at the end of each. Like most early games in this genre, when the player dies, all weapons are lost and the player is moved to a point slightly before the point of death. The player's craft can also be upgraded to have more powerful weapons by picking up various power-ups throughout the level.

Release

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Alpha Mission was released on the PlayStation Portable as part of PSP Minis via PlayStation Store in 2011.[2][3][4] Alpha Mission was also released on the Nintendo Switch in the Nintendo eShop on October 25, 2018 and on the PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Store on July 18, 2019 by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series.[5][6] The game is also included on SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, containing both the original arcade and the NES version.[7] It includes both the Japanese version and the Western/international version.

Reception

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In Japan, Game Machine listed ASO as the second most successful table arcade cabinet of November 1985.[8] The magazine later listed it as Japan's fifth highest-grossing table arcade game during the first half of 1986,[9] and the seventh overall highest-grossing table arcade game of 1986.[9][10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: エー・エス・オー - アーマード・スクラム・オブジェクト, Hepburn: Ē Esu Ō - Āmādo Sukuramu Obujekuto
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References

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  1. ^ a b c Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 18–9, 133–8. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. ^ Says, Onmode-Ky. "Alpha Mission Review—Finding Pleasure in Pain | PSP Minis". Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Alpha Mission (PSP Minis) Review for PSP (2011) - Defunct Games". www.defunctgames.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "Three SNK PSP Minis Reviewed". www.tech-gaming.com. September 20, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Lane, Gavin (March 13, 2020). "Guide: Every Arcade Archives Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Arcade Archives Alpha Mission PS4 HAMSTER Corporation". www.hamster.co.jp. July 18, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. ^ "SNK 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: ALPHA MISSION | OFFICIAL WEBSITE". snk40th.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 273. Amusement Press, Inc. December 1, 1985. p. 23.
  9. ^ a b "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 上半期" [Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: First Half '86] (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 288. Amusement Press, Inc. July 15, 1986. p. 28.
  10. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 下半期" [Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: Second Half '86] (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 300. Amusement Press, Inc. January 15, 1987. p. 16.