Alien Breed Ps3 Download
Sam Eich
Players must find the lift down to the next level, occasionally setting the self-destruct sequence to blow up the level above them. The players collect or purchase a variety of weapons from the space station's computer terminals. In some versions of the game, these so-called Intex terminals provide additional features such as a clone of the classic video game Pong. Credits found on the ground have to be saved for these weapons and other enhancements, each giving the players an edge over the gradually more and more powerful alien forces. In advanced levels, players are occasionally trapped in enclosed spaces with huge boss aliens.
Yes, boys and girls, Alien Breed is possibly, only possibly mind you, inspired by that top movie, Aliens. It's just the vibes I'm getting from the game. It's not just that the plot's the same, or that the alien graphics look identical to H.R. Giger's Alien design, or that the front cover o the game features a drooling likeness of said Alien.
No, it's just that I'm getting these little voice in my head whispering "Aliens, Aliens" over and over again while I'm playing it. In fact, I'm going to stick my neck out and declare that Alien Breed is blatantly Alienesque. Probably.
Not that it's a bad thing to nick the idea behind the Aliens for a game, 'cos all that skulking around and blowing smeggy aliens to pieces is bloody good fun. In fact, seeing as Activision made such a pig's ear of the official Aliens game, this could be just the ticket for all you gore-starved Aliens fans.
Once in the game proper, the emphasis is on atmosphere. The graphics are nicely detailed and recreate the claustrophobia that's needed to keep the suspense going, but without restricting your movement. The alien sprites are, believe t or not, rather Alien-ish in appearance, as are the tiny face hugger things that zip around and bite your ankles.
Keep your eyes open for the aliens who punch through some lower levels and climb up through the floor. They may look great but they're a tad on the deadly side.
The graphics of the two marines are good as well, especially the way the blasts from their guns flickers over their faces. Rather than see the bullets fly across the screen, you just see the muzzle flash and the little explosions as the bullets hit their target. This, while only a little touch, adds a great deal to the realism and the beefy gun FX make it hard to resist bellowing lines from Aliens at the top of your voice as you rip into a corridor full of monsters.
Also included is some soft, sultry speech that calmly tells you that you're about to die or that you've run out of ammo. Add a stonking tune, and you've got a package that's more attractive than a gift wrapped Winona Ryder.
There are plenty of features to keep you busy while you try and stay alive. Each level has an objective which must be completed before you can move down to the next.
Level one is simply a case of making a dash for the lift from the shuttle, with the aliens at your heels, while level two requires you to destroy the reactor and escape before it blows.
All is not roses though, as there are many hazards to avoid, as well as the aliens. One way energy doors, uneven floors that slow you down and pools of acid are just a few of them. There are also emergency doors that slam shut if their control panels are destroyed, which can be used to your advantage but can often leave you trapped.
Despite all the wonderful cosmetic bits, it's the gameplay that really shines through. Two-player mode is by far the best as it becomes a race to get to all the collectable goodies before your mate, and the race to the exit can become really frantic as you dive into the elevators with hordes of hungry aliens behind you.
A simultaneous two-player Ikari Warriors' style blast, Alien Breed takes a clean-up crew into a bug-infested space station. It all gets pretty messy from here on with digitised screaming, swish graphics and lots of alien-busting-through-floors type action.
What will you find there? What do you have to do once you have got there? And indeed, exactly what type of game are you playing? The story disk and instruction booklet set the scene nicely but are more than a little cagey about actually revealing anything of any use, such as ooooh, what you actually have to do. For all you know, you could be just about to dive innocently into a two-player Gauntlet-style overhead shoot-em-up where you have to shoot lots of aliens and accomplish a particular task per level. And what do you know...?Flying somewhat rebelliously in the face of convention, I am now going to (shock horror) start talking about the graphics this early in the review. You never know, I might even score some points (or get a pay rise) for originality. You see, graphics-wise Alien Breed ranks far above 'quite good'. Miles above in fact. As opposed to walking around on a large void (as in Gauntlet), here a smoothly scrolling floor actually exists with, if you look carefully, seemingly helpful messages scrawled on it pointing you in what one hopes is the right direction. And there is relief too (of the bumps to walk over and - on later levels - ducts to traipse along kind); just one of the nice touches liberally sprinkled throughout the game. The sprites are excellently drawn too; both your own characters who waddle along convincingly and the aliens (who bear an uncanny resemblance to the monsters from Aliens the film) who give a sadistically orange glow when shot.
After the flashy intro, it's straight into the game proper. Taking control of a battle-hardened space mercenary, you're set the task of exterminating the alien slime and preventing the brood from spreading to other colonies in the sector. There's also a two-player option which adds to the fun as you can either work together as a team or try and get your opponent cornered and torn apart by the advancing alien swarm.
The two main sprites can't pass through each other which makes things slightly awkward at times, especially as the corridors are only wide enough for one person in some parts, but this does mean you can block your buddy's exit from an alien-packed room and let him do all the dirty work. After he's taken, a sufficient pummelling, it's just a simple matter mopping up the remaining nasties.
As well as contending with all the alien pug-lies, the space station is equipped with an extremely efficient security system. Apart from sealed entrances and electronically-coded combination locks, there are also forcefields, heat-triggered laser emplacements, collapsing floors and massive turbines which, if you get too close, suck you into their metal grinders and spit you in lumps of prime minced beef. The aliens, too, have been hard at work building up their own defences. These include acid pools and organic defense systems capable of tearing you limb from limb if you should stray too near. On later levels, there are also the obligatory end-of-level guardians to contend with, and these take the form of huge alien mothers who don't take too kindly to your wanton acts of destruction against their offspring. These beasts can soak up shots like the best prize-fighter.
Alien Breed uses the full 32-colour palette for the game's backdrops and features some awesome graphics. Each level follows the same basic layout, but the later stages are much more battle-scarred and contain alien hatcheries and slime-ridden organic walls and floors.
The end-of-level guardians are also finely-rendered in a suitably Giger-style. The game uses an impressive 240k of sampled sound effects made up of 78 individual sounds. These range from a satisfying 'thunk' when an ammo clip is collected to the death screams of each alien as they meet their maker The Intex computer system and in-game warnings are also nice touches, having been sampled from actress, Lynette Reade, and these help add a sense of urgency during the course of the game, especially when the level is about to blow sky high.
Indeed, they're so wrapped up in their respective fancies, they hardly even notice the arrival of several thousand large tri-pedal aliens. Fortunately, the incoming cosmic cretins appear on the ship's scanner, so it's gung-ho time for the lads.
Imagine the scenario: a pair of tough-guy marines wandering about a lonely spacecraft inhabited solely by horrid aliens. Throw in a couple of machine guns, the odd computer or two, and what do you get?
If you've managed to play the original Alien Breed, then you're not likely to be stunned by the additional features of the new version - except for the extra levels (double the original amount) they are quite subtle. As well as ironing out the flaws in the original, the authors have made the aliens tougher, improved the storyline, tweaked the game maps and included a password system so that you can return to the level you were just killed on (which is a useful feature, believe me).
(Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Better get ready for some action! The 'breed' are back and must be stopped! Choose to go it alone or buddy up with a friend offline or online and take fight to the enemy in this fast-paced action horror set in a foreboding world of dread and terror. You will have to kick fear into touch if you are to fight your way through this myriad of challenges in order to complete this seat-of-the-pants adventure...Just remember to release the safety catch! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Your vessel, the Leopold, has crashed into a long lost ghost ship in hyperspace, and now the whole place is swarming with aliens. You play as Chief Engineer Conrad, a gruff space-jerk with a handy talent for xeno-extermination, and fight your way from elevator to elevator, gradually descending into the bowels of your craft, fending off growing swarms of alien scum.
The Leopold is falling apart. It's impossible to travel more than a few steps without the whole ship shuddering, or a pipeline erupting, or a doorway exploding. It's a tense and unnerving place to be, even before the aliens start careering through the walls. The trouble is that you see far too much of it. Almost every switch you're told to throw fails in some way, and the fix inevitably lies behind another broken door or burning room, sending you constantly backtracking through the levels, turning on sprinklers and rebooting computers like a mad admin assistant.
f448fe82f3