Alien Breed 3: Descent

 PC
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Gamers.at
    Jan 2, 2011
    82
    A good end to the trilogy that unfortunately lacks big changes to the first two parts. Alien Breed 3: Descent shows off with polished graphics but offers only a very shortlived experience.
  2. Vandal
    Jan 3, 2011
    75
    With Descent, Team 17 finishes notably its trilogy of remakes. This is a good arcade game with some interesting new features.
  3. Meristation
    Jan 3, 2011
    70
    It's not what we could've called 'new' or 'original', but Alien Breed 3: Descent is a fair an interesting game. 'Tis a pitty that the grand finale wasn't as incredible as expected but, no matter what, is fun and it's worth the money it costs.
  5. Multiplayer.it
    Dec 27, 2010
    70
    As for the previous releases, the third chapter in the series seems just one part of a biggest game, split to be sold three times: Descent It's very close to the other episodes and thanks to a good level design It's possible the best one. That said there are a several better top-down shooters and one of them, Alien Swarm, It's free too.
  6. Cheat Code Central
    Dec 21, 2010
    70
    Mindless shooting is made better with co-op or survival modes.
  7. Eurogamer
    Dec 21, 2010
    70
    The greater focus on third-person sections is also a pleasant diversion (especially when you're outside of the ship) but, realistically, the real problems are the drudgery of constant waypoint-following and the inability to play the campaign mode with a pal.
  8. IGN
    Mar 2, 2011
    65
    For a budget game it's hard to quibble at what's a sturdy if unimaginative old school shooter, but its stubborn faith in the original template only goes to show how far we've come.
  9. SpazioGames
    Jan 9, 2011
    65
    It's still a good game, but this third chapter should have been something more in terms of new ideas and polishing.
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  10. GameWatcher
    Dec 21, 2010
    65
    Same old same old, then - Alien Breed 3: Descent is not the sequel we were hoping for, dragging the series out rather than building on it. Still, for Alien Breed fanatics, the story will at least provide closure and more of the same.
  11. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 11, 2011
    60
    Better options available, but not a write-off. [Feb 2011, p.67]
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  12. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 15, 2011
    60
    The third Breed comes with some unresolved troubles from its predecessors – tedious gameplay is accompanied with a troublemaking camera. Fix it and you'll finally have a flawless shooter. [Issue#199]
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  13. Eurogamer Spain
    Dec 21, 2010
    60
    For better or for worse, this is exactly the same as Alien Breed 2. It feels much more like an expansion than a new game.
  14. GameZone
    Dec 21, 2010
    55
    Ultimately, players turn to indie games for innovation, for something fresh, which Alien Breed 3 doesn't deliver. The game seems to be suffering an identity crisis, occupying some unknown limbo between indie and AAA, apparently representing the downsides of each.
  15. PC Gamer
    Feb 26, 2011
    53
    Two new guns make it a bit too easy to fumigate entire rooms with a few quick blasts, and any hope for an exciting new challenge quickly melts away as I hobble towards the ambiguous, lackluster ending. [April 2011, p.79]
    All this publication's reviews
  16. IncGamers
    Dec 21, 2010
    27
    Wedged between survival horror and arcade shooter - but succeeding at neither - Descent is a poorly designed, camera-hampered end to an already weak trilogy.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 37
  3. Negative: 10 out of 37
  1. Matseb2611
    Jul 8, 2013
    7
    I think the series has seriously gone downhill. If the second game was more like Alien Breed 1.5, then the third game is pretty much likeI think the series has seriously gone downhill. If the second game was more like Alien Breed 1.5, then the third game is pretty much like Alien Breed 1.5b. There have literally been no new additions to this third installment. The only things that are different are either very trivial or are more of an annoyance than a feat.

    Just as the previous installment, in this one some of the weapons have been changed around too. Once again, the first 3 weapons are the same, but for the last 2 now we’ve got an Electric Link Gun and a Project X. They're not bad at all and can be useful a lot of the time, but despite that, I still found myself using the original 3 a lot more often, but it probably depends on the player.

    The game also tried to do a little bit of gimmicky stuff. In some areas the game takes a more over-the-shoulder perspective. Those parts are quite nice for eye-candy purposes as they break the norm and make you fight in a slightly different fashion. However, most of these parts tend to have fixed camera angles, and hence if you change direction, you often don’t see where you’re going. It’s still a nice addition, but I just wish it didn’t restrict you with fixed camera angles. Fixed camera parts were introduced in the second game, something I thought was one of the most annoying additions ever, and they still persist in this game.

    But what about the story? Well, it wasn’t exactly among strong points of the series up to now and it’s still not in this installment either, as the player still walks through the same dark, semi-exploding corridors, from one part of the ship to another, activating computers and other systems. I would, however, point out that the main villain takes up a bit of a spotlight in this installment and we get to find out a lot about him. In fact, I’d even say he becomes more likeable than our musclehead of a hero.

    Overall, Alien Breed 3 is literally identical to the first two. In fact the quality of the entire series has gone down in my eyes simply because of the fact that each new part was the same as the last. Even Steam achievements are identical in all 3 games. If you want to get maximum enjoyment out of this series, then I’d recommend you to play only one of the games and not all three. Any of them will do, though the first one is probably the best.    … Full Review »
  2. JaydenPickens
    May 22, 2019
    5
    A wasted potential. This is not Alien Shooter, Shadowgrounds, Alien Swarm or the original oldschool Alien Swarm. It's average at best. Pickens out.
  3. Abuebao
    Dec 20, 2012
    6
    This is not a spectacular game by any means but it is still worth playing if you have some extra time and money. The game does a good job atThis is not a spectacular game by any means but it is still worth playing if you have some extra time and money. The game does a good job at creating intense moments of action and suspense but beyond that it is simply an average shooter.… Full Review »
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