Once again I don my Pontification Hat (it’s comfy!). Consider this, gentle reader: most writers do not pluck their inspiration fully-formed from the ether. Sometimes it’s more of a mugging, the writer rifling through the pockets of an influential story for interesting storytelling devices. We call the worst of these secondhand storytelling conceits cliches, but
French film director Francois Truffaut argued there was no such thing as an anti-war movie, because the violence was invariably exciting on screen. A game’s narrative is more constrained still by the demands of its genre; an anti-violence message and an exciting combat system are uneasy bedfellows. No matter how taxing and traumatic the message
Alien Breed: Assault seems like an anachronism in today’s market, even by the standards of Live games. Its top-down camera, run-and-gun controls, minimal dialogue, and essentially four-direction movement all mark it as a throwback to simpler times. The trouble is, Assault makes little-to-no effort to draw in anyone other than current fans of the series.