I played on: Online
I paid: £0
Available on: Atari 2600, Online
Alien was one of the most influential and important films of all time
and easily one of cinema's greatest achievements. So of course pretty
much right from the beginning of this series, there have been the tie-in
video games. Alien on the Atari 2600 is the genesis of every future
game in this series. From Alien Isolation to Colonial Marines and the
many battles between the Xenomorphs and Yautja every game traces back
to this origin. So how did the single developer, Doug Neubauer, bring
the tight claustrophobic horror of the first and then only Alien film
to the early gaming world?
The aim of the game is to move around the mazelike layout of your
ship destroying Xenomorph eggs with your flamethrower. While you
attempt to rid the galaxy of the deadly eggs 3 aliens will be hunting
around the area trying to kill you. The map will feature fuel for
your flamethrower which once picked up will allow you to turn the
tables and take out the aliens. Once you have taken out every last
egg on a floor you will have a chance to run across a level in hopes
of gaining an extra life. Similar to most games of this era the only
real endpoint is when you run out of lives with the goal being to
gain the highest score possible.
Okay okay so that all sounds good but let's face it, this game is
Pac-Man. I don't know how to avoid it because it's so close to the
classic arcade hit that calling it a rip-off feels too generous. Sure
the game is fun but that's more because of Pac-Man's amazing design
than anything this game does.
Graphically it's about standard for the time. I mean I can tell that
your sprite is supposed to be a human. On the flip side the ship
doesn't look anything like the Nostromo, the eggs are just dots and
the Xenomorphs look more like crabs than the iconic H.R.Giger
monster. The sound isn't ear grating like some games from this era
but its hardly catchy or memorial either.
Overall this game isn't bad to play. If you have a few minutes to
kill and an internet connection then it's a lot of fun. But like I
said that's because it's Pac-Man with a reward of frogger when you
clear a screen. If you're curious about the origins of the Xenomorph
in gaming then it's worth playing seeing as it's free. Beyond that, it's outdated and pointless when you can just play Pac-Man in much
better and more enjoyable ways.
Recommendation Rating: 2 out of 10
