Alien Trilogy

Gameplay

Alien Trilogy takes many elements from Alien film series, such as facehuggers, chestbursters, dog aliens, adult aliens, and Queen aliens. The video game consists of 30 levels and 3 Queen alien bosses. It features several weapons, including the pulse rifle from Aliens, and other equipment, such as a shoulder lamp, which can be used by the player. The console versions only have a single player campaign whereas the DOS version also features deathmatch network multiplayer.

Plot

In the role of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley, the player experiences a story loosely derived from the first three films of the Alien franchise.

Aside from occasional CGI cut scenes, the plot is told through text-based mission briefings that guide the player through an expanded, action-oriented story, drawing upon the settings and characters of the then-trilogy rather than through the specific plots of the films themselves.

The game begins in essentially the same manner as Aliens, as Ripley—here a marine herself—travels to LV426 to restore contact with the colony there.

The other marines are wiped out, so Ripley must then travel through the infested colony and prison facility, and finally the crashed alien ship itself, to destroy the aliens and escape.

Development

In early 1994, Acclaim announced that Alien Trilogy would be the first game to use the 3D motion capture technology created by their engineering team Advanced Technologies Group. The aliens' movements were created using this technology.

Reception

Alien Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review website GameRankings gave the PlayStation version 77.50% based on 5 reviews, the Sega Saturn version 77.00% based on 1 review, and the PC version 43.00% based on 3 reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the PlayStation version their "Game of the Month" award, concurring it to be the best video game based on the Alien franchise yet, chiefly due to the graphics and sound effects authentically recreating the style of the films. Two of the reviewers also commented that the use of mission objectives gives the game more depth than the average first person shooter. Scary Larry of GamePro also commented positively on the sound effects but was not impressed by the graphics, remarking that though they are faithful to the films, they are overly monochrome and suffer from extreme pixelation. He also complained of targeting problems but gave the game a strong recommendation due to "the fun of cruising the halls, wiping out aliens, and torching and detonating the area." A reviewer for Maximum likewise was pleased with the sound effects but felt the graphics to be authentic to the films yet unimpressive, remarking that the animation on the aliens is a severe disappointment after Acclaim's considerable boasting about their new motion capture technology. He also criticized the game's slow pace and weak weapons, but praised the game's limited field of vision for creating a claustrophobic, suspenseful atmosphere and concluded that Alien Trilogy "is far more impressive than the mediocre offerings PlayStation owners have had to put up with over the last few months, with a depth of gameplay and audio-visual quality which is sure to impress just about everyone who buys it." IGN criticized the confusing level layout but praised the intuitive controls, interactive environment, and generally strong film-to-video-game translation.

In a retrospective review, Irwin Fletcher of Game Revolution praised the high production values, commenting that "Alien Trilogy is nothing revolutionary, but it's a damn good shooter."

The PlayStation version was a bestseller in the UK.