Alien 3 on NES is one of those movie tie-ins that actually tries to follow the plot—you play as Ripley, stranded on a prison planet after her ship crashes (thanks, stowaway aliens). The vibe is bleak, just like the film, with dim corridors and jumpy prisoners who can’t do much except get picked off. You’re mostly running, welding doors shut, and praying the motion tracker doesn’t start beeping.

Controls are stiff, but that kind of adds to the panic when an alien drops from the ceiling. The flamethrower feels satisfying when it works, though half the time you’re just mashing buttons hoping something dies. It’s not the best NES game out there, but if you’re into the movies, it’s a weird little time capsule of ‘90s licensed games trying their best.