Alien: Resurrection

Continuing from “Aliens: Colonial Marines” I thought I would do a little piece on the very underrated PS1 classic “Alien Resurrection”. In my eyes “Alien Resurrection” is the definitive “Alien” game. Everything that no other “Alien” based game has ever and possibly will never be (edit: "Alien: Isolation" changed this). It did everything right, managed to make the “Alien” scary, –something no game before or after has effectively done- it created a tense and terrifying atmosphere and the sound design was pitch perfect. Argonaut’s decision to use absolutely no music and all ambient sound effects was brilliant, it set a mood and proves that you don’t need loud music stings to make your audience scared, palpable atmosphere will do that just fine.

“Resurrection” was originally supposed to come out alongside the home release of the original movie, but it suffered delays and didn't see release until three years after the film's initial release and sadly around the end of the PlayStation’s lifespan. These, I imagine, are big reasons the game was overlooked and fell into obscurity. One of the major reasons the game was given bad reviews on its release was based around the controls. Following in the footsteps of the films on which it is based “Alien: Resurrection” was ahead of its time. Utilizing a dual analog control scheme - it’s ironic that this is a major complaint from reviewers at the time considering it’s near impossible to think of playing a shooter without using both sticks. The left stick controls player movement and strafing, while the right-stick controls where the player looks. The controls are still a little wonky when compared to modern console shooters, but that’s mostly based around the fact that “Alien: Resurrection” doesn’t have an aim assist option and without that precision aiming is a great deal more difficult than what console gamers are used to and, being a first timer, the aiming isn't quite as refined as it is now. There’s an option to use the PlayStation Mouse (something I didn’t know existed until just recently) but they’re hard to find and using the mouse in unison with the left half of the controller doesn’t sound very intuitive. Regardless the game plays fine without it.

 

And gameplay is one of “Resurrection’s” strongest points; if you like survival horror that is. Forgoing the arcade action of most other “Alien” based games; “Resurrection” instead opts for a slower pace, allowing itself to build a dark foreboding atmosphere. As is the case with most good horror, the scares don’t come from what jumps out at you but from what doesn’t jump out at you, and when something finally does it creates a panic scenario. This is where the lack of aim assist kind of gives “Resurrection” more tension during combat. You panic, flinging your gun around trying to get a bead on the fast moving xenos. Though during later stages it becomes a little too easy to predict when they’ll attack (usually whenever you pick up a keycard to a locked door) and you soon realize that their movements are scripted and once they break out of their scripted movements they just blindly rush you, meaning all you have to do is aim forward and fire away. There are some occasions where the panic sets in and keeping a bead on them is hard, but this usually only happens when they attack you as a group or if they jump out at you from above. It’s still intense as hell, due to the fact that even on the easiest difficulties the xenos can still off you in two or three hits. Even when the game gives you ammunition galore you never start to feel like an unstoppable super soldier. One wrong move and even a single xeno can finish you off with ease.

The only major downsides to the gameplay is the heavy focus on backtracking and the fact that the USM Auriga has very similar looking corridors, so it’s rather easy to get lost or turned around.

“Resurrection’s” greatest achievement however is the sound design. It’s sad to the think that the sound design is far more impressive and superior to most modern games. The sounds of your footsteps clanking on the metal floors, fellow humans screaming in the distance, the heavy breathing of the xenos themselves, the sound of water and blood dripping, electrical systems failing, down to the sound of the weapons “Alien: Resurrection” just gets everything right. And it does it all without the help of musical cues. This is what “Dead Space” should have been: dark, atmospheric and suspenseful; every step into a dark room puts a lump in your throat, this is very effective stuff. I haven’t played anything that manages to create and maintain this kind of atmosphere throughout and I honestly think the biggest reason it manages this is because of the lack of a soundtrack.

You owe it to yourself to check this one out, the sound design alone is a worthwhile reason to buy this. If you’re looking for an effective horror game in space put “Dead Space” down and look no further than “Resurrection.” If you’re a fan of the “Alien” franchise than this is the definitive “Alien” game, at least until something better comes out, which probably won’t be happening anytime soon.