Gamers have had a love affair with zapping aliens since that famed heroine told that queen alien "Get away from her you bitch". Oh yeah, one of the best catch phrases ever. Enter Alien Breed 2: Assault available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. Who wouldn't have a great time getting your hands on some weapons and blowing some bugs away? I know I do. With the video game genre slipping closer to the zombie story-lines, it is refreshing to see a new take on an old idea, kicking a little alien butt.

Alien Breed 2: Assault is simple in it's game play, point and shoot. Nothing to it right? There's only one problem, you gotta be fast. Using the Unreal Engine, yes the same one Gears of War uses, Alien Breed 2: Assault uses the over the top view so you see everything around you. However, it can also be very confusing as your character will disappear on occasion due to platforms being directly above you. Not bad enough to make game-play unmanageable, but just enough to get on your nerves at times.

Your objective in Alien Breed 2: Assault is to find your way around the dead ship reactivating power systems so you can move further into the ship to repair it and find a way home. You receive help in the way of the voice behind you which is one of your shipmates. She guides you as you move around the ship and let's you know what your next course of action is. This is very helpful to the gamer as many parts of the ship look the same and you can get turned around fairly easy.

The villains come in various sizes. From the small aliens that burst out of the ground to the huge bosses, the aliens seem like they are everywhere you turn. But to take on the hordes, the hero can use many weapons at his disposal, such as a shotgun and assault rifle. One of the most fun for me was the sentry guns you can set up at various points. Only bad thing is, if you get in the way, you too are turned to Swiss cheese.

As you find your way through the ship, you will notice human corpses and various other storage compartments which you can search to find credits and ammo. Beware however, as these areas are often crawling with many of the bug like aliens. Use your motion tracker wisely, as this may be your only warning of the coming doom. The name of the game is saving ammo, so make sure you don't just go blazing in. Pick your targets and fire.

After you blast your way through Alien Breed 2's story, check out the co-op levels and Survival Mode. Co-op can be played locally on one screen or online and, like the story mode, gamers will be tested on how they handle sporadic save points and sparse supplies. Survival Mode is a score-based mini-game in which you take on waves of aliens while constantly foraging for ammo to grab some Achievements and get your name on the leader-boards.

I must admit that I had a lot of fun with this game. I felt the AI was a little tougher than it had to be at times to make it fun. The overall controls take some getting used to, but after awhile you get the idea. If you like the old school Contra type games, then your gonna love this. Trust me.

• Title: Alien Breed 2: Assault
• Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360
• Developer: Team17
• Publisher: Team17
• MSRP: $10.00
• Release Date: Available Now
• Review Copy Info: A copy of the game was provided to DualShockers Inc. by the publisher for the purpose of this review.