Alien Infestation is once again created by the all too familiar SEGA; and once again they have created another great game. If you are a devoted fan of the Alien films you will know all about the U.S.S Sulaco LV-426 spaceship, the setting for the first film of the series and of this game. The heavily damaged Sulaco has been overrun with acid spitting xenomorphs and your mission is to search for any survivors and to destroy any alien force you come across. As you trek through the ship the people you do find are dead, however you occasionally come across a few lost survivors who seem to be able to handle themselves pretty well, while you just roam around.
You control a team of four marines armed with some pretty nice weaponry, these range from pulse rifles, smart guns, flame throwers, grenades etc. Each and every weapon will have a different effect on the enemy i.e. Shotguns will evaporate the alien, while the flame thrower will send the alien running in flames. Also some weapons will have a different effect on structures, some doorways will be sealed shut with alien goo, but by using the flame thrower you will be able to release it. I found that if you were playing with a marine equipped with a rifle, you will have to return to a save point in order to change your weapon which seems a little of an inconvenience. There are plenty of aliens in this game to keep any gamer happy for hours of game play. If you wish to change your player you have the opportunity to enter a communications room to switch characters, refill your ammunition and also to save your progress.
As the game proceeds you will pick up more marines, you will be able to save up to 19 marines in total. Each and every marine all have the same control features, they all walk slow instead of running, this in turn makes you very cautious as to how you tread. If any of your marines do die, they are cocooned and hidden somewhere around the ship for you to find once again. I did however come across a slight problem with the combat, if you are shooting your weapon and wish to turn around you end up walking backwards. The way to overcome this problem is to stop shooting, turn around and continue shooting; enemies do tend to jump around a lot so adapting your play style to this method will benefit you in the long run.
What makes this game stand out from the rest is the exploration element, meaning you will have to search around the Sulaco for pass keys etc. This in turn will unlock previous doors you could not gain entry too. You will also have to search for certain items in order to move forward on the game, such as a lamp to lighten your way through a room which has had a power cut, or a wrench to turn off steam valves; these items can all be found in your inventory at all times.
Working your way through the Sulaco is not too hard, although it can be a bit tedidious if you walk from one end of the ship to the other end and then realize you can’t access the area as you never picked up the key card. You then have to return once again fighting your way back through the level to ensure you have it on the next attempt.
There are quite a few end bosses through the game, I found that you will lose a few of your marines during this fight; they can cause a few deaths but are not too difficult. Once you proceed through to the next level you will pick up more marines as you search through the ship.
Overall I found the game similar in style as to metroid, the typical game play is to explore the ship, picking up different items along the way, and then back tracking your steps to explore new areas which could not be accessed before. This can lead to frustration to even the most experienced player. As the path to trigger the event is not readily apparent, requiring you to search for a path which you may have overlooked previously.
Alien Infestation is a great 2D action sidescroller game and resembles games such as Super Metroid, Blackthorne and the Castlevania series. To all of you who were brought up on the old 16 bit consoles you will love this game, but for those who have been brought up on the 3D style games you will not be impressed with this title.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
