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Reception: expanding EGM source

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{{Short description|1996 video game}}
{{about|the video game|the first three films in the ''Alien'' franchise|Alien (franchise)}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Alien Trilogy
| image = Alien Trilogy.jpg
| caption = European PlayStation box art
| developer = [[Probe Entertainment]]
| publisher = [[Acclaim Entertainment]]
| series = ''[[List of Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator games|Alien]]''
| platforms = [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[MS-DOS]]
| released = '''PlayStation'''{{vgrelease|NA|February 29, 1996<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com |url=http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html |website=PlayStation Galleria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815065413/http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html |archive-date=August 15, 2000}}</ref>|EU|March 29, 1996<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Southport Visiter 22 Mar 1996, page 27 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/880812066/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en |quote=Released Friday 29th March Alien Trilogy £44.99 Resident Evil £34.99 Order Now!}}</ref>}} {{vgrelease|JP|May 31, 1996<ref name="fam-rev-ps1" />}}'''Saturn'''{{vgrelease|NA|August 13, 1996<ref>{{cite web |title=Alien Trilogy |url=http://sega-saturn.com/saturn/software/alien.htm |website=sega-saturn.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970101110610/http://sega-saturn.com/saturn/software/alien.htm |archive-date=January 1, 1997}}</ref>|EU|September 4, 1996<ref>{{cite magazine |author= |date=October 1996 |title=Checkpoint |url=https://archive.org/details/computer-and-video-games-magazine/Computer%20and%20Video%20Games%20179/page/n51/mode/2up |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |publisher=[[Ascential|EMAP]] |issue=179 |page=52}}</ref>}} '''MS-DOS'''{{vgrelease|NA|December 2, 1996<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-02-27 |title=Online Gaming Review |url=http://www.ogr.com/news/news1296.html |access-date=2025-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970227065637/http://www.ogr.com/news/news1296.html |archive-date=1997-02-27 }}</ref>|EU|1996}}
| genre = [[First-person shooter]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}

'''''Alien Trilogy''''' is a 1996 [[first-person shooter]] video game developed by [[Probe Entertainment]] and published by [[Acclaim Entertainment]] for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Sega Saturn]], and [[MS-DOS]]. The game is based on the first three movies in the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' film series]]. One of the first games developed by Probe following their acquisition by Acclaim, it debuted Acclaim's much-hyped [[motion capture]] technology. The game was well received by critics, who praised its recreation of the films' atmosphere and its gameplay depth compared to other first-person shooters, and was a commercial success.

==Gameplay==
The game consists of 30 levels and 3 bosses. It implement many elements from ''Alien'' film series, including enemies such as [[facehugger]]s, [[chestburster]]s, and weapons, such as the [[pulse rifle]].<ref name=SatMag10/> The console versions only have a single player campaign whereas the DOS version also features deathmatch network multiplayer.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

==Plot==
In the role of Lieutenant [[Ellen Ripley]], the player experiences a story loosely derived from the first three films of the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]]. Aside from occasional [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] [[cut scene]]s, the plot is told through text-based mission briefings that guide the player through an expanded, action-oriented story, drawing upon the settings and characters of the franchise rather than through the specific plots of the films themselves. The game begins in essentially the same manner as ''Aliens'', as Ripley—here a marine herself—travels to LV426 to restore contact with the colony there.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Alien Trilogy: The Sci-Fi Saga Comes to the Saturn|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=87 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=October 1996|page=138}}</ref> The other marines are wiped out, so Ripley must then travel through the infested colony and prison facility, and finally the crashed alien ship itself, to destroy the aliens and escape.

==Development==
In early 1994, Acclaim announced that ''Alien Trilogy'' would be the first game to use the 3D [[motion capture]] technology created by their engineering team Advanced Technologies Group.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Dueling With Aliens|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=57|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=April 1994|page=19}}</ref> The aliens' movements were created using this technology.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hooray for Hollywood! Acclaim Studios|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=82|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=July 1995|pages=28–29}}</ref>

Many of the game's sound effects, such as the cocooned colonists whispering "Kill me" and the alien screeches, were sampled from the films.<ref name="SatMag10">{{cite magazine|title=Alien Syndrome |magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=10|publisher=[[Emap International Limited]] |date=August 1996|pages=62–66}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| GR = 78% (PS)<ref name=GRPS>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/915140-alien-trilogy/index.html |title=Alien Trilogy for PlayStation |website=[[GameRankings]] |access-date=8 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209014129/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/915140-alien-trilogy/index.html |archive-date=9 December 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| EGM = 8.5/10, 9/10, 9/10, 9/10 (PS)<ref name=EGM81>{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=81|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=April 1996|page=32|url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/ca0aa45f-4ced-4582-8043-25869f09c0d8|via=[[Video Game History Foundation]]|accessdate=November 11, 2025|first1=Andrew|last1=Baran|first2=Mark|last2=LeFebvre|first3=Mike|last3=Desmond|author4=Sushi-X}}</ref>
| Fam = 7/10, 6/10, 7/10, 6/10 (PS)<ref name="fam-rev-ps1">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Famitsu|Famicom Tsūshin]]|title=New Games Cross Review|authorlink1=Hirokazu Hamamura|first1=Hamamura|last1=Tsūshin|first2=Mizu|last2=Pin|first3=Miki|last3=Watanabe|first4=Takayuki|last4=Hada|issue=390|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|date=June 7, 1996|language=Japanese|p=31}}</ref>
| Allgame = 4/5 (SAT)<ref>{{cite web|first=Michael L. |last=House |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1801&tab=review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114165626/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1801&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014|title=Alien Trilogy - Review|website=[[Allgame]]}}</ref> 3.5/5 (PS1)<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115005934/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2009&tab=review|archive-date=November 15, 2014|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2009&tab=review|website=[[AllGame]]|title=Alien Trilogy - Review |last=Sackenheim|first=Shawn}}</ref>
| GameRev = B+<ref name=GameRev>{{cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Irwin |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/alien-trilogy |title=Alien Trilogy Review |date=June 4, 2004|publisher=[[Game Revolution]] |access-date=8 March 2013}}</ref>
| GSpot = 7.7/10 (SAT)<ref name=GSrev>{{cite web|last=Sterbakov|first=Hugh|title=Alien Trilogy Review|url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alien-trilogy-review/1900-2533789/|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=20 December 2015|date=December 1, 1996}}</ref>
| IGN = 8/10 (PS)<ref name=IGN>{{cite web |url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/1996/11/22/alien-trilogy |title=Alien Trilogy |date=November 21, 1996 |publisher=[[IGN]] |access-date=8 March 2013}}</ref>
| NGen = 4/5 (PS, SAT)<ref name=NGen18>{{cite magazine |title=Ripley, Believe it or Not... |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=18 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=June 1996|page=117}}</ref><ref name=NGen23>{{cite magazine |title=Alien Trilogy|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=23 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=November 1996|page=271}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Maximum''
| rev1Score = 4/5 (PS)<ref name=Max5>{{cite magazine |title=Maximum Reviews: Alien Trilogy|magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=5 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=April 1996|pages=152–3}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]''
| rev2Score = 89% (SAT)<ref name=SatMag11>{{cite magazine|last=Automatic |first=Rad |title=Review: Alien Trilogy|magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=September 1996|pages=64–65}}</ref>
}}

''Alien Trilogy'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On aggregating review website [[GameRankings]], the PlayStation version held a 78% based on 5 reviews.<ref name=GRPS/> The four reviewers of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' gave the PlayStation version their "Game of the Month" award, concurring it to be the best video game based on the Alien franchise yet, chiefly due to the graphics and sound effects authentically recreating the style of the films. Two of the reviewers also commented that the use of mission objectives gives the game more depth than the average first person shooter.<ref name=EGM81/> ''[[GamePro]]'' also commented positively on the sound effects but was not impressed by the graphics, remarking that though they are faithful to the films, they are overly monochrome and suffer from extreme pixelation. The reviewer also complained of targeting problems but gave the game a strong recommendation due to "the fun of cruising the halls, wiping out aliens, and torching and detonating the area."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Scary Larry |title=ProReview: Alien Trilogy|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=92|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |date=May 1996|pages=56–57}}</ref> A reviewer for ''Maximum'' likewise was pleased with the sound effects but felt the graphics to be authentic to the films yet unimpressive, remarking that the animation on the aliens is a severe disappointment after Acclaim's considerable boasting about their new motion capture technology. He also criticized the slow pace and weak weapons, but praised the game's limited field of vision for creating a claustrophobic, suspenseful atmosphere and concluded that ''Alien Trilogy'' "is far more impressive than the mediocre offerings PlayStation owners have had to put up with over the last few months, with a depth of gameplay and audio-visual quality which is sure to impress just about everyone who buys it."<ref name=Max5/> A ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' critic hailed the game as both a strong first-person shooter and an excellent adaptation of the film series, and said the opening full motion video "is one of the best intros we've seen." While citing minor issues with confusing level designs, he emphasized that "The details, however, are what make this come alive: face huggers scuttle away, full grown aliens drop down from above, alien queens are ''not'' easy to kill, glass shatters, barrels explode, and, for the most part, the way it controls is so smooth and intuitive that the experience is very close to finding yourself in the middle of the film."<ref name=NGen18/> [[IGN]] criticized the confusing level layout but praised the intuitive controls, interactive environment, and generally strong film-to-video-game translation.<ref name=IGN/>

The Saturn port was also positively received. A ''Next Generation'' critic hailed it as a rare example of a PlayStation-to-Saturn port which is just as good as the PlayStation original.<ref name=NGen23/> However, ''[[GameSpot]]'' and ''GamePro'' said the graphics are not as "crisp" as the PlayStation version, though still good in absolute terms.<ref name=GSrev/><ref name=GPro98>{{cite magazine|author=Scary Larry |title=ProReview: Alien Trilogy |magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=98 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |date=November 1996|page=122}}</ref> ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]''{{'}}s Rad Automatic did not mention the PlayStation version at all.<ref name=SatMag11/> Both he and ''GameSpot'' focused their praises on the game's effective use of sound to create atmosphere and clue the player in to the close proximity of unseen enemies.<ref name=GSrev/><ref name=SatMag11/> Despite their positive assessments, ''GamePro'' and ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' both said the game fell second to ''[[PowerSlave]]'', another first-person shooter released for the Saturn at roughly the same time.<ref name=SatMag11/><ref name=GPro98/>

''Alien Trilogy'' was a finalist for the [[Game Developers Conference|Computer Game Developers Conference]]'s 1996 "Best Adaptation of Linear Media" [[Spotlight Awards|Spotlight Award]],<ref name=spotlightnoms1996>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970605172050/http://www.next-generation.com/news/041597e.chtml | url=http://www.next-generation.com:80/news/041597e.chtml | title=And the Nominees Are... | date=April 15, 1997 | author=Staff | work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | archive-date=1997-06-05 | url-status=dead | access-date=2018-10-11 }}</ref> but lost the prize to ''[[I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (video game)|I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream]]''.<ref name=spotlight1997>{{cite press release | url=http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/spotlight_1997.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703083042/http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/spotlight_1997.html | archive-date=July 3, 2011 | title=Spotlight Awards Winners Announced for Best Computer Games of 1996 | publisher=[[Game Developers Conference]] | url-status=live | location=[[Santa Clara, California]] | date=April 28, 1997 }}</ref> It was awarded ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''{{'}}s Shooter Game of the Year.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Best of '96|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=92|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=March 1997|page=90}}</ref> In 1996, ''[[GamesMaster (magazine)|GamesMaster]]'' rated the game 46th in their "Top 100 Games of All Time."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1996 |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf |journal=GamesMaster |issue=44 |pages=76}}</ref>

In a retrospective review, Irwin Fletcher of ''Game Revolution'' praised the high production values, commenting that "''Alien Trilogy'' is nothing revolutionary, but it's a damn good shooter."<ref name=GameRev/>

The PlayStation version was a bestseller in the UK.<ref>Gallup UK Playstation sales chart, June 1996, published in [[Official UK PlayStation Magazine]] issue 7</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Alien, Predator and Alien vs. Predator games]]
*''[[Die Hard Trilogy]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{moby game|id=/alien-trilogy}}
*{{IMDb title}}

{{Alien (franchise)}}
{{Probe Software}}

[[Category:1996 video games]]
[[Category:Acclaim Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Alien (franchise) games]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:First-person shooters]]
[[Category:Fox Interactive games]]
[[Category:PlayStation (console) games]]
[[Category:Probe Software games]]
[[Category:Science fiction video games]]
[[Category:Sega Saturn games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Sprite-based first-person shooters]]
[[Category:Video games based on works by James Cameron]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games with 2.5D graphics]]

Alien Trilogy - Revision history

imported>Andrzejbanas: /* Reception */ expanding EGM source