Alien 3

About This Game

Gameplay

Alien 3 is a side-scrolling run and gun game in which the player controls Ellen Ripley, the film's main character, who progresses through the Fiorina 161 prison colony that was featured in the film. The player can jump, shoot, climb ladders, crawl through tunnels, open doors and use elevators. Unlike the film, Ripley has a large arsenal of weapons that can be used against the game's enemies, consisting of Aliens and Facehuggers. Weapons include pulse rifles, flamethrowers and grenades. A motion tracker warns the player of nearby enemies. Level objectives are chosen from computer terminals, which are located throughout the game and also offer blueprints of the prison layout. Objectives include sealing off doors to prevent Aliens from entering, and rescuing prisoners. A time limit is present on each level, and the player loses a life if the level is not completed before the time expires. The game concludes with a battle between Ripley and the Alien Queen. The SNES version includes six stages, and a password feature, which is absent from the Game Boy version. The Sega Genesis version includes 15 stages.

History

The Genesis version was originally scheduled for a U.S. release in summer 1992, but was ultimately released in October 1992 for both North America and Europe. Also in Europe, the Master System version was released on October 21, 1992 followed up by the Amiga version a month later. In the United States, the Game Boy version was released in January 1993, while the NES version was released in March 1993, and the SNES version was released in June 1993. The SNES version was subsequently released in the United Kingdom in July 1993. The Commodore 64 version was released in Europe in November 1993.