Alien Trilogy PS1 Review - Alien: The DooM Clone

FPS Documentary:
www.indiegogo....
My GOG affiliate link: adtr.co/Hjf4Mk
Come join the Kirk.Collects Discord: / discord
Please follow me on Twitter: / kirkcollects
Please follow me on Instagram: / kirkcollects
Please follow me on TikTok: @kirkcollects
Alien Trilogy was an early Doom clone of the Playstation era and one of the first Alien fps games made. Though overshadowed by other gaming franchises like Alien vs. Predator, Alien Trilogy was revered in its time for being a faithful translation of the Alien film franchise to video game form. Now 26 years later does this early psx shooter still hold up? Find out in this Alien Trilogy PS1 Review.
Alien Trilogy was developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim and Fox Interactive. It is available for PSOne, Sega Saturn, and Windows.
Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
1:03 AD FPS Documentary
1:34 What is Alien Trilogy?
4:11 Alien Trilogy Presentation
8:47 Alien Trilogy Gameplay
11:19 The controls
13:58 Xenomorph
16:13 Level design
18:11 Xenomorph Queen
18:56 Conclusion
#alientrilogy #alien #aliens #xenomorph #ps1
If you enjoy this video please subscribe for reviews, impressions and other gaming content.
Written and edited by Kirk McLaughlin
Graphics by Steven Hilton - @stevenbydesign , stevenxdesign.com
Please follow me on Twitter: / kirkcollects
Please follow me on Instagram: / kirkcollects
DISCLAIMER: This description may include affiliate links. If you use an affiliate link in this description to purchase a product, service, or fundraise I may receive a commission.

[@chaz__]

This game TERRORIZED me as a child. Every time my dad started playing it I either put my hand over my eyes or went behind the sofa. The door opening sound scares the shit out of me to this day. Phenomenal soundtrack though.

[@CopiousDoinksLLC]

lol I was playing this game as a teenager and I had the same experience. Don't feel bad, kid - this game was horrible in terms of playing with your paranoia.

[@gak-man9642]

I think the soundtrack is (for the most part) pretty spot on -- and also one of my favourite game OSTs. It's atmospheric and does a fantastic job of melding haunting, gothic notes with more futuristic, electronic percussion -- some aspects sound like medical equipment, or even heartbeats or breathing, which really gives a hint of the body horror aspect of the series. I find the more lively music can also keep pushing you on if some levels get a little tedious. All in all, I love this game despite its flaws. Getting a copy of Alien Trilogy and a PS1 for Christmas back in 1996 at the age of 9 is a memory I will cherish. My parents really knocked the ball out of the park that year.

[@alexanderreivakh1873]

There is a DooM mod - Aliens: Eradication, so I think if you really have an itch for 'old-style' Alien experience this mod could be a way better alternative. Plus its supports a mouse look.)

[@nescumzwei]

Considering it uses most of the assets from Alien Trilogy (sounds and graphics) its the best way you'll see this brought forward for the modern age. That and the aliens are very fast and come in hordes.

[@lasskinn474]

There was an old tc back in the day too for multiplayer. It did some tricks with doors to have vent corridors and stuff. This was back before dnd3d was released iirc. We played it with the daisychain nullmodem patch thing..

[@sahidyubero8325]

Its hard as hell even in easy dificulties but its awesome!!!!!

[@soulbrother5435]

@@nescumzwei wonder does it work with brutal doom. That would be hillarious

[@martinrosendahl9134]

This game has a huge nostalgic value for me.. me and a friend got it around the release and we played that disc to shreds. Def the best shooter for PS1 at the time...

[@lincy9114]

This was my first favorite Alien game back in the days, I kind of wish this will get a modern remaster version

[@thecampion2420]

Night dive needs to remaster this for PC!

[@sgtsnokeem1139]

No..... well yes but also.. AvP 2!

[@afd19850]

@@sgtsnokeem1139 AVP 1 and 2 please Nightdive!

[@ADreamPC]

Alien resurrection.. pwease! Pwaese! ❤😂

[@Kingnome]

Loved this game!! I’m playing Alien Fire Team Elite, good game! I was in the USAF military and just got my PS1. I took it with me to my 1st deployment to Saudi Arabia in July 96. I was very popular for bringing it with me. We play Alien Trilogy during our down time. It got to the point, lot of us had nightmares about running down the corridor away from Aliens. Good memory core!

[@NebLleb]

"In the end though, if you're expecting a clever retelling of two of the greatest films ever and their disappointing threequel-" Hey, ALIEN 3 IS A CULT CLASSIC NOWADAYS.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

The work print version is a lot better, and I do love seeing early David Fincher. But that movie will always bum me out.

[@NebLleb]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS It's because it's the one where Ripley dies, isn't it? Oh, well. Perfectly understandable. 3 is a very dark entry in the series. I do love it myself, but I can't blame the people involved for being ashamed of it or people like you for being disappointed.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

@@NebLleb No not so much Ripley dying. I suppose for me it was dissapointing that Newt and Hicks end up dying off screen, it always felt like a backhand to the fans of Aliens. On top of that the whole movie is essentially a rehash of the first. I don't despise the Alien 3. In fact the darker take on it and Fincher's directorial style is what I appreciate and the Dog/Ox Alien was pretty wicked. But for me the story just wasn't there.

[@NebLleb]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS Oh, well. At least it wasn't Alien Covenant. Give me Hicks and Newt dying and reused concepts from Alien over David killing everyone, getting away with it, and revealing that he created the Xenomorphs any day of the week. Even to this day, I consider Alien Covenant the true worst entry in the franchise.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

@@NebLleb That we can agree on.

[@elbryan42]

While yes, the PSX version is a pretty good game, the PC version is far superior. Tighter controls, Ripley's voiceovers and faster gameplay. Though it's not as bad as the comparison between the PC version of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the slow horrible PSX version. My favorite Alien game, however is by far Alien Resurrection for the PSX. One of the best fps games ever made, period.

[@sulac4ever170]

Nostalgia for sure is strong with this one 😁

[@kordelas2514]

The superior version of this Alien game is PS1 one. "PC version is worse that PS1 one. And extra features like multiplayer (it is nothing special to games with dedicated MP mode from that time) with 3 additional music tracks, ceiling walking Xenos that can drop down to the floor now (it is a matter of preference; I find finishing Xenos while they are still on ceiling more satisfying than when they are down and its sprites are swapped into bipedal Xenos), additional sounds (talking Ellen is rather annoying if you hear to often; changed pistol sound into more realistic one is worse), mouse control does not make it better as the game does not relay on super twitchy gameplay mechanics (you can't control a camera position of looking up/down with it). It has worse quality videos, color blending and way how distance is drawn in comparison to PS1 version." BO:LoK is only good with modern patches.

[@Twisted_Logic]

Honestly that track you shared feels kinda Metroid-y, which is inspired by Alien. But it's definitely more "early game exploration" feeling than "imminent death around every dark corner"

[@Lord_Deimos]

Alien Trilogy is the third fps game I ever played on the playstation after Jumping Flash and Krazy Ivan. Being a kid back then, I was scared shitless to ever finish it.

[@NGRevenant]

it was the first playstation game I ever played, I got it and resident evil with the console. those janky fmvs blew my mind back then.

[@ericwally6827]

Nice. An FPS documentary. Now added.

[@HermesPasser]

hurdy gurdy is medieval violin (?) sort of thing

[@InnuendoXP]

That music would've been really cool in a System Shock type of setting.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Agreed.

[@justingoers]

Hard disagree on the soundtrack criticism. I think the music rules and helps to keep the momentum up. It also feels very very early FPS appropriate. Then again I never cared for stuff like Quake 1’s brooding music vibe.

[@samjimenez8713]

The soundtrack is awesome. It’s the part of the game I revisit the most

[@theblobconsumes4859]

I'd recommend checking out the PC version. Despite audio delay issues, it is a massive improvement otherwise.

[@kordelas2514]

PC version is worse that PS1 one. And extra features like multiplayer (it is nothing special to games with dedicated MP mode from that time) with 3 additional music tracks, ceiling walking Xenos that can drop down to the floor now (it is a matter of preference; I find finishing Xenos while they are still on ceiling more satisfying than when they are down and its sprites are swapped into bipedal Xenos), additional sounds (talking Ellen is rather annoying if you hear to often; changed pistol sound into more realistic one is worse), mouse control does not make it better as the game does not relay on super twitchy gameplay mechanics (you can't control a camera position of looking up/down with it). It has worse quality videos, color blending and way how distance is drawn in comparison to PS1 version.

[@HennessyLane1]

This is where it all started with me I was just 7yrs old no care In the world no bills no problems take me back

[@Granturion]

Played it when it came out. I loved it! Also after a level is loaded you could swap the CD to another CD and listen to the music while playing. That was super cool.

[@tommyk228]

My first PS1 shooter, and I still like the game to this day. The game was really scary at times when you were walking through the dark hallways.

[@tommyk228]

It's time for a Nightdive remaster.

[@OMaMYdG]

I'm going to completely disagree with you on the soundtrack. I thought it fit perfectly and was very atmospheric for the time. Do I think it would fit in a Alien game now? No

[@MrGareth616]

Turok, South Park the movie game and alien trilogy, I will forever remember the passwords to all 3

[@jonjonsovich1420]

the sprites don't look like blobby blurry messes bro, they look beautiful

[@1183newman]

I remember at my local game store they had a cabinet with a ps1 running the demo of this game that you could play. I think Alien Trilogy was the reason why i asked my parents for a PS1 back in the day.

[@nescumzwei]

If you want an interesting, early PS1 FPS game that flew under the radar, try Disruptor. It feels like it was made with the system's controller in mind and it has some really novel ideas in it for the time. Also it's cutscenes make the ones in Alien Trilogy seem high budget due to the most blurst form of 90s cutscene tech: THE LOW BUDGET FMV!!!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

I’ve played it! That’s one I’d like to do a vid on some day. Not too shabby of a shooter.

[@afd19850]

Ahhhhh Disruptor, great game with corny FMV cutscenes.

[@TheMC1102]

Have you checked out the leaked Duke Nukem Forever 2001 build?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Yep. It’s… interesting lol. But I’m excited to see what happens with it.

[@petwisk2012]

Interesting How alien trillogy has the more game-y soundtrack on ps1 and DOOM goes for the more athmosferic aproach in its ps1 releasse

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Right? The PS1 DooM soundtrack actually would have worked well in this.

[@LS-ot6vd]

Good point about the music. This game could be much scarier and more atmospheric if they used music more wisely.

[@terrygatersmusic]

In my opinion the music fits perfectly to the game. It makes it more creepy. For me it is one of the best game soundtracks ever made. I sometimes just listen to the soundtrack of the game, because it is so good. BR

[@Ghost_Of_SAS]

"There was a time when playstation controllers didn't have analog sticks and that wasn't great for FPS" ...unless you are Powerslave.

[@stingyringpiece]

in a time where the mega drive (genesis) and super nes were 16 bit, you have to have been there to appreciate this and the sheer awesomeness going from 16 bit to 32 bit and the AI was pretty ground-breaking at the time too, an early title on the ps1, could have been on e of the first i think. It was a great game and still is today. Road rash is another great ps1 title among many more

[@wfjhDUI]

5:08 I will never understand why some people claim to enjoy the texture wobbling on the PS1, even though I'm wearing my own set of fairly thick nostalgia goggles.

[@sealboy1211]

The world deserves another Alien vs Predator. You all know you want it. It doesn’t even have to be amazing. The one made during the ps3 era wasn’t amazing, yet that three way multiplayer goodness had me entranced for hours. Let’s go dev, someone sitting on a gold mine.

[@Charok1]

AvP 2 PC was peak multiplayer, and a great campaign

[@PK-MegaLolCaT]

11:04 the alien xenomorph aint weak and quicky changing temperatures.. its weak from drastically being very hot and wet in molted lead and then then being cold down extremely fast . its call Thermal shock.

[@TrialMacameau]

11:30 => It is a feature. Not a bug. The game keeps a snapshot of your current Health and Ammo before mission starts on each level. If you fail the mission by having a low Mission %%, the game will reload that mission with all ammos and health intact. The game only cares about Mission %%. You can literally ignore Aliens and Secrets if you are careless. 11:50 => And it's especially for this reason alone I did my own Playthrough of Alien Trilogy on DOS-PC using DOSBox-X. The controls are much much more better than consoles. Plus it has some quirks compared to consoles like for example : Ripley says something when she's hit, when a facehugger hugs her face, when she's low in health, when she dies, when switching weapons between Pulse Rifle, Smart Gun and Flamethrower and firing with the Flamethrower. 15:27 => Mostly a fast one... but it's a good nod nonetheless, just wished they could attack you. 16:00 => It's not really a Stun Lock but a simple Knockback. which if with no armor and on a very unforgiving zone of a level, if they hit you while in a tight spot, you will fall to your death.

[@ericwally6827]

Do a avp2 and why it rocked.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

First game that deeply scared me. Love it.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

One of my all time favourite games ❤ Fk I wish I was still 13 😪😪😪

[@Rilyn666]

Fuck, this game was the whole reason i wanted a playstation to begin with, i came to buying the PS1 really late, about 1999, while it was still a bit old, i loved it, i still do. Only managed to complete it without cheating a few months back, has it aged well, not really, but I still have fun playing it.

[@starwraithspacemarine8605]

Hey, did you try the game on easy or hard, I already played it on the easy after playing on it on normal and I’m not noticing much of a difference in the game play, Oh and if you put the infinite ammo cheat on it is kind of amusing to spam fire the grenade launcher on the pulse rifle.

[@DooMedSean]

Its a shame this never got a PC port. I think I may have it still honestly but I need to dig out my ps1

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Actually it did. You can snag it on a abandonware site if you look. But it’s bit much different from the PS1 version.

[@maikt904]

... seeing that vid made me realize how much was cut in the german version, those bonus stages supply runs f.e. never occured there, didn't even knew they where a thing though, also we didn't have human enemies with exposed skin, sure the white armored synths where there but i swear they did look alot more like strawars stormtroopers in there ... that was my 1st game on the play station, followed up with resident evil, that title made me buy the good old memory card since unlike alien trilogy with it's password system you couldn't safe your game without a memory card, good times ivegotmypinkacidbootson

[@civilwarfare101]

It really is funny how so many licensed games played like worse versions of other games. Games makes for bad movies, movies makes for mediocre to bad games.

[@00wrongun]

My favourite alien game

[@toiletwineconnoisseur6434]

I have seen that shotgun and rifle in multiple doom mods, now I know where they originated from XD

[@Maggerama]

>hurdy-gurdy Even though you don't know where it came from, it's extremely accurate.

[@GrimUndead94]

So, the thing about flamethrower... It's not that the WEAPON is weak, it's the funny bit of jank of the game, where 90% of flamer shots don't deal ANY damage because the moment the enemy is hit in the game, they go into a stagger animation where they are INVULNERABLE. I think that reason alone is why that game's combat felt so bad at times.

[@jonjonsovich1420]

this is such an overly critical review

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

Not sure why you'd consider using the same sound effect libraries from the classic films in more modern games "old hat." It creates a level of consistency in the franchise and consistency is incredibly important in writing/media. You might as well be asking why they keep including Xenomorphes in Alien themed games... And as for the soundtrack... "You tell me, does this sound like a piece of music suited to exploring a spooky derelict ship?" -plays a piece of music perfectly suited to exploring a spooky derelict ship - I mean, it's all subjective, but I couldn't disagree with you more on that one.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Not at all. I was more remarking that at the time it was something special as not many Alien based games had used the authentic sound effects. In terms of playing it today it’s not as much of standout anymore. Just an observation, not a criticism. And yeah it is subjective, for me music didn’t hit me right but if you enjoyed it that’s awesome!

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS Ah, I get what you're saying. AT is an old favourite of mine, so it's interesting to see what someone picking it up now thinks of it.

[@linezgames3893]

Did you snag the game on Ebay or actually in store?

[@vrrmen3554]

That Atari Jaguar AVP game is painful to play..

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Agreed 😬

[@razvanmazilu6284]

Any plans on doing Alien Resurrection? It's very impressive for a PS1 game, especially visually, but the reputation it has for harsh difficulty means I'll probably never touch it 🤭

[@GrandHighGamer]

That's not a game I'd touch outside of an emulator. The ability to overclock the emulator to remove the pretty awful slowdowns in the later levels (because it tries to throw too many enemies on screen, and has a ton of blood and bullet hit decals that tank the frame rate further) should remove a lot of frustration. You can also activate a cheat code to resolve the frankly obscene level of ammo scarcity in the game. If they'd doubled the amount of ammo you get by 3x, I don't think that'd be enough for most players to barely scrape by on. Even playing it with the ability to save every three seconds, the game was still difficult to the point of brickwalling me by the mid point. Which is a shame, because the sound and visuals are good, the controls are decent (although the aiming is a bit imprecise without any sort of acceleration), and it's otherwise fun. But it runs like crap and just isn't at all balanced for anything less than the most hardcore of players.

[@GTXDash]

The PC port is probably the best since you can use the mouse.

[@kordelas2514]

PS1 version is overall the best port.

[@Liverpool-axeman]

Also xenomorphs are not weak to rapidly changing temperatures. You referring to how they killed one in alien 3. Anything would die in that situation.

[@NeilOttoTep]

This game was the bane of my childhood XD I used to borrow my cousins Sega Saturn and this game sacred the crap out of me :P I was ... 9 I think- waaaaaaay to young to play it.

[@jmdnelson4891]

It's not hard to dodge human enemy gunfire in this game; you can literally just strafe left or right and sidestep their slow bullets. I do it all the time whenever I play this!! You can even dodge the Alien Handler's (the guys in the full white body armor) grenades by doing the same!!

[@KrazyKain]

I never played trilogy but I really liked Resurrection. Will be interested to see your take on that game

[@emulation2369]

Was super scared to play it as a kid, but still did, it was unbelievably hard... 😐

[@punk_rock_music_teacher]

This was a LOT of content for my new Sega Saturn back in the day. Had to have the gamepro cheats tho

[@Concreteowl]

You are entitled to your wrong opinion

[@luxinterna3370]

alien 3 is wrongly devalued by the internet. alien 3 is massively underrated, as is alien res. My op.

[@RacerC45]

Why are you fighting humans? I thought this is Alien, not Call of Duty.

[@goranisacson2502]

I recently saw a video about this game from the KZbinr Bransfield, where he said those early cutscenes were one of the first times motion capture was used in video game cutscenes, and was considered as a pretty big deal at the time. Looking back now it's easy to say it looks jank and hte motions are weird, and I am certainly not disagreeing, but I guess I find it kinda charming in a "oh god what is this what are we even doing"- flailing newcomer kind of way. The alien hurdy gurdy pantomime isn't what you'd call "intimidating", but I think one can overlook its jankness as "being of it's time", so to speak.

[@BleakVision]

This game is so much more polished and varied than Doom. It‘s not a doom clone, but Doom era… I know Doom is hyped on KZbin these days as this amazing revolution, but back in the 90s many players skipped it because of it‘s adolescence style shock baitiing and ultra simplistic gameplay. It‘s just. not. that. interesting.

[@Gruntvc]

I remember trying this game, but I did not like it. I preferred Die Hard Trilogy as each film was given its own gameplay type. As for a forgotten FPS for PS1, I'd recommend checking out Delta Force Urban Warfare. It's surprisingly modern for a PS1 FPS, especially the controls. If only we got AVP2 ported to Xbox like we got Return to Castle Wolfenstein...

[@emulation2369]

Played it on my Ps1 as a kid, but found Resurrected to be way tougher and scarier game overall

[@chesspunk489]

Sometimes being tougher isn't a good thing.

[@MidnightMedium]

game looks like good fun

[@Punk93Metal]

A game that desperately needs a re-release imo. With quality of life improvements of course

[@somatoth1048]

Is Alien really gothic horror?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Totally. Basically a haunted house in space.

[@somatoth1048]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS I was thinking maybe it was industrial horror or something like that. Oh well

[@torquetheprisoner]

thats one of the reasons i liked colonial marines cos it felt like i was playing the trilogy game

[@emulation2369]

Aliens CM was good with mods, I liked it

[@torquetheprisoner]

@@emulation2369 nice

[@gregd3344]

I always found this a bit too clunky. And felt it was a step-down from the likes of Doom. The levels were also a bit maze like.

[@afd19850]

I got pink boots on….if you know you know

[@TheUballe]

This shit scarrier than being woken up to wrestle with Diddy after a sleepover!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

😆😆😆

[@chesspunk489]

I want to buy this game, but it looks way too dark for it's own good. Darkness is a huge pet peeve of mine in video games.

[@chesspunk489]

I bought it and darkness was a huge problem. Luckily I had an oldschool box shaped TV. That one looked way better than my flat screen. It made a big difference for some reason.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Oh yeah, this was a good'un!

[@Tounushi]

I have the DOS version. Used cheats to beat it.

[@TheUballe]

I played this game naked.

[@liskeke]

The footage looks like it was captured on an emulator

[@yaheyah]

one of the worst first person I've ever played it was way to dark and the Torch light was abysmal

[@Liverpool-axeman]

The way Americans pronounce Jaguar make me nauseous. Where is the W?

[@gameshack1985]

definately not a doom clone

[@arthurhodgkinson2056]

I completed this game once and it's boring 😒

[@Fre1maurer]

I played only the demo version for the PC back in the mid 90s. I hated this game. Its really one of these 4/10 Doom clones, uninspired and making every mistake Doom avoids. Since the only enemies of the movies are the namegiving aliens, the game has only the same aliens over and over again as your opposing force, very boring. The always same looking corridors don't make it better. The controls feel slow and clumsy, don't expect anything like fun while moving. NO ONE liked this game back in the times. This game is anything but a gem.

[@kordelas2514]

The demo does not represent the whole game. And what you described does not match the reality.

[@Fre1maurer]

@@kordelas2514 Then you must live in some weird parallel universe.

[@kordelas2514]

@@Fre1maurer As you said you only played the demo, not the full game. Controls of it are better on PS1 than on PC as the game was designed for controller. And there is nothing wrong with them. Environments are based on first 3 films (in an order: A2, A3 and A1). Enemies: 10 types (6 types of Xenos). And the game is not very long. It is my favorite FPS Alien game along with Jaguar's AvP. Also FYI, I have all 3 ports of it.

[@Fre1maurer]

@@kordelas2514 I don't care about PS1. You obviously like below average games, and there is nothing wrong with that. But it is a shitty game. It has its reason it never became a classic game.

[@kordelas2514]

@@Fre1maurer Because you do not like something, it does not prove it being bad. For instance I do not like Doom 1 and 2. Quake 1 and 2 did not impress me either. And it is not my problem that you were still playing games on NES back or some weak PC in the 90s. PC did not even have such good selection of games as PS1 had and there were a lot of issues with ports on it. But I guess, now your favorite games are Minecraft, CoD, Fortnite, Roblox. And you want to talk about average games. Lol. Also Alien Trilogy sold quite well and the most fans of Alien movies who are gamers remember it. And it is classic whether you like it or not.