Alien Breed 3: Descent Review for PC

System: PC, X360, PS3
Dev: Team17
Pub: Team17
Release: November 17, 2010
Players: 1-2
Screen Resolution: 480p-720p

The sound in this game is spot on, with great sound effects as Conrad moves about the space station. There are realistic sounding clanks on the metallic flooring, alien scuttling sounds, and xenophobia-inducing roars and screams. The voice acting, however, is hokey, and perhaps intentionally so. As stated before, the storyline in the Alien Breed has never been at the forefront, so self-important voicework would probably come off as more pretentious than professional. The voicework feels hokey, but appropriately so.

Alien Breed 3: Descent Screenshot

The single biggest issue with Descent is the lack of variety. Conrad moves from objective to objective with little to nothing to break the monotony. While Conrad can find currency and search bodies for supplies and also upgrade his weapons, there is little reward beyond survival to convince the player to continue. While the action, which loosely translates into number of aliens, has been ramped-up from the previous game, there is still precious little variety in gameplay. As a standalone game, Descent is repetitive, but as the third in a series, it is very nearly debilitating.

However, beyond the repetition, Descent is a solid shooter. The game is much more fun when tackled as a co-op adventure, with a friend to tagalong and talk trash. Descent also has the nearly obligatory Survival mode in addition to the ability to Free Play different levels.

Despite its repetitive gameplay, Alien Breed 3: Descent is solid. While there isn't much in the way of innovation, Descent is a great mindless shooter to kill in a weekend or with a friend. It doesn't break new ground, but is a great addition to the Xbox Live Arcade or PSN.

By D’Marcus Beatty
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.9

Graphics
Good visuals utilizing the Unreal Engine 3 set Descent apart.

4.2

Control
Conrad moves and controls well.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The sound effects are great, with probably intentionally hokey voiceovers.

3.2

Play Value
Mindless shooting is made better with co-op or survival modes.

3.5

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Explosive science fiction arcade-shooter with an epic story, swarms of highly intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weapons, and highly detailed environments

Developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.

Action-packed online or local two-player co-operative battle modes for Xbox Live Arcade or PSN.