You Need to Go Download Alien Swarm

There are few things I enjoy doing more than gaming, but despite that, I sometimes have a difficult time buckling down to give a new game a try. It doesn’t matter how well-received it is by others… I am for some reason, insanely stubborn. Just how stubborn? Well, I still haven’t played more than five minutes of Portal. Yes, I’m that stubborn.

This past weekend though, I must have been in a great mood, because I decided to give a game a go that I had full intention of disliking. It’s not that I just up and decide whether I’m going to like a game or not, but after checking out all of the screenshots on the site, and videos on YouTube, the last thing the game did was grab me. Boy, did I underestimate this one.

After I loaded Alien Swarm up for the first time, I logged out of it five hours later. That’s no joke… the game did indeed grab me, and turned out to be a blast to play. The reason the game didn’t appeal to me at first is that it’s a top-down shooter, and that viewpoint tends to drive me bonkers. But, it works well here, and despite the total lack of being able to see way up ahead, it just doesn’t matter.

As the name of the game implies, it features lots and lots of aliens, and though it doesn’t seem to feature a robust storyline, you essentially need to make it through the levels alive. Simple they may look, but make no mistake, this is a difficult game. What makes it all the more intriguing is that it’s designed around co-op play, and while you can play solo, it’s rather pointless since it sucks the fun right out of it.

The game features four different classes and two characters for each, with unique attributes. Similar to Modern Warfare 2, as you play the game, you will gain levels and unlock new equipment. And as a co-op game, this one features a real need for people to know their class and understand how to make it through the levels. As I mentioned, the difficulty is rather high, so if you make a mistake, you might very well ruin the entire match for the rest of your team. I know this, because I managed to pull that off once.

If you’re looking for a new game to play, I highly recommend this one. You have no excuse, either. Why? Because the game is 100% free. That’s right… $0.00. It comes courtesy of a group of modders who are now employed at Valve, and the company apparently decided to give it away as a gift. So, go play it. You won’t regret it.

For a couple of more screenshots, head on to our comment thread!

Alien Swarm is a game and Source SDK release from a group of talented designers at Valve who were hired from the Mod community. Available free of charge, the game thrusts players into an epic bug hunt featuring a unique blend of co-op play and squad-level tactics. With your friends, form a squad of four distinct IAF Marine classes.