Aliens

About

Aliens is a side-scrolling arcade shooter where you and a partner battle through infested corridors and alien nests on a doomed space colony. Play as a Colonial Marine, picking up weapons and the Caterpillar P-5000 vehicle to clear rooms, rescue survivors, and survive wave after wave of hostiles. The game mixes straightforward horizontal scrolling with occasional reverse sections where you defend your position while enemies swarm toward you. Co-op splits the screen for two players, letting you cover different angles or take turns driving the heavy machinery. The game stands out for its varied enemy patterns and dynamic shifts in perspective, keeping the action unpredictable. Though arcade titles often emphasize single-player, the split-screen co-op remains a highlight, encouraging teamwork under pressure. With its 1990 release window and direct tie to the Aliens sequel's lore, it's a relic of early 90s arcade design that prioritizes chaos over cinematic polish.

Storyline

The multinational conglomerate Weyland-Yutani Corporation has lost contact with its mining colony, Hadley's Hope, in LV426 Acheron. In response, the Colonial Marine troops of the USS Sulaco decide to send their team to investigate. The marines soon discover that the place is infested by an unknown parasitic alien life form and that the Hadley's Hope crew was either exterminated or used as hosts to breed the creatures' next offspring.