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Why aren't there more games where players control alien invaders, as opposed to fighting them?
February 5, 2009 | 11:07 AM PSTby: Nick Michetti
Games like Resistance 2, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2 have a lot of things in common. They all have great graphics. They all have great online multiplayer. They all have great presentation. They all take place in alternate timelines or the future. They all tell the story of man's epic struggle against overwhelming alien invaders that will inevitably result in a major clash of good versus evil. But games like Killzone 2, Resistance 2 and Gears 2 have something else in common as well. It's something held in common by many games with alien invasion storylines: they don't ever let you play as the aliens!
For a while now, many gamers have been intrigued by the concept of playing as the maniacal extraterrestrial antagonists of their favorite video game blockbusters. The Chimera, the Helghast and the Locust -- all three are nightmarish foes that arrive in hordes in attempts to exterminate your character and his fellow soldiers. Unfortunately, in most cases with games that have alien invasion storylines, multiplayer is about as close as you'll ever get to the experience of playing as your favorite alien opposition. In a story context, you'll have to settle for merely combating the countless numbers that try to derail you in your quest to free humanity from them. Why is this so often the case, though? Aren't the alien enemies technically as integral a part of "the look" of these franchises as the main characters, if not more so? Aliens are usually always the ones with the monstrous technology and hideous creatures that provide some of the most spectacular gameplay moments to be had in these games, but actually controlling them never happens.
Why can't the Chimera, Helghast or Locust get their own campaigns, their own storylines and their own characters? If something of that scale is too much to fit into one game, then how about spin-offs where you control the deadly alien invaders from your franchise of choice? Imagine playing a prequel to Resistance from the Chimera perspective, storming the free world prior to the arrival of Nathan Hale. Or, imagine a spin-off to Killzone 2, where you play as The Helghast and engage in deadly firefights against the ISA. The potential in exploring the universes is great; if developers could find a way to throw some powerful gameplay experiences in there, they're not creating spin-offs, they're fleshing out blockbuster franchises and making them stronger.
It's not as if giving players control of the aliens has never been done before. StarCraft -- albeit an RTS, so the situation is different -- has a really well done campaign for the "main" antagonists of the game, The Zerg. Kerrigan and her ruthless Cerebrates are amongst the most interesting characters in the StarCraft universe. The Zerg are also well designed, interesting characters just like the other alien races I've mentioned. As gameplay units, they bring their own personality and require different strategies than the player would use as Terrans or the Protoss in order to function efficiently.
Player-controlled alien invasions could prove to be the most fun and unique spin-offs that shooters have seen in recent history, provided that developers would take the time to make unique experiences and not follow cookie cutter formulas. Shooters, especially as parts of franchises, do have a tendency to get stale at times and fall back on what works. Player-controlled alien invasion spin-offs would provide the opportunity for developers to mix up gameplay and try new ideas with a concept that's never really been done before.
With a lack of freshness and originality in shooters today, it's difficult to understand why this concept hasn't been explored more. A game where you play as your favorite alien menace certainly sounds more enticing than a new World War 2 shooter. But, until such a game exists, we'll have to settle for our usual annihilation of extraterrestrial foes. We can only hope that some day, developers will wake up and give the coolest characters in alien invasions their due: the aliens themselves.
What alien invaders -- any franchise, any genre -- would you like most to play as and why? Let us know in the comments below!
For a while now, many gamers have been intrigued by the concept of playing as the maniacal extraterrestrial antagonists of their favorite video game blockbusters. The Chimera, the Helghast and the Locust -- all three are nightmarish foes that arrive in hordes in attempts to exterminate your character and his fellow soldiers. Unfortunately, in most cases with games that have alien invasion storylines, multiplayer is about as close as you'll ever get to the experience of playing as your favorite alien opposition. In a story context, you'll have to settle for merely combating the countless numbers that try to derail you in your quest to free humanity from them. Why is this so often the case, though? Aren't the alien enemies technically as integral a part of "the look" of these franchises as the main characters, if not more so? Aliens are usually always the ones with the monstrous technology and hideous creatures that provide some of the most spectacular gameplay moments to be had in these games, but actually controlling them never happens.
Why can't the Chimera, Helghast or Locust get their own campaigns, their own storylines and their own characters? If something of that scale is too much to fit into one game, then how about spin-offs where you control the deadly alien invaders from your franchise of choice? Imagine playing a prequel to Resistance from the Chimera perspective, storming the free world prior to the arrival of Nathan Hale. Or, imagine a spin-off to Killzone 2, where you play as The Helghast and engage in deadly firefights against the ISA. The potential in exploring the universes is great; if developers could find a way to throw some powerful gameplay experiences in there, they're not creating spin-offs, they're fleshing out blockbuster franchises and making them stronger.
It's not as if giving players control of the aliens has never been done before. StarCraft -- albeit an RTS, so the situation is different -- has a really well done campaign for the "main" antagonists of the game, The Zerg. Kerrigan and her ruthless Cerebrates are amongst the most interesting characters in the StarCraft universe. The Zerg are also well designed, interesting characters just like the other alien races I've mentioned. As gameplay units, they bring their own personality and require different strategies than the player would use as Terrans or the Protoss in order to function efficiently.
Player-controlled alien invasions could prove to be the most fun and unique spin-offs that shooters have seen in recent history, provided that developers would take the time to make unique experiences and not follow cookie cutter formulas. Shooters, especially as parts of franchises, do have a tendency to get stale at times and fall back on what works. Player-controlled alien invasion spin-offs would provide the opportunity for developers to mix up gameplay and try new ideas with a concept that's never really been done before.
With a lack of freshness and originality in shooters today, it's difficult to understand why this concept hasn't been explored more. A game where you play as your favorite alien menace certainly sounds more enticing than a new World War 2 shooter. But, until such a game exists, we'll have to settle for our usual annihilation of extraterrestrial foes. We can only hope that some day, developers will wake up and give the coolest characters in alien invasions their due: the aliens themselves.
What alien invaders -- any franchise, any genre -- would you like most to play as and why? Let us know in the comments below!
November 20, 2009
