Alien Resurrection

UPC: 086162046087

Platform: PlayStation

Publisher: Fox Interactive

Developer: Argonaut Software Ltd.

Category: Shooter

Style(s): First-Person Shooter

Synopsis: Ellen Ripley has been through a lot in the course of her encounters with the mysterious xenomorphs she and her <i>Nostromo</i> crew discovered nearly three centuries ago. She's battled soldiers, queens, mutant varieties, and even experienced her own death, but now she's been brought back by a team of scientists hungry to gain access to the alien queen hosted in her body at the time of her demise. Yet something during the cloning process changed her. She now has aspects of the aliens she has so long despised. Acid blood, super strength, adept senses ... is she still even human? But is no time for philosophical debate, because the aliens bred by the queen extracted from her are loose on the research ship USM <i>Auriga</i>, and it's up to Ripley to protect the crew and the whole of Earth from being infested. Once again, it's up to Ellen Ripley to save the day. Take on the role of Ripley and three other characters in Alien Resurrection for the PlayStation, a first-person shooter from Fox Interactive. Based on the 1997 film, you'll take on a whole host of alien opponents as you make your way through the dim corridors of the military research vessel on which you've been involuntarily trapped. The game will take you throughout the <i>Auriga</i>, both above and below water, and you'll have to battle aliens in their various forms of gestation as well as military personnel who've been ordered to silence you permanently. Many familiar items will be available to you during the course of the game, including the familiar motion tracker that sounds a telltale beep when danger is at hand. Along the way you'll pick up 11 weapons of various strength, from pistols and shotguns all the way to rocket launchers, lasers and electric guns. The plot will reveal some sudden allies for Ripley, and at certain points of the game, you'll even control them in their own levels. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The manual explains a quite a bit about the items, objects, weapons, and enemies that you will encounter. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

While the atmosphere is suitable, the actual graphics and animation are not, if you can actually see them through the murk. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

Alien Resurrection was a potentially interesting game that spent a long time in development and shifted genres completely during the course of its creation. Now that it has been released, Alien Resurrection is a disappointment. When it comes to atmosphere, the developers at Argonaut know how to manipulate our senses. It's just as shame that we aren't allowed to manipulate the controls with the same finesse. On its surface, the game is a straightforward first-person shooter where you trudge through levels while collecting key cards, shooting enemies, and generally playing a technologically advanced game of Berserk. There are no Half-Life trappings here. The plot is given to you via cut-scenes, and these are extremely limited and of poor quality. But what sets this game apart is its atmosphere. It is stronger at developing a palpable sense of dread than many of the other Alien titles previously released. Dark corridors billow with steam, scratching noises and strange clanks are heard in the distance -- your heart beats quickly as you're battle-weary body presses on into the darkened room. The tracker registers a life form ... you know something is there, but you see nothing. Suddenly, from the ceiling or through the wall, out pops the alien, usually with great effect. This part of the game, the waiting, is outstanding. The rest of the game falls apart, with the chief offender being the control. Controls are too loose, whether you're using digital or analog, so you'll more often than not find yourself staring at the floor or the ceiling when you try to turn around, instead of at the enemy currently attacking you. In fact, with no auto-aiming feature and enemies that come at you from all directions, the control makes this game extremely difficult if not impossible to complete. Although the atmosphere is excellent, the actual game is so dark that it hides most of the graphics. Upon closer examination, everything from the textures and models to the animation of the Aliens is substandard. The Aliens, who should be crafty and nimble like in the movies, run at you awkwardly. Of course, if they ever moved with any sense of purpose, the controls would keep you from hitting them. With Alien Resurrection, we're left with a title that offers scares but not much else, giving us repetitive gameplay that boils down to a keycard hunt, murky visuals that contribute to the atmosphere but are difficult to navigate, and a control scheme so horrible that it kills any enjoyment you'll have while playing. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

The replay value is undermined by the poor control and unoriginal gameplay. Yet the atmosphere is scary enough to make you play for an hour or so. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

The sound is certainly the best part of the game, with ambient noises and a subtle soundtrack that fuels the frightening atmosphere. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

While the fear factor is there, the fun factor most certainly not, with painful controls and cut-and-dry gameplay that ruin the entire experience. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.