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MegaDisc 36 (1993-11)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)(Disk 2 of 2).zip
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MegaDisc 36 (1993-11)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)(Disk 2 of 2).adf
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Games
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AlienBreed_Spec_Ed
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AlienBreed_Spec_Ed
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Text File
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1993-10-20
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8KB
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150 lines
Alien Breed '92 - Special Edition
Game review
by
Neil O'Rourke
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I loved Alien, can't watch enough of Aliens, and enjoyed Alien
3. Unfortunately, games based upon the Alien series have mostly
failed to be anywhere near as exciting (with the possible
exception of Alien³, but I've only played the coverdisk version).
When Team 17 blasted onto the game scene with the full priced
game Alien Breed, I was stunned by the sheer quality and
atmosphere that they had created. Unfortunately, I was never able
to buy the game in Australia, and struggled with another version
that crashed etc on my machine.
For christmas 1992, Alien Breed was re-released as a budget
game, but as well as giving it a smaller box and a lower price,
Team 17 "remixed" the whole game! The levels were completly
redesigned and their numbers doubled from six to twelve, gameplay
altered and little changes all round. The result, for a mere
£9.99, is a game that I simply cannot stop playing. It captures
the tense atmosphere of Aliens very well - I've found myself
shouting abuse at the Aliens, before blowing them away. And the
tension - I snapped my old Quickshot II Turbo joystick while
playing!
The game objectives remain the same - penetrate the Aliens'
nest and blow the whole thing to atoms. Two IPC (InterPlanetary
Corps) soldiers are diverted to a space station that has stopped
transmitting. Upon arrival, they find that the space station has
become infested with Aliens...
As you progress through the levels, a story unfolds that
certainly adds to the atmosphere. Apparently, we are not told
everything we needed to know.
In addition to the usual single player game, the two player
mode is a joy to use, as you can cover each other as you explore
the station. Unfortunately, you must share the ammo as you find
it, because there isn't that much to go around. Holding down the
fire button is NOT a wise thing to do, just short direct bursts
(damn!).
The first level presents no real challenges, just find all the
keys and unlock the doors to get more ammo clips (which are loaded
with a satisfying "klunk" culled from Aliens, as are almost all
the sound effects, including the cry from an Alien that gets
shot). I got trapped by being careless with the use of keys - it
pays to map out the levels. It's a good memory training aid, too.
If things get desperate, you can shoot a door out, but that takes
a whole clip of ammo.
The artwork is supurb - all around the overhead view of the
station is evidence of a big fight, with tools scattered around
and the floors ripped open and acid scarred - if this doesn't mean
much to you, go hire Aliens for a night.
The Aliens on this level aren't all that smart - once they
catch sight of you they head straight for you, and invite their
mates. For the final fight on this level, have plenty of clips
and shoot everything! Don't hang around, either, because more
come later. And save your keys! I've found that there's
generally two ways to get out of a level, a direct way that uses
every key you've collected, and a much better way that'll use an
ammo clip or two. Guess which way I go...
Level 2 and the game starts getting tough. All the rooms
require keys, again, but to complete this level you need to shoot
out all four power domes to blow the first two levels of the
station. This level is BIG, too! I think that it is at least
twice the size of Level 1.
The Aliens here are smarter - they seem to work in groups,
attacking from two or more sides in a pincer movement. Standing
in the middle of a room is be dangerous as the Aliens can rip the
floor out and emerge from it in a near constant stream. The sound
of them emerging from the floors in surounding rooms sends shivers
up ones spine, especially when you're on the last clip of ammo.
Be extra careful, as there isn't as many first aid kits or ammo
clips lying around as on the first level.
When you shoot the last dome, the quality of the game again
shows as the station is bathed in red emergency lighting, and a
well digitised voice calmly states "Danger ... destruction
immenent". You have 60 seconds to clear the level, but do it
fast! You'll need the time later...
Level 3 contains many traps for the unwary - don't just blast
away in the general direction of an Alien. And look out for the
fire doors! The object of this level is to seal all the blast
doors and then get out, but it is possible to lock oneself in with
no exit except the escape key to end the game.
Level 4, and we are introduced to the face-hugger Alien - the
type that jumps out of its egg and sticks to your face like grim
death. This level is a giant maze, and there are no clips or
first aid kits (or even Intex terminals) here. So come prepared!
The net effect of this level is to leave you with few lives and
little ammunition for...
Level 5 is where we first meet an Alien Queen, and she sure is
BIG! This level is also huge, and absolutly infested with both
fully grown Aliens and face-huggers. You can find the Queen's
chamber easily enough IF you've bought a level scanner, which
shows you the layout of each floor. Personally, I'm not wandering
into that place until I've plenty of ammo and a few lives.
You can get extra weapons if you find a computer terminal -
just log on and if you've enough credits you can arm yourself like
Ripley in Aliens. But is it worth wasting those keys to get the
credits? Also, the computer can give you an overview of the
station - what it was creating and how (possibly) to destroy it,
and can show a map of the current level - very useful.
If you have enough credits, you can also buy another life.
The game also features access codes for every other level - eg
I can't skip level 4 (the maze) as much as I'd like too in order
to attack level 5, I've got to go through that hell hole each
time. To use the level skip feature, go to a computer terminal,
log on and type the level code you want to use. If successful,
you'll hear the sound of an Alien emerging through the floor, and
when you log off, you'll be transported to that deck.
I'm currently up to level 11, with this and the next level to
go before completing the game. The next step is a complete
campaign from level 1 to level 12 without using any level skips.
That should be an awsome blood feast!
Alien Breed '92 runs on ANY Amiga with at least 1 Meg of RAM,
and is highly recommended for the trigger happy (or just plain
violent) among us who reckon that the Alien body count just wasn't
high enough with Ripley...
Cost is £9.99 from 17 Bit software, 1st Floor Offices, 2/8
Market St, Wakefield, West Yorks, WF1 1DH, England.
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