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darksnowman

Aliens: Infestation by WayForward for DS

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Infestation definitely captures the feel of an Alien film in terms of its flow. The adventure begins on the deserted Sulaco, where the only hazards are a few rogue security robots. After 15-20 minutes of exploration, however, you'll eventually come across a motion tracker tool which can be used to hunt for the "mysterious creature" reportedly haunting the Sulaco. Track down the source of the motion and suddenly all hell breaks loose: You encounter an adult xenomorph about to kill a civilian, who uses the distraction to escape, leaving you to fend off the monster. Once wounded, the alien retreats to other areas of the ship, forcing you to play a game of cat-and-mouse that leads you through rooms full of face huggers that actually have the potential to stick a xeno-embryo down your throat.

 

In other words, Infestation reproduces the alternating tension and frenzy of the movies. It starts slow and tense -- and there are even the requisite fake-out scares, such as a cat that drops out of the ceiling and dashes away as you draw near -- but once the xenomorphs make their appearance, it becomes much more about reflexes. The aliens are powerful, fast, and dangerous.

 

In fact, the aliens can completely defeat you. In a bold move, WayForward has created a game that can be lost if you don't play well. That's "lost" as in "total game over." The player can control a squad of up to 19 marines, and if one is lost, he or she is gone forever. When all 19 are gone, there are no more continues.

 

With its October 11 release date, Infestation may well be the last great DS action game in the U.S. And it really does look great -- well, at least for those of us who love expertly crafted 2D metroidvania titles that aren't afraid to challenge, anyway.

 

media?id=3910061&type=lg

 

 

http://www.1up.com/previews/aliens-infestation-metroidvania-game-by-mind-readers?pager.offset=0

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Oh, my word!!! If this is up to standard (and it is WayForward, after all), it'll be a must-buy for me.

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I'm shocked!

 

(Was it an older model?)

 

I skimmed this forum thinking that this was some shitty rip-off or something not related to the franchise. Instead, we have this. Which looks pretty bluddy perfect.

 

I dreamed of this game for many years. Looks excellent, and that video really got me excited. Guaranteed purchase from me.

 

Magnificent, isn't it?

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Well this has taken me by surprise. Sounds amazing, I'm genuinely excited about this.

 

Like, this one article literally has me more interested than anything on the 3DS, Wii or next gen consoles. A developer doing something exactly right for a change...

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I skimmed this forum thinking that this was some shitty rip-off or something not related to the franchise. Instead, we have this. Which looks pretty bluddy perfect.

 

Thats the reason I included WayForward in the title. :heh: At the very least everyone would know this "aliens" game is coming from a great studio.

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Is anyone getting this.... looks awesome...but so many other thing to spend time and money on.

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It arrived through my letter box courtesy of Sega on Thursday. Unfortunately haven't had a chance to boot it up just yet, but when I get time later tonight I'll make a proper start. Will post first impressions soon.

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Wow thats a pretty nice review, almost like a story itself... anyway it looks like my type of game, however there are far too many games within the next few months that are must haves. So i might not get this.

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I'm a few hours in and it's a great little game. Pretty much Metroid Fusion meats Aliens. For anyone who's played Alien3 on the SNES then you'll know what you're in for.

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Nice review.

 

Could I ask you to elaborate on how lengthy the game is? I've read that it takes about five hours, which despite being par for the course for a Metroid-esque game, still sounds a tad short. I hope to get this sometime before the DS is completely dead - Aliens 3 on the Snes was a quality game and apparently if you liked it you'll like Infestation. :hehe: Wayforward ftw.

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You read about right. It's not terribly long; about the same as a fast 2D Metroid play-through. The question then is whether you want to play through again but trying to get less (or no) of your marines killed. They all their own personality and dialogue, so there's an incentive to keep them alive in that sense.

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I've read that it takes about five hours, which despite being par for the course for a Metroid-esque game, still sounds a tad short.

 

Any opportunity :nono:

 

Here's a new avatar for you so you don't have to spell out your hatred in every post.. :indeed:

 

samus_is_gay.jpg?1257662518

 

 

:heh:

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Any opportunity :nono:

 

Here's a new avatar for you so you don't have to spell out your hatred in every post.. :indeed:

 

samus_is_gay.jpg?1257662518

 

 

:heh:

 

I was gonna say Metroidvania but I thought the Castlevania half of that equation lasted a bit longer than five hours. :wink:

 

I'll save that avatar for a later date.

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Ah, probably the last DS-game i've bought. Farewell, old friend. Your games shall live on on another system.

 

That said, given the low pricetag, this is a pretty great game, easily the best Alien game since Alien Trilogy. It even made me want to watch the quadrilogy again. It's very WayForward-y and I can't recommend this enough for fans of 16-bit run-and-gunners. Think Metroid crossed with Contra. With Aliens. That's a triple dose of alien activity! So how to cope with the situation? Shoot them! Shoot them all!! Mwuhahahahahaha etc.

 

Best thing about the game, though: there is no predator in sight. ;)

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Finally got round to playing this.

 

First of all I should say I'm a big fan of both 2D Metroid and WayForward, so when I heard the latter was making something akin to the former, I knew I had to play it. The game begins in quite a subdued manner and seems less polished than WayForward's original games. In fact, I'd even say it seems quite average at first, with nothing to really elevate it above some of the other 2D games of its kind.

 

You reach the first boss surprisingly quickly. Like all five if them, it's a huge, beautifully-animated sprite. Boss fights are quite tough and it can be unclear whether there's any particular technique involved or you're just meant to plow through it and lose some marines.

 

It may sound ridiculous, but this game is much more devoted to realism than Metroid. Weapons can only be exchanged for another in the Save Rooms, ammunition is finite and the bosses aren't considerate enough to throw you any spare health. Your main weapon can be upgraded when you find the appropriate power-up, but only the one you're carrying (if you're not carrying the one you want to upgrade, you have to go back and get it). Extra marines, rather than be recruited and head to the Drop Ship, only join your group if you have less than four. The result is something that might sometimes feel restricted as a pure game, but serves the license incredibly well.

 

The more I played Aliens: Infestation, the more I liked it. Levels are short and sweet, with plenty of replay value. But it certainly isn't perfect: Stage 2 has very sparse Save Points - there could have been an extra one or two here and there. Also, the touch screen mini-game between Stage 2's last Save Point and the boss can be frustrating if you're attempting a perfect run and keep failing at the boss, having to repeat it each time. Again, it serves the licence more than the game. There is another fairly irritating section between Stage 5 and its boss.

 

The game can also feel a tad unsophisticated at times. As I say, each main weapon can be upgraded three times to become a "+3" version. In itself, this is an extremely good game mechanic. However, it is not possible to upgrade your weapon at all before the 1st boss, when it would have been very welcome, or (if I recall correctly), max-out any of them before the 2nd. Conversely, by the time you get to Stage 5, there are more power-ups than you can make use of, which is great, but it might have been better if some of them were accessible earlier.

 

Stage 5 also gives you a vast choice of extra marines to pick up, which is strange as the boss fights (most of which you've been through) are arguably the only valid reason to lose one.

 

But the end result is something that, for once, is more than a sum of its parts. Not only did I complete Aliens: Infestation once, I went back immediately and played it without losing any marines. Unless I'm mistaken, this is only one of two DS games I've completed twice - the other being Shantae: Risky's Revenge (probably not a coincidence). I'm beginning to think WayForward understand what gaming is about more than any other studio.

 

Overall, a very, very enjoyable experience.

 

Graphics: 6/10 (extra point for the bosses)

Sound: 5/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Overall: 8/10

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That was me. N worries, I'm easily forgettable...

 

I've played it for 30 minutes and I was a tad disappointed, but grazza said the same thing so that's hopefully as I was really excited about this game. Can't wait to get stuck in properly (probably after resident evil).

 

Weirdly this game reminds me of the turtles game that came out for the GBA after the DS came out, it was a few months after launch and was the last great little game on the platform previously. Anyone remember it?

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I'll be sorry if you don't like it, @dazzybee, as I hate to steer people wrong. All I can say is that I meant every word of my review. Genuinely loved the game in the end.

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I'm sure I'll love it. I love the alien world, I love way forward; once I give it a proper go and get into it I'm sure it'll be awesome.

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I've started this. I'm in loveeee.

 

Hearing the motion tracker for the first time made me orgasm.

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Grabbed a cheap copy of this in GAME yesterday. Cost about £8.00 and from what I've played so far (and the awesome sprite work) it was worth every penny.

 

If this is the last title I ever purchase from GAME, it is one hell of a swan-song.

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