Alien Crush
Alien Crush is a pinball video game developed by Compile for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. It was released in 1988. The game is the first installment in the "Crush Pinball" series. It was followed by three sequels, "Devil's Crush", "Jaki Crush", and "Alien Crush Returns". "Alien Crush" was later rereleased on the Virtual Console and on the PlayStation Network. "Alien Crush" garnered generally favorable reception from critics, some of which reviewed it as an import title; praise was given to the unusual and original graphical design reminiscent of the "Alien" films, realistic physics, accessibility towards less experience  players and playability but some felt divided regarding its audio, while the transition between the two screens and lack of variety in gameplay aside from the bouns rounds were seen as negative points. Retrospective commentary has been mostly positive. Gameplay. "Alien Crush" features a science fiction theme reminiscent of the film "Alien". Essentially, the player is "fighting" against the aliens with their pinball skills. The playfield of "Alien Crush" consists of two main screens arranged vertically, with a pair of flippers at the bottom of each. The play stops momentarily as the ball shifts from one screen to the next . There are also several hidden/bonus rooms. These hidden rooms mainly involve destroying all the aliens (or several waves of aliens) for bonus points. The player is given the choice of a fast or slow ball speed and two different music tracks. Reception. "Alien Crush" garnered generally favorable reception from critics, some of which reviewed it as an import title. It was given the "Gold Hall of Fame" award from "Famitsu" and ranked at the number 110 spot with a 22.66 out of 30 score in a public poll taken by "PC Engine Fan". Julian Rignall of "Computer and Video  Games Mean Machines" highlighted its graphics reminiscent of the "Alien" films, atmospheric soundtrack and wide variety of bonus screens, writing that "This stunning pinball simulation is the best yet seen on any machine." "Power Play"s Martin Gaksch concurred with Rignall, lauding its well-drawn visuals and atmospheric sound design. Gaksch also commended the game's realistic physics and accessibility towards less experience players, but expressed dislike regarding the transition between the two screens. "The Games Machine"s Warren Lapworth found its graphical design unusual and original when compared to titles such as "Captain Blood" and "Purple Saturn Day". Lapworth commented that  the music was competent but forgettable, while noting its lack of variety in gameplay aside from the bouns rounds. "TurboPlay"s Donn Nauert gave the title positive ratings for its audiovisual presentation and playability. Retrospective coverage. Retrospective reviews for "Alien Crush" have been mostly positive. "Nintendo Life"s Corbie Dillard praised its addictive gameplay, "Alien"-themed visuals and audio. "IGN"s Lucas M. Thomas commended the game's presentation, graphics, audio and engaging gameplay, but noted its limited scope. Nevertheless, Thomas stated that "This Turbo title is an important installment in the industry's pinball genre, and set the bar high for the games  to come after it in later years." "GameSpot"s Aaron Thomas gave positive remarks to its addictive and fun gameplay, catchy music tracks, colorful visuals, interesting table design reminiscent of H.R. Gigers artwork, depth and controls, but the lack of save support for high scores and single table were seen as negative points. In contrast, "Eurogamer"s Kristan Reed felt that "this is a game that even hardcore pinball nutters will (or should) tire of after a few minutes", criticizing its lack of "neat" ideas and single table restriction. "Retro Gamer"s Darran Jones wrote that "This wonderfully polished pinball title has a  decent main table, solid ball physics and plenty of excellent table features". "Hardcore Gaming 101"s Kurt Kalata found it to be the most balanced entry in the "Crush Pinball", labeling it as a "fun experience to both newcomers as well as experts."