REAL GAMES - ALIEN 3

I'm going to be trying different things over the next few reviews, so bare with me.  In this review, I recorded a video of the ending, as I don't think I could properly explain the ending with a picture and some words.  I've wanted to do this with a few other reviews, but I've been too lazy to try.  Hopefully, the changes will be worth the effort.  Anyway, lets get this review started.

Alien 3 is another movie licensed platforming game.  Following in the tradition of most movie licensed games, it has little to do with the movie other than the lead character and the title.  At least, the Super Nintendo version of the game does.  There was also an Alien 3 for the Amiga, Commodore 64, Sega Master System, NES, Genesis, and game gear.  These were all ports of a completely different game.  Then there was also a game boy game and an arcade game, both of which were completely separate titles.  The game made for the Super Nintendo is completely unique from all of these other games, and was not ported to any other systems.  And for a movie licensed game, it's actually pretty damn good.

The opening to this game is impressive.  It uses nicely rendered cut scenes to explain the story up to this point, and it sticks to the plot of the actual movie.  The connections with the plot end with the cutscene, but it's for the better.  Instead of a bunch of prisoners hunting down a few aliens, we have a commando style Ripley tearing into countless hordes of xenomorphs.  It probably would have made for a boring movie, but it definitely works for a game.

Not exactly commando, but fucking hot all the same.

I think explaining the controls should sum up what this game is all about.  You have a jump button, and every other button on the controller is used for different weapons and swapping ammo types.  5 out of 8 buttons are used to blow shit up, and that is awesome.  The 8 point directional aiming can be a bit finicky, but as long as you take your time, you should be fine.

The music and sound effects for this game are pretty sweet.  They can get a little repetitive at times, but this is the first game that I haven't had to mute in a while.

Visuals are kind of good and kind of lazy.  The stage designs are superb, but the sprites are tiny and lack any real detail.  Even the lead character, Ripley, looks pretty boring and expressionless most of the time.  I'm sure a lot of this had to do with the number of sprites on the screen for most of the game, but I would have gladly accepted half the aliens for better quality.

Last, but not least, is the gameplay.  And there is a lot of it.  There are 6 areas, and each have a large amount of objectives complete before you can move on.  I really like this idea, opposed to the typical run and kill shit strategy of most platforming and movie licensed titles.  The only real downside to this would be the map system.  Completing these objectives require a ton of getting lost and back tracking, unless you have a photographic memory of the layout.

At least this sign wishes me good luck, the only thing the in-game map offers is a headache.

So how does this game measure up?  For a platforming game, it's good.  For a movie licensed game, it's amazing.  I give it 4 face hugger eggs out of 5.  If you're a fan of the Alien franchise, or you just want to play a challenging game, give Alien 3 a try.