Alien: Romulus reminds us to play Aliens: Infestation again
With the Alien franchise making a huge comeback thanks to Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus, there's been a huge resurgence in games like Aliens: Infestation and Alien: Isolation.
22nd Aug 2024 15:00
Images via 20th Century | WayForward Technologies
Alien: Romulus reminds us to play Aliens: Infestation again
With the Alien franchise making a huge comeback thanks to Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus, there's been a huge resurgence in games like Aliens: Infestation and Alien: Isolation.
22nd Aug 2024 15:00
Images via 20th Century | WayForward Technologies
You probably don't need us to tell you that there have been some pretty dire Alien games over the years, and while Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines was actually so bad it got the developer and SEGA caught in a lawsuit, your average Xenomorph-centric game has also been pretty dire.
Much like the Alien franchise in live-action, you have as many bad outings as you have good ones. Thankfully, the IP is having a huge resurgence thanks to Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus, and with it, the great Alien video games are getting the recognition they deserve.
A reminder that Aliens: Infestation is a great game
There's no denying that Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation is the 'best' Alien video game, with Álvarez himself saying Romulus was inspired by it - even including an Isolation Easter egg of the Emergency Phone in the Renaissance space station. However, let's not forget Aliens: Infestation.
As many have reminded us, Isolation is arguably the best Alien game, while Infestation is the best Alien(s) game. Much like how James Cameron's Aliens from 1986 was more of an action-horror compared to Ridley Scott's straight-up sci-fi horror of 1979, Infestation is an action-heavy Alien game.
Released on the Nintendo DS in 2011, WayForward Technologies' side-scrolling game is a love letter to Metroidvania titles, albeit with acid-bleeding Xenos at its core. Also boasting character designs by X-Men comic book artist Chris Bachalo, Infestation also looked beautiful as we blasted those b*stards.
Stepping aboard the abandoned USS Sulaco from Aliens, we visited LV-426 and the Martian moon of Phobos. Considering it started out life as a DS port of Aliens: Colonial Marines, it seems Infestation had a lucky escape by branching out on its own. With imaginative bosses that included a gorilla Xenomorph, what wasn't there to love?
If you haven't played Aliens: Infestation already, then we have some bad news for you. Unless you're into your emulation, picking up a copy could cost a pretty penny. A quick scan of eBay shows that copies are going for upwards of $110/£85, and as it isn't available on any digital storefronts (thanks Nintendo), it's hard to play in 2024.
Following Álvarez's success with Romulus, there are high hopes he could return for a sequel. If this is the case, could we see him take a leaf out of Cameron's book and deliver his own homage to Aliens? We know he's a big video game fan, and given the Isolation Easter egg, we'd love to see a gorilla xenomorph in the inevitable Romulus sequel.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
