Alien 3

Alien 3 brings Ellen Ripley and the terrifying Xenomorphs to the NES in a fast-paced side-scrolling action game. Released by LJN in 1993 and developed by Probe Software, the game is based on the movie Alien 3, although its gameplay takes considerably more freedom with the film's story. The NES version has its own level designs while keeping the basic idea used by several other versions of the game.

Ripley finds herself fighting through the prison colony of Fiorina "Fury" 161, but simply reaching the end of each stage is not enough. Every level gives you a limited amount of time to complete your objectives, rescue prisoners, and find the exit. That time pressure gives the game a constant sense of urgency. There is rarely an opportunity to stop and explore an area at your own pace when a countdown is working against you.

Ripley has several weapons at her disposal, including the pulse rifle, flamethrower, grenade launcher, and hand grenades. Ammunition is limited, so blindly firing at every creature is not always the best idea. The pulse rifle can also overheat, encouraging players to fire in controlled bursts. A radar can be particularly useful because it helps reveal the positions of nearby Xenomorphs and prisoners.

The game mixes traditional platforming with exploration and combat. Ripley can climb ladders, move through different sections of the prison complex, and search for prisoners while dealing with waves of hostile creatures. After every two regular levels, a tougher guardian encounter provides an additional challenge.

Alien 3 is a good example of how a movie license could be transformed into something much more action-oriented on the NES. It does not reproduce the slow, oppressive atmosphere of the film perfectly, but the combination of limited ammunition, aggressive aliens, time limits, and Ripley's heavy weapons gives the game its own identity.