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Aliens: Colonial Marines Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Aliens: Colonial Marines Preview for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

In Search Of Ellen Ripley

It’s been a long road for Aliens: Colonial Marines. The Alien franchise has been in turmoil for years, a previous attempt to create a game by this name fell flat on its face, and developer Gearbox had to delay the release a few times. But at last we’re about a month from watching the title hit shelves, and this is one of the year’s most promising action games.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Screenshot

20th Century Fox considers Colonial Marines an official part of the Alien/Aliens canon; the game is a sequel to Aliens , though it takes place following the events of Alien 3 . In the story mode, which will last ten hours or so, you play as Cpl. Christopher Winter, part of a group of Marines who have been sent to the Sulaco to investigate the disappearance of Ellen Ripley and her companions. The full story arc is not yet known, but it’s a safe bet that the investigators quickly become Xenomorph targets.

First-person shooters are not exactly known for their well-thought-out plots, but this promises to be an exception. Not only does this game have the rare honor to be considered canon, but writing duties were handled by a team including Battlestar Galactica scribes Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. Gearbox also met with Ridley Scott to discuss the recent Alien prequel Prometheus , so there may be tie-ins on that front as well. Actors including Michael Biehn (Hicks), Al Matthews (Apone), and Lance Henriksen (Bishop) will reprise their movie roles. Colonial Marines won’t just profit from the rich Alien universe, in other words—the game will become a core part of it.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Screenshot

The developers have also gone to great lengths to recreate the world seen in the movies, in particular the Sulaco , Hadley’s Hope, and the LV-426; they even enlisted the help of Syd Mead, who worked on Aliens . The alien species, such as the Queen, facehuggers, runners, and so on, all make an appearance, along with a fast and powerful species known as crushers. And of course, no Aliens game would be complete without an arsenal of flamethrowers, pulse rifles, smart guns, arc welders, etc.

A good story and fidelity to the source material are nice, but it will take captivating gameplay to make Colonial Marines worthwhile. This will be a first-person shooter with survival-horror elements, and while the developers have scrapped the idea of using squad commands, the combat will still require solid tactics thanks to complex A.I. Smaller aliens will flank you, facehuggers will attack out of nowhere, and runners will hang back and wait for the perfect moment. You can use a motion detector to find enemies, but only if you have your weapon holstered. The game will also feature an extensive upgrade system.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Screenshot

By and large, there will be two types of single-player gameplay. In one, you’ll need to make your way from Point A to Point B without getting killed, covering all sorts of terrain from cramped hallways to wide-open spaces. In the other, you’ll need to hold down a location while hordes of aliens attack, a situation that requires solid strategy. This means deploying turrets, working together with your teammates, welding doors shut to keep the invaders at bay, and, of course, shooting accurately. Both mission styles should lend themselves to plenty of white-knuckle tension.

Colonial Marines will also place a strong emphasis on multiplayer. The developers promise drop-in/drop-out co-op for up to four people, and there will also be a competitive mode that allows players to assume the role of Xenomorphs, who are controlled from a third-person perspective and can climb walls. This mode sounds similar to Primal Carnage, a multiplayer shooter that pits humans against dinosaurs.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Screenshot

Colonial Marines promises cutting-edge graphics as well. The folks at Gearbox have been keeping tabs on the competition, especially the Dead Space franchise, and have created a new rendering engine to ensure the proper lighting effects. The early screenshots look terrific—though some who’ve played the game complain about spotty textures—and there will be no HUD blocking your view.

Colonial Marines is set for release February 12, making it an ideal Valentine’s Day gift (maybe not), and it will appear on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and intriguingly the Wii U. (The use of the Gamepad’s screen should be interesting.) Given Gearbox’s track record (Borderlands), the immense amount of lore the game will add to the Alien universe, and the solid action mechanics underlying the gameplay, we’re excited about this one—and you should be too.

Game Features:

  • Get tooled up with classic Marine weapons including pulse rifles, sentry turrets, arc welders, motion trackers, flame-throwers, powerloaders, and more.
  • Explore environments inspired by the film series, including Hadley’s Hope, the Sulaco, LV-426, and others.
  • The whole campaign can be played with a squad of up to four players, dropping in and out as necessary.
  • An extensive upgrade system, including perks, new weapons, and new looks for your squad, allows players to customize their characters to play the way they want.
  • 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.

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