Aliens: Colonial Marines

Blog Post: Worst game of this generation.

soulfly666 — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:26:00 GMT

Normally, I like to go over the merits and challenges a game has in a review. It is simply not worth it here. Go look up some videos and watch the Enemy AI.......The person that green-lighted this game as finished and ready to ship should lose their job. Don't support business practices like this with your wallet...

Forum Post: Re: review's of ALIEN game are unfair

jschwenker1 — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:02:00 GMT

I first played ACM with a visiting friend on his PS3. I believe this version deserved a lower rating than the Xbox360 version I purchased a few days ago. The coop for the 360 works MUCH better than on the PS3. The AI is also noticably more intelligent in the 360 version.

True, there are still some bugs. All in all, though, I have thoroughly enjoyed the 360 version and give it a 7/10.

Lack of OMS moments and a limited weapon upgrade scheme hold this game back. Take note that finding the legendary weapons adds a little flair to the weapon scheme, but come on Gearbox, no persistant Smartgun???

Forum Post: Re: New Aliens game looks OK but... not good enough.

Steve Dunlap — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:30:00 GMT

I hear ya. My PS3 experience was decent, but I do remember even when I bought it, there was already an update available for the game. (Usually the case with about every PS3 game I buy, even if I get it on launch day, there's some kind of update already out for that title.)

I actually played through it 5 times, and the weapon upgrades did seem to work...except for silencers. It seemed like they contributed nothing other than an auditory effect. Otherwise, they in no way aided in any stealth attacks. You could shoot a WY soldier who was a considerable distance away from his cohorts, and even with one silenced shot, all those distant troopers came running....so it was run and gun, no matter what.

My favorite sequence in the game is sneaking past the boiler xenos...and on my first playthrough, I made it through without a death....but then it became old hat afterward.

Overall, I'm still very disappointed in the game, and I have only made one more pre-order....for Naughty Dog's "The Last of Us" (A friend of mine who works at GameStop said he got to play a demo and said "If you liked Uncharted series, you're going to love The Last of Us". So, I feel justified in that pre-order...but beyond that, no matter how much swag companies offer, I'm not pre-ordering anything anymore.

Blog Post: Micro changes in air density, my ass.

Superpiggsy — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:08:00 GMT

There's not many things in this world that royally piss me off. I like to think of myself as a pretty laidback character, but one of me biggest pet peeves is hype with the inability to pay off. Cloverfield, Dallas Cowboys, Duke Nukem Forever, the list could go on and on. But sadly to add on this list is Gearbox's Aliens: Colonial Marines. Sega's joint venture with Gearbox is the second letdown of a development hell franchise. And while Duke Nukem brought us back with a few charming moments, Aliens: CM is much more of a chore to play then a game. And from recent postings it seems as if Gearbox can't take criticism. Much like ID did with Rage, they seem to be pointing the finger at second hand developers and the vary fanbase that spends millions of dollars each year to keep them in business. Now I understand the communication hassle between developers, but ***. In total this game was initially planned in 2001, to think you could've come up with a much more rounded product, it's not asking for much, but it is asking for something remotely on par with other shooters. Let's dig deeper into this.

STORY:

It flows as if the spiritual successor to James Cameron's sequel "Aliens", they make a few nods and winks to Ridely Scott's original film and Prometheus. However, the holes in the story are so massive and makes any connection to the universe void. But that doesn't even matter because you are introduced to the main cast which is about as one dimensional as a cardboard cut out. Roger Ebert made his way to consider video games not a true form of art, and if most video games play like this story he'd be sadly correct. It follows a cliched boring plotline and nothing is significant out of it. No matter how many Oorah! and We don't leave men behind they use the story never sets off and each attempt at suspense or character development fails because you never care about the characters or anything really.

GRAPHICS:

If you haven't lived under a rock the last ten years it's apparent this game is looking very outdated. And it is absolutely shocking to see such grungy looking game. Aside some occasional nifty lighting, nothing else visually pops and H.R Giger's world of debauchery and horror is rendered as a ugly low texture nightmare. Almost everything that makes the series so spectacular is absent in this release and one could mistake this as a late 2004 release. Hell Chronicles of Riddick on Xbox puts this game to shame, and comparing something almost ten years old isn't good.

SOUND:

Probably the high point of the game is the various gun noises and Xenomorph vocal work. The voice actors did the best with the material given, but this alone cannot save this mistake of a game. So what else can I say? The guns sound good, so what?

PLAYABILITY:

The game is ridiculously easy, it's quite embarrassing poor the AI in the game is. Aliens will run past you, they will get stuck in the walls, disappear from the game entirely, not one level did I not encounter a glitch. Human AI is beyond ridiculous, Allies are virtually useless and enemies will walk directly into gunfire. Sometimes this is amusing in certain games and situations, but the nearly gore-less, blood-less violence is boring and offers nothing except a time killer. The best way to describe the overall nature of the game is tedious, which is a shame. Early on you are introduced to the iconic motion tracker device and track down a single alien. Probably the most suspense generated in this game is this short segment and a decent stealth sequence, but these minor moments can't make up for lackluster and straight up boring gameplay. The notion of customizing underpowered guns is an age old gimmick, but upgrade after each upgrade makes you completely unsure if the effectiveness is at all changed because nothing feels different. Co-op is mildly better, but with such a disastrous story and rotten graphics you'd be lucky to find someone to play with in the oncoming weeks.

VERDICT:

As much as I went into this game with the high hopes of this being a somewhat of a "cult" status game, Aliens fails to deliver the most basic of shooter experiences. What originally had potential for a great true survival horror game by a mostly brilliant developer is no more then a bland boring ugly corridor shooter with mindless droves of enemies confronting you in the worst of ways. Upon reaching the ending what first feels like disappointment turns into anger. It is agitating in this day in age things like this are released, I mean nobody wants a game to be horrible, but sadly the overhype for Colonial Marines was not justified and much like Duke Nukem Forever I am ashamed of falling for these promises again.

Wiki: Aliens: Colonial Marines Guides

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:27:00 GMT

Guides for Aliens: Colonial Marines

Forum Post: Re: Stop bashing

leatherceltic — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:12:00 GMT

If anyone wants to play this on Xbox add me GT: I am DJ Drama

Wiki Page: Aliens: Colonial Marines guide for PS 3 : Gameplay Collectibles and Walkthrough

jenifferhomes — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:36:00 GMT

INTRO

Aliens: Colonial Marines - First Person Shooter PS3 Game

Release Date:         February 12th, 2013
Genre(s):            First Person Shooter
Publisher(s):          Sega
Developer(s):         Gearbox, Timegate, Demiurge, Nerve
Multiplayer:             2-8 Player Online
Co-op:                  2-4 Player Online

A true sequel to the Aliens movie in video game form. You and your friends against the deadliest killers in the galaxy. Another glorious day in the corps.

Buckle up, soldier. Welcome to Aliens: Colonial Marines. Created by Gearbox Software, the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite developers of Borderlands and Brothers In Arms, this first-person shooter is steeped in the eerie, claustrophobic and terrifying atmosphere that made the Aliens films successful worldwide. You and your friends will become the most badass military outfit in the galaxy – the US Colonial Marines. It’s down to you to not just survive, but wipe out the Xeno infestation.

- See more at: http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2013/02/12/aliens-colonial-marines-walkthrough.htm#sthash.KT6DBF1D.dpuf

You and your friends against the deadliest killers in the galaxy. Another glorious day in the corps.

Welcome to Aliens: Colonial Marines Guide. Aliens: Colonial Marines game is Created by Gearbox, the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite developers of Borderlands and Brothers In Arms, Aliens: Colonial Marines a first-person shooter is steeped in the eerie, claustrophobic and terrifying atmosphere that made the Aliens films successful worldwide. You and your friends will become the most badass military outfit in the galaxy – the US Colonial Marines. It’s down to you to not just survive but wipe out the Xeno infestation.

Aliens Colonial Marines Walkthrough

12 February 2013

Aliens Colonial Marines Walkthrough

What is the game about?

A true sequel to the Aliens movie in video game form. You and your friends against the deadliest killers in the galaxy. Another glorious day in the corps.

- See more at: http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2013/02/12/aliens-colonial-marines-walkthrough.htm#sthash.KT6DBF1D.dpuf

Single Player

Aliens: Colonial Marines follows a group of the same as they throw good money after bad in an attempt to rescue a team of their comrades that have been lost attempting to rescue the crew of the USS Sulaco. In case you weren’t sure where this was going, the trouble the first team of marines ran into was the Xenomorphs.

The first thing you’ll notice, when you start the game, is that the graphics aren’t quite up the quality we’re used to at this point in the generation. On top of not looking so great .(Unfortunately, despite the fact that it is the First themed console game since 2010.....weeks of fan and press requests for an explanation about what went wrong with this game, representatives from Sega and Gearbox both declined to comment for this story.) For more detailed inlook

Multiplayer

The Aliens: Colonial Marines campaign can be played with up to four players, online. Even if I didn’t enjoy the campaign that much, I feel like this should be mentioned since we’re in an era where developers seem to want to make up any excuse to exclude co-op from their campaign. Sometimes you want to ignore the narrative and just have fun with your friends.

Read this Amazingly well written aliens colonial marines review (on Gamesinformer)

Aliens: Colonial Marines Collectibles

1.1. All Dog Tag Locations
1.2. All Audio Log Locations
1.3. All Legendary Weapon Locations

Aliens: Colonial Marines Story-Related

2.1. Short, Controlled Bursts (Mission 1)
2.2. Easter Egg (Mission 2)
2.3. Fire Drill (Mission 3)
2.4. Mostly Come at Night... (Mission 5)
2.5. Heavy Lifting (Mission 5)

Aliens: Colonial Marines Features:

Enlist in the Marine Corps
Bringing you a true sequel to James Cameron’s classic Aliens, get tooled up with classic Marine weapons including pulse rifles, motion trackers and flamethrowers.
The most authentic Aliens experience ever
Using authentic environments inspired by the film series including Hadley’s Hope, the Sulaco and LV-426, you will be immersed in an eerie, atmospheric world where any moment could bring your death.

The colonial marines in the Aliens universe can’t seem to hold on to their dog tags. At least picking up after them is worthwhile. Like the collectable audio logs, getting a dog tag means added progress toward your Rank bar. And no surprise, there’s an achievement for getting all 35 tags. They’re small as dog tags go, so it can be easy to miss a few. Our thorough guide will ensure you find them all.

Along with the many dog tags scattered throughout the Sulaco and LV-426, the famous colonial marines from Aliens get additional name drops through six bonus weapons. These Legendary Weapons can’t be upgraded but are often useful additions to your already-formidable arsenal.

Drop-in / Drop-out co-operative gameplay

The masters of co-op bring their expertise to the Aliens universe. Xenos getting too tough? Call up your buddies so they can drop in with extra firepower. The whole campaign can be played with a squad of up to four players, dropping in and out as necessary through self-contained missions within an over-arching narrative.

Loadouts and upgrades

Create your perfect killing machine. An extensive upgrade system allows players to customize their characters to play the way they want. Earn experience to get perks, new weapons and new looks for your squad.

Marines

Xenomorphs

Remember the Fallen

Collect all 35 Dog Tags

There are a total of 35 dog tag collectibles in Aliens Colonial Marines. Finding all of them will earn you the "Remember the Fallen" trophy / achievement. They will also give you some nice bonus XP to level up faster. By holding down the select-button you can see how many collectibles you have found in the current mission and your objective is shown as well. After finding a dog tag it will be saved automatically. You can quit the mission right away without losing your collectible progress. Once collected, these dog tags cannot be picked up again.

I Heard THAT

Collect all 12 Audio Logs

There are a total of 12 Audio Log collectibles in Aliens Colonial Marines. Finding all of them will earn you the "I Heard THAT" trophy / achievement. They will also give you some nice bonus XP to level up faster. By holding down the select-button you can see how many collectibles you have found in the current mission and your objective is shown as well. After finding an Audio Log it will be saved automatically. You can quit the mission right away without losing your collectible progress.

I Like to Keep These Handy

Collect all 6 Legendary Weapons

There are a total of 6 legendary weapon collectibles in Aliens Colonial Marines. Finding all of them will earn you the "I Like to Keep These Handy" trophy / achievement. They will also give you some nice bonus XP to level up faster and of course you get to use these weapons.

Location: Mission 1 - Distress
Shortly after fighting your first group of Aliens you will come to the hangar bay. Your comrade will throw a grenade and blow up a dropship. After that you will have to defend him until he opens a door. Two AI controlled allies are standing behind a barricade. None of the enemies may get behind this barricade! It's recommended to play on the lowest difficulty Recruit. Stay in front of the barricade all the time.

Location: Mission 2 - Battle for Sulaco
After opening the door with the loader you need to keep going until you come to the dark area with all the Facehuggers. Kill the Facehuggers and when moving on look out for a blue glowing switch. Activate the switch and go back into the room where you came from. .

Location: Mission 3 - Sulaco Falls
At the very end of mission 3 you will come to some sort of hangar. The relevant section for this trophy / achievement begins as soon as you enter this area. You have two minutes and thirty seconds to activate three switches and enter the dropship. It's recommended to play on the easiest difficulty (Recruit). This allows you to rush into the enemy groups without dying. Use a shotgun to take them out while running to the next switch.

Location: Mission 4 - The Raven
In the beginning of mission 5 you will have to find a way out of the sewers. When you come to the section where sound-sensitve Aliens are walking around you should look out for a switch that powers up a generator.

Location: Mission 5 - The Raven
Make sure to start this mission on Soldier difficulty! Raven is an Alien boss at the very end of mission 5. You will have to defeat him by using the powerloader. Use L1 (PS3) / LT (X360) for quick punches. Try to force him into a corner and keep punching very quickly. Sometimes the boss attacks you or runs away. The time is relatively short for this trophy / achievement so it might take a few tries. Be aware that the missions ends as soon as the boss is dead.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Trophies

Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:

Platinum (Platinum): Earn all trophies.
Another Glorious Day in the Corps (Bronze): Complete Distress.
Bad Feeling About This Drop (Bronze): Complete Sulaco Falls.
Quoth the Raven (Bronze): Complete The Raven.
Still Got a Job to Do (Bronze): Complete Rampart.
Dragged Queen (Bronze): Complete Home.
Game Over, Man! (Silver): Complete all Campaign levels on any difficulty.
Not Bad For a Human (Silver): Complete all Campaign levels on Hardened difficulty.
State of the Badass Art (Gold): Complete all Campaign levels on Ultimate Badass difficulty.
Short, Controlled Bursts (Bronze): Defeat all Xenomorphs in the Sulaco hangar bay without them crossing your barricade.
Fire Drill (Bronze): Arm the emergency release and escape in under 2:30 on Sulaco Falls.
Mostly Come at Night... (Bronze): Find Newt's doll.
Just a Grunt (Bronze): Complete Hope in Hadley's.
No Need For Alarm (Bronze): Complete One Bullet without setting off the alarm.
Heavy Lifting (Bronze): Defeat the Raven in under 1:10 on Soldier difficulty or higher.
Adios, Muchachos (Bronze): Gib two enemies at once.
Field Promotion (Bronze): Earn Rank 2 as a Marine.
Lean and Mean (Bronze): Earn Rank 20 as a Marine.
I Love the Corps! (Gold): Earn Rank 60 as a Marine.
Oorah to Ashes (Bronze): Collect a Dog Tag.
Remember the Fallen (Silver): Collect all 35 Dog Tags.
Personal Friend of Mine (Bronze): Collect a Legendary Weapon.
I Like to Keep These Handy (Silver): Collect all 6 Legendary Weapons.
Another Bug Hunt (Bronze): Complete a Challenge.
Stay Frosty (Bronze): Complete an entire Challenge category.
Distinguished Service Medal (Silver): Complete all Challenges.
I Feel Safer Already (Bronze): Have another player join your party.
Don't Count Me Out (Bronze): Revive a teammate.
Ready to Fry Half a City (Bronze): Edit a Marine Loadout.
Structural Perfection (Bronze): Edit a Xenomorph Loadout.
Perfect Killing Machine (Bronze): Upgrade every Loadout slot for a Xenomorph class.
Field Modified, Kill Certified (Bronze): Upgrade every slot for a weapon.
You Look Just Like I Feel (Silver): Upgrade every Appearance slot once for your Marine.
Adaptive Morphology (Silver): Upgrade every Appearance slot once for a Xenomorph class.
I Can Handle Myself (Silver): Purchase all Upgrades for a weapon.
Majority Shareholder (Bronze): Spend 30 Commendations.
I Heard THAT (Bronze): Collect all 12 Audio Logs.
Entry Prohibited (Bronze): Kill 10 Xenomorphs that are using vents.
Let's Rock! (Bronze): Kill 10 Xenomorphs in a game with the M56A2 Smart Gun.
Need a Deck of Cards? (Bronze): Set up a UA 571-C Remote Sentry.
Micro Changes in Air Density (Bronze): Track 100 hostile targets with the Motion Tracker.
It's a Dry Heat (Bronze): Kill 3 enemies with a single U4 Firebomb.
Eat This! (Bronze): Kill a Xenomorph with a shotgun at very close range.
Coming Outta the Walls! (Bronze): Kill a Xenomorph climbing on the walls or ceiling.
Secreted from What? (Bronze): Kill 5 Spitters without being damaged by acid.
No Offense (Silver): Melee a Lurker that is pouncing toward you.
Arbitrarily Exterminated (Silver): Kill 2179 Xenomorphs.
Anytime, Anywhere (Bronze): Kill a Crusher without it damaging you.
Love at First Sight (Bronze): Survive a Close Encounter with a Facehugger.
... But No Cigar (Bronze): Rescue a teammate from a Close Encounter.

Secret trophy : Easter Egg (Bronze): Find the Easter Egg.

BONUS SECRET: DOUGHNUT ADJUST YOUR SET

On mission 7 (One Bullet), after passing through the first building look at the ledge to your right and you'll see a box of doughnuts. Shooting it triggers a giant doughnut rolling down the hill towards you, before exploding in the lava below!

Links

Gearbox Software - Developer Website.

SEGA - Publisher Website.

Aliens: Colonial Marines - Official Website

Blog Post: Aliens Colonial Marines PS3 Gameplay & Review

jenifferhomes — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:17:00 GMT

Aliens Colonial Marines

(Unfortunately, despite the fact that it is the First themed console game since 2010.....weeks of fan and press requests for an explanation about what went wrong with this game, representatives from Sega and Gearbox both declined to comment for this story.)

In case you’ve become enamored with how Aliens: Colonial Marines looks from the various preview footage, trailers and commercials that have been shown over the last few years, it is best simply to forget all about those. The truth with Aliens: Colonial Marines is that the game is not only rather terrible looking, it is also full of so many graphical problems it is impossible not to notice one every couple of minutes.

Sound effects

As far as sound effects go, Aliens: Colonial Marines is rather hit and miss. The Xenomorphs tend to sound vicious and mimic the sound of the Xenomorphs we’ve grown to love from the movies, however the overall environmental sound effects fall flat. It is also worth noting that the guns in the title sound like they have absolutely zero impact. In fact, one weapon’s audio skips when using continuous fire, trying to mimic a burst gun while being used at full-auto.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a very standard first person shooter in many regards. Players have partially regenerating health bars and can find various health kits and armor along the way to extend their life. Players are also given a number of weapons to sue to take down the Xenomorphs that they come across, with most of these weapons being your standard shotgun or assault rifle variety there are a few signature weapons from the movie that can appear as usable collectables. These weapons can be customized slightly via attachments that will be discussed more later on.

Inconsistencies aside, this a serviceable shooter: entertaining but never more than perfunctory. The best of it takes that cinematic source material and works it into gameplay to create satisfying ‘I’m in the movie!’ moments (say it in a Ralph Wiggum voice for best effect). A perfect example has you trapped in a claustrophobic, shadowy room with a bunch of hit-and-run aliens dashing about. It leaves you spinning around with the Motion Tracker, nervously chasing signals as tails dart out of view.

Visually,

it’s acceptable at best. There’s some evocative lighting, but poor textures and oddly low-rent touches – aliens explode in chunkily modelled lumps, and bodies vanish almost instantly. Glitches and clipping issues are everywhere – the worst involving a boss fight with a Power Loader that kept getting punched through a wall and having to respawn.

Overall

"Colonial Marines is a mess technically.........................................................."

Aliens: Colonial Marines could have been something great, and from what we’ve been shown, should have been something great. However what consumers have been given is something that seems rushed and unpolished and something that should barely be considered an alpha build rather than a final retail release.

With a campaign that can be completed in one-sitting, terrible enemy AI, visuals and performance so underwhelming it is almost laughable and only a multiplayer option as a saving grace, Aliens: Colonial Marines may try to play on nostalgia or fans of the Aliens franchise, but ultimately fails in almost every possible way.there are many lights and shadows

If you are fans of Alien, no matter what I say, you’ll enjoy the game but if your not you might want to skip this and go for metal gear rising which is already topping the UK game charts, bugging down Aliens:CM

Aliens: Colonial Marines turned out so awful. Bureaucratic meddling and a troubled development cycle have turned this game from Alien fan's dream to unmitigated disaster.

Blog Post: 4?.....Really?

SaintFenris — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:19:00 GMT

Someone needs to do a bug-hunt for whatever crawls up some of these reviewers butts. I can't, for the life of me, understand how this game warrants a 4. Now, perhaps the reviewer, and some of the fan community, have gone with...elevated expectations. It's understandable, hey, I love the Alien franchise. The first film is, to this day, my favorite movie. And any honest, real fan of 'Aliens' would enjoy this game. Despite it's short comings it was a blast wandering around Hadleys Hope, seeing various 'Easter Eggs' from the films and what not. Garbled textures and static facial animations are enough to wreck this game for you? The story was pretty good. The voice acting was pretty good. The gameplay itself, a bit tedious at times, was, overall, pretty good. The biggest complaint I hear is about textures and facial animations. Folks, it was developed by Gearbox. Have you played the Borderlands games? Textures in that game aren't particularly pristine and the facial animations?....Hell, what facial animations? All the characters look like action figures. Now, admittedly, the developers should have put more effort in that area given the cinematics they relied on to push the plot forward, but 'distracting'? Hardly. Is it the best game ever? No. Should they have spent some more time with it? Yes. But it's hardly below average. Come on guys, get those bugs out of your butts and remember...it's a game. It's supposed to be a fun experience...not an artistic revolution.

Blog Post: An Express Elevator to Hell (and not in a good way)

Cameron Koch — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:06:00 GMT

Video games have been borrowing from the Aliens franchise for a long time. Halo's space marines are almost carbon copies of the foul-mouthed, rough and ready colonial marines from the film franchise. It's not hard to see where the space-horror franchise Dead Space drew its inspiration from, and even Samus Aran herself was inspired by the iconic female heroine of the Aliensfranchise, Ripley. It only seems fitting then that the granddaddy of them all to get its own big budget video game. Well, Aliens: Colonial Marines is finally here, and it's about as fun as being raped by a facehugger.

On its surface, Colonial Marines sounds promising. Picking up were Aliens left off, the game follows a group of marines sent to investigate a distress signal left by movie characters Ripley and Corporal Hicks after the events of the film. The reality is a storyline of absolute zero consequence. On top of that, rather than adding to the mythology of the franchise, it instead stomps all over the continuity of the films and doesn't even bother to explain why.

Upon arriving in orbit over LV-426, the marines discover the U.S.S. Sulaco, the ship Ripley and Hicks flew away on at the end of Aliens and the same ship seen in an entirely different star system in Alien 3. But it's back at the colony, for reasons never fully explained. What follows is barebones plot that only serves to let players follow in the footsteps of the Aliens film. The only problem here is that Hadley's Hope, the main setting of the film and the primary location featured in the game, was blown sky high by a colossal nuclear explosion that could be seen from space at the end ofAlien just a few months ago. This is apparently no big deal for the writers of the game. Your marines, seemingly immune to massive levels of radiation, simply stroll on into Hadley's Hope, finding it to look almost identical post-nuclear explosion as it did in the film.

This is all bad, but it gets worse. A reveal towards the end of the game completely eviscerates the continuity of the film series - a literal WTF moment so mind boggling that even the game's main characters can't comprehend it. As the baffled marines ask how this shocking plot twist came to be, they are literally told "We don't have time to explain that right now." And the game doesn't ever make time. The question goes unanswered, even after the credits roll. It's a slap in the face to fans of the films, and makes me question whether or not the games writers ever even watched the movies to begin with.

I don't understand it either, Bishop.

Now, this could forgiven (maybe) if Colonial Marines made up for its atrocious story through stunning visuals and intense gunplay. Sadly, this isn't the case. The game, with the exception of one mildly interesting and suspenseful stealth sequence where you are stripped of your weapons, consists of running from point A to point B, blasting everything in sight. Occasionally players will participate in what I'm assuming are supposed to be epic and intense last stand scenarios reminiscent of the film. Instead, players are treated to boring segments that involve finding a safe corner and lying on the trigger until the game tells you to move on. The previously mentioned stealth segment and two terrible boss fights are the only attempts at diversifying the gameplay.

A big problem with the core gameplay is how devoid of intelligence the game's enemies are. As viewers and fans of the movies know well, the Alien from which the franchise gets its name is the ultimate predator. They are incredibly stealthy, have the ability to climb on walls, are covered in razor sharp spines and claws, and have that nasty second mouth thing. The Aliens featured in the game must be another breed entirely, because, aside from occasionally leaping onto a wall, these monsters from outer space are about as dumb as they come. Their only tactic is to run straight at you and hope for the best.

Colonial Marines also suffers from an extreme lack of enemy diversity. You will fight hundreds, upon hundreds of the same brain dead xenomorphs. Only twice in the game will you encounter the terrifying and grotesque facehuggers. Only twice towards the end of the game will you fight a slightly different brain dead xenomorph. Sprinkle on top one segment featuring bizarre blind, exploding aliens, and another handful of segments featuring equally brain dead human enemies in the form of Weyland-Yutani mercenaries, and you have every encounter in the game. The guns are even boring and uninteresting. I used the starting weapon, the pulse rifle, almost exclusively the whole game, finding the other weapons ineffective. Even the flamethrower, used to devastating effect at the end of Aliens, is underwhelming.

Fun fact, the game doesn't actually look this good.

It actually looks like this.

Once again, some of this could be forgiven if Gearbox delivered a dark, spooky and atmospheric setting to cover up the poor AI. Instead, we have what could easily be mistaken for an original Xbox game. Poor character animations, from the marines to the xenomorphs, take players out of the experience. Textures pop in and out almost constantly. The games lighting does little to elevate the games already dirt poor graphics. The result is an Aliens game that bears almost no resemblance to what makes the film franchise so enduring.

There is some fun to be had in the game's co-op mode, if only because misery loves company. For fans of the film exploring familiar locations in Hadley's Hope while discovering audio logs and the "legendary" weapons of the film's fallen marines is fun fan service, but ultimately to call Colonial Marines a missed opportunity is an understatement. Gearbox has not only managed to contribute nothing to the Aliens franchise, but may have actually detracted from it through its sloppy and irresponsible use of the films continuity. Simply adapting the film would have been a better call. After the final cut scene rolled and the achievement "Game over, man!" appeared on my screen, I was relieved for all the wrong reasons. I wasn't relieved because I had completed an eight hour long campaign of terror, suspense and blood pumping action, but because I could finally wipe the game from my memory and ignore it's status as "official canon." Game over, indeed.

NOTE: This review is based solely on the campaign and co-op experience played on the Xbox 360. I did not play multiplayer.

Blog Post: Aliens: Colonial Mariens. A Dissapointment? Yes. A 4/10? No.

Evan Thomas Boyette — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:13:00 GMT

Alright, I want to start off by saying I think GI was WAY too harsh with this game. It is by no means a 4/10. With that said do I think it is a truly great game? No. I am among the many who have been waiting for this game for five years since it's debut in Game Informer's March 2008 issue and I am among the many who have been let down by this game. I think because this game had a significant amount of hype for nearly half a decade reviewers are rating it much more severely than it deserves.

Now with that said let me tell you what I think.

Aliens: Colonial Marines' biggest problem BY FAR is the campaign. I'll be completely honest, the campaign is lackluster and leaves something to be desired. I think the biggest mistake they made when developing this campaign was designing it to be a solo experience with optional co-op. Before this game was released the single biggest thing they were advertising was the co-op and teamwork. If you reference the 2008 Aliens: CM issue of GI then the majority of the article is talking about this squad based co-operative experience that we never got to see. Originally, the developers planned on having an AI squad with the player with which the player could issue orders to provide a much more cohesive and tactical experience as well as drop-in drop-out co-op, however this was dropped later in development. What they are left with is a Call of Duty wanna-be campaign with a terrible plot line. This is not only uninteresting and stale, but it goes completely against the spirit of the Aliens movie. Those of us who have seen the movie are familiar with the way the colonial marines operate. Throughout the film the marines are always working as a team, carefully coordinating attacks and setting up well thought out defenses. In the game the player is left with this run-and-gun attitude that is completely contradictory to the colonial marines of the movie. Had the developers approached the game with more of a Left 4 Dead cooperative feel then that would have solved half of the problems right there. Instead, players who wish to play the co-op campaign are thrust into a game where all tactics and strategy are thrown out the door and any communication is limited to "Hey, can someone revive me?" As a result the co-op campaign devolves into four players running through the levels with guns blazing, mowing down anything that moves. This may sound cool and maybe for some other game it would be, but for this one it just isn't.

As far as story goes, the campaign starts out pretty well with some mysteries about the Sulaco and how it somehow returned to LV-426 as well as the ever present mystery of the xenomorphs. However the story quickly turns into some sort of pathetic pseudo love story upon reaching the surface of the planet.

The AI isn't great, I will agree with the GI review in that the player's AI squad mate is a complete fool. When he does shoot his gun does very little damage however I often found him standing around during combat and even running off into side rooms upon entering combat. Needless to say he was a moron. Now the Alien AI I don't think was as bad as the article claims. There was a day one patch so that may have helped but regardless this is a first person shooter, not a survival horror. Granted some dynamic AI that could sneak around and plan ambushes in some of the quieter parts rather than just busting in and charging would make for a much more anxiety inducing experience akin to the movie.

The graphics are mediocre however I'm not going to harp on that too much. They definitely could, and should, be a lot better however they're not game breaking. The sounds are very well done with the pulse rifle, motion sensor, and aliens sounding exactly like the film.

Now so far it may sound like I think this is the worst game ever, but things begin to look up with the multiplayer.

The multiplayer has four game modes, Team Deathmatch, Exterminate, Escape, and Survivor. Every game, regardless of mode, has two rounds. One team is the marines and the others are the xenos (aliens) and the teams switch between rounds. Team Deathmatch is a basic 5v5 game mode where teams compete for kills to win. In Exterminate, the marine team must try to destroy as many egg clusters as possible by standing in a zone for a certain amount of time. There are two zones active at a time and while the marines are trying to essentially capture these zones the aliens are trying to stop them. Escape is a mode that is a lot like Left 4 Dead's multiplayer in that the marine team must get from point A to B, completing certain objectives along the way (opening doors, sealing doors, activating elevators, etc.) while the aliens try to stop them. Survivor is an attack and defend mode that leaves the marines with a 20 second head start to set up a defense and try to survive the aliens for six minutes. Team Deathmatch and Exterminate are of a much faster pace than Escape and Survivor. In Escape and Survivor the marines don't have any respawns, however they start with full armor and get knocked down requiring a revive before bleeding out. Despite Team Deathmatch and Exterminate being fairly standard game modes, due to the teams being marines vs aliens the gameplay takes a unique spin from most other shooters. The aliens are often forced to rely on stealth and surprise attacks to win whereas sticking together in groups and having situational awareness are essential for the marines. With the Escape and Survivor modes, the tactical gameplay that is absent from the campaign really comes to fruition. With no respawns, communication and planning are essential in order to achieve victory. Add the intelligence of human controlled aliens as enemies and these two modes make for a thrilling, yet nerve racking experience. Add a decent progression system with dozens of weapon unlocks and even more appearance unlocks and the multiplayer becomes a force to be reckoned with.

The multiplayer isn't without it's problems though. There are several bugs present for both marines and aliens however these will no doubt be fixed through coming patches and even the bugs that do occasionally appear are not game breaking. The alien gameplay can, at times, be very difficult and takes some getting used to but once players get a grasp on how to use them the aliens are as deadly as their hollywood counterparts.

There is a season pass available currently for DLC with I believe four DLC packs planned (I may be wrong on that) so you can expect some more maps for multiplayer, possibly some more game modes, and hopefully (though, honestly, not too likely) a dedicated co-op campaign. One thing I would really like to see added is a horde mode. The survivor mode is very fun but I believe a classic horde mode where four players must defend against endless waves of AI alien enemies would fit perfectly in this game.

In conclusion, Aliens: Colonial Marines' campaign is a lackluster Call of Duty wanna-be in a game that should be promoting squad based tactical gameplay. The multiplayer, however, offers a glimmer of hope with unique marine vs alien gameplay as well as noteworthy game modes such as escape and survivor that fill the tactical void left by the campaign.

Blog Post: A slightly flawed game that's still really fun.

Andrewforbes88 — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:54:00 GMT

I really like this game, it's not a masterpiece, it's not terribly inovative but it's a fun game. I've played it on Xbox and PC, it looks great on PC and it looks fine on Xbox, there are some graphical issues on Xbox like some screen tearing and a few muddy textures but it's not as bad as the reviews would lead you to believe. The game in general is a lot better than the reviews would lead you to believe. if you are an Aliens fan go rent this game and decide for yourself. I think if you go into it with a positive mindset you will be pleasantly surprised.

Blog Post: Movie games almost always disappoint

toddisit — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 06:47:00 GMT

I rarely buy games based on movies, very uncreative and unoriginal. It took this game years to come out and this is probably no better than a game made in 2 years time. I think the game scene needs another top flight sci fi shooter, this ain't it.

Blog Post: Not quite so bad...but have seen and played better

Steve Dunlap — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:28:00 GMT

If there is one life lesson I have learned in recent years, it is "buyer beware when Randy Pitchford says he is excited about an upcoming title that Gearbox is producing". But in this case, Gearbox outsourced to TimeGate, and the result is not quite as stellar as I'd hoped for. (Thanks for focusing solely on Borderlands series, Gearbox. Way to spread the love. /sarcasm) That said, for all the bad reviews this game is getting, I'm not finding it too bad. The graphics, whilst certainly scaled down from the demo videos we'd seen in the past, are not too bad..

Sounds are excellent so far. I've always liked the high pitched bleat of the pulse rifle and smart gun, and the Motion Tracker is spot on. The music, while original, certainly calls up memories of music from both Aliens and Alien Resurrection.

Gameplay thus far is not too bad.

I find the Motion Tracker well suited for its intended purpose. Good for getting a general idea where the bad critters are (which I think was the intent of the MT's even in the film), so it does sort of live up to its film origin. When it starts whistling away, put it away and prep for action. I think some reviewers from other mags or sites have it a little wrong if they think that the motion tracker is supposed to precisely pinpoint a location on a xeno or friendly. The MT just gives you an idea, just like in the films. (Remember the tension in operations when the xenos were closing on Ripley and company? The readings said the xenos were right inside the room, and they were, but the MT's could not tell the Marines that the xenos were right above them in the ceiling.) I think back on moments like that to help me with the immersion factor in the Aliens universe for this game.

In some ways, this game plays a lot like the Marine campaign in Rebellion Software's ALIENS VS PREDATOR. One of my favorite strategies in AvP was to hit a xeno with a melee attack, and then blast it with my pulse rifle. The sound of the pulse rifle firing in both games is exhilarating, and sort of helps immerse me in the Aliens universe.

My biggest hope was that if I could enjoy this as much as I enjoyed AvP, I'd feel like I got my money's worth.....so far, in that regard, I haven't been too disappointed.

Take this review with a grain of salt, I've only played a little ways into the game. I got the Collector's Edition, so I am enjoying using Ripley's Combo Pulse Rifle/Flamethrower, and am trying to get used to the Phased Plasma Rifle (which, if I am not mistaken, is taken from Alien Resurrection...although I was hoping for it to be more of a salute to one of James Cameron's other great works, Terminator 2.)

This game doesn't quite stack up to other FPS standards today, but it sure as hell plays much better than Duke Nukem Forever.

Blog Post: Don't play this if you're a fan of Aliens or planning on wasting money.

Skoomax — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 06:19:00 GMT

This game would have been '' OK '' if it came out back in 2008 but now It's 2013 and all I've got to say is ..

In Space, no one can hear you scream your money back.

Blog Post: Thrown Into a Pit of Fire

Ed — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:48:00 GMT

I can count on one hand the amount of times I have felt betrayed by a publisher or developer. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I see red. After all, I gave them my money, I supported them, and then they turn around and blindside me. I haven't felt betrayed since Sony lied on the front of the Vita's box about the free copy of Super Stardust Delta you would receive when you purchase the Vita, only to hide the fact that you actually need to sign up for 3G service first, spend $15, wait a month, and then receive your "free' game.

I went over a year without feeling betrayed, until Aliens: Colonial Marines dropped on to store shelves. Me, being the Aliens fan that I am, took Randy Pitchford at his word. When he showed us demos of the game looking gorgeous and fun, I believed him. When Gearbox released gorgeous photos of the game showing all types of awesome Alien kickassery, I believed him. When he raved about his studios game, and how true it was to the Alien universe, I believed him. I was a fool.

The game they actually released plays like Duke Nukem Forever in space. Which is sort of odd, since Duke Nukem Forever had an expansion that took place in space, and was astonishingly better than the dud Gearbox expects us to buy today. Aliens: Colonial Marines, is the epitome of a train wreck. From the second you put the game in your console or boot it up on your PC, you'll wonder why it looks like a 7 year old game. You'll question the audio designers decisions, and then question whether or not there actually was an audio designer, judging by the terrible sound effects, mixing, and everything in-between.

You'll question your sanity as you desperately try and shoot aliens who can move much faster than you can aim, and whom blend into the environments so well that trying to pick them out of the blacks and grays that dominate the game is almost impossible much of the time. You'll marvel at the last gen animations, the last gen lighting, and the last gen voice acting. You'll feel nothing as you pull the trigger and fire your pea shooter, and wonder how they managed to create the most underwhelming guns ever to grace a FPS.

For the entire 4 hours the game lasts, you'll never stop wondering and questioning everything you see and do in Colonial Marines. You won't be able to help it, just like I wasn't able to. You won't believe what you are seeing. For a game that took over half a decade to produce, the sheer lack in quality that encompasses every facet of this game is absolutely astonishing. It is like it was designed by a rookie team of college grads whose only experience with 3D games was playing a demo of Perfect Dark Zero.

Being disappointed is one thing. Being underwhelmed is another. Being lied to and sold a bill of goods is another. Aliens: Colonial Marines is one big fat lie. Nothing Gearbox has told you about this game is true. Nothing they have shown you is true. None of the pictures you have seen are true. Not even the videos. This is a last gen train wreck disguised as a modern video game, and it's a bad disguise at that. Gearbox should be ashamed of themselves, and Mr. Pitchford should apologize to fans. He shouldn't wait until he's sure everyone who was going to buy the game already has, he should do it now, right now.

We deserve and apology for being manipulated and lied to. And if his studio wants gamers to ever take them seriously again, he needs to do it ASAP. Mr. Pitchford, we are waiting...

Blog Post: What Happened?

Big Sister — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:32:00 GMT

When this game was announced, 7 years ago, I was beyond excited. I waited patiently. I played Aliens Vs Predator when it was released in hope that Colonial Marines would use the positives from the game and expand upon them while weeding out the negatives. I can say I was sadly mistaken. I just completed this piece if garbage and am left speechless. I almost bought this for full price but decided to rent it instead. I am so thankful I did. It took my 6 hours to complete and I can honestly say that it is one of the most poorly made games I have ever come in contact with. And I've beaten Two Worlds. This game is a joke. Everything about it is wretched. The voice acting, the story, the graphics, the sound, the design. The aliens aren't terrifying. The only thing that's scary is the fact that this game is so bad. Truly a disappointment. The co op can't make up for the fact that this game leaves the audience wondering what exactly happened to a game that had so much promise. Worth a 7 year wait? Nope. Not even close.

Blog Post: Why all the negative reviews?

Seveck — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:37:00 GMT

Im not too sure whats going on with all the review sites. Lots of negative reviews, 3's, 4's. Whats going on? Hell I think Aliens vs Predators (the newest one) got better reviews than this, and honestly I found that game worse than this. Me and a few of my friends pre ordered this game on PC and played through the whole thing on co-op and loved it. It was a great action filled game that brought back memories of the movie Aliens. All of the references to the movie were amazing and it kept me entertained for hours. Honestly I didnt see all the glitches or bad AI that the reviewers were talking about. I did notice a few bad graphic textures on a few objects but I think thats to be expected on release day. I also felt the game was challenging enough, especially on 4 player co-op. It seemed to get harder with more people, which made me happy. The customisable weapons and multiplayer characters were a very nice addition. The multiplayer was very enjoyable as well, after hopping on with my friends and playing the different game modes I was hooked. All in all I enjoyed this game alot, and I think it was a great improvement over the previous game, and I wish the professional game reviewers would have given it more of a chance.

Blog Post: Aliens: Colonial Marines. A disappointment? Yes. A 4/10? No.

Evan Thomas Boyette — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:33:00 GMT

Now with that said let me tell you what I think.

Now so far it may sound like I think this is the worst game ever, but things begin to look up with the multiplayer.

Blog Post: Not as bad as the reviews...

lamBATMAN — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:48:00 GMT

I have spent a couple hours in the campaign, and played a hand full of online. I have to say, this game is not as bad, or broken as most of these reviews suggest. I hardly ever let reviews make or break my game purchases, and I really don't understand why everyone is saying "oh I knew it was gonna suck!" etc etc, when they haven't even played it! By no means is it groundbreaking, or reinventing the wheel, but it's a fun shooter set in the Aliens universe. There was a day one update, which I'm sure took care of the issues mentioned in the reviews, such as bad AI, screen tearing, and glitches, which I have not encounteres any of that so far. Granted, the graphics aren't stellar, but they aren't as bad as some reviews suggest. That doesn't make or break a game in my opinion anyway, that's just an added bonus if it has amazing graphics. Look at Dishonored, that was an awesome game, but the graphics weren't mind shattering in that, just average.

So, decent campaign so far, from what I have played. Definitely has the Aliens vibe, and all sets and sounds are there. The multiplayer has potential, hopefully they add more maps and game modes soon. My one sole complaint with gameplay is playing as an alien/xenomorph in multiplayer. Maybe it's gonna take some getting used to, because you definitely have to use a different tactic, and possiby some leveling up, because they feel a little underpowered.

Anyway, that's pretty much my little review. It's not a groundbreaking shooter that does anything new, but it's a fun revisit to LV-426, and see a lot of things from the movie. If you are a fan of the movies I think you will like it, and it's a decent shooter. I think it's fun, and that' really all that matters in the end.

I give it a 7.5/10

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Blog Post: Worst game of this generation.

Forum Post: Re: review's of ALIEN game are unfair

Forum Post: Re: New Aliens game looks OK but... not good enough.

Blog Post: Micro changes in air density, my ass.

Wiki: Aliens: Colonial Marines Guides

Forum Post: Re: Stop bashing

Wiki Page: Aliens: Colonial Marines guide for PS 3 : Gameplay Collectibles and Walkthrough

Aliens: Colonial Marines - First Person Shooter PS3 Game

Aliens Colonial Marines Walkthrough

Table of Contents

Aliens Colonial Marines Walkthrough

Single Player

Multiplayer

Aliens: Colonial Marines Collectibles

Aliens: Colonial Marines Story-Related

Aliens: Colonial Marines Features:

Drop-in / Drop-out co-operative gameplay

Loadouts and upgrades

Marines

Xenomorphs

Remember the Fallen

I Heard THAT

I Like to Keep These Handy

Aliens: Colonial Marines Trophies

Blog Post: Aliens Colonial Marines PS3 Gameplay & Review

Aliens Colonial Marines

Blog Post: 4?.....Really?

Blog Post: An Express Elevator to Hell (and not in a good way)

Blog Post: Aliens: Colonial Mariens. A Dissapointment? Yes. A 4/10? No.

Blog Post: A slightly flawed game that's still really fun.

Blog Post: Movie games almost always disappoint

Blog Post: Not quite so bad...but have seen and played better

Blog Post: Don't play this if you're a fan of Aliens or planning on wasting money.

Blog Post: Thrown Into a Pit of Fire

Blog Post: What Happened?

Blog Post: Why all the negative reviews?

Blog Post: Aliens: Colonial Marines. A disappointment? Yes. A 4/10? No.

Blog Post: Not as bad as the reviews...