You remember that specific green glow, right? It’s 2008. You’ve just finished school, the TV is tuned to Cartoon Network, and the Omnitrix has finally recalibrated. Suddenly, Ben isn’t ten anymore—he’s fifteen, he’s wearing a sleek leather jacket, and the stakes feel way higher. This transition didn't just happen on screen; it hit our consoles hard.
Honestly, the Ben 10 Alien Force games represent a weird, experimental era in licensed gaming. People often lump them together as "just another kids' series," but if you actually go back and play them, you’ll see they were trying some surprisingly ambitious stuff. We’re talking about a leap from simple beat-'em-ups to intergalactic platformers that actually tried to expand the lore.
The First Attempt: Ben 10 Alien Force (2008)
The first game, simply titled Ben 10: Alien Force, was basically the "hello world" of this new era. It launched on the PS2, Wii, PSP, and DS. If you played it back then, you probably remember the frustration of only having five aliens initially: Swampfire, Humungousaur, Jetray, Big Chill, and Spidermonkey.
Why only five?
Budget constraints? Narrative choice? It’s a bit of both. The game follows a plot where Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are hunting down a disgraced Plumber named Gorvan. It turns out Gorvan was hoarding illegal alien tech for the Highbreed. It’s a standard plot, but the gameplay tried to emphasize teamwork. You weren't just Ben; Gwen and Kevin were actually playable in certain segments, using mana shields and matter absorption to solve puzzles.
The Vicious Engine—yes, that was the actual name of the game engine—wasn't exactly a powerhouse. It led to some "jank." You’ve likely experienced that moment where Spidermonkey’s web-zip just... fails. Or the camera gets stuck behind a low-res tree. But for 2008, seeing a giant Humungousaur take down a weather tower was peak entertainment.
Vilgax Attacks: When Things Got Galactic
A year later, we got Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks. This is the one most fans actually remember fondly. Why? Because it finally let us use all ten aliens (well, eventually).
This game felt more like a "tour of the universe." You weren't just stuck in Bellwood. You were traveling to Vulpin (Wildmutt's home), Terradino (Humungousaur's home), and even the nightmare-inducing Anur Phaetos.
What most people get wrong about this one
Most critics at the time complained about the "shallow" combat. They called it a button-masher. But honestly? If you dive into the upgrade system, there’s some depth there. You could actually choose which special attacks to level up.
- The Spaceship Bits: Everyone hated these. Let’s be real. The collision detection was wonky. Luckily, the developers (Papaya Studio) knew this and actually put in a "skip" button for the shooting segments.
- The Camera: It was rough. You had to hold the minus button on the Wii just to rotate it manually. In the middle of a fight? Yeah, that was a death wish.
Despite the technical hiccups, Vilgax Attacks nailed the vibe. It felt like an extension of the show. Using Echo Echo to duplicate and hold down multiple pressure plates wasn't just a gimmick; it was a clever use of the source material.
The "Lost" Game: The Rise of Hex
Not many people talk about Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex. This was a downloadable-only title for WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade.
It was a 2.5D side-scroller, which was a huge departure from the 3D action of the previous titles. It’s significantly shorter—you can beat it in about two hours—but it introduced Lodestar as a playable character.
The tragic part? You can’t legally buy this game anymore. When the licenses expired, it was pulled from digital storefronts. It’s a piece of "lost media" for the average consumer, existing now only on the hard drives of old consoles or through... other means. It was a "competent" puzzle platformer, according to reviewers at the time, but it focused way too much on "switch puzzles." You’d spend ten minutes turning into different aliens just to flip three switches in the right order.
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How to play these in 2026
If you’re looking to revisit these today, you have two real paths.
1. Original Hardware: The PS2 and Wii versions are the most stable. If you can find a physical copy of Vilgax Attacks for the Xbox 360, that’s technically the "best" looking version of the bunch. It has better lighting and fewer frame drops.
2. Emulation: This is where the community lives now. Using emulators like PCSX2 (for PS2) or Dolphin (for Wii) allows you to upscale these games to 4K. It’s wild how much better the character models for Big Chill or Chromastone look when they aren't restricted by 480i resolution.
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Pro Tip: If you're emulating, use a "Run-ahead" feature to reduce input lag. These games had notoriously "floaty" jumping, and reducing lag by even two frames makes the Spidermonkey platforming sections significantly less painful.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're feeling nostalgic, don't just jump into the first game you find. Here is how to actually enjoy the Ben 10 Alien Force games without getting frustrated by 20-year-old game design:
- Start with Vilgax Attacks: Skip the 2008 original unless you're a completionist. Vilgax Attacks has the best alien variety and the most interesting level designs.
- Invest in a Controller: If you're playing the Wii versions on an emulator, don't try to map motion controls to a mouse. Use a standard Bluetooth controller; the games play much more like traditional beat-'em-ups anyway.
- Search for the "The Rise of Hex" Longplays: Since the game is delisted, watching a high-quality longplay on YouTube is the only way to see the Lodestar gameplay without hunting down a "modded" console.
- Check out the DS Versions: They are entirely different games. While the console versions are 3D brawlers, the DS versions are 2D pixel-art platformers developed by 1st Playable Productions. They actually have some of the most fluid animations in the entire franchise.
These games aren't perfect. They’re "licensed games" in every sense of the word—often rushed to meet TV schedules and plagued by technical "jank." But they also captured a specific magic. They let us be the aliens we saw on Saturday mornings. In an era where we rarely get high-budget licensed games that aren't "live service" nightmares, there's something genuinely refreshing about a straightforward adventure where you just turn into a dinosaur and punch things.