The Alien Breed series is an old one, dating all the way back to 1991 when alien science fiction was very popular. Alien Breed Evolution was a remake of the very first Alien Breed game, released on Xbox Live last year. Alien Breed 2: Assault is the follow up to the first remake. If you missed out on playing Alien Breed Evolution, don’t let it stop you from trying out Alien Breed 2: Assault because it is not entirely sequential.
Alien Breed 2: Assault is a challenging top down shooter, in which you must reserve as much ammo as possible while managing to take down every alien that comes across your path. The whole experience gives you a very survival horror type of feel, but I can ensure you that the game is in no way scary. The story mode sees your ship overrun with aliens and you must go from way point to way point to restore order. It isn’t entirely about going from one point to the next; there is actually a point to all your running around. You will find yourself either trying to restore power to a section of the ship, door or elevator; and in some cases you will be required to rendezvous with other characters. Along your path you will be engaged by a variety of aliens, you must take them out as tactfully as possible as ammo is something that is not generously given.
Exploring different areas has its perks. If you are running low on ammo, credits, health or grenades then taking your time to look around is a necessity. Credits can be spent on restocking your ammo, buying new guns, grenades or health packs. You may only put these credits to use once you find a certain computer however, which means there will be times where you’re running dangerously low on supplies.
Although Alien Breed 2: Assault looks like a retro game in essence, if you observe the amount of detail you will actually see it looks pretty damn good. This version uses the Unreal Engine, and thus gives off a kind of mini Gears of War feel at times. Still it’s amazing to see just how much detail they put into the environments considering the viewpoint of the game.
The controls can sometimes be clunky on Alien Breed 2: Assault. When you’re faced with a big hoard of aliens, things get very fiddly as you attempt to take down enemies coming from different directions. By using the left and right bumper on the Xbox 360 controller you can adjust the camera to different positions which helps you get a good view in each direction. The red sensor can be somewhat helpful as it guides you when aiming your shots in the right direction. Sound plays a big part in Alien Breed 2: Assault, because if you are not paying attention to the distant clanging sounds you may spot an alien much too late. Listening for distant movement will help you to ready your shots in advance, giving you a huge advantage when faced with a horde of enemies.
There are a few glitches that may get you lost in the story mode, but aside from that you should have a simple and short experience in the story mode. There are five levels in total in Alien Breed 2: Assault. But there are other modes such as survival and multi-player to keep you busy if you wish to get really deep into the experience.
Overall I have to say that I am glad I got to play Alien Breed 2: Assault. After playing tons of Halo: Reach and other high profile mainstream video games; this was a nice little change. The game can be somewhat frustrating with glitches and loading times, but if you have the patience to stick with it then Alien Breed 2: Assault is a great Xbox Live Arcade purchase. The game is also available on Playstation Network and PC, so if you have some extra cash to spare then consider it.
