Alien Syndrome review

You'll have to forgive us old timers for getting our bloomers in a twist over a new Alien Syndrome game. We who spent the mid '80's pumping arcade machines full of shiny currency called "quarters" or praying to an ancient relic called the Sega Master System carry very fond memories of the top-down sci-fi shooter.So it's comforting that the PSP's Alien Syndrome update plays a lot like the game we know and love, with a few RPG-style elements thrown in to reward our fifteen or so years of monk-like patience.

Playing as Lieutenant Aileen Harding, you get to choose from any one of five character classes, ranging from demolition expert, survival hero, or champion of fire (flamethrower, baby!) - carrying two guns and a melee weapon you can cycle through on the fly with the push of a button.

Andwith the help of your robot sidekick, SCARAB (you better believe that's a reaching acronym) you can level up yourarsenal and armor while earning experience towards a wealth of stats and attributes. Plus you can try switchto any other class and without losing the character you've built up or your saved progress. All cool stuff, right?