Totally Games has revealed that adding RPG elements and keeping things a little more logical for Alien Syndrome is proving to be a challenge. On a recent developer diary log from senior designer Jeff Kung, new details have been dropped as to what this new PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii title has in store.

Game historians will recall the original Alien Syndrome as an arcade-style run and gun classic by Sega. The resurrection of the franchise sees a change in genre as  a more action-RPG-oriented presentation is utilized. Emphasis on balance, realism, and quirkiness have taken the premium and it's looking good.

Starting with weapons, the devs made it a point that a balance must be struck between melee and ranged weapons to give everyone a playing field level enough to accommodate everyone's style of play.

While melee weapons require you to get close to enemies, they do offer a chaining effect that allows you to pull off devastating combos against foes. Ranged weapons such as fire trees cause immense damage from afar, but they do require lots of ammo which can be challenging to procure.

On the RPG side of things, the guys at Totally Games have realized that towns and stores can't be placed in space realistically, so they included a robot that tags alongside your character and recycles items you don't want to convert them into more useful commodities.

Lastly, about the Wii version, mini games in Alien Syndrome will have a profound effect on how you'll manage uber items. Great items will be dropped when you kill a boss. They'll have tremendous stats which can be harnessed if you can solve a maze puzzle with the Wiimote. If done correctly, the item will reflect its potential and reward you with gear that will help you own the enemies in the game.

That's it for now as far as new details on Alien Syndrome go. We'll give you a heads-up when new reports are forthcoming so keep it locked here.

Buy: [Alien Syndrome (Wii)]
Buy: [Alien Syndrome (PSP)]

Totally Games Senior Designer">Jeff Kung, the senior designer of Totally Games' remake of Alien Syndrome for the Wii and PSP, recently posted an article on the Developers Blog over at IGN regarding control scheme of the game.

While the original title was purely an action game, the developers wanted to make sure that they preserved that sense of combat with the Action RPG version of it, and much of that was translated in the control scheme of the game.

Kung declared that they came up with what they think is the most natural controller configuration for a third person action game, "three-fourths view action game hands-down. "

The senior designer proceeded to discuss the Wii control scheme where pointing the Wiimote on the screen dictates where your character faces while movement is handled through the joystick on the Nunchuck.

They also integrated it in the PSP version which Kung described as a "pick-up and play" type of game. He noted that it emphasizes action thus allowing players to start up the game and get "right into the fray". This wouldn't have been possible if not for the fact that they've "made the controls incredibly intuitive for the PSP."

There you have it from the senior designer of the game himself. And we have to add, Alien Syndrome indeed looks very promising. There were quite a few more details that were discussed in the post, so you might want to check it out though our Read link.