Ah the wonderful world of PC’s. A gaming platform flooded with FPS, RPG’s, and simulators. If you ask me I say it’s high time we get a breath of fresh air. Sigma Team attempts to try something a little different with their action RPG Alien Shooter: Vengeance.  AS: V, is published by CDV, and pits you against an overwhelming alien threat. My first impression was excitement, based on the pictures on the back of the box and packaging. After installing and playing I was slightly let down due to minor issues, but after a few more hours I found myself enjoying the quick visceral thrills the game had to offer.

What’s going down?

The story is your generic humanity versus alien spiel. It’s up to you and your character to assist in eliminating the alien threat. Although this story has been done to death, Sigma Team does do a sufficient job, in moving the story along in the campaign. Objectives generally consist of escorting or protecting scientists or civilians. Along the way you also deal with the usual locked gate or missing key card to impede your progress. Also scattered about are hidden areas and plenty of objects that can be shot, blown up and detonated rewarding you with cash and ammo. Though all this may sound fun in practice, the campaign didn’t hold my interest very long, with drawn out tasks and uninspired dialog. Fortunately, AS: V other modes proved to be a strong selling point.

As I stated earlier this game falls under the action RPG category and uses a camera angle reminiscent of the Ultima series. You start by selecting a pre-made character, and from there you get a few points to customize certain attributes. This is where the RPG element of the game comes into play. The attributes vary and range from strength and speed, to weapons handling and intelligence. While progressing through the game, slaughtering mindless aliens (which can be pretty fun) will gain you experience points, to allocate to the attributes. Sigma Team also went all out on weapon selection as well. Everything from pistols, shotguns, SMG’s and even flamethrowers are included. You can attain and upgrade your arsenal by purchasing them through kiosks throughout each mission. Earning money requires you to explore each level for cash and other items that can be sold for currency. Starting off with a pistol can be very annoying, do to the number of rounds needed to take down the aliens. Acquiring the shotgun, Uzi, or grenade launcher thankfully rectifies this issue. Body armor is also available as well, which can be purchased and found through out the game.

A little on the stiff side

The graphics could be viewed as a mixed bag, depending on your graphical taste. Backgrounds are primarily rendered in 2D, and as I stated earlier objects have shadows in real time. Each time you shine a flashlight through each area each object is rendered accordingly giving a very realistic appeal. Character models (specifically the characters you control) move as if they were paper doll cut outs and lack any emotion. This was a big disappointment for me; given the time they took creating the atmosphere for the game. I felt more should have been done as far as animation is concerned, to further add to depth and realism. Fortunately, the aliens don’t succumb to the same issues as their human counterparts, as they attempt to hunt you down and wreak havoc. 

Something out of a movie

One of the more positive aspects of the game is the environments and swarms of aliens that appear onscreen. In one particular instance I found myself surrounded by at least thirty aliens armed only with an Uzi and my wits (needless to say I didn’t make it). Backgrounds incorporate excellent use of lighting effects, giving off an eerie atmosphere. A majority of the missions will take you through underground complexes, abandoned warehouses and devastated military bases. Another nice touch is the fact that each alien you slaughter, (and believe me you will) leaves blood and corpses in real time. Sounds for the game are clean and crisp, providing nice cinematic appeal. Bullet rounds clatter to the floor, aliens scream with each agonizing death and music tempo kicks it up a notch with each battle. Whether shooting a pistol or a flare gun, each weapon has a distinct sound that’s pleasing to action fans.

Is anybody home?

The hugest draw to me with any game is the inclusion of an online component. AS: V gives you the option of doing campaign, survival and stand firm, all online. Sadly, due to either the lack of gamers having a copy or server issues, you can’t find a match to join. I hope the reason is the latter and not the former and hope Sigma Team is working on fixing the problems. It’s a shame that there is an issue with the online aspect, considering this would have boosted this games replay value considerably.

Stand strong.

Like I said above there is an interesting mode in the game called stand firm. This mode basically places your character in a particular location and has a horde of aliens constantly coming at you. You start off with only a pistol; after a set time you receive other weapons that give you a more fighting chance. The game ends once the alien opposition overwhelms and defeats you; afterwards you get a tally of how long you lasted and how many kills you earned with each weapon. This mode alone is a huge saving grace for the game and definitely earns the plasma factor from me. I hope other game developers will implement a mode as fun and satisfying as stand firm.

All in all...

All in all, the Sigma Team did a decent job, despite minor shortcomings. If you manage to spot a copy of this game pick it up. There is bound to be something about this game you will like.