Many gamers may not have a clue what all of the fuss is about but Alien Breed is something of a classic to the older gamers, originally out on the Amiga and borrowing heavily from the Aliens film it was a huge hit but being a classic also means the game comes with a lot of baggage, does it play like the original? Does it look as good? Do the same aliens return? That said, having no real recollection of the original, I just want to know if this game is any good?

 

 

The game starts with a comic styled intro, showing your ship collide with another craft, soon afterwards you are surrounded by aliens, trying to fight your way to relative safety. The game is presented from a top down perspective which allows you to turn the camera a full 360 with RB and LB with the action being best described as a take on Smash TV, with the LS controlling your characters movement and RS your targeting.

 

The games look is very dark as most of the ships power down so you only have flickering terminals and your torch to guide you through the maze-like ship. The lack of ships power is where most of the tasks are based, requiring you to collect this power cell or that key card. The darkness also helps with the suspense of the game, with only environmental effects like alarms, the ships computer or the chattering of an alien before it bursts through the floor lending to a claustrophobic feel.

 

There is a good selection of weapons available to take out the swarming enemy, pistols have unlimited ammo but are weak whilst the shotgun, flamethrower and machinegun can drop most aliens but have very little ammo capacity. Thankfully there are plenty of dead bodies and lockers to search for ammo stock, grenades and health.

 

 

Alien Breed Evolution also has a separate co-op mode. In Assault you are both dropped into a room to fight off loads of aliens. This is a lot more action based than single player and requires plenty of teamwork to get through the handful of levels. It's a shame the main campaign is not co-op as this would have made the difference between a good game and a must have purchase.

 

I feel to place Alien Breed as an Arcade title rather than a full disc game was the right move, with the lower budget allowing the developer to keep Alien Breed Evolution in the same ballpark of playability and feel as the original. A better co-op mode wouldn't have gone amiss but the single player will entertain for a few hours.