Alpha Mission II

Alpha Mission II is a vertically scrolling full screen shoot 'em up released by SNK in 1991 for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It is the sequel to the 1985 arcade game Alpha Mission. It was later released for the Neo Geo CD in 1994 and for the PlayStation Portable in 2010. The player controls a fighter spacecraft (Armored Scrum Object) and can shoot enemies in the air, bomb enemies on the ground, collect power ups, and defeat bosses to advance levels.

The game controls uses 2 or 3 buttons used depending on the selected shuttle mode. The ship's armaments consist of air to air laser shots, air to ground missiles and any Power Weapons the player collects. The laser and missiles can be upgraded up to four times by collecting the powerups from drones that are shot. Power Weapons are available after the player collects three pieces of the same armour type or can be bought with credits acquired after each stage. The weapons have limited power indicated on an energy meter. Using the weapons or getting the ship damaged lowers the energy. The energy can be recharged by collecting E power ups. Once the energy expires, the ship returns to normal mode. Depending on which mode is selected varies whether Button C or B activates the Power Weapons. Various hidden items can do certain things like an R item can put the shuttle in Reverse for a certain distance. The shuttle is destroyed by one shot or by running into an enemy unit or hazard. Unless the player collects enough K power ups beforehand, the missiles and laser shots will be lost to minimum power when the player loses a life. There are seven stages in the game, with the last one consisting of a single boss battle. The player has to fight through them avoiding hazards in addition. Mid bosses very occasionally appear in the game. When the player meets a mid boss or end stage boss, the player must destroy weak points and various parts of the boss to destroy it.

In Japan, Game Machine listed Alpha Mission II on their May 1, 1991 issue as being the most popular arcade game at the time. Since its initial release in arcades, the game has been met with generally positive reception from critics. AllGames Paul Biondich regarded it as a worthy successor to the original Alpha Mission and praised its complex weapon system, crisp graphics and simple controls although Kyle Knight gave the game more mixed outlook, stating that the enemy designs were dated and the aforementioned weapon system was a detriment. Game Zones David Wilson reviewed the arcade version, regarding it to be a fun game, noting its weapon system and ability to equip weapons between levels. Zeros Doris Stokes also regarded the game to be fun but stated that the amount of action on screen made it frenetic. Nintendo Lifes Damien McFerran stated that the Armor weapon system was interesting, praising the bosses but criticized the levels for being repetitive. In contrasts, Nintendo World Reports Casey Gibson stated that the power up system was convoluted power up system and criticized the level design for being bland. Pure Nintendo Magazines Kaelyn Daugherty also stated that the weapon system added variety but criticized certain design aspects.