ITEMS AND ACESSORIES

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HEALTH PACKS

Health packs come in small, medium, and large sizes and restore 25%, 50%, or 100% of your health, respectively. Small health packs are fairly common, while medium packs are noticeably fewer and farther between. Large health packs are pretty rare, even entirely absent from some levels. The supply of health packs remains fairly consistent until you reach the last three levels of the game, at which point their availability drops markedly.


PORTABLE AUTODOC UNIT

Facehugged? In Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3, this would have been a real problem! But this is the future--activate one of these and developing embryos are quickly irradiated. Thankfully, these units are often located near the largest concentrations of eggs and facehuggers. (However, it is possible to complete the entire game without getting facehugged once.)


DETONATOR

You will only encounter this item while playing as Call on Level 2. Four detonators are required to manually jettison a lifeboat before it explodes.


FLASHLIGHT

It is the future. There are interplanetary spaceships, handheld laser weapons, and artificially sentient lifeforms. Unfortunately, critical twentieth-century battery technology has been lost, and futuristic flashlights can only illuminate their surroundings for 20 seconds at a time. Well . . . at least these flashlights of the future appear to be infinitely replenishable, and recharging takes only 10 seconds. Make sure your flashlight is at full power before entering dark, unexplored territory. Running out of light at the wrong moment can prove to be just as deadly as running out of ammunition!


MOTION TRACKER

You only see this item as a pickup when playing as Ripley, as the other three characters come with the motion tracker pre-equipped. This accessory is indispensable for locating attacking enemies, but is somewhat limited in range (if you're facing the right direction, you'll often see enemies well before they show up on the tracker). In addition, the appearance of the non-human enemies is usually heralded by a distinct sound which can often be heard at distances exceeding the motion tracker's range. The tracker is most helpful when you happen to get ambushed at close quarters--facehuggers or aliens popping out of dark wall recesses or from around corners. Then, you can instantly assess the direction and distance of the impending onslaught. The motion tracker in Alien Resurrection just so happens to boast a major advantage over similar equipment in some other Aliens games: this tracker displays enemies both in front and behind you!


CRATES AND BARRELS

These receptacles are always a sight for sore eyes! CRATES, EXPLODING CRATES, and BARRELS can all be shot open using the pistol. REINFORCED CRATES, with the blinking light on top, can be cracked open using the shotgun or--better yet for ammo-saving purposes (see WEAPONS)--the laser, pulse rifle, or electric gun. These containers may hold ammunition or other essential, life-sustaining powerups. Occasionally, you'll be able to "grab" the items within crates by simply brushing up against them without actually opening them, but this tiny bug is quite rare in the game. EXPLODING CRATES can be very handy, in a few select locations, for killing oncoming enemies. You'll usually have to know ahead of time what's coming in order to plan it right, though. Save some ammunition by sticking with the pistol and firing 2 shots into the combustible container, then move forward to "activate" the awaiting enemies before firing the third shot to detonate the crate at the precise moment required. Just make sure you keep yourself clear of the ensuing explosion!


PASSCARDS AND CARD READERS

Access to many areas aboard the Auriga are restricted, and you'll need to obtain passcards from other personnel onboard ship (both living and otherwise) to open them. Most cards are located near fallen crew members, although a few will come from the living or the just-expired (you may have to kill the rightful owner to get it!). On the MAPS, the number next to a passcard will match the number next to the corresponding card reader where it is required. Cards carried by living personnel will fall where that person dies, so the location shown on the maps may be off slightly depending on that individual's movements (although it will nearly always be in the immediate vicinity).


SWITCHES, VALVES, PALM READERS, AND ELECTRICAL PANELS

You'll be doing a lot of switch-flipping and valve-turning in this game! Some are located right next to the object they activate (most often a door), but in many cases, cause and effect will be found quite a walk from each other. On the MAPS, a number next to a switch, valve, palm reader, or electrical panel will match up with the door, steam discharge, force field, etc. that it controls. Note that some doors will not open if there are live aliens remaining in the present room or if you have a developing chestburster inside you.


SAVE POINTS AND COMMUNICATION CONSOLES

In Alien Resurrection, you will always breathe a major sigh of relief whenever you come across one of these! Save points provide the only opportunities to mark your progress as you work your way through the game, and communication consoles are found at the end of most levels and also provide a save opportunity. On the HARD difficulty setting, you may use each save point only once. However, on EASY and MEDIUM you can use each save point as often as you wish. A major tactic on these lower two settings is to reach a save point, store your progress, and then return for as many saves as is practical as you continue working your way forward. This will save you the trouble of re-killing hordes of enemies in some of the more difficult areas of the game. Occasionally a door will seal permanently just past a save point, but at other times you can backtrack quite a ways through a level to return to the most recent save point.