Aliens: Colonial Marines (video game) - Oh dear!

[MinionZombie]

8cFMMQie5RU

Thoughts?

[Tricky]

I'm interested in the game fo' sho', but that trailer gives nothing away except that it seems to be picking up where the second film left off plot wise, and discounting the third which isnt a bad thing. Lets hope its good!

[MinionZombie]

Well, it is a teaser trailer after all. :p

Personally, I'm much more interested in playing this than I am/was in playing that recent Aliens vs Predator game.

[Tricky]

Well, it is a teaser trailer after all. :p

Personally, I'm much more interested in playing this than I am/was in playing that recent Aliens vs Predator game.

I actually quite liked that, it was a fun playthrough on first go, but it was very restrictive for each character & not as much fun on repeat playthroughs.
Looking forward to Colonial marines though, I hope they dont include super aliens etc and just keep true to the second film regarding weapons, locations, plot (within reason) etc

[Neil]

This game was first announced in 2006, with a planned release date of 2008. That was pushed back to 2010. Now it has been pushed back to 2012.

Gearbox is saying that Borderlands and Duke Nukem Forever got in the way, but hey, if you can finish Duke Nukem Forever, you can finish anything.

You get to be a Colonial Marine, one of those army dudes that almost all died in Aliens. You play another army dude checking out what happened to the previous group of army dudes that all died in Aliens. The story for the game doesn't violate canon (or so is claimed), which is interesting. I like shooting aliens, but I didn't bother with that last Aliens Vs. Predator since it looked like shit. Monolith's AvP2 was pretty wicked, especially the multiplayer.

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_news.phtml?id=060111_7

[MinionZombie]

Screenshots:

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/scr.phtml?cat=f&platform=pc&link=alienscolonialmarines&pic=alienscolonialmarines1

[Archamedes]

lol at that quoted review

"you are an army dude, like those army dudes that nearly died in the alien film, but a new army dude."

Wow newspapers and game magazines must be stepping over each other to hire him

[bassman]

I know it's just a teaser, but that was pretty lame. "Did I mention it was his lower half?" :rockbrow:

[slickwilly13]

lol at that quoted review

"you are an army dude, like those army dudes that nearly died in the alien film, but a new army dude."

Wow newspapers and game magazines must be stepping over each other to hire him

No shit. Who writes this kind of crap? Maybe I should get a job writing video game reviews.

[MinionZombie]

No shit. Who writes this kind of crap? Maybe I should get a job writing video game reviews.

To be fair, it wasn't a review of the game - a game that's not even been released yet. It was merely a news item bunged up onto the site, and no doubt with a bit of humour involved in the writing of the basic bit of info regarding the upcoming game.

[shootemindehead]

Erm....didn't they "nuke the site from orbit" ?

You know, "Just to be sure" ?

[MinionZombie]

Erm....didn't they "nuke the site from orbit" ?

You know, "Just to be sure" ?

Good point! :lol:

[Eyebiter]

"Bishop: In nineteen minutes, this area's gonna be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska." The fusion reactor detonation at the atmosphere processing plant would destroy entire the LV-426 colony site. However the original Alien ship from the first movie could be still intact, as it was in a remote area some distance away from the main colony compound.

[Tricky]

Erm....didn't they "nuke the site from orbit" ?

You know, "Just to be sure" ?

The jist I got from that trailer is that they've altered the plot so that the atmosphere processor didnt explode and that these marines are going back in to help the others, so I guess this game picks up somewhere around two thirds of the way into the film but goes in a different direction to what the film did, works for me anyway!

[MinionZombie]

The jist I got from that trailer is that they've altered the plot so that the atmosphere processor didnt explode and that these marines are going back in to help the others, so I guess this game picks up somewhere around two thirds of the way into the film but goes in a different direction to what the film did, works for me anyway!

Aye, makes sense - and it works for me too - a chance to play Aliens: The Game (essentially anyway)? YES PLEASE! :)

[krisvds]

"Outstanding. Now all we need is a deck of cards."

[shootemindehead]

Aye, makes sense - and it works for me too - a chance to play Aliens: The Game (essentially anyway)? YES PLEASE! :)

Played it MZ...years ago!!!!!


http://cdn4.spong.com/title-screen/a/l/aliens49/_-Aliens-Spectrum-48K-_.gif
http://www.alienlegend.com/Memorabilia/VideoGames/zxa2uk/zxa2ukp1.jpg
http://www.alienlegend.com/Memorabilia/VideoGames/zxa2uk/zxa2ukp2.jpg



Jesus, no wonder my eyes are buggered now.

[Neil]

^ Christ! I think I remember that!

[krisvds]

Same here. Fantastic game! At the time. Real tense.
Wasn't there an action game on the sega genesis a few years later?

Man, I'm getting old.

[MinionZombie]

Now this is a co-incidence. I had a dream the other night I was in a store and they were having a huge sale on VHS and Mega Drive games, and there were huge bookcases packed with them. I was rummaging through the bargains with wide eyes - and one title I saw on the shelf in this dream was Aliens, just as Shoot posted.

[Tricky]

I remember that game too, my mate had it on his Amiga 1200, I thought it was super flash at the time!

[darth los]

I'm interested in the game fo' sho', but that trailer gives nothing away except that it seems to be picking up where the second film left off plot wise, and discounting the third which isnt a bad thing. Lets hope its good!

The second film is the best in the series imo. (Blapshemy to some, I know) But it really does have the most source material to play around with.


Well, it is a teaser trailer after all. :p

Personally, I'm much more interested in playing this than I am/was in playing that recent Aliens vs Predator game.


The only campaign i could really get into was the marines. Though not great it was coherent. So the bar was set pretty low with that one. Making a better game would be like jumping over a newspaper.

:cool:

[slickwilly13]

Same here. Fantastic game! At the time. Real tense.
Wasn't there an action game on the sega genesis a few years later?

Man, I'm getting old.

Yes, there is a game called Alien 3 for the SNES and Genesis. The same title, but two diffrent games for each console. The SNES version had some great graphics at the time.

[shootemindehead]

Now this is a co-incidence. I had a dream the other night I was in a store and they were having a huge sale on VHS and Mega Drive games, and there were huge bookcases packed with them. I was rummaging through the bargains with wide eyes - and one title I saw on the shelf in this dream was Aliens, just as Shoot posted.

Spooky :stunned:

-- -------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------


^ Christ! I think I remember that!

It was for the Spectrum. I used to play it in the dark when I was a kid.

[bassman]

Over here (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=39370.msg1146083#msg1146083) you can see scans of an A:CM article in an upcoming video game magazine.

You get to visit the Sulaco AND the Nostromo? How would that even be possible?

[Neil]

Over here (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=39370.msg1146083#msg1146083) you can see scans of an A:CM article in an upcoming video game magazine.

You get to visit the Sulaco AND the Nostromo? How would that even be possible?
Looks very interesting!

[bassman]

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9708/23689caveinfestation.jpg
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/7968/23690gotcha.jpg
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2444/23691theswarm.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2614/23693whatisthat.jpg

[Neil]

^^ I hope this is more than 4 player, which seems to be some industry standard for some reason! eg: SIX of you can play levels!

ps: Where are these shots from?

[bassman]

ps: Where are these shots from?

Sega released them because they're about to show off a good portion of the game behind-closed-doors at Gamescom.

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/2011/08/17/new-colonial-marines-screenshots-3/

[Rottedfreak]

I might get this game for Wii U if it stays a FPS and uses the controllers gyroscope, it would be just like Zelda 3D's FPS mode and ramp up the interactivity.

[bassman]

T-qXFQRHEkc

[Neil]

Looking like it has potential! Just hope the multiplayer is good, and ideally copes with more than the strange industry standard of four people!

[Tricky]

Looks good, although the pulse rifle is probably the most awesome gun in movie history & it sounds an absolute beast on the films, but in games they always manage to make it seem piss weak & this game seems no exception so far!

[MinionZombie]

T-qXFQRHEkc

That looks effing epic! I'd totally have sex with that trailer, ha!

I will have to play this game, and I can imagine I'll have numerous sweaty-palmed moments of panic and terror. This looks pretty darn awesome to me, I look forward to seeing more gameplay soon - by the way, when does it come out?

[bassman]

I think it's still TBA 2012. There's a big presentation tomorrow, so we should probably have a date before long.

[bassman]

Interviews and Gameplay: http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/gametrailers-tv/134

Interviews at the start, gameplay around six minutes.

Some interesting tidbits:

- Direct sequel to Aliens, taking place after the events in Alien 3. For some reason the Sulaco returned to LV-426.
- The team in the game is the rescue crew that Bishop said would not arrive for 17 days.
- Bishop is not the only character returning. Hints at Hudson, Apone, Deidrich, etc. As the guy says, in the movie Hudson says their signals are weak, but they aren't dead. So they could still be there...
- Sid Mead's unused production art from the film is being used to create the Hadley's Hope rooms previously unseen.
- They are creating new races of aliens. One is called "The Crusher". It's like the normal aliens, but has a sort of triceratops shield on his head. You can't kill him from the front.

-EOlzCrVFvs

[MinionZombie]

Interviews and Gameplay: http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/gametrailers-tv/134

Interviews at the start, gameplay around six minutes.

Some interesting tidbits:

- Direct sequel to Aliens, taking place after the events in Alien 3. For some reason the Sulaco returned to LV-426.
- The team in the game is the rescue crew that Bishop said would not arrive for 17 days.
- Bishop is not the only character returning. Hints at Hudson, Apone, Deidrich, etc. As the guy says, in the movie Hudson says their signals are weak, but they aren't dead. So they could still be there...
- Sid Mead's unused production art from the film is being used to create the Hadley's Hope rooms previously unseen.
- They are creating new races of aliens. One is called "The Crusher". It's like the normal aliens, but has a sort of triceratops shield on his head. You can't kill him from the front.

Looking pretty good. :)

[Tricky]

Hmmm but if Hudson & co are still alive, did the atmosphere processor not explode? But no matter, its aliens, pulse rifles & colonial marines, bring it on!

[bassman]

Hmmm but if Hudson & co are still alive, did the atmosphere processor not explode?

They didn't clarify on that issue. I'm thinking they're probably just ignoring the explosion. The remaining team went back to the Sulaco, killed the queen, cryo-sleep, emergency evac to Fury 161, Sulaco returns to LV-426. I guess I can live with that. Or who knows...they may explain it in the game and just don't want it out yet...

[acealive1]

They didn't clarify on that issue. I'm thinking they're probably just ignoring the explosion. The remaining team went back to the Sulaco, killed the queen, cryo-sleep, emergency evac to Fury 161, Sulaco returns to LV-426. I guess I can live with that. Or who knows...they may explain it in the game and just don't want it out yet...


alot of people ignore alien 3 as it wasnt made nearly how it shoulda been. with that said, this game and wwe '12 are the sole reasons im getting a next gen system

[Neil]

Delayed (again), now to Autumn this year...

http://www.edge-online.com/news/sega-delays-aliens-colonial-marines

It's 3-4yrs late as it is :)

[Eyebiter]

Since we have a few months, have enough time to reread the Colonial Marines Technical Manual again. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RXJWJY79L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[bassman]

alot of people ignore alien 3 as it wasnt made nearly how it shoulda been.

Not I. Alien 3 is a VERY worthy part of the franchise. I've come to love it over the years. Especially the Assembly Cut.


Delayed (again), now to Autumn this year...

http://www.edge-online.com/news/sega-delays-aliens-colonial-marines

It's 3-4yrs late as it is :)

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/54/000fs937.gif


It's taking FOREVER!

[MinionZombie]

They've put out a new cinematic trailer - with "Fall 2012" on it.

Perhaps the delay had something to do with the Wii U to an extent? I've heard today that this game will be one of the titles for the new Nintendo console - which launches in the later second half of this year.

EfOOOAN9e9w&feature=g-u-u&context=G2f31992FUAAAAAAAAAA

[bassman]

Cover art

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee515/cronk2012/newofficial.jpg

[krisvds]

Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. But, let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important species we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them.

;)

[bassman]

Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. But, let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important species we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them.

;)

Well maybe you haven't been keeping up with current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!!!

[Neil]

^^ lol!!

[childofgilead]

If this game HAS been delayed because of WiiU, that's just the absolute nail in the coffin of me not buying the damn thing. I've never seen a system so bereft of games since the Sega 32X..and yes..I had one of those.

[bassman]

If this game HAS been delayed because of WiiU, that's just the absolute nail in the coffin of me not buying the damn thing. I've never seen a system so bereft of games since the Sega 32X..and yes..I had one of those.

Sooo....because they could be adapting the game to a system you don't like, that means you will refuse to purchase the game for your preferred system? :rockbrow:

[AcesandEights]

For you guys following the game development, is it looking good overall? I mean good buzz from early access etc. and good impressions fromn what you know of the people producing the game?

If it's decent I'll give it a shot. Who didn't want more Colonial Marines after seeing Aliens?

[childofgilead]

Sooo....because they could be adapting the game to a system you don't like, that means you will refuse to purchase the game for your preferred system? :rockbrow:

Noooo, just another reason for me not to buy a WiiU..sorry, having a derpson morning, shoulda made that clearer.

I'm sure that a developer wouldn't hold out all copies of a title just for one system..surely not..then again, Nintendo could be throwing alot of money at them..

[MinionZombie]

For you guys following the game development, is it looking good overall? I mean good buzz from early access etc. and good impressions fromn what you know of the people producing the game?

If it's decent I'll give it a shot. Who didn't want more Colonial Marines after seeing Aliens?

All I've heard/seen is good - fanboy pants around the globe have been soggy for months.

[childofgilead]

Agreed, I was really worried it was going to be a Halo style reticule game, but when I saw that ADS was added, I was sold. Hopefully, you won't be holding the pulse rifle up to your cheek the whole game though, and maybe run with it across your chest or sling that baby, that's one of my last beefs with first person nowadays.

edit: full disclosure. when i was in middle school, my best friend and i would run around outside or in our houses when our parents were away playing this and predator. dead serious, predator was easier because of the cloaking ability, but aliens was funner because i could use a lazer tag hit sensor as a motion tracker.

so yes. this is one geek excited as hell for a proper aliens universe game, even if it stretches the credibility of the atmosphere processor going nova a bit.

[bassman]

edit: full disclosure. when i was in middle school, my best friend and i would run around outside or in our houses when our parents were away playing this and predator. dead serious, predator was easier because of the cloaking ability, but aliens was funner because i could use a lazer tag hit sensor as a motion tracker.

I did the same thing. I always had to be Hicks or Hudson. Which is funny considering what happens to Hudson....

[childofgilead]

hahahaha..now I don't know if I should feel relieved that I'm not alone or bummed because I'm less unique now..my sister was totally Newt.

[MinionZombie]

We never had laser tech or anything, but as a kid me and my mates would play Aliens, and Terminator as a matter of fact, but we'd all fight over who got to be Kyle Reese or who got to be Hicks. :p

[childofgilead]

I used to yell at my cousins because they wouldn't play right..one in particular would always say "and then I go" whenever we woudl do anything, either a sword duel or whatever..what can i say, he didn't know how to play rigvht, subsequently, i didn't like playing with him.

[shootemindehead]

We never had laser tech or anything, but as a kid me and my mates would play Aliens, and Terminator as a matter of fact, but we'd all fight over who got to be Kyle Reese or who got to be Hicks. :p

Reese?

Jesus, we all wanted to be the Terminator.

[MinionZombie]

Reese?

Jesus, we all wanted to be the Terminator.

Funny in a way, I know, but we all wanted to be the really cool hero dude ... and Michael Biehn is one cool dude. :cool:

[Eyebiter]

The Aliens movie... rap version xcLTaMpRl2o

[Tricky]

Thats epic Eyebiter!! :cool:

[bassman]

Gameplay:

xLCmh-Sa2pg

[slickwilly13]

The video is only 4:20. Are you trying to suggest something?

[Tricky]

I'll probably still end up buying it, but it doesnt really look any different to Aliens vs Predator from a couple of years ago....

[Neil]

Why do first person shooters always look worse on consoles than on PCs? The movement is just too flat and unatural!

[MinionZombie]

Why do first person shooters always look worse on consoles than on PCs? The movement is just too flat and unatural!

Looking at the video, some of the issue with movement of characters seems to be down to the animators, but if you mean in terms of shooting the beasties, then it's what you suffer with analogue stick aiming ... however, what you lose with that you gain with lock-on controls (which do help, but can be turned off if you wish usually), but also you gain more control over walking speed with analogue sticks that you don't get with WSAD where it's just on or off ... but analogues you do at least get to creep forward very slowly if you wish, which can be quite a helping hand at times.

I too will no doubt get the game at some point, but not until it's cheaper and I've seen some reviews. A chance to essentially 'play Aliens the movie' though is the big sell here, let's face it. :D

[bassman]

CgSHqjwFcd8




February 12, 2013

[childofgilead]

Squee!

[Neil]

February 12, 2013
Not sure why, but for some reason the look of this game isn't exciting me? Also, STILL NINE months off?

[MinionZombie]

Not really a "suspense" trailer is it? :p It's an action trailer. :D

Anyway - I'll definitely play it sometime, although some of the character animations seem a tad off at the moment ... and I'm surprised to see this is still so long away from release. At least it spreads things out a little bit, but even still, the inevitable 'holiday season' logjam will be upon us again in a few months.

[acealive1]

Not sure why, but for some reason the look of this game isn't exciting me? Also, STILL NINE months off?


wtf, when did this change? jeez. i lost all hope for this franchise as games go

[Sammich]

Why do first person shooters always look worse on consoles than on PCs? The movement is just too flat and unatural!

Because consoles are for kiddies!

Seriously, the same amount spent to buy a console would only be enough to buy a mid level video card for a pc; cpu, memory, motherboard, power supply, etc not included. Plus you just don't get the range of movement as you do with keyboard mouse. The majority of console owners probably will never build a high end gaming pc and see what the full capability of those rigs.

Here is some info that the Xbox/PS crowd would like buried under a mountain of returned copies of Mass Effect 3:

Console Gamers Get Killed against PC Gamers (http://www.rahulsood.com/2010/07/console-gamers-get-killed-against-pc.html)

Microsoft Killed a Killer Project

I never thought I would be more disappointed in the industry then when Microsoft killed Ensemble Studios. ..however nothing surprises me anymore :)

Rumor has it that there was a project many many months ago at Microsoft that was under wraps. The goal was to bridge XBOX gamers with PC Gamers so they could play against one another in games like Unreal, or Gears of War. This was all part of their Live strategy, and had Microsoft just stuck to their guns and made it work PC Gaming might be in a much better position than it is today.

Not to say that PC Gaming is in a bad position, but it's not like it used to be. The PC is shifting, as I've said many times over the last couple of years. The need for multiple high performance graphics cards is all but dead. You can play any PC Game on an HP Envy at high resolution with high detail, for example. PCs are becoming more mobile, form factors are shifting, touch is being embraced as well as other technologies. The word "PC" is dead, but the concept of personal computing isn't. ..but this isn't the point.

There was a project that got killed at Microsoft. This project was designed to allow console gamers and PC gamers to interact and battle over a connected environment. Personally I wish it would have stayed the course. I've heard from reliable sources that during the development they brought together the best console gamers to play mediocre PC gamers at the same game... and guess what happened? They pitted console gamers with their "console" controller, against PC gamers with their keyboard and mouse.

The console players got destroyed every time. So much so that it would be embarrassing to the XBOX team in general had Microsoft launched this initiative. Is this why the project was killed Who knows, but I'd love to hear from anyone involved --- what happened?

Those of us who have been in the gaming business for over a decade know the real deal. You simply don't get the same level of detail or control as you do with a PC over a console. It's a real shame that Microsoft killed this -- because had they kept it alive it might have actually increased the desire of game developers and gamers alike to continue developing and playing rich experiences on the PC which would trickle down to the console as it has in the past.

Instead they wanted to keep an old business model alive, and as a result they are (all) getting attacked by the most unlikely competitor.. Apple.

..had they allowed something like this to take place then perhaps the desire to have the best platform would still be there. Perhaps the scale of the PC would have allowed Microsoft to get away from the hardware business and focus on their core, software. Perhaps we could have finally integrated the XBOX into the PC...

Perhaps not, all of this is over now, there is no looking back.

So in a nutshell, the video game warrior elites of the console major leagues just couldn't compete against what amounted to a AAA level minor league team of pc gamers. If MS would have seen this project to completion the result would have been so many XBOX players turning 360 and walking away from their consoles that it would have caused the earth to reverse rotation.

What it really comes down to is that game companies find that it is cheaper and more profitable to make console games then port them over to p.c., often with disastrous results- Homefront comes to mind.

[shootemindehead]

I'm not a console gamer at all. Much prefer the PC game experience. Although I own an Xbox, I'm not all that arsed to bother with it, unless I HAVE to use it for a console only affair like 'Red Dead Redemption'.

Mouse and Keyboard is the way to go, all the time. The controller just doesn't cut it and the fact that, by and large, the gamer is forced to use auto-lock functions so they can actually hit a target if a bit of a joke. It dumbs down the whole game, which has always been an issue with console gaming anyway.

The biggest problem with PC gaming at the moment is the industry's obsession with piracy and the terrible DRMs that plague the whole bloody thing. The more the suits in the industry keep treating everyone, including paying customers, as pirates, the more people will move away from PC gaming altogether.

[MinionZombie]

Plus that PC games are, I'd reckon anyway, artificially made to require better hardware to inspire people to buy the expensive hardware upgrades that consolers don't have to (you buy a console, you're done until next generation, pretty much). I do hate the whole DRM/piracy issue on the PC, it makes it an utter nuisance for the person who has a legit copy, but the illegal downloader avoids all the hassle.

PC definitely has the edge by a wide margin in terms of control. I was a much better shot on PC than I am on consoles, but I wanted a more relaxed gaming experience and made the switch to the console market years ago now (while occasionally playing on the PC from time-to-time), however the analogue sticks of the consoles do allow a better range of character momentum - i.e. with the PC you're either running or you're walking, there's no incremental difference like you get on analogue sticks ... but with that you do lose accuracy, and have to rely on lock on help. Consoles are more comfortable to play with, but PCs (if you've got the money and hardware, and patience for all the DRM/piracy/Steam bullshit) provide a keener experience, for sure.

[bassman]

....I was a much better shot on PC than I am on consoles, but I wanted a more relaxed gaming experience and made the switch to the console market....

That's why I prefer consoles. I would much rather relax on the couch and have an enjoyable experience rather than climb face-first into a computer monitor.

[MinionZombie]

That's why I prefer consoles. I would much rather relax on the couch and have an enjoyable experience rather than climb face-first into a computer monitor.

hehe, aye, consoles are easier on the hands and easier on the body - on PC, if I played long enough, I found myself practically with my face mashed into the screen like I'm trying to welcome the new flesh, and because of WSAD my fingers would start to freeze up. :p I can still get a bit intense at times on consoles, but nowhere near as hunched forth as I did with PC - but to each their own - I dig both, but well, I explained myself above already. :)

[capncnut]

Still a way off but ohhh...

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/userfiles/image/2012/May/aliens-colonial-marines-collectors.jpg

[Rancid Carcass]

Still a way off but ohhh...

Holy arseholes and elbows - would you look at that! Sweet.

Of course, I do hope that Phase Plasma rife is in the 40 watt range... ;)

[slickwilly13]

I wonder how much the Powerloader figurine will sell for on ebay? I purchased the facehugger figurine from the Aliens vs Predator game a while back.

[Neil]

"Aliens: Colonial Marines" goes all "Left 4 Dead 2"!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-03-aliens-colonial-marines-channels-left-4-deads-asymmetrical-multiplayer


Aliens: Colonial Marines has debuted a new asymmetrical competitive mode called Escape mode, developer Gearbox has announced.

The idea is that four marines must make it through a series of checkpoints, while the other team inhabits aliens tasked with hunting them down. There will be multiple special types of the acid-spewing monstrosities, and you'll play as them in third-person.

The marines must ensure that each one of their squadmates makes it to the end or it's "game over, man" for everyone, literally.

This is similar to Left 4 Dead's versus mode, which Gearbox CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford praised as a stellar example of the sort of asymmetrical multiplayer he wishes to make.

vR3vzBa-PBA

[Neil]

Very +ve comments from AICN!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/59169


We were then brought downstairs to try out the multiplayer portion of the game, told that we would be the first people outside of Gearbox to play as the Xeno team. Multiplayer has been a huge part of the ALIEN and PREDATOR games going all the way back to 1994, (The best game on the Atari Jaguar!) and this entry is no slouch. Multiplayer puts a team of Xenos against a team of marines. While the marines play a first person shooter, the Xeno team players the game in third person, with the ability to climb on walls, through vents, and to lunge great distances.

It became apparent, during the first few matches I played with this large group of games journalists, that COLONIAL MARINES multiplayer was unlike anything else. The best comparison would be to LEFT 4 DEAD's versus mode, but even that trades off the tension of team deathmatch for a different kind of play. The Xenos were able to pick apart squads that weren't working together, and slaughtered them for the first 20 minutes or so. But before too long, the payers started to understand just how the marines were supposed to be played. They stuck together. They watched their motion sensors. They looked at the ceilings. Once the marines started working together, they won a match. And then another.

It's obviously a very balanced game, which I can always respect greatly. If the Xenos work together to scare the players that are marines, and the marines work together to watch each other's backs and communicate, it's a really fun multiplayer component.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/9716/original/alien-colonial-marines-2.jpg?1350585210

[Neil]

c-GfQgdw9Ps

[Neil]

Specs:-

Minimum Specs
Operating System: Windows XP SP3.
Processor: 2 GHz Intel Dual Core Processor.
RAM: 2GB RAM (XP),2GB RAM (Vista).
HD: 20GB free hard disk space.
Optical Drive: DVD.
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible.
Video Card:NVIDIA GeForce 8500/ATI Radeon HD 2600 (256 minimum).

Recommended Specs
Operating System: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Windows 7.
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Quad CoreProcessor.
RAM: 2GB RAM.
HD: 20GB free hard disk space.
Optical Drive: DVD.
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible.
VideoCard: NVIDIA GeForce GTX560/ATI Radeon HD 5850 (512 minimum).


God games are getting big! 20GB! You should start seeing adverts for this game on HPotD soon I believe...

[Tricky]

Those recommended specs aren't actually anything special when most purpose built gaming rigs are far beyond that now, I'm thinking this will be a current gen console friendly port again for us PC gamers like Far Cry 3 is. I'm sure with it being confined in small dark spaces as Aliens games usually are it will still look very pretty and probably with some fancy DX11 effects thrown in though. I'll still buy it.

[Neil]

I'll still buy it.
I'll need to see a few reviews to give me the confidence first :)

[Neil]

Some of the Xeno classes look a bit Left 4 Dead 2 special infected!?

I1fKlPCiWNg

[MinionZombie]

I always get a bit "hmmm" about these 'classes' of things - you can't just have zombies, you've gotta have classes of zombies, you can't just have a handful of alien types, you've got to have classes of xenomorphs. I think we had enough variety in the movie, I don't need a gut buster, or a belcher, or an exploder, or a stampede specialist or whatever.

[slickwilly13]

I actually like the fact that there are diffrent xenomorph types. Either that or waves and waves or worker and warrior types with the occasional queen.


MZ, never call a man a tree.

[krisvds]

Game looks silly TBH. And what's with this 'kamikaze alien with an exploding head?'
So much for staying true to the spirit of the film. Anyone seen the 'kick ass' trailer? Makes the game look more like a pastiche than an homage.

[Neil]

I always get a bit "hmmm" about these 'classes' of things - you can't just have zombies, you've gotta have classes of zombies, you can't just have a handful of alien types, you've got to have classes of xenomorphs. I think we had enough variety in the movie, I don't need a gut buster, or a belcher, or an exploder, or a stampede specialist or whatever.

I don't think the game would work as well without the different types/classes!?

[MinionZombie]

MZ, never call a man a tree.

*high five* :D

I'm off to eat some tasty berries ... ... wait a minute! :stunned:

[krisvds]

Reviews are in!
And ...
But ...

Oh dear.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/aliens-colonial-marines

[MinionZombie]

Reviews are in!
And ...
But ...

Oh dear.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/aliens-colonial-marines

Fairly "ouch", then eh?

I wonder what these game halting bugs/glitches are - and if they're game ending or not.

One thing I was always concerned about was animation - some of the people and xenomorphs looked rather wooden in their animation - so we'll see.

Until I've seen some official reviews I'll save judgement. It could be people deliberately trying to smack down a game that people are excited for - or, just as plausibly - it could very well be legitimate complaints from genuine players of the game. Like I said - I'll wait to see what the official reviews are like from a variety of sites before passing judgement.

*EDIT*

Here's IGN's video review ... ouch!

Lsr_JMnUQ6A

See what I mean about some of those awful character animations - in the multiplayer segment of the video, on the xenomorphs ... yeesh.

So yeah, those early gripes from users seem more and more justified. This has bargin bin curiosity written all over it. You'd be mad to drop launch-day cash on this by the looks of it - what a shame.

[krisvds]

Fairly "ouch", then eh?

You'd be mad to drop launch-day cash on this by the looks of it - what a shame.

Indeed. So much wasted potential. How hard can it be to turn Aliens into a gripping survival horror - shooter? Sigh.

[Tricky]

PC Gamer have given it 46% and it sounds pretty terrible. Massive shame as I was looking forward to this but yet again it sounds like they've completely missed an opportunity with the franchise. I feel sorry for some of the team who will have worked on this as they have gone to great lengths with the locations etc.

[Neil]

PC Gamer have given it 46% and it sounds pretty terrible. Massive shame as I was looking forward to this but yet again it sounds like they've completely missed an opportunity with the franchise. I feel sorry for some of the team who will have worked on this as they have gone to great lengths with the locations etc.

Glad I thought twice and didn't pre-purchase now!

[MinionZombie]

9qCDjDqUtz0

Machinima's review - 5/10 - although I was expecting lower than that after watching the review. There's some hard criticism in there, that's for sure. No doubt fair, but aye, hard criticism. Sounds like a right old bugger up in various regards.

[Danny]

Know whats interesting? Most sites: 4/10 ish scores, sites with background ads for the game? 8 or 9 out of ten.

You'd think the payed off whores would at least TRY to make it look like money doesnt pay for game reviews nowadays...

[Rancid Carcass]

Now this is interesting... a comparison video of the demo and the final release - don't know if they ran out of money but jeez, something went badly wrong somewhere:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-13-aliens-colonial-marines-demo-looked-much-prettier-than-the-final-game

:eek:

3z2qVebxlUo

[Neil]

There's an interesting development story here that will come out one day! :)

[krisvds]

I'm keeping my console(s) aliens - free!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDqTwSO1DDc

[MinionZombie]

Wow, that comparison video really knocks it home, doesn't it? Now - yes - that's only the graphics, but it is incredible that they made so many changes to the level design that made things worse in many ways, particularly in atmosphere - one of the most important aspects of what you'd expect from an Aliens game.

This doesn't mean to say that if it had looked like that, the campaign or player control or animations or whatever would have been any better, but it's as if they've taken a bad game hidden behind great-looking preview footage, and then stripped it of all it's swagger and rolled out a steamer onto the carpet instead.

I'd punt a fiver on this in a bargain bin at most - I mean, after all, I did buy and play Duke Nukem Forever for a similar amount, and this'll easily be better than that (DNF was very flawed, but there was stuff to be enjoyed in there - I'd hope we get a proper new version of Duke Nukem sometime in the future with an updated outlook/style of boorishness).

I wonder if Randy Pitchford gets tired of grinning from ear-to-ear as he attempts to shill these shonky titles? Seems like a nice chap, but man, trying to drum up enthusiasm for a game that you'll know isn't what it should be ... yeesh.

[Neil]

^ But I want to find out the reasons for those changes?!? Did the engine prove too slow at times, so they needed to chop detail/features out?

[Tricky]

What annoys me is the industry seems content to push out games with sub par graphics these days such as with Colonial Marines and Far Cry 3. Back in the early 2000's it was like the cold war arms race with everyone trying to push the limits of visuals with each new game but now all the latest titles are 5 years out of date despite the technology being there to do so much more (at least as far as the PC goes). I know visuals/physics don't necessarily make a good game but they've got frustratingly lazy on that front just to keep in line with current gen consoles. The PC and consoles should be treated as seperate entities like they used to be in the good old days.

[AcesandEights]

So glad you guys compiled info here, it saved me from possibly making a bad impulse buy.

[Rancid Carcass]

This Inc Gamers article might explain how thing got so F.U.B.A.R. - in a nutshell, it looks like Gearbox mostly outsourced it to make Boarderlands, SEGA weren't happy, threatened to sue, Gearbox new it sucked but couldn't ask more time due to possible legal action, game shipped and here we are. Roughly.

http://www.incgamers.com/2013/02/alleged-aliens-colonial-marines-dev-on-developent-problems-2/

Or maybe Randy Pitchford's Arcturian poontang was a male... :elol:

[Neil]

This Inc Gamers article might explain how thing got so F.U.B.A.R. - in a nutshell, it looks like Gearbox mostly outsourced it to make Boarderlands, SEGA weren't happy, threatened to sue, Gearbox new it sucked but couldn't ask more time due to possible legal action, game shipped and here we are. Roughly.

http://www.incgamers.com/2013/02/alleged-aliens-colonial-marines-dev-on-developent-problems-2/

Or maybe Randy Pitchford's Arcturian poontang was a male... :elol:

That certainly explains it!

ADqIh9_zAp4

[Neil]

It's the top selling game in the UK at the moment :duh:

[Rancid Carcass]

It's the top selling game in the UK at the moment :duh:

Unfortunately that vindicates every bad decision made during the games development - which is ever so slightly depressing...

Talking of depressing on a related note, seems Obsidian were working on an Aliens RPG:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-a-video-of-obsidians-aliens-rpg-appears

What might have been... :annoyed:

[MinionZombie]

I'd imagine the reason for it going to the top of the charts has nothing to do with the quality of the game - most people won't bother reading reviews or seeing all the fuss online - average punters will just blunder into their supermarket and drop forty quid on this assuming it'll be good. More money than sense, in that case ... perhaps they'll do a bit of research before their next purchase?

No doubt used games shops will be inundated with copies of this. :p

[Tricky]

I'd imagine the reason for it going to the top of the charts has nothing to do with the quality of the game - most people won't bother reading reviews or seeing all the fuss online - average punters will just blunder into their supermarket and drop forty quid on this assuming it'll be good. More money than sense, in that case ... perhaps they'll do a bit of research before their next purchase?

No doubt used games shops will be inundated with copies of this. :p

Yep, my Facebook & Twitter feed has been full of excited fans of the films who have seen the advert for the game on TV & gone wide eyed & frothy mouthed at the prospect of playing it without even thinking to check the reviews out. I've tried to tell them but they won't listen.....

[Neil]

Unfortunately that vindicates every bad decision made during the games development - which is ever so slightly depressing...

Talking of depressing on a related note, seems Obsidian were working on an Aliens RPG:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-a-video-of-obsidians-aliens-rpg-appears

What might have been... :annoyed:

If it was 'ready to ship', what on earth happened?!

[MinionZombie]

Yep, my Facebook & Twitter feed has been full of excited fans of the films who have seen the advert for the game on TV & gone wide eyed & frothy mouthed at the prospect of playing it without even thinking to check the reviews out. I've tried to tell them but they won't listen.....

There's occasions where you can trust a game is going to be top drawer without looking at reviews, or will live up to a certain standard. Rockstar games for instance - you can trust that they won't be broken pieces of shit, and you can trust that they're going to be total time sucks in the best way possible.

Similarly, when it comes to a Call of Duty, or even a Gears of War (in certain ways - 2 was a big improvement on a flawed-but-good-start GoW1, and 3 continued to up the quality), because you know what you're going to get. You've seen the development of the series over the years and if you're into those games (as I am) then you can be confident in a purchase being what you expect it to be (fair enough if you don't like the CoD games also - let's not all get into boring and pointless CoD battle ... YouTube's comment feeds have seen enough of that for the entire Internet, nevermind the entire Internet itself :sneaky:).

However, with something like this, Gearbox haven't earned the right to blind purchases, and this will do their reputation no good at all. Even if they did farm out most of the game to someone else whose track record was pants, Gearbox made that decision (as well as deciding to, more than once, halt production in favour of other games such as Borderlands 2) and so they're ultimately responsible.

Even when I can be confident in a purchase, I still keep tabs on previews and early reviews to be safe rather than sorry.

Occasionally you can get it wrong and blind buy and be scuppered (as, no doubt, your friends will be :p), and other times it can be okay but you would have preferred to pay less. I got Saints Row on the cheap when I first got my Xbox360 and it was decent fun, but flawed, and then I got Saints Row 2 brand new and I don't think that game was worth full price. It had several annoying bugs (for example, I had numerous freezes that cost me mission progress, not to mention frustrating gameplay bugs and vastly inconsistent design and difficulty) ... however, I then went on to buy Saints Row The Third brand new anyway because SR2 was a good old step up from SR1 and the buzz on SR3 was very good indeed, and so it proved when I got the game - as such I'll be very open to buying SR4 straight away as they've earned my higher opinion of them by consistently improving their output.

Even still - reviews consistent with the prevailing opinions (i.e. not those 'paid for' reviews Danny mentioned earlier) definitely have an important role to play.

Now and then you'll still play a game that has had horrid reviews ... I bought Duke Nukem Forever for six quid just to finally play it. It was hugely flawed but there was fun to be had amongst all the problems. £3 would have been a fairer price, mind. :p

[Rancid Carcass]

If it was 'ready to ship', what on earth happened?!

From what I can gather, SEGA simply changed their minds and decided they'd prefer an Aliens game as an FPS.

[shootemindehead]

To me this just looks like another FPS game suffering from consolitis.

Sounds good, looks good (well ok), plays like it's made for a feckin child.

I've never had a good FPS gaming ecperience on a console. They're all dumbed down, "rail shooting", "target assisted" idiot fests. Playing an FPS with an xbox/PS3 controller is a joke anyway. It's no match whatsoever for a mouse/keyboard combo and it never will be. It's always the same, from 'Die Hard' on the Playstation in the 90's, to whatever...and yet I can still load up 'Doom 3' on the PC andl have a blast.

I always feel like I'm playing something that's been dumbed down on a console and it always feels like a cut short gaming experience.

I can't help but get the feeling that this game would have been a winner if it was designed for the PC first and foremost.

[Neil]

Playing an FPS with an xbox/PS3 controller is a joke anyway. It's no match whatsoever for a mouse/keyboard combo and it never will be.
I used to agree, but watching my son (& his friends) playing on an XBox, they sure move and aim fluidly and quickly... Maybe not as quick as a keyboard/mouse, but not that far off!

I can't get the hang of it, but then I've not put the time in, and have year and years of keyboard/mouse experience burned into my brain!

[MinionZombie]

While I do agree that FPS games are superior on PC due to the mouse+keyboard combo offering the best control, although consoles do offer greater variation on walking speed movement (as opposed to the on/off walk/run binary situation on a keyboard) ... however, I'm not convinced that Colonial Marines' problems can be blamed on "consolitis" - it seems far more to do with management problems as a result of Gearbox screwing around with it. Multiple delays in production due to stoppages so they can work on something else, handing off work to inferior devs, and by the looks of things working with an engine that either wasn't up to the task, or was years ago, but which hasn't been updated properly.

It's amazing how CoD has managed to maintain and upgrade their engine since CoD4 (or even CoD2?), achieving some rather spectacular results from rather old tech (now heavily modified), so you do wonder if whoever was in charge of ACM's engine either couldn't get it up to snuff, or it was just flat-out dated (kind of like with DNF, come to think of it).

However, like I said, the biggest problem(s) for the game seem to really be down to piss poor management.

[shootemindehead]

I used to agree, but watching my son (& his friends) playing on an XBox, they sure move and aim fluidly and quickly... Maybe not as quick as a keyboard/mouse, but not that far off!

I can't get the hang of it, but then I've not put the time in, and have year and years of keyboard/mouse experience burned into my brain!

Aye, but I bet that they're playing with aim assist on.

To me, that's half a game, especially for a shooter.

But, I agree, with a bit of practice, the player can get quick enough, but you absolutely never beat the mouse for precision.

- - - Updated - - -


While I do agree that FPS games are superior on PC due to the mouse+keyboard combo offering the best control, although consoles do offer greater variation on walking speed movement (as opposed to the on/off walk/run binary situation on a keyboard) ... however, I'm not convinced that Colonial Marines' problems can be blamed on "consolitis" - it seems far more to do with management problems as a result of Gearbox screwing around with it. Multiple delays in production due to stoppages so they can work on something else, handing off work to inferior devs, and by the looks of things working with an engine that either wasn't up to the task, or was years ago, but which hasn't been updated properly.

It's amazing how CoD has managed to maintain and upgrade their engine since CoD4 (or even CoD2?), achieving some rather spectacular results from rather old tech (now heavily modified), so you do wonder if whoever was in charge of ACM's engine either couldn't get it up to snuff, or it was just flat-out dated (kind of like with DNF, come to think of it).

However, like I said, the biggest problem(s) for the game seem to really be down to piss poor management.

Consolitis™ is endemic within the gaming would though. It's plain to see in the basic Aliens game. Enemies have to jump in front of you, you're on rails (because with a controller 360 movement within a game is a bit of a pain in the arse), it's more of an interactive movie than an actual game (where they player gets shunted from cut scene to cut scene) and there's nothing terribly challenging in the content. These are all symptoms of the console market disease.

Sure, there also is the extra layer of Suit Fuckery going on to and that malaise has been destroying the games industry for decades too, but as long as developers and publishers keep gearing their releases towards consoles, everything is just going to be same old, same old.

I can honestly say that the only truly great gaming experience I've had on the xbox has been 'Red Dead Redemption'.

[Rancid Carcass]

Seems Obsidian were working on an Aliens RPG:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-18-a-video-of-obsidians-aliens-rpg-appears

What might have been... :annoyed:

Gentlemen, get ready to sob uncontrollably into your pillows... 13 minutes of gameplay footage, (low rez video though):

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-20-obsidians-canned-aliens-rpg-looks-finished-in-new-gameplay-video

:(

[Neil]

“The game feels like it was made in nine months, and that's because it was!”


There have been circulating rumors that there's a patch that could bring the game up to parity of the E3 demo. Obviously, this patch wouldn't be available for home consoles but the PC version could get an overhaul. The patch is rumored to be about 8GB but Gearbox, Nerve, Demiurge, TimeGate and Sega have been mum on all things Aliens...

Ouch! - http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Sega-Wanted-Aliens-Colonial-Marines-More-Like-Call-Duty-Says-Dev-52980.html




Gearbox forum member kutjong notes an interesting phenomenon within the Colonial Marines code: "It's quite fascinating to study the .ini files. In PecanCompat.ini you can see all the graphics cards that qualify for a certain class. The most modern graphics card in that list is from 2007!" This Gearbox thread in particular hosts some comparison screenshots from before and after players have fiddled with the code, including the enhanced shot above. Game on, coders.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/18/players-probe-the-code-of-aliens-colonial-marines-find-some-fi/