The top down shooter has been an arcade classic since the dawn of the home computer, be it intrepid heroes in Gauntlet, or the money grabbing contestants of Smash TV. Team 17, of Worms fame, had their own classic top down shooter in Alien Breed. A remake came to Xbox Live, PS3 and PC recently. The series was always planned as a set of downloadable chapters so Alien Breed 2: Assault has come as no surprise. Co-Optimus gave the first game a reasonable 3.5 out of 5 sighting the extreme difficulty level and repetitive gameplay as two of the game’s problems. With less than a year between episodes has enough been done to improve the game, or justify buying more of the same?
Alien Breed 2 is just that; more of the same. The game continues directly from events in the first game as you use a bald space marine to cut through waves of oncoming aliens, whose nature are not too dissimilar to that of the Alien film franchise. The game remains hard going, with the difficulty level spiking early and common issues with the Unreal Engine make the levels feel samey in shades of green and grey – or as I like to call it, greyn. However, there are some elements that have been enhanced for the second episode. The graphics are slightly clearer and the pacing of the game is better, with bigger set pieces and a feel that is even closer to Dead Space. There is also the introduction of RPG-lite elements as you pick up credits which you can be spent on improving your weaponry. This may seem like a very minimal addition, but it gives you more reason to risk life and limb to search fallen bodies or closed lockers.
Game over man, game over
In terms of the single player experience, the game marginally improves on the feel of episode one. The great news is that the co-op component of the game has evolved beyond the stringing together and rehashing of single player levels. Alien Breed 2: Assault is a set of three levels separate from the single player campaign, where you and a friend, online or offline, must make your way through a given area of the ship and escape. To do this you will be given a series of objectives to complete and a sea of aliens to conquer. On occasion, you will come across an action set piece that sees the sea of aliens become a Tsunami. Unfortunately, these supposed exhilarating moments are quickly deflated by a distinct lack of imagination; which is also seen in the solo sections of the game.
In terms of handling, the game works well with both characters' movements confined to the same screen. This means that no one can run off and be a hero/dead meat. To combat the fact there are now two shooters, Team 17 up the enemy quotient and really hammer the players. Luckily, provided one player stays alive for long enough, the other can respawn with half of their health replenished. This mechanic ultimately leads to a gameplay tactic of a series of dashes forward as you strive to reach a much needed checkpoint. This is often interrupted with moments of stagnation as you wait for your partner to respawn, creating a start-stop play experience, ruining the sense of flow in the game.
"Which one am I again?"
Team 17’s use of the Unreal engine really affects the aesthetics of the two player experience. The colors in the game feel a little blurred and distinguishing areas becomes difficult. The characters are also too similar, so that during an intense fire fight you often forget which of the two you are playing - the dim torch light being your only real indication.
One added bonus that Assault has over Evolution, in terms of co-op, is the added Survivor mode. You and a co-op buddy try to survive as long as you can against increasingly numerous and difficult waves of enemies. There are three self contained maps to play in, but this mode only proves a short lived distraction as it becomes extremely repetitive. A final word of warning, the online community for the game is already small, making finding a game using the match making system a lengthy process. Contacting a friend to join you in a private game may be the easiest way to guarantee someone to play with – you can try the Co-Optimus forums for this.
Viewed as an overall product, Alien Breed 2: Assault is a better package than Alien Breed: Evolution, but not by a lot. The single player campaign is slightly better paced and the co-op levels benefit from improved graphics, unique levels and a new game mode.
The nature of episodic series and shortened development times, more often than not, retain the flaws from previous episodes, feel repetitive and lack innovation. However, this does not detract from the fun set of co-op levels to be played through on or offline, but don’t expect anything ground breaking if you have already completed the first episode.