Alien Shooter Review

If you're looking for fun, you've got it. Never before have I spent my nights in such wonderful bliss, playing "Alien Shooter."

Now before I get started on my review, let me tell you one thing- I've played a ton of shooters, from Counter Strike 1.6, Halo, Unreal Tournament, Battlefield 2, Call of Duty, Farcry, and even Duke Nukem. Nowadays, people judge a game by its graphics, sound and playability. This is not the case because personally I find old shooter classics such as Counter strike 1.6 and Alien Shooter a lot more entertaining than newer games such as Halo 3 and Farcry. Remember: games are to have fun, people! Buy it and enjoy it! It's not the amount of money you're paying for the game, it's to have fun with it! Don't judge a book by it's cover. Sure, new top-of-the-line games such as Bioshock look great, and has out-of-this-world sound, but once you start playing it- you forget why you bought the game, ending up making it a chore.

Now to my review. Alien Shooter was released in 2002 by a company called Sigma. As I said before, it's not a top of the line game. Does this make it less fun? NO! This game will absolutely get you hooked from Day One. Most people would agree with me that they don't want to think too hard when playing a game (afterall, it's entertainment, right?) This game is absolutely brilliant in that aspect. You can either choose to play a male or female character at the beginning, each with their own advantage. The year is the late 2000s: a futuristic, kill em', move on and kill more, type of action game that keeps you on the computer all night, wanting more! The idea of the game is simple and fresh: kill all the aliens before they can escape the underground facility. The game does an effective job of altering setting to its advantage. Throughout, you get a feeling of being trapped underground with no escape, and it's really creepy when an alien gets near you! Because the game gets you hooked, you can really 'feel' the character. There's not much of a plot, but these games don't need one: who actually cares about the plot when you're having fun shooting things with different weapons, splattering blood?

As you progress through the game, you acquire different weapons that will help you defeat enemies. The aliens get stronger armor and defense, making the challenge more difficult and rewarding. You really do feel a sense of accomplishment after 2-3 hours of non-stop adrenaline. There are more than 20 levels (more with the Expansion pack) so you won't be finishing the game anytime soon. (There are also 2 modes, one of them is Survival and the other is Normal. Survival is for the slow newbies, while Normal I suggest for 2nd rounders.) You are able to purchase weapons, ammunition, armor,and other good stuff at the end of each level. What you buy and how you conserve your money may require you to plan out your buying habits a bit, but nothing new esp if you hit the mall often or find yourself spending your entire wallet. The effects are decent; aliens ooze out blood in different colors and the weapons make realistic shooting sounds (BOOM BOOM!) If you've ever played the original version of Duke Nukem or Starcraft, you'll know how the graphics are like. But hey, if you look at Starcraft, look at how successful it was. Addicting+ fun makes a game, not the graphics. So if you're looking for a classic almost unheard of, then this is definetely the game for you. Sigma effectively creates a game that accomplishes it's goal, and doesn't even have to make it all fancy. Play a few levels, and you've got the hang of the game. Easy to learn, fun to play. A classic you will want to play 2,3 ,4 years from now.

The demo is OK, but you really ARE missing a great classic by NOT buying this game. The full version (for only $20) offers more sounds, gameplay, weapons, and replayability. Even though the game is short, after the first time you play it, you'll want more! The amount of weapons and armor makes the game very replayable. This game may not rival the likes of Halo or CS: Source, but hey---when I want a quick, fun afternoon- I'm going to do what I like and play what I like. Fun factor : 5/5. WARNING: Bring some coffee if you play this game anytime near midnight ;) Remember; if you like it, BUY IT! Tell your friends and family, I mean there are tons of things you can do! Like challenge your friend to an overnight battle to see who can finish fastest without dying, or even trying to challenge yourself to see if you can beat it without dying or using only one weapon. The opportunities are limitless!