Overview:
Sometime in the near future, successful space colonization has become the norm. Nations are no longer recognized. Everything revolves around the Company—the only form of employment, structure, military and survival. The Company is flourishing throughout the galaxy by interplanetary conquests. Life is swell.
But wait. All is not well. A host of parasitic alien seeds have been discovered and now threaten the existence of the human race. So, naturally you are dispatched to terminate the aliens, right? No way. The Company wants to keep these aliens alive for use as a deadly secret weapon. Of course they don't bother to inform you of this little tidbit.
This is where you enter the scene. As Lt. Ripley, your main job, you think, is to stop the aliens from spreading. Your Marine strike team has been wiped out by an alien ambush. You are the only survivor and it is your job to save humanity. As you head out on your own, you slowly get the feeling that the Company may have a hidden agenda.
Gameplay:
Alien Trilogy is a first-person action/shooter. The object is quite simple. Kill the aliens or they will kill you. Survive and see the next level. Die and see the opening credits again. Simple.
Between blowing away green-blooded aliens, you will encounter numerous objects to help you in your struggle to survive. Starting off the game, you are equipped with your standard-issue 9mm automatic pistol. You can hold up to 150 rounds of ammo for this little baby. It is the least powerful but most plentiful. Since we all know that it would be unfair to take on an entire alien population with only a 9mm, there is a whole arsenal of weapons just waiting to be found. Let's go through them:
- The Seismic Survey Charge, very powerful. These are explosive devices that clear an entire area. The charges are handy when you're backed into a corner with a number of pesky aliens just waiting to jump on your face. Also handy for knocking down an occasional wall or two.
- Shotgun. This is the earliest weapon you'll encounter. It is more powerful than the 9mm and can be used to blast barrels or other objects blocking your path. You'll find shells in boxes of 10 and you can carry up to 100. The shotgun will become your best friend. Next to the 9mm, shotgun shells are fairly plentiful but, believe me, you will never have enough.
- The pulse rifle. This little honey does double duty as a rifle and a grenade launcher. A must-have for survival. The pulse rifle fires off three rounds at a time. It is very easy to deplete your ammo in a short battle.
- Finally, the flame thrower. This has one main purpose—roast alien eggs. The flame thrower holds one canister of fuel at a time but you can carry up to 500 bursts of fire. The flamethrower is also effective on the pesky, face hugging aliens. Anyone feel like BAR-B-Q?
Like other first-person shooters, Alien Trilogy puts you in a 3D maze atmosphere. There are plenty of stairs, corners, hidden rooms, doors and control panels to explore. Each mission starts out with a briefing to explain your intended objective—a formality really, since your objective is just to jump in and kick alien butt. Although there is a small plot in the objectives, basically, if you blow everything up, you will accomplish your mission. At the end of each screen is your mission assessment screen that displays the number of aliens killed, the number of secret areas found and the percentage of your mission you have completed. Achieving anything less than 100 percent in all of these areas just does not seem right.
There is a fairly good variety of enemy aliens to blast. Each has different strength levels and varying degrees of power. Also, just because you run into a human, it does not mean that they are friendly. Remember, the Company wants these things kept alive.
One minor area of frustration is the strength of the big mommas. You can pump endless rounds from your 9mm into them and they just won't fall. They also inflict tremendous damage on you so this can result in a double whammy if you are down to only 9mm ammo.
Graphics:
The graphics are very dark but well done. The darkness adds to the overall atmosphere and affect of the game. It is no fun blasting aliens in a bright, shiny, candyland. The game has a good balance of blood and guts without ever over using it. The enemies are high resolution and drawn with excellent detail.
The graphics help create an eerie aura that would be expected from an Aliens game. Any little movement would cause me to unload 30 rounds into a wall. As with most 3D first person shooters, the screen becomes a blur if you get too close to a wall but it's not too distracting.
The sound also adds to the game immensely. The background music draws you into the game and places every nerve on edge. This is definitely one shining area of the game.
Bottom Line:
Alien Trilogy is a fun, action-packed, first-person shooter. Definitely one of the better games from this category. If you have never played a first-person shooter, this is a good one to learn on. The controls are responsive and the game gets progressively more difficult so you can get the feel of the game before dying. This game is also huge. You will not finish this one in a day. I think you'll have hours and hours of enjoyment. Alien Trilogy is a great game and I recommend it to any fan of shooters.
All contents © 1997 Gamezilla! a Game Point Magazine Production.
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