131: Alien 3

Number 131
(33.6 points)
Alien 3
1993: 38 (25.2)
1994: 87 (8.4)

Sure, there have been other licence games that were a bit creative with the licence, but I suppose one alien on a ship with no weapons wouldn't make an interesting platform game, so here we are.

If you've played Alien 3 on the Sega Mega Drive, you'll know what to expect, as it's basically the same, though the Sega version is a bit smoother in the gameplay. Ellen Ripley runs around corridors and through air ducts to rescue trapped prisoners, and if she can't save them all in the time limit, then an alien will burst from their chests. Quite how freeing them is going to stop the chestburster from killing them is another matter, but you start with a machine gun to fend off roving aliens, and a limited amount of ammunition which you must refill. It's a game of learning the route you must take on each level, as once you have figured that out, the levels are quite straightforward.

I never really played the Sega version as I had a Super Nintendo, and the game on that platform was significantly different to this one. Some seem to think it was boring, but it was more concerned with accomplishing tasks, and you had some interesting weapons and, unlike in this one, the aliens didn't tend to come out of nowhere and surprise you so much. As a result, I've always had more of an affinity for that one than this, though I can see how this could get good after repeated play.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Alien 3 (1992)(Virgin)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr PDY]
Alien 3 (1992)(Virgin)(Disk 2 of 2)[cr PDY]