Alien Trilogy (MS-DOS)

I think this one's a first person shooter. Or maybe I'm confusing it with Alien vs Predator on the Jaguar.

Wow, that reminds me so much of Alien Breed. Which is funny considering how much that game ripped off the Alien movies.

I wonder how this even got into the game without anyone noticing that some of the words are unreadable and then finding a way to fix it.

Ah yeah, this is definitely a first person shooter, and a pretty basic one. It's dripping with atmosphere though. It's actually making me feel a little apprehensive about going any further down this murky maze of corridors. Maybe I'd feel better if they'd sent me in with something better than a pistol.

WAIT... how does this even relate to the first three Alien movies? This corridor looks like it's from Aliens, but I don't remember them ever ordering Ripley to go in first with a pistol and clear a path for the marines.

I see you, you little bastard! Just peek your head out a little further...

Oh shit it's coming for me RUN AWAY!!!

OH CRAP NOW I'M TRAPPED IN A ROOM AND IT'S RIGHT THERE SHOOT IT SHOOT IT!

Ok it's dead. It can't harm me any more. Unless I step on its corpse, then its acidic blood will burn through my feet.

Okay, I've collected a map of the area, and it seems pretty straightforward. It's harder to navigate with the lights off, the doors locked and the corridors barricaded with explosive barrels though.

There's lots of switch flicking in this. I keep having to find a switch, then go off looking to see which door it unlocked. I haven't had to hunt down any coloured keycards yet though.

The pistol may not be able to destroy the barrels blocking my path, but this does the job! Blowing up stuff like boxes can reveal pick ups inside like derma patches and ammo. Or maybe just an angry facehugger.

Oh shit, it's an ALIEN! It's not scurrying around or leaping, just walking towards me, absorbing everything I fire at it. I think it must have taken five shots to put down in the end.

OH SHIT, it has a friend and I'm out of shotgun ammo. Crap, I'm out of pistol ammo too!

OH COME ON! The door shuts, protecting me from the monsters outside, but trapping me with the monsters already here. Fortunately it seems that the gun has unlimited ammo. When I fire my last bullet, Ripley reloads and I get another one.

FUCK! I don't even know how to get it off, so I'll just keep firing blindly. Man, even a blocky pixel facehugger jumping at my face is still enough to make me flinch.

Ok, somehow I made it through all that without dying, and I've powered up the exit. Onto level 2.

'Remember that you MUST pick up the -------- survey charges as they are ess------ the removal of temporary w-----.'

Come in HQ, you're breaking up, please repeat your last message. Oh whatever, I'll figure it out myself.

Wow, I finally find a room with something in. Are those tape machines on that back wall? Doesn't matter, I've collected two charges. Now I just need to find out what they do.


LATER.

I keep flicking switches and checking out rooms but I'm totally lost now, I don't know where I'm supposed to be using these charges. And I can't open the last door. Though there does seem to be a break in the wall on the top left of the map.

Secondary fire = explosive charge. Wall destroyed, problem solved!

Oh these guys don't like my new flamethrower one bit.

Security people have been infected? Does that mean we're shooting people in cocoons?

Power up all the lights, now there's a mission objective I can definitely get behind.

And this was the point where I lost interest in the game. Not because the security people are walking around shooting me, instead of being cocooned up by the aliens, but because they look ridiculous.

Low res aliens and facehuggers in the dark can make me jump, but I can't take these guys seriously at all. Suddenly the magic is broken and the game just doesn't feel like Aliens any more.

I still think it's a pretty decent game overall so far though. It's a definite step above games like Last Rites and In Pursuit of Greed at least.


Next game.