ALIEN 3: The Video Games - Retrospective/Review

A retrospective look at all the games based on ALIEN 3.
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[@OliverHarper]

Here Comes A New Challenger Amazon Prime tinyurl.com/yxy2sbed BLU-RAY tinyurl.com/3wcmmpz8

[@repletereplete8002]

I was one of the development team on the SNES version of Alien 3. It was definitely one of my video games career highlights.

[@markula_4040]

Thank you for helping to create a great video game I still play annually.

[@TheJurnalyst]

How abt that..?

[@AgentMorgan2010]

GREAT GAME! An SNES classic. 10 times better than the movie it was based on. Our family also very much appreciated the Hudson soundbite in the Game Over screen. xD

[@RevDrTSgtC]

I loved that game! Thanks for helping to create it.

[@Pewpewpew182]

Thanks for helping so many of us kids out while we grew up. I never played it, but want to purchase it now.

[@Steelwaterfall1]

That intro montage, holy shit, probably the best way to cover a licensed game by combining the best quotes of the movie atop the remarkable genesis soundtrack

[@timandfin]

It was slick.

[@SimpleSlave]

"What would the player do if they encounter the lone Alien? Run away?" Alien Isolation: "Weeeeeell, you can try."

[@JOSH-lw2jv]

To quote Diesel 10 (Neil Crone) from the Theatrical Cut of *"THOMAS & The Magic Railroad"* "You can run, but you can't hide!"

[@snakeplissken111]

Alien on Commodore C64 did that years ago. The truth is rather, that licensed games were mostly pretty cheap cash-ins. And whilst technically ok, the Alien³ games were no huge expection to that. I had the Amiga version of the Megadrive game, and it was a super average game even back in the day. It couldn't compare to the likes of Turrican, Lionheart et all in any way.

[@purefoldnz3070]

still the best Alien game ever made

[@Blitzo8390]

It’s a great thing Fincher never gave up on being a director and went on to direct awesome movies like Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac

[@SoggyDonuts79]

I LOVE ZODIAC. Watch it all the time. So good.

[@sleepwalkingcapsules]

Social Network too!

[@shaunmclorinan9656]

Don't forget dodgeball a true underdog story

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

Don't forget The Game! Also, I never thought Alien 3 was bad, I loved it since the first screening and only strenghted my appreciation after seeing the Assembly Cut.

[@cpl.barbarusc4814]

Indeed, even of Alien 3 was a problematic mess Behind the scenes, that film really opened his way to direct amazing films. Se7en till this day really gives me shivers with the "Sloth" scene.

[@TheBeird]

That dribbling Alien face on the MegaDrive loading screen is my first memory of the xenomorph. I remember renting it out as a kid after seeing it on some tape that came with a magazine, and it scared the shit out of me. Still played it tho

[@Kalaida]

I found ALIEN3 for the SNES to be fascinating in the music department. Unlike the other versions, the SNES actually uses renditions of Jame Horner's score from ALIENS. The Opening Title, the Narcissus drifting through space and the end titles are all rendered here. It just shows how everyone not only wanted to bring guns into Alien3, but they also just wanted to make a straight up ALIENS game with an Alien3 skin.

[@joeallocco4261]

I worked at Acclaim for 5 years. I was on the Black Team. I was one of the team members (Game Tester/Analyst) that helped work on the SNES game. Good Times and Memories.

[@cpl.barbarusc4814]

The Alien 3 SNES port is a nice addition to the console since Super Metroid was still away from being released. And the Alien 3 the Gun really opened the way to the rest of the arcade style House of the Dead games including Aliens Extermination and Aliens Armageddon.

[@fusionspace175]

Even though I have watched this material covered by someone else, they weren't Oliver. Perspective matters, if we just wanted cold data we could all be reading the text ourselves right now. Keep up the good work, as always.

[@Rschr101]

Amazing intro. Awesome. Alien 3 will always be my favorite of the series. The Genesis soundtrack is an all timer. Keep up the great work.

[@sebastianhollmichel9566]

I just had a hard flashback having the Master System Box in my hand in the mall. Could even fell the edges :D

[@RappingNinja]

I wanted to express how much I LOVE your work on these retrospectives covering every single game released for a specific movie. This is my favorite one so far, but Batman and RoboCop and Terminator 2 were all damn great videos that I happily revisit. I look forward to more of this sort of thing. I can imagine quite a few 80s/90s films that would make for welcome installments in this series.

[@KirkFleming-er1up]

I very rarely make comments on KZbin but I love your channel been a long time watcher and subscriber and seeing this brought back so many memories from my childhood as my father had this game on the super NES and I grew up watching the Aliens movies with him and so in the few times a year that I got to see him and it was always a treat as living with my mum by ourselves in government housing my mum couldn't afford to buy a super NES for me so it great to get to play it when I could was not very good at it I was only nine years old and had a hard time understanding the mission objectives but was still fun. I still really liked Alien 3 I remember dad hiring it from the video store on VHS and I was so excited but a bit disappointed cause I was expecting it to be like Aliens but I still really liked it. Just makes me laugh how back in the day growing up so young watching the classics that were new at the time like Alien/Aliens, Terminator/Terminator 2, RoboCop, Conan, Highlander, Bloodsport and so many others back then as a kid was so awesome the 80's/90's were the best times for movies especially as a kid I just laugh at the fact that the fact that my dad let me watch that stuff back then with them being so violent and gorey but him being a soldier in the Australian army he always told me that it's just a movie and violence is not good and only to be used to protect yourself and your family so it never affected me in a negative way. My mum on the other hand hated them I still remember her and my mate's mum's all losing their shit and freaking out when the alien busted out of that chicks chest when we were all watching Aliens for the first time god it was scary and funny at the same time then they turned it off and we had to sneak out like ninjas and watch it when the adult's were asleep lol. I had a bit of a rough childhood and we didn't have much but I'm grateful for what I did have and for my mother and these movies really brought so much joy and happiness and imagination to me and my friends. Thanks for the video it was great like all of them that you do you have one of the best channels on KZbin. Can you try do one for the arcade version of Aliens vs Predator that was so great certainly the best version of AvP ever. Much love and respect from Brisbane Australia.

[@CasperEgas]

I love the Mega Drive game! Played it so much. Even though it is very different to the film, it looks great, sounds great, is scary, tough and fun! The Master System version ain't too bad either! Great work by Probe. If Alien Trilogy counts, love that one as well Really like the film too by the way.

[@mr_StevenS]

25:49 "Alien isolation - probably the best licensed game ever produced" - I think it depend on a definition of a licensed game, but there is actually a great competition here. GoldenEye, The Witcher (3), Metro series, Batman Arkham series, Sony's Spider-Man, Baldur's Gate 3...

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

...and even with these in mind, Alien Isolation is still the best.

[@phillipblanc4846]

@@ELEKTROSKANSENwell now I have to play it.

[@dougmasters4561]

​@@phillipblanc4846never would I ever say this about any other video game, but the proper way to enjoy the Alien franchise is to watch Alien, play Alien Isolation, and then watch Aliens.

[@MCastleberry1980]

The SNES game was a really fun rental back in the day. Honestly given the fact they were all nothing like the movie, may as well just made them Aliens games.

[@GrandAdmThrawn]

It's time to rewatch your Alien 3 review again.

[@R0B1NG5]

I played Alien 3 for the Snes when I was a kid. I always felt the devs wished they were making an "Aliens" game, because the gameplay goes that way. Even some music seems to keep some refrains from Aliens. In the movie, Ripley was mostly unarmed for all of Alien 3. She wasn't clearing out rooms of eggs with a flamethrower. You even fight the queen at the end, If I remember right. Which makes no sense in the story of Alien 3 and how "valuable" what Ripley carries with her is. But I suppose it was still at the time where license games could take more liberties in the details of what they produced in order to make it a game. I found it pretty atmospheric and oppressive for a console action game of the era. Quite memorable.

[@Tiigsi_Retro]

Yes! I’ve been on an Alien 3 deep dive binge these past weeks, so this upload is perfectly timed Thank you! ❤

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

At last! Someone who appreciates Alien 3 games! There's so much crap thrown at these on You Tube it's ridiculous! I especially like the SNES version and the arcade one - the latter is really, really cool!

[@DanKeatis]

Thanks for reminding me how much I love this film / game Oliver. I spent many a happy hour ploughing through this on my friend's SNES.

[@Aragorn7884]

the Sega version has a steep difficulty curve IMO

[@PKaye-ru2ks]

I'd completely forgotten how many magazines there used to be. Great video.

[@blen983]

The alien3 games are great. All the different versions have their own charms. I’m particularly fond of the soundtrack on the master systems version so it’s funny to me that others didn’t like it, mind you, I just love the chiptune vibe regardless. Thanks for the video 😊

[@chriswilson3126]

Love these game retrospectives! Me and the mates used to love Alien 3 on mega drive. Also I never even knew there were nes and master system versions.

[@justsomeguywhoplaysretroga4362]

Dude!! I remember fondly playing Alien³ on my SNES back in the 90's and loving it (even though there were maany more and better games). I'll emulate it on my PS Vita later today, thanks for the nostalgia

[@ITSBL00DLINES]

Oliver. Thanks for all your content! I'm your target audience and I love that you keep all these movies and games we grew up with alive with your blood, sweat and tears! Cheers!

[@TedFegal]

Bold statement. ALIEN 3 was a GREAT film.

[@Aragorn7884]

This game reminds of a game "made for rental"

[@SkyStarNova]

Love the SNES version of the game.

[@Neo_Vandole]

Game Boy version was pretty good. Would compare it to a top down Resident Evil game nowadays. Exploring, shooting. Finding keycards. The longer you've played the less people ran around and aliens appeared. Which could grow further into pretty large beasts. So the game changed constantly what was really cool for its time. The final boss was the queen you had to lure into a trap. I loved it.

[@dazatronsdioramallama6370]

Loved this game on the Sega Game Gear. It used to make me jump when the xenomorph launched at me 🤣

[@tjames4597]

The extended cut of the film is one of my all time favourite films. I played the SNES game a lot, but I was terrible at it.

[@herbg4866]

I played this game relentlessly as a kid Rock hard Would definitely play again in a heartbeat

[@markula_4040]

Love the SNES version. Atmosphere for days. It's my #1 for hidden gems on that system.

[@imawesomeyourenot]

My brother and i had this on Sega Genesis. Man, i loved this game. If i remember right i dont think i ever beat it, it was pretty hard.

[@sfighter0085]

Great Retrospective/Review. As I said in the community post, the one I rented was Sega Megadrive (Genesis) one. I didn't play much of it, mostly because I could complete the first stage. I did try the NES version on an NES Emulator, pretty much the same game, but with lesser good graphics. I ultimately saw an episode of "Console Wars" where they tackled "Alien 3". It was there I saw how good the SNES version looked and played. Also the "Game Boy" does look interesting with it being an overhead view. Funny how only one of these games (unless you count the Arcade game) kept the movie's downer ending while the other shoehorn a sort of happy ending for Ripley. lol

[@serwinzzalot9989]

I love Alien 3 way more now than the first time i seen it in theaters. I was satisfied for the ending of an awwsome trilogy but just a little disappointed that it wasnt like the action packed sfx extravaganza of part 2. Hicks and newt dying were gut blows but i got it. I was so invested in the tragic arc of ripley. I was the perfect age for the beautiful direction of David Fincher. He speaks to my DNA. I dont care about the behind the scenes stuff of any movie. I only care whats on screen good or bad. The final product i think is fantastic. Viduals, music and heart.

[@katieblackmore2004]

I am 44, one thing iv'e always hated, even as a kid is shooters, platform games. This is both lol.... This brings back memories and nostalgia, as i had pals that played it.... But i think the reason why i was so different to what my pals like, was simply the love for platformers and shooters, which were in abundance on 80's and 90's consoles/computers. I like first person shooters, and the Aliens game on PS1 i have fond memories of. But for me, i love adventure, RPG's, first person shooters and the point and click games, as well as sport. But there are just so many games that people rate, that i never played, because the 80's and 90's were just flooded with games like this. Love the video for nostalgia though, i remember the UK series Game Master doing a review on this, and it reminds me of winter evenings, at home after school, tuning in to Games Master or Bad Influence too keep you in the know of new games as the internet just wasn't what it is back then, compared too today.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Man, the SNES version really went hard on replicating the movie's sets and production design. Way more than most licensed games at the time. I also love the detail that you can see LV-426 way in the background during the opening cutscene.

[@QuiffyPiffy]

Alien 3 on the Mega Drive will always have a special place in my heart. My favourite Alien game next to Alien Isolation.

[@omisan771]

SNES Alien 3 was a great game. It was innovative with how it allowed you to pick missions and complete them in the order you wanted. The only drawback was the insane respawn rate of the xenomorphs. Fewer enemies and supplies would have turned this into an early survival horror game before it was even a genre. I liked as a kid how firing the assault rifle only produced a muzzle flash and no visible bullets. That was quite realistic for the time.

[@MikhailDaken]

Amazing video.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Big fan of the SEGA Master System version. Alien Isolation is the best movie licence game... the best TV licence being, of course, Minder on the ZX Spectrum. Lovely work sir.

[@hansjuker8296]

@ 9:30 that Sega MIDI music/SFX still gives me chills. I 💕 it so!

[@System_Sega]

People complaining about about Alien 3 being depressing. Yeah, because the first film was such a fun, feel good family Movie.

[@ghostviggen]

So a movie that isn’t a feel good movie is depressing? Alien3 suffers from not having anyone to care for. The leads fate is sealed early in the movie.

[@cloudtx]

Most of the cast being bald guys with UK accents made them kinda hard to figure out or care for. The whole "having to shave"-thing was such a silly idea anyway, although I do give it to Sigourney, she pulled off that look.

[@nighttimevideo]

Alien 3 is a horror film. And an effective one at that. I prefer the Assembly Cut to Aliens, if I'm honest. But best to avoid the theatrical cut...

[@wellersonoliveira5334]

Also it fits so well with the other two. Like a perfect trilogy, I mean, I love Aliens, but no way I want to see a "Aliens 2". Resurrection would be "passable" If weren't for the characters and dialogue, holy hell to they get on my nerves, unwatchable flick. I even prefer AVP over it Just for that dumb fun time. The last said about the prequels the better haha

[@nighttimevideo]

@@wellersonoliveira5334 I'm really happy we didn't get that Neill Blomkamp sequel that was going to retcon Alien 3. Seemed very petty and would have been a fan film with no balls afraid of trying anything different in case it'd piss off the fans still crying about Alien 3 more than anything.

[@wolfpredator1000]

The Gun had some really cool enemies worth mentioning like the synthetics and the droids

[@emmental2020]

Epic nostalgia. Only played the Master System, Mega Drive and Super Nes versions. Never knew the others existed lol.

[@ZeRetroStuff]

the alien 3 SNES soundtrack is one of the best !!!! its so underrated! the SNES VErsion is the best VErsion in my Opinion. Its ALIENS as a SNES Game from Gameplay :D Guns and many Aliens

[@jameswalt1]

That opening montage 🔥🔥🔥 …putting dedicated game channels to shame

[@SonCarlosH]

Such a surprising, unexpected, and fascinating subject for you to focus on. Good choice and great work!

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I actually like Alien 3 as a movie. I originally this on the Master System and also played it on the Mega Drive, it reminds me of Terminator but then again many games of the time would have felt similar. It was amazing how different the Megadrive and Snes versions could be. My friends had nintendoes

[@timoratus_music]

Great look at the franchise and the games of Alien 3!

[@garrysanderson9957]

Loved the Megadrive game! One of my favourites! E-Swat, Mercs, Desert Strike, Streets Of Rage, Flashback….. Great memories.

[@retter2critical]

The magazine screencaps are great.

[@Agrahim]

Wow, this was a random video on my watchlist, no clue how or why it showed up in ny recommendedations, and damn was this good and a fun watch. Great job man!

[@kyleholder3785]

the arcade game also used the licensed model kits from Halcyon to create the sprites for the Alien creatures.

[@reunionproductions]

Alien 3 is a classic example of those old franchise games where they would be releasing on about 8 different platforms with some versions using completely different code and assets and even gameplay, roughly similar in name only. The SNES version is the one for me, great art direction

[@jonbourgoin182]

Can you PLEASE do a video like this covering all the Nightmare On Elm Street games? Most people are really only familiar with the NES game

[@retter2critical]

This is one of the few games I hired from the video shop for my SNES .. I was never much of a gamer... But I remember the atmosphere and gameplay being pretty cool. The animated intro scenes were pretty good, felt quite cinematic... Many years later I dubbed some of it onto a VHS tape to make a film clip for a rapper friend called Space G.

[@sleepwalkingcapsules]

Would love Jurassic Park games next!

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

This was awesome. Hope you cover more Alien & Predator games!

[@davidmylchreest3306]

The music on the Mega Drive / Amiga game is unforgettable. The game as a whole captures the whole franchise really well, being both scary and action packed and oozing with atmosphere.

[@HelloMisterJAMWAH]

Love that you comped in the Mean Machines VHS footage

[@callumbus7690]

Great video mate! I really enjoyed this , love alien 3!

[@heilong79]

The games were the only good thing to come out of Alien 3 for me. Alien Isolation is the sequel/prequel we never got and I am happy with that until we see if Romulus is any good. The Megadrive version was great, I just wish there were two more enemy types and a queen fight at the end.

[@damonchampe9654]

Hi Oliver! I always played and loved the soundtrack to the Megadrive version back in 1992. Even though the game was repetitive, the action was still fun and addictive dying so many times. I never completed it, but the theme music is awesome, lol!

[@indigopotatomusic7471]

I played this as a three year old along with Predator II on my dad's Megadrive back in the day. Both games were awesome with some of the best soundtracks ever to grace the medium.

[@chumorgan443]

The Aliens game on the Amstrad scared the crap out of mw as a kid. probably why survival horror is my favourite genre to this day.

[@kylereece1979]

In September '92, the legend that is Mean Machines magazine split into two magazines, with our Sega side getting 'Mean Machines Sega". In its premier issue was a videotape with exciting footage of Sonic 2, and upcoming games. Alien 3 was there aswell, and I remember being engrossed with its moody, broody synth soundtrack. The megadrive game, whilst a bit repetitive, is very good gory fun. When I rented the film not to long later, I was disappointed with the departure of Hicks and Newt. After all the amazing build up and heroic development they had in Aliens, it was the ultimate kick in the balls to loose them right in the opening scene. I think Alien 3 is okay overall, but I cant see myself ever sitting down to watch it again soon.

[@afmccloskey]

So glad you acknowledged how good Alien Isolation is. I'm still mad IGN's Ryan McCaffrey scored it 5.9.

[@azmodanpc]

IGN was and still is trash

[@DorisDay-lw4xs]

Thats nuts people rated it so low. Did they even play it ? 🤷‍♂️

[@afmccloskey]

@@DorisDay-lw4xs McCaffrey found the Alien creature too frustrating and supposedly the game was too long to give it a positive review. Terrible journalist!

[@GameplayandTalk]

Great stuff, Oliver. I actually didn't know of a couple of these. Honestly, the Genesis/MD version looks pretty fun. I had the SNES version back in the day but couldn't get into it. Too floaty for my tastes, even back then. The other versions seem so much snappier/responsive.

[@Eth3realwarrior]

Somewhere.. I still have my graph paper notebook of all the maps for ALIEN 3 for the SNES.

[@BSmokeyGaming]

I remember playing the Megadrive/Genesis version of Alien 3, and the game is so damn difficult but fun and awesome to play. Also the OST on the Genesis version was compose by Matt Furniss who also composed Mortal Kombat on the Genesis.

[@kylereece1979]

Lifelong commodore 64 fan here, but wow, I had NO idea that it made it to the machine! That, is a total new news to me. It looks amazing. So late into its time ,and along came what looks to me like one of its best looking games. I know had it come out in 1992 just before I got the Megadrive, I would have utterly loved it.

[@ReleaseTheCanines]

Although its plot makes some healthy use of artistic license, I'd say you could have also covered the middle chapter of Alien Trilogy that was on the PS1, Saturn and PC. It relocates the prison colony to LV-426 for plot conveniences, but other than that it marvelously recaptured the feeling and design of Fiorina 161. Indeed aside from a few multiplayer levels released for AVP2 and Colonial Marines, it was also the last time we ever properly got to explore the prison in a game... 28 years ago :(

[@rjspires]

I've played both the Mega Drive and Snes version of Alien 3 and I prefer the Mega Drive Version. It's just a bit straight forward. The Snes version feels a little ahead of the times. If it had a save system at the terminal screens, so you could save between each mission, instead of each level, it could of been a much better game to me.

[@PredatorGodPaya]

Alien³ on Commodore Amiga influenced both my love for the Alien franchise and gaming equally. Great game

[@ferrarikangaroo9271]

Wow, I had no idea the C64 was the lead version. Amazing. The Amiga (and also Mega Drive) version is a game I still play to this day. Great game. Thanks for the top video. I still return to Alien 3 (film) as well by the way. Looking back, I think it was an appropriate send off. Not what I or other fans wanted at the time but it's very true to the bleak horror of the Aliens world. It's funny how time can change your perspective on things.

[@ChEd1980]

I played Alien 3 on the game gear back in the day and still enjoy playing that version today! I think they did a really good job on the graphics and music but the smaller screen size does cause frustration, until you know the game, as sometimes its hard to see where a xenomorph is going to come from.

[@Blizofoz45]

The SNES version was very close to being one of the best games ever released on that platform. Shame about the movie license since it was much more like Aliens than Alien 3. Missions to permanently burn down alien hives to lower the spawn rate would have helped a ton. I think that sense of accomplishment of clearing the prison of the alien infestation instead of having them constantly respawn every two feet would have been a more satisfying experience.

[@Concreteowl]

I first played the C64 version when doing my degree course as one of our house mates had a C64 and Sunday would be our gaming day.

[@SA80TAGE]

that opening theme is pure nostalgia in the vein..... god I'm old now XD

[@Scuba837]

That intro was epic!

[@samse7en11]

Great video. Thank you.

[@dang9059]

Brilliant video 👍

[@BrooksterMax]

Had no idea a C64 version existed, let alone was the template! Must try the arcade version on emulation. I had both the Amiga and MD version back at the time, found it too hard. Must admit I prefer the film over the games. Love that British edge and very oppressive, grim atmosphere. Enjoyed your retrospective!

[@RichieW]

Spankyness is a perfectly cromulent word.

[@RadioofHorror]

Alien 3 in the alien trilogy is the best

[@cloudtx]

I remember playing the NES version in my childhood and not having the patience for it lol. The versions for Genesis and SNES look great though, I might give them a shot!

[@diegomariaricigliano9098]

Loved playing with this game on my game gear. I remembered a better graphic tho xD

[@feliciajohnson6350]

Very cool thanks 🙏🏼🖤

[@Rilyn666]

I absolutely adore the Snes version compared to the other ones that came out, I played the Amiga version first which is still good, but the SNES version had more to offer, different variants of Aliens and more options for missions. It overall, looked nicer too. It was probably the first Alien related game i ever played and to this day, i have not completed any of the versions, they are brutal in later levels.

[@jendaar]

My favorite iteration was for the game gear. That was a hard game and the AI for the final boss alien queen was great. It knew to stay still to fool my motion sensor.

[@jasonbryce2935]

Alien 3: The Gun isn't technically a light gun game. Had guns but used potentiometers I believe.

[@Pewpewpew182]

Thanks for doing this Oliver. This is one game I never got to play as a child. Also just ordered your SF doc on Amazon Prime. Looking to do the Blu-ray in the near future.😊

[@OliverHarper]

Thanks very much man!

[@beckybrown8277]

Is there an Alien/Aliens video games retrospective vid? Being the chronological kinda person I am, I wanted to watch that one first, but didn’t find one. I hope there is to be one, and that of course it’ll include the fantastic Alien Breed games.

[@victorbranco7928]

Alien 3 on SNES is fantastic, great graphics and the metroidvania-like gameplay is far more interesting.

[@Minwah1959]

A decent movie tie in game which was quite rare at the time. Also good on all systems, pretty rare too... Love the majorly different versions...it was amazing to not know what to expect from the same game on different systems back in the day. Don't really get that any more.