Alien civilization games

Units and factions are a little better balanced, although Zergling rushes early in multiplayer games and battlecruiser rushes late in multiplayer games are still very tough to counter. The Resistance series were excellent first-person shooters released exclusively for the PS3. Because of the events in the games, the weapons are a unique mix of classic and futuristic firearms.

In these games, Earth is overrun by a species called the Chimera that unleashes a virus that turns those infected against humanity. Many reviews on Metacritic proclaim it to be one of the better early FPSs for the PS3, even if the average user score is quite a bit lower than the average critic score. These two games are set in the Drakengard universe. In Prey, the player controls a protagonist who was part of a scientific program aboard a space station that was studying alien lifeforms collectively known as the Typhon.

The Typhon is composed of several different species, some with unique abilities. These alien lifeforms predictably escape confinement and begin attacking the residents aboard the station. The player must make their way through the space station, which is set up as an open-world environment, including taking spacewalks to access some closed-off areas.

The game features an open-ended narrative that allows the player to decide the fate of the station. The player controls Isaac Clarke as he attempts to fight off an alien invasion aboard a space station.

A big difference between the two games is that the space station in Dead Space 2 is a large civilian station with automated stores containing new items, armor, and weapons. Civilization: Beyond Earth is one of the best space-themed strategy games of all time.

The various factions and Affinities will ensure multiple, robust playthroughs, each presenting unique scenarios that will encourage the player to strategize in challenging new ways with each file. Few real time strategy games contain the uniqueness offered by Homeworld. Even with gameplay that plays out in three dimensions and being the first RTS of its kind, it is the singularly well written narrative and accompanying gameplay mechanics that make it a memorable experience.

As you start the game, you can choose to play as either the Kushan or Taiidan fleets, both of whom seek out the planet of Hiigara, the ancient homeworld of both species. The planet from which you emerge is soon destroyed and your only choice is to venture far across the galaxy to find sanctuary at your destination.

Fans of Battlestar Galactica will feel right at home with Homeworld in both its setting and frantic space combat. Melding Civilization with the depth of subjects like philosophy, geopolitics and the customization of Master of Orion 2, Alpha Centauri is aeons better than its earthbound predecessor. Alpha Centauri takes place in the Civilization universe after the advent of the Space Race victory in Civilization II, in which a shuttle travels to the distant solar system of Alpha Centauri to colonize the planet Chiron.

Starcraft is easily one of the most well known games ever made. In fact, it's one of the best and only PlayStation 5 exclusives to date, due in no small part to how cool the alien world where it takes place is—that is if you can survive to see it. There are tons of hostile aliens out to kill you in the various biomes of Atropos, but there are also the remnants of a grander alien civilization.

You can learn about them by interacting with Xenoglyphs, Xeno-Archives, and other atmospheric relics. It all adds up to a stunning, particle-effect-filled experience when you're not dying, at least.

In a nice subversion of alien expectations, the Oddworld games don't feature humans going to an alien planet, but instead show life on planet Oddworld in its entirety. And it is a hard life for our protagonist, Abe, and his Mukodon comrades, as they fight for equal rights and ecological protections from their industrial overlords. If you're interested in seeing an alien civilization depicted not simply as some foreign thing to combat, these are some great games to check out.

The latest entry, Oddworld: Soulstorm, is almost as good as the rest. Jet Force Gemini might not be at the top of everyone's mind when thinking about the best games of bygone eras, but this cult classic sees the Jet Force Gemini team go head-to-head with one of the Nintendo 64's most memorable alien civilizations. What makes the game both strange and compelling is that the aliens you end up fighting are monstrously oversized insects, where ants act as common grunts and more glamorous bugs, like Praying Mantis and tarantulas, operate as bosses.

Entomophobes beware! It's an odd and uncanny game, but a standout title from the Nintendo 64 era. You'd be forgiven if you forgot that aliens are a key part of Nier: Automata. The narrative certainly does get complicated, not just in terms of what the story is, but how the story is ultimately told. But some games do use this staple of the sci-fi genre to interesting effects, having alien civilizations that are as compelling to learn about as they might be to blow apart.

Whether they're coming to Earth or you're crossing through space, here are the alien civilizations that stand a humanoid head and shoulder above the rest.

Returnal might have a title that makes you think of urinals, but that doesn't mean the game belongs in the toilet. In fact, it's one of the best and only PlayStation 5 exclusives to date, due in no small part to how cool the alien world where it takes place is—that is if you can survive to see it.

There are tons of hostile aliens out to kill you in the various biomes of Atropos, but there are also the remnants of a grander alien civilization. You can learn about them by interacting with Xenoglyphs, Xeno-Archives, and other atmospheric relics. It all adds up to a stunning, particle-effect-filled experience when you're not dying, at least. In a nice subversion of alien expectations, the Oddworld games don't feature humans going to an alien planet, but instead show life on planet Oddworld in its entirety.

And it is a hard life for our protagonist, Abe, and his Mukodon comrades, as they fight for equal rights and ecological protections from their industrial overlords.

If you're interested in seeing an alien civilization depicted not simply as some foreign thing to combat, these are some great games to check out. The latest entry, Oddworld: Soulstorm, is almost as good as the rest. Jet Force Gemini might not be at the top of everyone's mind when thinking about the best games of bygone eras, but this cult classic sees the Jet Force Gemini team go head-to-head with one of the Nintendo 64's most memorable alien civilizations. What makes the game both strange and compelling is that the aliens you end up fighting are monstrously oversized insects, where ants act as common grunts and more glamorous bugs, like Praying Mantis and tarantulas, operate as bosses.

Entomophobes beware!