Alien Breed Evolution Review

Alien Breed Evolution takes an established game and reworks it for the current generation. Team 17 have had a massive success with their Worms franchise on the Xbox by not so much reworking the series, but making it about the fun parts that made the game so unbelievably fun. Can they sprinkle the same winning recipe over the Alien Breed franchise and reinvigorate the interest that the original still holds over many gamers’ hearts?
From the outset, the game oozes polish. At the main menu, you’re greeted with a familiar yet modern variation of the phrase “Welcome to Intex systems” and what a spine-tingling welcome it is. Hours of being hunched round a CRT monitor in a darkened room with a joystick and an ominous warning countdown come flooding back.

Many aficionados of the original will be wondering, who has penned the soundtrack to this re-incarnation of a classic? Something of a legend in the game’s music scene for the Amiga is the name Allister Brimble and yes, he’s been putting his touch on the game’s music score, leaving that slight eerie feeling that all isn’t quite right with the world.
But that’s enough of the trip down memory lane. The game has taken what made the original so much fun, and simply layered a spattering of HD graphics, moody lighting and creepy sounds on top to create an atmosphere that will have you checking every last nook and cranny to make sure you’re not about to be jumped upon by a horde of aliens lurking in the dark.
The gameplay in Alien Breed is your typical top down nature. Left stick moves you around; right stick has you aiming and a trigger to fire. The real juice lies in its use of the Unreal Engine and its dynamic lighting. Corridors are dark and mainly lit by sparks and flickering lights. Your torches give enough light to meaningfully see about 10 feet in front of you. It's atmospheric in much the same way that the original was - but it’s been brought up to speed with the current generation of consoles.

Multiplayer is also a blast, but be sure to play it in a dark room with the lights off as this is the only true way to enjoy a classic remade. My one criticism, of anything I could really pick on, is that it wasn't long enough - roll on the next episode! The aliens don’t have the same death sound as they used to from the original, so you’re no longer terrified by the wounded elephant screams as you tear through the unending hordes of alien creatures that have infested your ship.
The game plays well and has elements of from the original that is sure to please most fans. The cameras limited movement options work for this game leaving the right analogue stick for aiming; which is by far the best control method that this outing could have used.