Alienation

Housemarque are one of those developers where you know full well that anything they release is going to be a spectacle; Super Stardust, Dead Nation and Resogun are all testament to that. It’s pretty safe to say though, after spending considerable time with Alienation and yet still finding it hard to drag myself away from it, that it is their most awe-inspiring, addictive and most well-rounded crea...

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Housemarque’s previous games have always kept me coming back through the strength of their gameplay alone. Alienation adds a straightforward, but enjoyable power chase on top, making its finely tuned arcade action all the more alluring. Its action-RPG elements won’t make it a replacement for something like Diablo 3 or Grim Dawn, but they successfully provide a structure for unending, enjoyable ali...

Still, Alienation is one of the best-feeling twin-stick shooters I’ve played, so I can’t be too bummed. It wasn’t long before I had that realization, and now that I’m 20 hours and several character save files in, I’m even more convinced. Housemarque could stand to flesh out the endgame content and also add support for local co-op, but even if it doesn’t, I love what’s here.

In the last several decades, Aliens have been secretly invading Earth. During the invasion, local governments have done their best to keep it quiet – instead of working together – until it was too late. What remains of humanity has unified under the UNX in an attempt to combat the overwhelming global threat. On the surface, this is a cookie cutter sci-fi plot, but you would be making a huge mistak...

Old-school multiplayer shooting with flair.

Housemarque is renowned for a couple of things: its consistently brilliant arcade titles with incredibly moreish gameplay, and its gloriously colourful visual effects. The Finnish developer's body of work is a kaleidoscopic tour-de-force, the games as vibrant as they are deceptively deep. It should come as no surprise, then, that Alienation continues this trend – sumptuous shooting and colourful k...

Housemarque has a special talent for taking simple game concepts that lure you in with familiar appearances, only to layer in depth and replayability where you least expect to find them, as they did in spiritual predecessor Dead Nation and the wildly entertaining Resogun. That’s the case once again with Alienation, a twin-stick shooter that seems at first glance like dozens of other similar titles...

A disappointingly bland top-down shooter, that while entertaining enough with friends lacks the finely tuned splendour of Stardust and Resogun.

Alienation isn’t a terrible game by any stretch, but it’s not great either. It’s monotonous and lifeless, but can entertain in short bursts and with friends. Housemarque has done better in the past, and they should have done better here.

Housemarque's latest offers brilliant loot and levelling, but it's the moment-to-moment action that truly excels.

The alien invasion of Earth is a setting that has been literally beaten to death in entertainment. Whether it's movies, books or video games, mankind has always failed to stand against visitors from outer space on the onset of the invasion, only managing to survive after the almost complete devastation of the planet.