1979’s Alien, written by Dan O’Bannon and directed by Sir Ridley Scott, is a sci-fi masterpiece which ought to want little introduction. An element sci-fi, half slasher smash hit of completely hovering requirements, Alien is broadly considered probably the most vital and influential science fiction and horror films ever made – and deservedly so. It’s additionally a member of an elite checklist of fabulous movie collection that actually ought to’ve stopped at simply the one sequel. You already know, like The Terminator. Or RoboCop. Or The Godfather. Or Dwelling Alone. Or… Shrek.
Mate, we’ve solely simply began. At any fee, there’s not loads that hasn’t been mentioned about 1979’s Alien. What you could not know, nevertheless, is that Alien was already a longtime multimedia franchise effectively earlier than its first theatrical sequel arrived in 1986.
The historical past of Alien video video games stretches again over 40 years, starting with Alien for the Atari 2600 in November 1982.
Alien (Atari 2600. 1982)
1982’s Alien was one of many earliest ever video video games primarily based on an official film licence, an honour it was solely marginally crushed to by Raiders of the Misplaced Ark (which additionally got here out in November 1982 and holds the Guinness World File as the primary).
Sadly, Alien wasn’t precisely a fancy or bold tie-in. The technical limitations of the Atari 2600 however, it wasn’t a novel one, both. In truth, it was only a Pac-Man clone. Ghosts grew to become aliens, Pac-Dots grew to become alien eggs, and Energy Pellets grew to become… pulsars. It’s fairly brazen. There’s one key distinction: it arms gamers with a restricted flamethrower.
Effectively, sure, however on this case… it’s not a drastically efficient device to depend on.
1982’s Alien was programmed by Doug Neubauer, who had beforehand made the well-regarded house fight sim Star Raiders. Neubauer later defined his keenness to work with Fox Video Video games stemmed from his assumption he’d have an opportunity to work on all its film licenses on the time – together with Star Wars, which was beforehand distributed by Fox, earlier than Disney purchased Lucasfilm, after which… purchased Fox. Sadly for Neubauer, Fox didn’t have the online game rights for Star Wars.
Whereas Neubauer traded his Star Wars aspirations for the Korean Battle and made a M*A*S*H sport as an alternative, Alien scuttled off to a brand new studio for a second sport primarily based on the unique film.
Alien (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum. 1984)
1984’s Alien, from short-lived growth studio Idea Software program, was made for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum (and Amstrad the next 12 months). It admittedly isn’t a lot to have a look at however is a way more trustworthy interactive interpretation of the occasions of the film. That’s, this was no Pac-Man impressed maze sport; relatively, it’s a menu-driven technique sport that requires gamers to command the crew of the Nostromo as they try and both eject the Alien into house, or set off the Nostromo’s self-destruct sequence and escape within the shuttle. Just like the movie, one in all your workforce is secretly an android working to betray the remainder of the crew.
With the unique Alien film licence underneath its belt and a big-screen sequel simply across the nook, Idea Software program moved on to… a online game adaptation of Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Road, a movie the late Roger Ebert described as a “non-movie”. Alien moved elsewhere, once more.
Aliens: The Pc Recreation (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum. 1986)
James Cameron’s action-packed and pleasingly pluralised Aliens had a pair of online game variations launched the identical 12 months because the movie: Aliens: The Pc Recreation, and… Aliens: The Pc Recreation. Sure, two totally different video games; identical title. You see, Activision had the rights to an Aliens sport, and developed and printed one itself for the North American market. Nevertheless, Activision’s personal UK subsidiary, Electrical Desires, had additionally developed its personal, bespoke sport on the identical time – which was printed in European territories. They have been two solely totally different video games. Why they each shared an equivalent title is anybody’s guess.
Activision’s US model – first launched on Commodore 64, and on Apple II the next 12 months – was a group of six totally different minigames designed to convey sure components of the film alive, from steering the drop ship down from the Sulaco to warding off the Alien queen within the energy loader. The scattergun method didn’t please all people however the sport loved an honest reception primarily based on the requirements of the time for film tie-ins.
It’s Electrical Desires’ UK model, nevertheless, that has the stronger legacy – and that’s because of a number of vital improvements. Quite than a collection of standard minigames, the UK model of Aliens opted for a extra constant method. The consequence was a first-person expertise that positioned us within the base down on LV-426, doing its darndest to simulate turning left and proper in a 3D atmosphere on historic 8-bit {hardware} by wrapping scrolling 2D backdrops across the characters.
Aliens was additionally one of many first team-based fight video games, with gamers in control of the destiny of six characters from the movie – every of whom should be moved, managed, and guarded with a purpose to make it by means of alive. Maybe greater than something, although, at a time the place even essentially the most difficult video games tended to prime out at “traumatic”, Aliens was outright scary.
Accompanied by the chilling beeping of movement trackers, selecting your manner by means of the labyrinthine base – which was so complicated it was not possible to sort out with out the sport’s paper map – was horrifying. Positive, it seems to be hopelessly primitive by means of a contemporary lens, however right here was one thing that was doing justice to its bloodcurdling, big-screen brother. On the time of its launch, the UK model garnered a heavy serving to of reward as among the finest online game film tie-ins of the ’80s.
So as to add to the complicated state of affairs, Electrical Desires launched Activision’s US model of Aliens: The Pc Recreation on Commodore 64 and Spectrum in Europe anyway, which it referred to as Aliens: The Pc Recreation – US Model.
However hey, it’s nonetheless a greater title than the subsequent sport on this checklist, which is 1987’s Aliens: Alien 2. Assuming avid gamers have been too silly to understand Aliens was the sequel to Alien was definitely an fascinating method.
Aliens: Alien 2 (MSX. 1987)
Aliens: Alien 2 was in the end solely launched on MSX in Japan, and to be trustworthy, if we’re going to speak a couple of side-scrolling Aliens sport out of Japan, it ain’t going to be this one from Sq..
It’s going to be 1990’s arcade-only smash hit: Aliens, from Konami.
Aliens (Arcade. 1990)
Aliens is a grand and gory side-scrolling shooter from the golden age of arcades, and was reportedly Konami’s second best-selling arcade sport for 1990, proper after the all-conquering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s one which seemingly holds a particular place within the hearts of youngsters who grew up cruising aisles of vibrant cupboards clutching a fistful of cash – even when Konami sadly forgot what color Sigourney Weaver’s hair was.
A quick and unfastened riff on the ultimate act of James Cameron’s movie, Aliens sees gamers mowing down wave upon wave of Xenomorphs as Ripley strides by means of the infested base. A second participant may even tag alongside as Hicks. Konami noticed match to invent quite a lot of new Alien sorts for the sport, too, which saved issues diversified up till Ripley’s inevitable last showdown with the queen.
After all, getting there was no cakewalk, as Aliens was robust. Not as exhausting to crack as Contra, maybe, however definitely unafraid to overwhelm gamers lengthy earlier than the credit roll and their pockets are already empty.
In the meantime, the Alien movie collection scurried again into cinemas in 1992 with Alien 3, the poster for which famously promised thrice the suspense, thrice the hazard, and thrice the fear. It additionally promised at the least thrice the wage for Sigourney Weaver, by all experiences. Sadly, the top consequence was shonky sufficient for director David Fincher to fully disown the entire thing, and James Cameron later declared the choice to instantly kill off everybody however Ripley was a slap within the face to followers of the earlier movie, solely undermining all the pieces that occurred in Aliens. Good factor Cameron realized by no means to make such an infuriating, franchise-derailing, mean-spirited mistake himse-
Anyway, no matter whether or not or not the Alien collection ought to’ve saved going, they did, and so did the video games.
Alien 3 (SEGA Genesis, Tremendous NES, NES. 1992)
Alien 3’s first film tie-in, most variations of which have been from Probe Software program, got here to basically each platform obtainable on the time, together with Mega Drive (or Genesis, relying on the place you grew up) all the best way again to the Commodore 64 – which was a decade previous at the moment. Recreation Boy, Recreation Gear, NES and Tremendous NES, you title it., Alien 3 was on it. Whereas there have been a variety of variations throughout platforms, every principally boiled right down to navigating Ripley by means of the jail colony that featured within the movie, liberating inmates and liquidating Aliens. In addition they all shared punishing closing dates on finishing the degrees.
Alien 3: The Gun (Arcade. 1993)
Along with this house console, 2D platformer, Sega printed an unrelated, Alien 3 arcade rail shooter in 1993 which, within the spirit of badly-named Alien video games, was referred to as Alien 3: The Gun. It’s a completely horrible title, however the sport does completely ignore the plot of the film, which is what I’ve additionally performed because the ’90s, so I’ll salute it for that.
Alien 3: The Gun brushes apart nearly each aspect of Alien 3 The Film, opting as an alternative for a threadbare story about two Colonial Marines responding to an SOS beacon from the Sulaco, crashing on the Fiorina 161 jail planet, and blasting wave after wave of Aliens to bits. We’re, after all, speaking a couple of mild gun sport designed to performed in a number of minute bursts when the road for NBA Jam is simply too lengthy, so it’s truthful to not count on an excessive amount of – however with two hefty M41A Pulse Rifles perched on the entrance, it was definitely the closest you possibly can come to immersing your self and a pal into the world of Alien and experiencing the frantic firefights firsthand.
Alien Vs Predator (Tremendous NES. 1993)
1993 additionally noticed the arrival of Alien vs. Predator on Tremendous NES, developed by Japanese studio Jorudan, which stopped making video video games a while in the past and now operates a public transit planning web site.
Effectively, really, I feel that’s precisely what it does, however sure, we should always transfer on as a result of this will take a bit explaining.
Aliens vs. Predator is a collection that started as a Darkish Horse comedian e book brief story in 1989, earlier than increasing into its personal restricted collection in 1990, and subsequently right into a fully-fledged multimedia franchise of its personal.
Technically talking, Aliens vs. Predator is a completely adjoining collection to Alien, and whereas there’s been particular synergy between AVP and the Predator collection – and it’s been established these explicit xenomorphs do exist throughout the Predator universe – AVP has by no means been acknowledged in Alien. In truth, the newest Alien films have been fiercely contradictory to AVP lore. As such, we should always most likely ignore the AVP collection on this Historical past of Alien video games.
Okay, truthful sufficient. Effectively, Jorudan’s Tremendous NES Alien vs. Predator beat ’em up wasn’t a very nice sport, nor was the charmless Alien vs Predator: The Final of His Clan for Recreation Boy, launched the identical 12 months. The lukewarm reception of the previous meant its deliberate Sega and PC ports have been deserted, and a direct Atari Jaguar port was additionally binned after Atari introduced on UK developer Rebel, in any other case greatest recognized now for its Sniper Elite collection, to create a bespoke Alien vs Predator first-person shooter as an alternative.
Alien Vs Predator (Atari Jaguar. 1994)
1994’s Alien vs Predator for the Jaguar, which took a heavy dose of inspiration from Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, is usually considered one of many biggest video games ever launched on Atari’s ill-fated last console, though that admittedly is a sadly small checklist. Alien vs Predator on Jaguar permits gamers to battle as an Alien, a Predator, or a human Colonial Marine, every of whom have totally different skills. Aliens, as an illustration, can use air ducts to maneuver across the ranges and, whereas they’ll’t heal, they’ll respawn and proceed from cocooned folks they, er, impregnate alongside their path.
Alien Vs Predator (Arcade. 1994)
Within the meantime, in 1994 Capcom additionally launched its personal Alien vs. Predator sport, an arcade-only beat ’em up fully unrelated to Jorudan’s Tremendous NES model from 1993. It’s one of many best-looking 16-bit beat ’em ups ever made, and one of many most-esteemed of its period.
Okay, so will we undergo the remainder of the AVP video games now or later?
Aliens Versus Predator (PC. 1999)
Nice, effectively, Rebel had one other crack on the collection with 1999’s Aliens Versus Predator for PC, which rescued the spirit of the unique from being without end marooned on a defunct console. 1999’s Aliens Versus Predator once more featured three campaigns and, whereas its multiplayer copped some criticism for steadiness points, its very good single-player element noticed it snag a fame as one the strongest sci-fi shooters of its period.
Aliens Versus Predator 2 (PC. 2001)
The collection continued in 2001 with Aliens Versus Predator 2, once more on PC, however this time with No One Lives Endlessly and F.E.A.R. studio Monolith Productions on the helm. Right here the campaigns for each of the titular creatures and the Colonial Marines really crossed over. It garnered robust reward, though its 2002 enlargement Aliens Versus Predator 2: Primal Hunt was much less warmly obtained.
Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction (PS2, Xbox. 2003)
After the underwhelming 2003 Xbox and PS2 RTS Aliens Versus Predator: Extinction, plus a string of forgotten cell and net video games, Rebel returned to its lead position behind this collection – first with 2007’s Aliens Versus Predator: Requiem on PSP, a dud third-person motion sport the place you solely play as Predator, and later with 2010’s Aliens vs. Predator reboot for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The Aliens vs. Predator reboot adopted the identical template that had served the collection effectively up to now – with a marketing campaign for every of the three featured species – however whereas it nailed the environment and dialled up the gore, it was disappointing elsewhere.
However whereas that’s a wrap for the AVP video games so far, we’ll must do an about face to return to the Alien collection.
Effectively, now we have to, as a result of we’ve left out a complete bunch of them.
Aliens: A Comedian Guide Journey (PC. 1995)
1995 noticed the discharge of Aliens: A Comedian Guide Journey, a below-par point-and-click sport from Mindscape, starring a spaceship commander who we’re imagined to consider doesn’t have an elevator keycard for his personal vessel. Mindscape’s gambit to licence the property instantly from Darkish Horse comics relatively than Fox didn’t work, because it seems that in house, everybody can nonetheless hear you scheme. Fox cracked down instantly and sank any additional manufacturing.
Alien Trilogy (PlayStation, Saturn, PC. 1995)
Across the identical time, Fox partnered with Probe for the first-person shooter Alien Trilogy, which got here to PlayStation, Saturn, and PC in early 1996. Acclaim picked up publishing after buying Probe in late 1995. A particularly unfastened riff on the movies – of which there have been solely three on the time – Alien Trilogy arrived proper within the coronary heart of the period the place first-person shooters have been nonetheless much more generally known as Doom clones. The moniker wasn’t at all times utilized as a pejorative, although, and on PlayStation specifically, Alien Trilogy grew to become a robust vendor that obtained reward for its atmospheric tackle the Alien universe – which was bolstered with sound results lifted straight from the movies.
Alien Trilogy was really one in all two Fox movie variations from Probe in 1996 alone; a separate Probe workforce was concurrently constructing Die Laborious Trilogy, printed underneath a pre-existing take care of EA later the exact same 12 months.
Aliens On-line (PC. 1998)
1998 noticed the arrival of MMO FPS Aliens On-line, a totally extinct, multiplayer shooter from the dial up days. Aliens On-line was obtainable for simply two years on the brief lived GameStorm on-line gaming service, earlier than EA pulled the plug in mid-2000 after it acquired the platform.
Alien Resurrection (PlayStation. 2000)
That’s corpos for you, Hudson. In 2000, the long-gestating PlayStation 1-exclusive Alien Resurrection lastly arrived, albeit shortly after the debut of the PlayStation 2. Alien Resurrection had been meant to ship alongside the 1997 film, however a number of iterations of the sport had floundered in growth hell at Argonaut Video games for a number of years. Following the discharge of Argonaut’s Alien Odyssey – which, for readability, was an alien sport, however wasn’t an Alien sport – work on Alien Resurrection started in 1996. Initially conceived as a top-down shooter, Argonaut restarted growth in late 1996, choosing a extra cutting-edge method impressed by the likes of Tomb Raider, however then pivoted once more to a first-person shooter in late 1998 after it had turn out to be evident the third-person view merely wasn’t working.
Sadly, whereas Argonaut had finally discovered the appropriate method after 4 years of growth – and the sport was surprisingly extra respectable than the film it shared a reputation with – Alien Resurrection failed to search out a big viewers. Its punishing issue might’ve definitely performed an element, however the less complicated clarification might be the truth that there wasn’t a lot urge for food for a sport primarily based on the least profitable Alien transfer so far, three years after it hit cinemas.
In an odd twist, upon its launch Alien Resurrection copped important vital flak for its default, dual-analogue management system, the place the left stick controls your motion and the appropriate stick handles turning, and searching up and down.
You may recognise this management answer from… each first-person shooter made this century, however again in 2000 Alien Resurrection was massively forward of its time, and positively a part of an elite squad of shooters that pioneered trendy console FPS controls earlier than Halo swept in and took all of the credit score. It wasn’t fairly the primary, although, regardless of what you will have heard – 1999’s Medal of Honor options trendy, dual-analogue controls as one in all its preset configurations, and GoldenEye on N64 options them too, should you select the mode that makes use of a separate controller in every hand (though you do must swap proper for left after the very fact).
Yeah, it is like Swap joycons this fashion. Good level.
Aliens: Thanatos Encounter (Recreation Boy Color. 2001)
Talking of Nintendo, 2001 noticed the discharge of Aliens: Thanatos Encounter from Depraved Witch Software program, a top-down shooter that was unique to Recreation Boy Shade, so it’s invariably much more primitive than its PC and console friends of the time, though positively bleeding edge in contrast with 2003’s Aliens: Unleashed for cell.
Aliens: Extermination (Arcade. 2006)
In 2006, the collection returned to arcades with the sunshine gun shooter Aliens: Extermination from Huge Buck Hunter developer Play Mechanix, earlier than sneaking again onto a Nintendo handheld once more in 2011, with Aliens: Infestation for DS, from WayForward Applied sciences.
Aliens: Infestation (DS. 2011)
Primarily impressed by James Cameron’s Aliens, Aliens: Infestation was a well-received, Metroidvania spin on Aliens, and with its stunning, hand-drawn 2D artwork – and a set of ranges that took gamers again to the Sulaco and LV-426 – it was an authentically old-school Alien sport. Its fascinating hook was permadeath for its forged of characters, and particular dialogue for every. Similar to the flicks, the thought was for gamers to turn out to be hooked up to sure characters inside their celebration earlier than they have been killed in your explicit playthrough.
Aliens: Infestation was developed in tandem with Gearbox and Sega’s Aliens: Colonial Marines, though the latter didn’t emerge from its cocoon till 2013.
Aliens: Colonial Marines (PS3, Xbox 360, PC. 2013)
With performances from Aliens stars Lance Henriksen and Michael Biehn – whose demise in Alien 3 was retconned from the timeline – Aliens: Colonial Marines was pitched as a brand new, direct sequel story to Aliens. Influential sci-fi idea artist Syd Mead – well-known for his work on Blade Runner, Tron, and Aliens itself – was even introduced on to make sure the world of Aliens: Colonial Marines completely matched the movie upon which it picks up from. Sadly, after a prolonged and clearly rocky gestation of round six years, matching the Alien aesthetic is about all it managed.
Yeah, you’re telling us. Bafflingly unrefined contemplating its growth interval, Aliens: Colonial Marines additionally misses the whole level of Aliens by turning what are imagined to be essentially the most deadly lifeforms within the galaxy into pulse rifle fodder for a routine, run ‘n’ gun shooter. The one scary factor in its six-hour marketing campaign was its startlingly spotty understanding of the information of Aliens. That’s, why does it take the crew of Aliens: Colonial Marines 17 weeks to achieve LV-426 after receiving Hicks’ misery name, after Hicks clearly defined throughout Aliens that they might count on a rescue workforce to reach after 17 days, even with out them sending a misery name? 17 doesn’t really feel like a coincidence; that looks like a mistake. After all, that’s nothing in comparison with the very fact Hadley’s Hope itself continues to be standing within the first place after the explosion of the Environment Processing Plant that vapourised all the pieces inside a 30 kilometre radius.
Sega would earn some redemption the next 12 months – not with 2014’s Aliens: Armageddon, which was an arcade-only follow-up to Aliens: Extermination, once more developed by Play Mechanix – however relatively with the sneaky and survival horror-themed Alien: Isolation.
Alien: Isolation (PS3, Xbox 360, PC. 2014)
Set 15 years after the occasions of the unique Alien, Alien: Isolation casts gamers as Ripley’s daughter Amanda, whose quest for closure regarding her mom’s disappearance drags her into her very personal shut encounter of the worst type. Impressed primarily by the unique relatively than its action-heavy sequel, Isolation is constructed round stealth relatively than slaughter. Evading the bloodthirsty Alien randomly stalking the house station Sevastopol is your solely choice, and the anxiousness that Isolation elicits is proof developer Inventive Meeting – a studio in any other case largely well-known for its Whole Battle technique collection – genuinely understood the terrifying spirit of the movie world it was allowed to recreate. Alien: Isolation’s trial-and-error terror might get a bit exhausting at occasions, but it surely actually is a licensed film sport of unusual high quality.
Hell, the unique forged of the 1979 movie even returned to reprise their roles in pre-order DLC for Isolation, together with Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, and sure, Sigourney Weaver herself.
Following Alien: Isolation, there are only some extra video games to notice. In 2016, an Alien appeared as a visitor character in Mortal Kombat X. Alien: Blackout was a mobile-only 5 Nights at Freddy’s clone launched in 2019 – additionally starring Amanda Ripley – but it surely was delisted in 2023.
In 2021, an Alien and Ripley appeared as one other pair of absurdly costly character skins in Fortnite, the sport that normalised DLC being so overpriced you should buy a complete online game for the worth of 1 or two character fashions.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PS4 / 5, Xbox One / Sequence S / X, PC. 2021)
Inform me about it. Anyway, Aliens: Fireteam Elite additionally got here out in 2021, which is a three-player co-op third-person shooter from Chilly Iron Studios, set a few many years after the top of Alien 3.
In stark distinction to Alien: Isolation, Fireteam Elite is a return to gunslinging and portray the partitions with alien goo – however for a sport with modest aspirations it definitely had a extra convincing crack at it than Colonial Marines.
Aliens: Darkish Descent (PC. 2023)
2023’s Aliens: Darkish Descent, from Tindalos Interactive, is a curious mash-up of isometric, squad-based, RTS motion, with real survival horror components – but it surely’s a combo that works surprisingly effectively, and an admirably distinctive idea amongst a collection of video games that date again 40 years.
In late 2023, an Alien and a distinctly off-brand Ripley additionally debuted as licensed visitor characters within the uneven multiplayer horror sport Lifeless by Daylight, becoming a member of a swarm of slasher film superstars from Scream, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Road, and plenty of extra.
However apart from Alien: Rogue Incursion, a single-player action-horror VR sport with an in any other case unspecified 2024 launch date, that about covers it.
Within the meantime, should you haven’t already, try IGN’s assessment for Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus, but when that’s too scary for you, maybe you possibly can try our historical past of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games as an alternative.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN evaluations workforce. You’ll be able to chat to him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.