Alfred Chicken

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:Short description

Template:DMCATemplate:Short descriptionPage Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Infobox video game/styles.css has no content.

Alfred Chicken
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found.
European Amiga cover art
DeveloperTemplate:Pluralize from text
PublisherTemplate:Pluralize from text
DirectorTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:If first display both
ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:If first display both
DesignerTemplate:Pluralize from textJason McGann and Peter Tattersall
ProgrammerTemplate:Pluralize from text
Page Template:Nobold/styles.css has no content.Jason McGann and Peter Tattersall
  • Andrew Swann (Amiga versions)
  • James Smart (NES)
  • Stuart A. Cook (SNES)
  • Matthew Shepcar
  • Charles Waddington
  • Graeme Love (GBC)
  • Finlay Munro (PS)
ArtistTemplate:Pluralize from text
Page Template:Nobold/styles.css has no content.Peter Tattersall & Wayne Billingham
  • Doug Holmes
  • David Bland (GBC)
  • Ian J. Bowden (PS)
WriterTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:If first display both
ComposerTemplate:Pluralize from text
SeriesTemplate:If first display both
EngineTemplate:If first display both
PlatformTemplate:Pluralize from text
Release
Page Template:Nobold/styles.css has no content.1993
  • Game Boy Script error: No such module "Video game release".
  • AmigaScript error: No such module "Video game release".
  • Amiga CD32Script error: No such module "Video game release".
  • NESScript error: No such module "Video game release".
  • SNESScript error: No such module "Video game release".
  • GBCScript error: No such module "Video game release".
  • PSScript error: No such module "Video game release".
GenreTemplate:Pluralize from textPlatform
ModeTemplate:Pluralize from textSingle-player
Arcade systemTemplate:If first display both
Template:Edit on Wikidata

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

Alfred Chicken is a platform video game developed by Twilight and published by Mindscape for the Game Boy. It was later ported to the Amiga, Amiga CD32, NES, and Super NES in 1993 and February 1994, in Europe and North America, respectively. A Europe-exclusive remake of the game, entitled Alfred's Adventure, was developed by Möbius Entertainment and released by SCi for Game Boy Color in June 2000.[1] Another remake, named Alfred Chicken, was also developed by King Monkey, a division of Möbius Entertainment, and released by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation in 2002. Rockstar Games does not own the title's rights, despite buying Möbius later on, as Jason McGann personally held the rights.

Gameplay

Page Module:Message box/ambox.css has no content.

The player takes the role of a chicken named Alfred who must find his way through bizarre levels full of balloons, telephones, cheese, and other strange elements. While he is on the ground, Alfred can walk, jump, and peck balloons and ground switches. While he is in the air he can dive bomb enemies or springs. Dive bombing enemies will destroy them. Dive bombing springs will bounce Alfred much higher so he can reach platforms well above his normal jumping ability. If he does not hit an enemy or a spring, Alfred will get stuck in the ground for a short time.

To complete a level, Alfred must find and peck all the balloons. The last balloon will take him to a boss fight. If Alfred dies, he starts as an egg located at the last balloon pecked. In the Super NES version, finding the big balloon results in a Stage Clear.

Alfred can receive a few power-ups during the game. For one power-up, he must answer a telephone in secret areas to make Mr. Pekles (a giant flower) give him a pot of jam. The jam gives Alfred the ability to shoot a bomb (about the size of Alfred himself) which bounces around the screen collecting items and hurting enemies. Another power-up is a worm that spins around Alfred destroying enemies that it touches. The player must find a can of worms to get this power-up.

Release

The Game Boy game was the original version. Two revisions exist: the monochrome original, and a Super Game Boy version with a level select feature. The latter was developed by Hookstone and released by Sunsoft in Japan. It was later re-released for Game Boy Color as Alfred's Adventure in 2000.

The Amiga version is the same as the Game Boy game and is identical except for its color graphics and increased screen resolution. The NES edition of the game is essentially a watered-down port of the Game Boy version. It features only five levels, which were originally in the Game Boy game.

The SNES game, Super Alfred Chicken, uses the same mechanics as the prior versions, but has entirely different level layouts and functions as a sequel. It suffered from mediocre reviews.

The game for the original PlayStation was released only in the PAL region. It features 2.5D action and is a brand-new game rather than a port. It was developed by Möbius Entertainment and released by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in 2002.

An unannounced version for the Sega Genesis was obtained by Piko Interactive in 2016, getting their hands on an unfinished binary from the original developer and intending to finish it up for a tentative 2017 release.[2] However, conflicting rights with the ownership of the Alfred Chicken character have ultimately prevented this to happen as of the present date.[3]

Marketing

Karl Fitzhugh, the Product Manager of the Amiga version of the Alfred Chicken video game, ran as the Alfred Chicken Party candidate in the 1993 Christchurch, Dorset by-election. The exercise was done to promote the original game's release. Fitzhugh finished second last with 18 votes, two votes ahead of the Rainbow Party candidate.[4]

The marketing attempt was partially successful. The Alfred Chicken Party was cited, along with other "frivolous or 'commercial' candidates", as a reason to increase the number of signatures required for an individual to be nominated as a political candidate at an election.[5]

There was also a toll-free number set up after the US release, which could be called to hear Alfred himself give a promotional speech about the game.

Reception

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Video game wikidata' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Video game wikidata' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Video game wikidata' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Video game wikidata' not found. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Super NES version a 6.6 out of 10, calling it "a slow-moving game requiring more strategy than being able to run, jump and grab items! It takes a while to get into the swing of it, though."[6] They gave the NES version a 5 out of 10, explaining that it retains the large levels and good controls of the Super NES version, but that the drastically lower quality graphics and sounds make the game less enjoyable.[7] Reviewing the NES version, GamePro praised the challenging gameplay, the "cartoony" graphics, the "bouncy, loopy audio", and the "crisp controls", and determined the game to be a must-have for NES fans in light of how few games were being released for the system at that point.[8] On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Game Boy version of the game a 22 out of 40.[9] In Nintendo Power, the NES version was scored a three out of five. While they did like the big sizes of each level and occasionally comical graphics, they ultimately found it to be just another typical platformer.[10]

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Alfred's Adventure". IGN. 23 May 2000. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Lost Levels :: View topic - Piko Interactive's Proto/Copyright Acquisitions - Official".
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Found an undumped and unreleased Genesis game - Alfred Chicken - Page 3". Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1983-1997
  5. ^ Parliament.uk - Memorandum by the Director of Campaigns and Elections of the Liberal Democrats
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference AChickenSNES-EGM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference AChickenNES-EGM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference AChicken-GPro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference AChicken-FamiTshu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference AChicken-NP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).