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Sunday 14 May 2017

ALIEN RESURRECTION


The videogame adaptation of Alien Resurrection really missed the boat. The movie came out in 1997 but it wasn't until the new millennium that the tie-in came out on the original PlayStation. Was the additional 3 years in development well worth the wait? Hell yes it was!

Argonaut Software's first-person-shooter had a lot going against it. The movie it was based on was coming up to three years old and quickly being forgotten. Critics and fans alike agreed it was by far the worst in the series and the PlayStation 2 was to be released imminently, hogging all the industry hype. On top of all this, the admittedly superior (though not by much) Alien vs Predator on the PC came out the year before. With all this going on it's no surprise the game wasn't exactly a hit. A shame considering it's pretty damn good.

Unlike Alien Trilogy or Alien vs Predator, Resurrection has more of a focus on a thoughtful philosophy to its level design. Playing as Ripley, it begins with you waking up to a space station in a crisis completely defenceless. Dead crew members are strewn around the place and the electrics are going haywire. It will be ten minutes or so until you find a weapon and it will be that time again before you encounter an enemy. There are moments before this where you'll catch a xenomorph scuttle by in the corner of your eye which, in all honesty, freaked me out more than any of the actual fights. It's not boring though. This whole introduction is perfectly designed, with a pace that allows you to get to grips with the rather unique control method. Or at least it was unique for the time.

By 2000, the mouse and keyboard set up had become the norm for first-person-shooters on the PC. There wasn't any real standard for their console counterparts so Argonaut chose to do something different. Alien Resurrection was the first game to use both analogue sticks of a DualShock controller for movement with the shoulder buttons being used more than the face buttons. This new way of playing was the biggest notch against it for many reviewers at the time but it's since become standard. I had absolutely no issues getting into the controls, even back when I first played it upon release. I doubt any seasoned gamer will either. The game does have a setup for the PlayStation mouse. This means that a more traditional PC layout could be configured when emulating but unfortunately, the emulator I use doesn't have support for this peripheral. A controller is still the preferred method of control.

The slow pace of the game puts an emphasis on level navigation, exploration and minor puzzle solving. For example, along with the traditional door keys, you will be required to bypass electrical outlets or cut off gas valves so you can safely cross certain sections. You can use your gun for other uses other than to attack. You shoot out sparking generators or destroy boxes and furniture, though sturdier crates will require heavier firepower. Doing so can give you items or open up some hidden areas to explore which are needed to increase your much-needed arsenal.

Enemies are incredibly tough. It's perhaps my only gripe with the game. Your slow movement and limited ammo for any weapon that does any kind of decent damage suggest that going in guns blazing isn't the best tactic. Enemies are often placed with their backs to you or sleeping on ceilings ('cos xenomorphs are part bat apparently), but any attempts to sneak by is fruitless. Crawling, turning off your flashlight or even planning where you step will always make them notice you at a certain point. When they attack en masse, you can be quickly overwhelmed and drain your bullets until you've nothing but a weak pistol. This is the only weapon with infinite ammo but each round is only 12 shots and it can take quite a number of them to down a fully grown xenomorph, let alone a hoard.

Your best bet is to take them out from a distance. The problem with this method is that you can't see very far. The graphics are drowned in such darkness that it can be impossible to see at times. You do have a flashlight which has a rechargeable battery but that's more useful during exploration than in a firefight. As you get further into the game, an increased arsenal will curb some of the pain, but it's still not easy. I wouldn't go so far as to say there's an unfair level of difficulty but those with a weak disposition and a delayed reaction time should definitely cheat. Or just practice.

The darkness isn't all bad. I'm sure it's partly there to hide the limitations of the console while still keeping the stunning visuals but it also increases the sense of dread even during quiet moments. Not only this, but the level design makes good use of it establishing it as part of the game's identity. Secrets are hidden in the darkness only to be revealed with a flashlight while the way forward is often signalled with a strategic glow. Granted, it could turn out to be a wall of flames blocking the path but at least you know you're on the right track. I would've liked the game to have used it more in its mechanics, but I have to remember this is the PS1 we're talking about.

To this day I am befuddled by the largely negative reviews Alien Resurrection received (I'm talking about the game, not the movie - I fully understand those). Reading some of them again, most of the ire is down to the controls which is now a non-issue. Could it be that it was the first game of its type to use the dual analogues like this, or was it exacerbated by being based on a less than stellar 3-year-old movie? One can never know. All I know is that Argonaut created a great console shooter that, in my opinion, was well worth the wait.


To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses Retroarch with the Beetle_PSX core to emulate the game on PCs. XBox 360 controllers supported. UK Manual included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 250 Mb.  Install Size: 323 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download


Alien Resurrection (the game) is © Fox Interactive
Alien Resurrection (the movie) is © 20th Century Fox
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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Aliens - A Comic Book Adventure  Echo Night - Beyond  Terminator Collection

23 comments:

  1. THANKS A BUNCH
    since i'm mostly a pc only game i'd never heard of title (only 8 and 16 bit seem interesting arcade /console wise to me)
    so ALIEN TRILOGY is maybe my second favorite shooter (after DOOM2) and i loved that one exactly for the points you also mention, ammo is rare, the incredible atmosphere

    all the alien games that came after trilogy are technically better maybe i had most fun with trilogy, just the style of gameplay , the design and the atmosphere, it really changes gameplay completetly if you hope for new ammo around every corner, it becomes almost a new genre

    so this seems like like a direct sequel to trilogy just a bit updated graphics, and i love that its a ps 1 not ps2 game since its closer to 8/16bit era and it was even intended for pc, so the gameplay might not be "dumbed down" too much

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  2. i need to ask something, how do you change the controls for the keyboard? the movement controls are split up to WASD and the numpad, so its very awkward, you have to use all your hands for the movement alone, i went F1 > quickmenu > controls, but there are only controls visibly for the playstation controller or something like that, not the keyboard, you can change the values with the arrow keys but i dont know what to do with this

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    Replies
    1. For all the good that is Retroarch, the menu is a little confusing. To directly change keyboard controls go to the second menu (with the cogs symbol), scroll down to 'Input', the 'Input User 1 Binds'.

      The controls in the Quick Menu are designed to cycle through the already existing binds (eg swapping A and B buttons). I preferred these settings for the keyboard as it emulates the dual analogue sticks well (at least until support for mouse binding is added).

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  3. thanks , don't have to register at the emulator help forums now
    interesting, so it is playable for you this way ? i couldn't imagine getting used to this, just feels to awkward for me (but i never played with a console controller so...) and i guess you'd have to shoot (barely) with your small finger..... and doing the primary actions like shooting with your (intuitive) most secondary finger just would not feel right altogether

    i do have the same problem with DIE HARD VENDETTA (PS2 emulator), thankfully theres not too many ego shooter console exclusive titles (maybe in the current generation i wouldn't know)

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    Replies
    1. It does work for me, though I mainly would play it with a XB360 controller. The shift key is where my little finger naturally falls and I'm not adverse to using it. In retrospect though, swapping it with the space (action/reload) would probably be better. The ideal would be a keyboard/mouse combo which is standard for modern FPS's but retroarch can't do that yet.

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  4. M+K support and a FoV hack would make this a must play for PC.

    Cool website!

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    Replies
    1. Definitely! (to the first point, and to risk sounding modest, the second point too :))

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  5. Please alien ressurection dont save.how game end and i start my possition is out.
    thank you for help

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe the in-game saves are automatic from what I recall (it's been a while and I don't have the files to hand). If not it might have the console-style save points.

      Failing that, Retroarch has its own savestate feature (F2 to save and F4 to load). The should be more info in the custom menu.

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  6. I try to run the game whit Wine on Linux/Ubuntu but when i click the Play button it doesn't start...

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  7. I think that the game is not worthy our attention. It is out-dated and requires a lot of power and energy. That will not work with me.

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  8. The game runs very well and the controller works fine, but the game will not save by any means. The in-game/memory card saving doesn't seem to work at all after the first time you save, nor does the save-state through Retroarch (it remains at 0% when you enter the command to save), nor does the auto-save that is supposedly supposed to occur if you "close content" in the quick menu before closing Retroarch.

    How am I 0/3 with these methods of saving game data? Come on, at least one of these should be serviceable.

    I've been searching a while and have found very little help via other online threads where people have a similar, if not the same problem with Retroarch.

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    Replies
    1. Try running as admin or installing outside of Program Files. Your admin status might be preventing files from being created or overwritten. There's mor einfo in the FAQ

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  9. Can you add 20th Century Fox's "SCI-FI PINBALL" to the Chamber list?
    This game includes tables based on both the ALIEN and PREDATOR series as well as TV's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and both versions of THE FLY (Jeff Goldblum AND David Hedison as the scientist/hybrid).

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    Replies
    1. I'm here for all of the Alien & Pred games. An installer for AvP 2 would be dope.

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  10. On head of this, the truly predominant (however just barely) Alien versus Predator on the PC came out the prior year. With such an excess of going on it's nothing unexpected the game wasn't actually a hit. A disgrace thinking of it as' entirely damn acceptable. For more updates check out
    https://www.hitjacket.com

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  11. I admit I didn’t like the movie either, but when I played the game (20 year ago) .... I said this game IS SO GOOD THAT I HAD TO MAKE THE MOVIE. :)

    THX to upload for usable version

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  12. For anyone interested in playing this game with mouse look, it seems Duckstation (full emulator, not just the plugin) supports mouse look and is pretty simple to set up. You just need to set up Port 1 as your controller and Port 2 as a mouse. For me it feels much more responsive than playing with a controller.

    Real cool game, much more of a slower paced suspenseful experience than more modern Aliens games.

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    1. Too bad the mouse support in Duckstation is flawed to te point where you can't even turn around. Once the mouse hits the edge of the screen, it won't move any further, making gameplay impossible.

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    2. I had the same problem at first, from what I remember there's an option in Duckstation to lock the mouse cursor inside the emulation window which fixes the issue.

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  13. Apparently someone on Itch.io is making a homage to Playstation Alien Resurrection called Derelikt. I looked at the trailer on youtube and it really does capture the look of this game.

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  14. How do you set it up with the mouse and keyboard or change the resolution?

    ReplyDelete