“Alien Fireteam” is the most recent announcement in the Alien video game franchise. Off the back of the recent announcement that an Alien TV series coming to FX, the Alien franchise will be gaining a new lease on life.
The Alien franchise has its own share of duds. Particularly films like Alien Resurrection and Alien Covenant being the most abhorrent entries. Considering this, there is still a lot for Horror and Sci-fi fans alike to love in the Alien franchise, beginning with the original Alien film.
Released in 1979 with a small team of up-and-coming creators like Sigourney Weaver, Ridley Scott and Dan O’Bannon. Following a crew of space-truckers who are hulling back a large mineral deposit, they are redirected to a lone asteroid where an alien signal is coming from. Adapting elements of slasher films and cosmic horror, Alien remains terrifying 40-plus years after its original release.
Alien’s creation came out of director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed Dune project. Jodorowsky built a team of writers and artists to create his vision. First was. H.R. Geiger, the horror artist whose body horror paintings blend images of organic with technology. Then, Dan O’Bannon, a writer fresh off the film Dark Star, was brought on the create a working script for the fourteen-hour film.
Jodorowsky's Dune was shaping up to be a Star Wars before anyone knew what Star Wars was. However, “Jodorowsky's Dune” quickly fell through and the team was let go to create their projects. Inspired in part by the dirty “used universe” of Star Wars and the creative spark created on set, O’Bannon and Geiger went on to create the iconic Xenomorph, of the Alien films.
In 1986 the sequel Aliens was released directed by another up-and-coming creator James Cameron. Moving from Piranha II to Terminator, Cameron was given the upcoming film Aliens. From this successful sequel, a franchise was created.
Alien Franchise quickly expanded into video games, comics, novels and even action figures. Regarding this mélange of media, there have been some stand-out successes. The Dark Horse Universe of Alien comics has existed since the late '80s.
Here we have classic Alien stories like Alien Defiance and Alien: Dead Orbit. The latter of those two had not only exceptional art but excellent storytelling. While the William Gibson's Alien 3 is an excellent horror comic that closes out the original Alien trilogy.
In regard to games, Alien has had a fair share of duds. Alien Colonial Marines standing above the rest as some of the worst of video games. However, the game Alien Isolation changed any ill-will to Alien games.
Taking place after the first film, you play Amanda Ripley as you search for your mother and become trapped on a ship with a Xenomorph. One of many first-person Horror games, “Alien Isolation” tight story, gameplay and sound-design make it stand-out among most alien games. “Alien Isolation” Stands above most Alien films as having the most accurate “70’s future” created since Alien.
The most exceptional thing to come out of the Alien franchise is a series of short films commemorating the 40th anniversary of Alien. Each film is credited with a different theme on the Alien IP. From greenhouses to mineshafts, each film has a different view of the Alien world. This is a promising prospect as we move closer to the 50th anniversary. Where will Alien take us next, and what horrors will we find.
Benjamin Ervin is a senior studying English literature and writing at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Benjamin know by emailing him be425014@ohio.edu.
