liens Online is one of the latest massively multiplayer Internet games from Kesmai Studios, available on the Gamestorm Web site. As the title suggests, the game is based on the movie Aliens, and it pits Colonial Marines against the vicious xenomorphs that were first discovered on the planet LV-426.
To start as a marine, players pick a name, gender and appearance, as well as a class. Each class--such as Medic or Scout--has a special skill. (For instance, Heavy Weaponry allows marines to use the large and deadly Smart Gun.) Marines then proceed to the Staging Area to choose a mission type. Currently there's only one: eradicate all aliens. The missions take place in space stations, mining colonies and other locales similar to those in the Alien movies. Marines can enter a mission alone, or join a fire team. Solo marines are limited to carrying a pulse rifle, shotgun, grenade launcher and a motion detector. In fire teams, only one marine has a motion detector, but heavier weapons like the Smart Gun and flamethrower are also available.
To start as an alien, players choose a name and the type of alien they want to play. The choices available to first-time gamers are the drone and facehugger, while veteran players who accumulate enough points can become a queen. Since facehuggers are all but useless in this beta version of the game, most players opt for drones. Then it's off to the hive, where aliens will pick a mission to join. The goal is twofold: defend the queen and kill all marines.
After the marines and aliens choose their missions, the game begins in earnest. What it boils down to is a basic firefight between the two species, a claw-and-grenade battle to the death using a Doom-like interface and every weapon that's available...
Death lurks around every corner
Things are tough for marines. They're slow, weak and half-blind compared to aliens. But they make up for this lack with ranged firepower. Survival as a marine basically comes down to this: see the alien first, live; don't see the alien coming, die. The motion detector helps, a little, but it must be juggled with the gun, and if a xenomorph charges up fast, a marine can get wasted without firing a shot. Expect to take plenty of dirt naps at first.
Things aren't much better for the aliens. While far more agile than marines, their close-range attacks mean they have to get right next to the grunts to score a hit. That's not too hard in the cramped confines of a twisting air duct, but in a long corridor with a good line of sight, aliens are no better than large green sitting ducks. And forget about that prized alien toughness...a few bursts from a pulse rifle will shred them rather nicely.
While the graphics of Aliens Online are primitive by today's standards, and the actual play window takes up only about a quarter of the screen, a few things make up for these limitations. The first is sound: Motion detectors ping nervously, rifles chatter and aliens screech just like in the movies. It's tough to beat that. The second thing Aliens Online has going for it is fun. This is a desperate and frightening world where sudden death lurks around every corner, and it definitely feels like being in the harsh Alien universe.
Keeping in mind that this is a beta version of the game, and that there are still a few...ahem...bugs to be worked out, it's clear that Kesmai has what it takes to satisfy both the Aliens fan and the hardcore gamer. This is one of those titles that cashes in on some of the Internet's promises of multiplayer action, and it's sure to be a hit with SF lovers.
