Aliens: Colonial Marines Cheats & Secrets for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360

Sega and Gearbox’s Aliens: Colonial Marines is a 2013 first-person shooter utilizing the Alien license. The game takes place shortly after the events of the franchise’s first sequel, 1986’s Aliens from director James Cameron, and acts as a story to bridge the events of the second and third films in the series. The title was initially announced in 2007 following a deal between Sega and 20th Century Fox to produce games based on the Alien franchise. After that initial announcement, Colonial Marines would suffer several major delays and a turbulent development, with main studio Gearbox eventually sub-contracting other developers to work on the game so it could focus on Borderlands 2 and the also-maligned Duke Nukem Forever. The title was eventually released on February 12, 2013 to mixed critical reception.

One of the major controversies surrounding Colonial Marines was the discrepancy between the preview footage and the finished product, pointing to Gearbox and Sega potentially misleading consumers regarding the game’s visuals and performance. Additionally, the game would be subject to several major errors in its code. One of these errors would end up significantly impacting combat by breaking enemy AI. Aliens: Colonial Marines’ negative critical reception would ultimately translate into low sales for the title. That said, Gearbox would deliver on a promised DLC that further connects Colonial Marines to the events of 1986’s Aliens, and the PC community for the game would eventually develop mods that fix most of the retail release’s major issues.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Premise

The story of Aliens: Colonial Marines picks up not long after the conclusion to the Alien franchise’s second film, Aliens. Following the disaster at Hadley’s Hope and the Xenomorph infestation, the surviving Colonial Marines try to retreat to the Sulaco to signal for help. Another platoon of Colonial Marines picks up on the signal, heading out to investigate and rescue any potential survivors. Not long after arriving on the Sulaco, apparent sabotage causes the investigating marines to become separated, with commanding officer Captain Cruz guiding the player character, Corporal Christopher Winter, as he tries to survive against the deadly Xenomorphs.

In terms of gameplay, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a first-person shooter with some light RPG and survival horror elements. PLayers fight against standard Xenomorph aliens, the larval Facehuggers, and even non-alien enemies such as androids and Weyland-Yutani security forces. Players can earn experience to level up their marine and also collect upgrades for weapons. Upgrading weapons results in them having improved power, ammo capacity, and fire rate, and players can choose which weapons to upgrade based on their playstyle. The game features a Campaign mode with 11 missions split into different sections with combat, puzzles, and story-based objectives. Aliens: Colonial Marines also features a multiplayer mode in which players can control either Marines or Xenomorphs. Colonial Marines‘ Campaign is fully playable in 4-player co-op.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Main Characters

The story of Aliens: Colonial Marines picks up just 17 weeks after the events of Aliens. Picking up on the distress signal from the Sulaco following the events on Hadley’s Hope, a new platoon of Colonial Marines arrives to investigate. Of course, things immediately go awry in spectacular fashion, leading to a desperate bid for survival against the deadly Xenomorphs still infesting the ship. The game’s proximity to the events of the 1986 film results in several characters returning in Colonial Marines. Other than returning characters, there are a brand new group of Colonial Marines at play in the game’s story, including the player character, Corporal Christopher Winter. Main characters in Aliens: Colonial Marines include:

Heroes

• Christopher Winter: The main protagonist and player character from Aliens: Colonial Marines, Cpl. Winter is a member of the Colonial Marines sent to investigate the Sulaco following the events on Hadley’s Hope depicted in the film Aliens. He eventually takes the fight straight to Weyland-Yutani following the revelation that the corporation willingly put colonists in harm’s way to study the Xenomorph.
• Captain Cruz: Captain Cruz is the commanding officer of the platoon sent to investigate the Sulaco. He becomes separated from the rest of the platoon, taking refuge in the Hadley’s Hope colony on LV-426.
• Bishop: The android serving along with the platoon of Colonial Marines from Aliens, Bishop returns to aid Winter and his allies in Aliens: Colonial Marines. He is played by Lance Henrikson in Aliens (1986).
• Dwayne Hicks: The acting commanding officer of the mission to Hadley’s Hope following the demise of Sgt. Apoc, Dwayne Hicks is one of the surviving Colonial Marines from the events of Aliens. He is portrayed by Michael Behn in the film.

Villains

• Xenomorph: The titular aliens from which the franchise gets its name. The Xenomorph are ultra-deadly predators that exhibit evolutionary qualities of being perfect killing machines. Xenomorphs are sleek and ultra-fast and bleed acid for blood. The larval form of the Xenomorph, dubbed “Facehuggers”, seek out human hosts to reproduce. After attacking a human victim, the Facehugger lays eggs inside their chest cavity only for the Xenomorph to violently emerge later.
• Michael Weyland: The acting head of the Weyland-Yutani corporation. He actively interferes with the investigation of the Sulaco and Hadley’s Hope to protect the company’s investment in the Xenomorph as a potential bio-weapon.

Games Using the Alien License

The Alien franchise continues to be one of the more iconic science fiction and horror film franchises, with the license carrying across to comics, video games, and more. For as long as the Alien films have existed, there have been video games taking place in the Alien universe. The earliest of these date back to the Atari 2600, arriving not long after the original film’s release. The resurgence of home consoles in the West in the mid-1980s coincides with the release of the first sequel, James Cameron’s Aliens, resulting in another wave of games taking influence from the films. Aliens: Colonial Marines would receive plenty of hype as a game telling the story bridging Aliens and Alien 3, but arguably the best game using the Alien license would arrive a year later with Alien: Isolation. Games utilizing the Alien license include:

• Alien (Atari 2600, 1982)
• Aliens: The Computer Game (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, 1986)
• Aliens: Alien 2 (MSX, 1987)
• Aliens (Arcade, 1990)
• Alien 3 (NES, SNES, Genesis, 1993)
• Alien Trilogy (PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 1996)
• Alien Resurrection (PlayStation, 2000)
• Aliens: Thanatos Encounter (Game Boy Color, 2001)
• Aliens: Infestation (Nintendo DS, 2011)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 2013)
• Alien: Isolation (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, 2014)
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2021)
• Aliens: Dark Descent (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2023)
• Aliens: Rogue Incursion (PC, PS5, 2024)

Aliens: Colonial Marines Cheats & Secrets

Unfortunately for console players, the PC version of Aliens: Colonial Marines is the only one that supports cheats. These cheats are not officially supported but instead made possible through the use of a cheat engine and trainer files. Other than the PC version’s cheat and mod compatibility, there are still some secrets to uncover and achievements to earn. These remain standard across all versions of the game.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Secrets

Easy XP

Earning XP is a critical element of Aliens: Colonial Marines. Not only does earning XP improve character level, it also contributes toward several of the Campaign mode’s Challenges that earn players Commendations. There is a spot in the 10th mission of Aliens: Colonial Marines that players can repeat to earn easy XP quickly.

In the “Reclaimed” mission, when the objective is “Destroy the AA guns (3 of 3)”, you will reach a point where a soldier is using a flamethrower to burn an alien. You will see “Checkpoint Reached” appear on the left side of the screen. In this area, go down the hill and kill all enemies. After, reload the checkpoint, repeating this sequence as many times as desired. This is a quick and easy way to earn roughly 6,000 XP every hour.

Unlocking the “Easter Egg” Achievement

The description for the “Easter Egg” achievement/trophy is fairly vague. To make matters worse, there are several Easter Eggs in Aliens: Colonial Marines, making it somewhat confusing how to earn the achievement. Thankfully, players can easily unlock this achievement early on in Aliens: Colonial Marines‘ Campaign.

During the “Battle for Sulaco” mission, open the door with the loader and keep going until you reach the dark area with the Facehuggers. Kill the Facehuggers. After, continue moving through the area and look for a blue glowing switch. Activate the switch and then go back into the room where you came from. You should notice that a new door has opened. There are four painted alien Easter Eggs inside the room. Enter the room to get the “Easter Egg” achievement.

Legendary Weapon Locations

Players can find six hidden legendary weapons belonging to characters from James Cameron’s Aliens in Aliens: Colonial Marines. However, these legendary weapons cannot be upgraded. As a result, many standard weapons eventually become more powerful than their legendary counterparts.

Hick’s Shotgun

In Level 1, while exploring the gravity well with O’Neal, you will eventually reach the top floor where several aliens will attack. Kill them and explore the nearby rooms before meeting up with O’Neal. After meeting up with O’Neal, you will need to defend him from alien attacks while the door is opened. Check out the side rooms on this floor to find armor and the legendary weapon. Hick’s Shotgun has a faster rate of fire and increased firepower.

Gorman’s Pistol

In Level 4, while exploring the tunnels with O’Neal, you will eventually reach a door you must cut open to continue. O’Neal will wait beside the door. Instead of cutting it open, check out the path to his left and look for a table at the base of the steps with the legendary weapon on it. Gorman’s Pistol has increased firepower.

Hudson’s Pulse Rifle

In Level 5, once you find the elevator, you will ride it up to meet with O’Neal and reclaim your weapons. Go straight after O’Neal opens the door, checking the offices to find the legendary weapon on the floor. Hudson’s Pulse Rifle features increased firepower, increased accuracy, and double ammo capacity.

Vasquez’s Smartgun

In Level 6, after retrieving the enemy personnel at the end of the level, you will have to fight some soldiers in an outside area. After entering the next building, go down the stairs and open the door. Look in the left corner of the next room to find the legendary weapon. Vasquez’s Smartgun has increased firepower.

Vasquez’s Pistol

In Level 9, just as you enter the interior of Hadley’s Hope, turn left and explore the path to find a room with extra armor and a legendary weapon. Vasquez’s Pistol features increased firepower and increased rate of fire.

Frost’s Flamethrower

In Level 10, during the objective to destroy the third AA gun, you can find a container with a rocket launcher. Look around inside the same container to find the legendary weapon. Frost’s Flamethrower has increased firepower over the standard model.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Cheats for PC

The only version of Aliens: Colonial Marines that supports cheats is the PC version. PC users can download and install a third-party cheat engine along with a trainer file here. The Aliens: Colonial Marines trainer file includes the following cheat options:

• Infinite Health
• Infinite Armor
• One-Hit Kills
• Set Game Speed
• Infinite Ammo
• Infinite Secondary Ammo
• Infinite Grenades
• No Reload

Aliens: Colonial Marines Achievements/Trophies

Players can unlock the following trophies/achievements for Aliens: Colonial Marines by completing certain conditions during gameplay. Note that the PS3 version has an exclusive Platinum Trophy for collecting all other Trophies.

Base Game Trophies

Stasis Interrupted DLC Achievements/Trophies

Aliens: Colonial Marines Cheat FAQs

How many levels are in Aliens: Colonial Marines?

The story campaign of Aliens: Colonial Marines contains 11 missions. The game takes place following the events of James Cameron’s Aliens, confronting both Xenomorphs and Weiland-Yutani employees. The entire campaign is playable in co-op with up to 4 players.

How long to beat Aliens: Colonial Marines?

The standard campaign of Aliens: Colonial Marines will take most players around 7-10 hours to complete. Additionally, if players have the Colonial Marines collection that includes the Stasis Interrupted DLC, they can expect an additional 2-3 hours of story gameplay. To fully complete everything Aliens: Colonial Marines has to offer and collect all achievements, players can expect to spend roughly 25 hours.

What is the ‘code error’ in Aliens: Colonial Marines?

The enemy AI in Aliens: Colonial Marines is one of many factors contributing to the game’s negative critical reception. Rather than acting as the deadly predators they are in the film franchise, Aliens: Colonial Marines‘ Xenomorphs run directly into the line of fire and are little more than cannon fodder. This is actually the result of an error in a line of the game’s code. The code string that determines the Xenomorph behavior is supposed to have the word “tether” in it, with the tether determining the in-game area the aliens move around in. The word is misspelled as “teather”, resulting in the Xenomorph behavior being broken.

What is the mod that fixes Aliens: Colonial Marines?

User TemplarGFX’s Overhaul mod for Aliens: Colonial Marines is recognized as an essential component for playing the game on PC. Not only does this mod fix the above “tether” error in the game’s code, but it also improves the visuals, performance, and other areas of weakness in the retail release. Unfortunately, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners do not have access to the mod. Accordingly, the PC version of Aliens: Colonial Marines the best way to play the game.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Aliens: Colonial Marines key art.