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H.R.
Geiger's Alien creature, still ranks as one of the big screens greatest
creations, spawning three very good movies, Alien, Aliens and Alien 3. Here we
have Acclaim pitting the player against the Alien in a game based on the
successful trilogy of films.
The game is split into three sections,
with the first revolving around the story line of the second movie, Aliens,
where the objective is to explore LV426, seek out the stricken colonists and
clear an access for the Marine landing. The second section is set on Fiorina,
the isolated prison colony, where your objectives are reminiscent of the Alien 3
story line. The third and final section is loosely based on the crashed Alien
ship, which appeared briefly in the Alien movie.
The plot for each
section is explained via a series of intermission FMV scenes, which would not
look out of place in any of the movies.
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Alien
Trilogy is a 3D, first person perspective shoot-em-up, where the player must
progress through each level, blasting the enemies with a wonderful array of
weapons, while not forgetting to carry out a predetermined mission.
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The
graphics, quite honestly, cannot be faulted. They are extremely close to the
movies claustrophobic atmosphere, being dark and menacing in the corridors of
LV426 and incorporating some nice lighting effects in the prison colony. The
sight of the glass shattering as you send a bullet through it is quite
impressive, while the Aliens work well in 3D as they appear from the darkness
and dodge behind you. There is also a nice effect as the face huggers hatch
from their eggs and leap straight onto your face.
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The
sound effects are excellent with the weapons and explosions sounding very
realistic. There are some nice additional touches, when seeking out the
captured colonists you are led to them by the cries of 'Help Me, Help Me', which
add to the creepy atmosphere. The music complements the atmosphere perfectly,
which is to be expected as it was taken directly from the movie.
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The
action is viewed from a first person perspective, similar to that of Doom.
Although I must say that the movements are not as sharp, especially the strafe,
which is the most needed action to avoid the rapid moving Aliens as they attack
you. The Aliens are intelligently programmed where they will attack at lighting
speed, then circle around behind you. Shooting them is similar to trying to
swat a wasp, and if injured, they will run off and hide, then set themselves up
for another attack. One of the main problems I found with Alien Trilogy was
that the angle of fire is set off to the left, and this left me a bit frustrated
when shooting at a target that was not right on top of me.
At the start
of each level you are set a mission, such as destroy all crates and eliminate
all xenomorphic. If carried through successfully you will be rewarded with a
bonus level, being a maze of corridors that is packed with health and weapon
power ups. You are allowed only 60 seconds, so you must race through and
collect as much ammo as possible, as weapon power ups are difficult to find
during the game and will be used up rapidly. This means the game requires a
great deal of strategic thought, rather than just mindless blasting.
The
game begins with a few face-huggers and the odd Alien, which gives you time to
get used to the control pad. Collecting batteries will allow you to charge up
generators, and when switched on will open up new and hidden areas in the game.
You start with a pistol that will take out the face-huggers in a couple of
shots, but a shotgun must be found before any larger enemies are tackled. As
you advance through the levels, larger and more powerful weapons will be found
and the useful seismic charges and grenades can be used to blast through walls
to unveil secret passageways and rooms packed with goodies.
There are
thirty three levels and bonus areas, with each of the three sections concluding
with a battle with the Queen who must be defeated in order to advance further.
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Watch
the films after playing and see how accurate the graphics really are.
Alien
Trilogy owes more to Doom than Fergie does to her bank manager. Disappointed
with the third section as half of the levels are the same setting with added
creatures.
I would have preferred a more challenging ending to the game,
rather than the battle with the Queen, which was used twice previously in the
game.
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
The
game plays at a good pace and I was well impressed with the atmosphere created
by the excellent sound and graphics. I completed the game on medium difficulty
and re-started on the hard setting. This was found to be very similar to the
previous setting except that the face huggers that had been destroyed, were
alive again if you returned to a previously cleared area. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8/10 |
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JIM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
This
shoot-em-up manages to capture all of the atmosphere of the movies, both in the
sound and vision departments. The game can now be picked up at a fraction of the
original price, making it a worthwhile purchase for all fans if this game genre. |
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SOUND: |
Brilliant |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8.5/10 |
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