Best Games Based On Alien Invasion

Summary

• Alien enemies are a common theme in games, often portrayed as having bad intentions towards humankind.
• Halo: Combat Evolved features Master Chief defending humanity against invading Covenant aliens.
• Destiny is a popular live-service FPS game where players fight against different alien races to protect humanity.

There are a number of fantastical entities that are frequently leveraged by game designers as the enemies of their games. Threatening zombies, vampires, ghosts, and spirits are all commonly encountered as opponents in games, and of course, aliens are an ever-rich pool of inspiration for game developers. There have probably been more alien enemies in games than any other fictional creature.

When we talk about aliens, we generally mean evil aliens, which, more often than not, have some bad intentions towards humankind. Generally in the form of some minor incursions or even a full-blown alien invasion, which the player has to successfully defend humanity from.

8 Halo: Combat Evolved

Introducing Master Chief

As a genetically enhanced human soldier, Master Chief is likely one of the best-known video game protagonists of all time. He makes his first appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved. His job is to defend humanity from an invading species of aliens named the Covenant.

With its great combat system, fun multiplayer mode, and varied game maps, Halo: Combat Evolved is considered a classic. Any fans of sci-fi shooter games can appreciate this game, even if it does look a little dated by modern standards.

7 Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy

Fast And Frantic RTS

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows
• Released: October 23, 2000
• Developer: Blue Tongue Entertainment
• Genre: Real-time tactics, Tactical wargame

Based on the Starship Troopers movie franchise, Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy is a real-time strategy game that is renowned for being quite challenging. Battles are often chaotic, as the player fights off swarms of Arachnids using both ground and air units.

On top of the RTS style combat, is a surprisingly deep strategy layer, requiring the player to manage their troops, and make decisions about where to deploy their forces next. Overall, the game does a great job of capturing the feeling of the movies, as the player strives to fight back never-ending hordes of insect-like aliens.

6 Destiny

Live Service FPS

Set in a post-apocalyptical landscape, players of this live-service first-person shooter are tasked with defending humanity from several different alien races. These include the Vex, the Hive, and the Fallen. Playing solo or cooperatively, players take part in fast-paced events, fighting back against alien incursions.

Destiny has been in operation for a decade, and is still widely popular with a loyal fan base. It is notable for its combination of RPG-inspired character development, and great FPS combat mechanics. With its expansive and immersive game world, it is fun to play, and has some real longevity.

5 The War Of The Worlds

1920s Inspired Artistic Style

• Platforms: ZX Spectrum
• Released: 1984
• Developer: CRL Group
• Genre: Adventure game

In 1898, H.G. Wells’ seminal sci-fi novel, War of the Worlds was first published. Since this time, it has been the basis of several movies, and was also the seed of one of the greatest radion pranks ever pulled. The War Of The Worlds video game follows the story closely, and attempts to deliver this story using a 1920s aesthetic.

With a combination of puzzle-solving and platform-style gameplay, with a large helping of stealth mechanics thrown in, it is fairly unique. The game focuses on exploration and survival, rather than head-to-head combat.

4 Xenonauts

There can be no doubt that Xenonauts is heavily inspired by the games in the XCOM franchise. It follows a very similar recipe, combining a top-level strategic layer with turn-based combat in the mission scenarios, as players attempt to beat back an alien invasion that is taking place during the Cold War era.

Players have to set up their base infrastructure, research new weapons and defensive technologies, and use these resources to deploy teams of operatives to combat the alien threat. Overall, fans of the XCOM franchise would find this game to be extremely familiar.

3 Starcraft

A Definitive RTS Game

Starcraft is a game that took the real-time strategy genre, and demonstrated just how such a game should be done. Pitting the defending Terrans against two invading species, the Zerg and the Protoss, Starcraft set the standards for making an RTS challenging and fun at the same time. Each of the three sides in the conflict has unique units and strategies, and plays entirely differently.

The game also helped set the scene for modern esports, with its great competitive multiplayer mode, and has become firmly entrenched in gamer culture, with almost every gamer knowing what the word Zerg means when applied to RTS tactics.

2 Resistance: Fall of Man

Narrative-Driven FPS Game

Resistance: Fall of Man follows the exploits of Nathan Hale, a soldier in the 1950s. Nathan is fighting tooth and nail against an alien incursion by a race named the Chimera. The game is notable for the fact that the excellent narrative is used to justify the often fast-paced first-person shooter action.

The game features a fully destructible environment, which Nathan can use to his advantage at times, although often this can also result in higher risk. The aliens are truly frightening, with the game verging on being a horror title at times.

1 Half-Life 2

The Further Adventures Of Gordon Freeman

Valve’s Half-Life 2 is another title that is considered a milestone in gaming history. Picking up on the story of Gordon Freeman, Half-Life 2 was the first game that featured the Source engine at heart. At the time, it set the standard for FPS graphics, and still looks great today.

Gordon is off to fight the Combine once more in Half-Life 2, although this time around the plot is a little more dark and sinister. With its fantastic story, quality world-building, and iconic Half-Life themes, it is an old game that is still worth playing today.