Review: Alien Swarm

Valve, the company that gave us Half-Life and Left For Dead, has released a free online multiplayer game called Alien Swarm.

Alien Swarm is a top-down 3D shooter developed using the Source SDK engine. The squad-based tactical shooter accommodates both single- and multiplayer action, where up to four players can choose from a quartet of IAF Marine classes to hunt down and slaughter alien bugs. Players can also choose from eight different character skins. No word on in-game purchases so far.

Alien Swarm is just all around solid. You team up with 3 other space marines and work your way through a series of chapters (levels) in one of several campaigns in a top-down, 3rd person shooter style. The main goal of your team is to complete objectives while facing off against deadly xenomorphs level by level through cooperation and knowning your role within the team. This is Alien Swarms main draw. Much like the Left For Dead games, the swarm hits you fast and hard with more than a few ways to kill you. Want to be a tough guy and strike out away from the pack? You're toast. The squad must work together, plodding through each level with a fine-tuned synchronicity in order to survive. This is where Alien Swarm shines the brightest.

(The game) isn't exactly the same quality of what we have come to expect from a next-gen game in terms of overall polish, but the design is amazing, the gameplay is a complete joy and its just a freakin' blast to play. The fact that it is free makes Alien Swarm a true gift from Valve.

Full review at The Examiner.

Click here for the full download through Steam. (Be warned, its a 2Gig download!)