Alpha Prime

Alpha Prime is a rather unusual asteroid which holds in its rocks the veins of a material called hubbardium. This "liquid metal" is the main component in the fuel of interstellar ships, so the State Business Federation quickly steps in and takes control of it. But hubbardium also has a bad side-effect. It has slowly intoxicated the minds of the workers. Even many of the computers got infected because they operate with positron brains. So the corporation decided to seal the place and leave.

But the call of hubbardium was too strong, so illegal visitors began to infiltrate the complex, realising that some of them were somewhat naturally immune to the effects of hubbardium. So they began once again to mine and instead of making fuel, they sold the material as a drug. All went well for them until one day they discovered a vein of hubbardium that was so big that the radiation affected even the strongest minded of the miners, so all hell broke loose.

One of the persons on Alpha Prime was Warren, the current boyfriend of Livia and a former friend of Arnold. Arnold himself is an old prospector, who is also resistant to the effects of the material. So Warren sends out a distress call, and Arnold and Livia make their way to Alpha Prime to rescue Warren and the others.

The player slips into the boots of Arnold and makes way deep into Alpha Prime in typical ego-shooter-fashion, not only to rescue Warren but also to uncover what lurks behind the scenes. On the way through the corridors of the base and the surface of Alpha Prime, the player will encounter heavy resistance from Special Forces soldiers sent by the corporation, robots controlled by infected positron brains and deranged miners.

But Arnold isn't defenseless. During the course of the game he'll find several weapons beginning from a simple axe over a shotgun to really heavy stuff like a rocket launcher or flame thrower. If he finds pure hubbardium, he can inject himself with it and slow down time for a few seconds to gain an advantage over his clever enemies. They aren't stupid and will use cover or retreat if they notice a huge disadvantage, only to regroup around the next corner and start a new offensive on Arnold.

The player also has access to a hacking tool that can be used to open doors or manipulate security systems, and in a few sections the player will encounter a friendly person who will help Arnold a little. Like in DOOM³, the player needs oxygen when walking on the surface of the planet, but instead of air bottles Arnold will find oxygen-stations at which he can replenish his supply.