Aliens infestation sprites movie#

Also, if you already have four marines, any new ones discovered refuse to join your party and stay where they are, meaning that discovering them can be rather pointless. While health pickups and ammo drops are welcome, these things are replenished in save rooms, meaning that running out of essentials isn’t a huge issue. There are many hidden air vents leading to secret areas, but very few of these areas contain anything useful. I’d like for at least two weapons to be equippable alongside the emergency pistol.Īnother disappointing element to the game is the lack of rewards for exploration. Unfortunately, only one main weapon can be carried at a time, which I find inconvenient, especially when you need the useless flamethrower to burn open doors. Each gun can be upgraded three times by items hidden throughout the game, improving their ability to dish out death. While the flamethrower is disappointingly weak, the smart gun is a beautiful weapon that becomes crucial as soon as it’s discovered. There is a range of iconic weaponry to discover throughout the game, from the unforgettable pulse rifle to shotguns, flamethrowers, and smart guns. The backtracking can get a little overindulgent, especially when players are only given a vague clue of where to go, but it’s otherwise a very good take on classic gameplay. Sealed doors need to be opened with welding equipment, bug resin needs to be burned away with flamethrowers, and broken steam pipes need to be closed off with wrenches. Backtracking is a big part of the experience, as some areas are closed off until players return later with new equipment. Memories of Castlevania are evoked when players are down to a sliver of health and desperately trying to get back to a save point in order to find sanctuary, knowing that failure truly puts something on the line.Īs noted, Aliens: Infestation borrows heavily from Metroid. Not only are the regular Alien Warriors deadly, the various boss creatures lying in wait are utterly brutal, more than capable of taking out an entire squad of Marines if players aren’t careful. While this keeps the game incredibly tense, it can become annoying when every hit you take knocks you down, the dodge roll is ineffectual, and Xenos can close the gap between themselves and you without recourse.ĭespite these grievances, however, Aliens: Infestation is an incredibly intense shooter experience, one that makes the Xenomorphs genuinely threatening for the first time in years. When the game wants to hurt you, it will hurt you no matter what. Sometimes, enemies are strategically placed below elevators and ladders so that taking a hit is inescapable. This difficulty can sometimes border on the unreasonable, especially when facing fast-moving monkey-bugs that deal damage by touch alone or when Xenomorphs suddenly jump at you from several feet away. Health bars are not huge, a stamina gauge limits the ability to run or dodge, and bugs are very tough to put down. Taking an old-school scrolling shooter approach, players investigate the Sulaco and wider areas of LV-426, facing some incredibly stiff resistance along the way. To ensure that players feel the dismal sting of death, WayForward Technologies has made Aliens: Infestation a damn tough game. Players have a chance to rescue fallen comrades from Xenomorph nests, but if the escape attempt fails, they’re never coming back. There are 19 Marines to discover and collect throughout the game, and when one of them gets killed off, they stay killed.

While each Marine has his or her own distinct personality and dialog, do not get too attached to them - they likely won’t survive to see the end of the game.Īliens: Infestation is a game about loss, taking the depressing spirit of the Aliens movies to heart and presenting a game where anybody can die … and probably will.

Set on Lv-426 in the aftermath of Aliens, Infestation puts players in control of four marines as they search the remnants of the Sulaco and uncover yet another shadowy plot by the sinister Weyland-Yutani corporation.

Both Contra and Metroid have liberally stolen from 20 Century Fox’s franchise over the years, and I can think of few things more fitting than to see the developer of Contra 4 producing an Aliens game with a retro Metroid flavor.Īliens: Infestation is the game I’ve wanted for years. It seems poetic, then, that Aliens has finally reclaimed the gameplay it inspired.

Aliens infestation sprites movie#

The movie classic gave us the archetypal space marine, then pitted them against a nest full of drooling Xenomorphs, the titular Aliens that have served as a blueprint for so many videogame enemies.