Title: Aliens: Infestation
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Wayforward / Gearbox Software
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Side-scrolling Action/Adventure
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Price: $29.99
Rating: T
The Aliens franchise has been full of ups and downs. For such a beloved movie and comic book series, it has suffered many a bad video game translation. Aliens: Infestation is a title that could do a lot to put the series in not only a new light, but also a favorable one.
Aliens: Infestation picks up after the events that took place in the movie “Aliens”. You are part of a team of Marines that find the USS Sulaco floating abandoned in space. Once on board your team is tasked with investigating what went on, and why the ship is left in it’s current state. Soon after your investigation begins, your team is attacked by the Xenomorphs that have made the Sulaco their new home. Now your team has a new goal; make it off the ship alive. Once you are safely back on your own ship, you go from the proverbal frying pan to the fire, as you are sent to LV-426. Not surprising to your team (or any fan of the movies) Weyland-Yutani is somehow connected to this tragedy, and now you need to stop a further infestation from wiping out another colony.
I have been a fan of the Aliens movie series, through the good times, and the bad. The movies, in my eyes, are all decent enough. The games on the other hand, have been hit or miss for the most part. Aliens: Infestation is the Aliens game that I never knew that I always wanted.It borrows enough great things from other games, however, it does enough things unique to stand on it’s own.
Metroid-Vania is a term that is thrown around a lot when referring to 2d side-scrolling action/adventure games, here however it is the perfect fit. In the same vein of the 2D Metroid and Castlevania games of old, AI will have you running different environments, collecting weapons, items, and keys to get from place to place. There is a lot of back tracking, but with the motion tracker, and a fair amount of patience it’s never a tedious game to traverse. Each time you load into a new area, the inhabitants will respawn. This creates the need to get it right, the first time through. However, safe rooms are your haven away from the uncertainty of the worlds you are in. Making it back to a safe room not only allows for you to save your game, but also recharge your health, and precious ammunition.
The look of Aliens: Infestation is something that also sets it apart from other games like it. The smooth 2D animations from Wayforward really shine here. The first time you watch a “chest buster” pop out of a doctor you will know exactly what I mean. Aliens and Marines alike animate just as well as the NPCs and backgrounds. Given the limitations of the DS hardware the game still manages to show how fluid it can be even when the screen gets a bit hectic.
Atmosphere is something that you absolutely must have in a horror game, more so when your game involves unknown alien hordes. The music and the sound design all give AI additional punch when hunting down xenomorphs. This marks the first time that a DS game has actually caused me to jump. Each sound from the pop of the Pulse Rifle, to the scream of the Aliens, and the unnerving ping of the motion tracker are all pretty damn close to what they sound like in the movies. This game is not something that can be rushed. Never once are you allowed to feel like a total, untouchable, unstoppable bad ass. The human marines are fragile and you will be punished for thinking you can rush into a room. You are forced to take your time, clear out the aliens and then search for other objects.
The deliberate and forced pacing of the game creates a wonderful sense of fear that I haven’t found in any other DS game. Also lending itself to the sense of grave danger here, is that losing a life in the game means ACTUALLY LOSING A LIFE. Your team starts out with only a few members. Should one of them go down fighting an enemy, they are lost for the duration of the game. Never to return… ever. Luckily you can replenish your slowly dwindling numbers by finding more team members as you discover them hidden throughout the maps. They have either become separated from their own squad, or are the only remaining members. It also pays to mess around with the different team members, as they all have different personalities and interactions with the NPCs. It’s a great way to give the death of a teammate actual weight in the game.
Controlling your team of marines in Alien: Infestation is as simple as you would want it to be, with a bit of customization to be had as well. Selecting a new marine to controls is as easy as tapping a picture on the bottom screen. AI doesn’t rely on any touchscreen gimmicks. The bottom screen is used for inventory selection (weapons, grenades, tools, etc.) as well as map display, complete with motion tracker and that iconic sound that goes along with it. My only gripe with the controls is that I wish there was a quick select to go from one grenade type to another. In the heat of battle against a queen I don’t have a lot of time to take my eyes off the top to select a different type.
Aliens: Infestation is chock full of scenes that will bring back a lot of beloved memories for fans. The first time the “Space Jockey” appeared on the screen, I gave a “Hell Yeah!” out loud. From the sound, to the images, even the atmosphere, this game is catered to the people that love Aliens. Hell, it even has an unlock-able mini game you can play separate from the main campaign that’s just the “Knife Game”. You could call this game “fan service” but that cheapens the experience of the game as a whole. Not may games are really worth checking out anymore on the DS, but if you enjoy the Aliens movies, this one is not to be missed.
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