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Alien Trilogy
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Sega Saturn
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5.0 (1 votes)
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"In (your home), (Acclaim) can hear you scream (for joy!)"
There was a movie out sometime ago which starts with the phrase "In space, no one can hear you scream." That movie was Alien and it turned out to be the scariest action thriller, which spwaned three sequels. Now Acclaim, with the help of Probe and Fox Interactive, decided to make an action shooter video game.
You play as Lt. Ripley, who assists the Space Marine infantry to wipe out the Aliens in a three stage, 50 level game. The first stage, based on the second movie, Aliens, you take on the creatures infecting the planet colony of LV-426. Then from Alien 3, you are taken to the prison planet and the final stage, you're back to the beginning of the first movie. At the end of each three stages, you face the big, bad queen alien in a final showdown. Along the way, you also face soldiers and synthetics, sent by the Company to capture the monsters and to kill you if you get in their way.
The graphics are great. Moving around in a 3D world like in Tomb Raider that has a gothic, movie atmosphere is seer genies. But the animation needs work, because the frame rate is slow and limited in some areas, and the pixelization is bad up close.
The music is terrific! With 13 theme tracks on the CD, it gives an errie, foreboding feeling to the dark and creepy corridors. Even though the music didn't come straight from any of the 3 movies, it sound professionly like it. The sound effects are excellent, too. They sound very real, from the automatic pistol to the pulse rifle. Other sounds such as the Alien screams and the crawling Facehuggers are chrisp, clear, and, the best part, they come when you least expect it. There times when I walked through the gloom hallways that I unexpectly hear the Alien scream that I jump into action, trying to locate it, only to find that there is nothing in front of me. I don't know whether they are in the next room, close off, or that they'll jump out from the dark. Scary.
The gamplay is based on other first player shooters, such as Doom. That means there is no character on the screen to control. You see the screen like you see through your own eyes. This what gives me the most trouble. Because of this setup, I have very limited vision. Without radar, I can't see whats behind me. I have difficulty finding and secret passageways in a short time. It's a good thing it doesn't have jumping ability, like in Turok, because it's hard to measure the distance. Don't get me wrong. The idea is pretty good. It adds the element of surprize that way. I just wonder if the gamemakers decided instead to put the Ripley character in the game. Have her shoot and dogde the Aliens. Then the reviews would say that it is a Resident Evil clone, rather than a Doom clone. The good news is that the control are accurate and quick because you need it in order to swich weapons and gun down the Alien and Company scum. The replay value is high, as well, because not only does it have backup memory, but also a password option, so you can put codes in for a certain level or to get unlimited ammo and health.
In all, this is a great solid game. Suspense and high intensity are inthis game and all the elements from the first three movies are included as well. I read reviews saying that the game is not good because the Aliens move slowly, wanting to be shot. That they don't act like in the movie. I say that if they did, the game would be over in less in a minute. In truth, they move pretty fast, dodging your shots, and they take a lot of hits. If you love the movies, than you getting the chance to blow up Aliens and Company lackeys in this game. There are still some stores online that you can buy this game from. Just don't play in the dark.
Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/00, Updated 04/10/00
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