Aliens: Infestation

Aliens: Infestation

This arcade style platform game for the Nintendo DS was released by the legendary SEGA in October of 2011.

The game itself takes place in the 'Alien' universe and is linked to both the 'Alien' and 'Aliens' movie directed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron respectively.

If you are a fan of side scrolling arcade games then this is a game you will no doubt like a great deal.

Also, if like me, you are a fan of the Alien movies (especially the first two!) then this game will appeal to you even more.

This game is for the standard Nintendo DS console (I have been playing it on a DSi XL) so there is no need to own the newer Nintendo 3DS to play this.

It's time to go to infra-red, tune up those motion trackers and enter the xenomorph hive...

The game takes the classic tried and tested side view and portrays the action in multiple eight way scrolling levels.

You begin the game with four marines to play with; each of them has their own style of talking, history and look.

These characters also have their own catchphrases and personality; keep an eye out for the 'downbeat' marine that always looks on the negative side of things!

Once you start playing the game though they all behave in the same way; the all performs the same moves and can carry the same weapons, but having different 'characters' to explore with adds further depth to the game.

Anyone who (like me!) has been a gamer for a number of years (I've been here since the ZX Spectrum days) will instantly get to grips with how to play; there is the usual collecting items to open doors and access tunnels, plus the ability to collect power-ups, new weapons, and helpful items such as level maps, moonbeams and the must-have in any alien game, motion scanners.

If anyone ever played Alien 3 on the Commodore Amiga back in the early 1990s they will see a certain resemblance to that game here.

This game, it has to be said though, is far superior in quality to Alien 3, both the Amiga game and the movie it was based on!

I am a big fan of the Alien and Aliens movies (the third and fourth films were 'okay' but not a patch on the first two), and I am so glad that the developers (a collaboration between WayForward and Gearbox) have paid full respect to both films here.

You will find in this game all of the classic marine weaponry and equipment (you can even weld doors shut for example), as well as instantly recognisable locations.

I'm talking alien hives, wandering around a 'shake n bake' colony, the famous Sulaco dropship, the APC's, the 'Powerloader' and of course... the good old fossilized 'Space Jockey'.

This is the way to fully immerse the gamer in the Aliens universe. WayForward and Gearbox are, 'building better games'...

On top of all of this you will come across alien eggs, pools of slime, corridors adorned with secreted resin, face-huggers, chest-bursters... pretty much all of the Alien staples have been included in the game. In fact there is more in here than you could shake a 'sharp stick' at. :-)

Many of the corridors you explore have the look and feel of James Cameron's film and you will recognise a lot of the equipment dotted around the levels.

The game plays very much as a classic arcade adventure combining action with puzzle solving elements.

The levels are very well laid out meaning you will rarely come across dead-ends or insurmountable areas.

As you progress through the game you will also 'meet' other marines who you can interact with; if there is any space in your squad (ie you have lost a life) then you can recruit them into your squad. Again this is a very nice touch and complements the story arc perfectly.

Your characters move around the screen very well and you can easily climb ladders, shimmy through air-ducts, use crates to take cover (which is really cool) as well as being able to run, duck, jump and roll your way around the levels.

The only slight niggle I have is that sometimes you can fire your weapon and not seem to hit anything (especially any alien eggs sitting on the floor), but to be fair this does not really affect how the game plays overall.

Your character moves and interacts with the scenery well and it is also possible to escape from tight situations if you keep your cool and perform everything smooth and by the numbers.

This is a very good game for your Nintendo DS.

To get the best out of this I recommend playing it in the dark and to plug in a good set of headphones instead of using the standard DS speaker.

It really is quite creepy as you hear an alien egg hatching 'somewhere off-screen to the right' or the sound of a face-hugger scuttling around behind a locked door.

The game just oozes atmosphere and I guarantee it will raise the hairs on the back of your neck on more than one occasion.

It manages to balance tension, exploration and action very well.

The story unfolds perfectly as you play through the various levels which also keeps things ticking along nicely.

In fact I was so immersed in the game I found myself staying extremely frosty and alert, playing it into the wee small hours....

Oh - and have a go at the 'knife trick' game ("Hey Bishop do the thing with the knife") once you have unlocked it. Great fun!

It's game time...