Different style, different gameplay
i fell in love with the part 1 ever since i played it (oh, who can forget the final chapter where one has to escape from the self-destructing base). part 2 provided similar fun, although i feel it was hastily made with less thought put into it as compared to the first part. the map was a nice addition, but what really interested me was reading the journals and finding out about the alien lifeforms i was slaughtering. i spent quite some time on the first part and enjoyed every moment, but as for part two, i actually finished it within an hour - it was just too easy and too short. the d-orgon laser is just that imba.
then came part three - i admit i was expecting more of the same and was somewhat dismayed to find that it was not. the exploratory element has been totally removed in place of a sandbox-type style. i plunged headlong without reading much of the instructions/tips and as a result encountered quite some difficulty when i had to complete the mandatory mission in the middle of the game.
not one to bow down to a challenge i decided to read through the instructions this time and try again. and i've gotten alot of insight which i would list down later and hopefully help the rest have an easy time (it was near to no-kick when i realized the proper way to play - throughout the missions i only kept Lion with me - cos she's the most good-looking haha! it was only until the final few mandatory missions that i hired the last 3 marines to complete the showdown effect i wanted).
of course in place of the exploratory element you now have the level-grinding and somewhat tactical planning gameplay. while they are nice enough to warrant some praise i feel the game lacks depth. the terrain are all the same, and the only tactical planning involved is the use of weapons, which isn't hard to plan at all. tactics involved in part 1 and 2 can be put into place here, such as the use of explosive barrels, corners, barriers etc (which were actually crucial in the first two parts, considering alien rushes were potentially fatal, and there were no imba weapons - read d-orgon laser).
still, all in all it's a good game worthy of some praise. i was lucky enough to not encounter the bugs mentioned. the only gripe i have is that i feel that i was actually fighting dinosaurs instead of aliens! have more varied lifeforms that don't just walk two legs! also the active camouflage is a nice feature of the aliens, but their claws and steam/flame breath just don't stand up against the immense firepower and armor. heck, even the terrifying behemoth from part 1 looked like kitten here. i almost felt sorry for it when it was stopped dead in its tracks by the hurricane rifle from my hired marine, and died a slow death from the torrent of liquid metal :(
<TIPS>
1. leveling up your stats here does not involve replaying a mission, cos you can't. 2. to level up your damage, kill as many aliens as you can. that means you do not try to accomplish your goal as fast as you can. take time, enjoy the (barren) scenery, kill them aliens.
3. run as much as you can to level up your agility.
4. carry as much as you can to level up your strength. stock up on mines even if you do not need to use them, cos they make for good weight training.
5. choose your favourite weapon and hireling, and use them as much as possible (for me it was the thunder shotgun, then sa thunder gun, followed by the gay-imba-ultimate d-orgon). this will help you to level them up as well. my d-orgon fire rate was so fast i just couldn't stand myself being a walking alien-decimator. my hired corporal marine leveled up enough to be on par with the last 3 marines too.
6. for defending missions, place the bait mine and a few proximity mines around. prepare for fireworks. helps in taking the heat away from the weak yellow marines. mines do not contribute to friendly fire (not even you) so there's no need to worry.
7. the only drawback of d-orgon is the limited ammo. try to line the aliens up to make your shot count. when one beam can kill up to 10 aliens, it's just too wasteful to not make use of.