11 Minute Look at ALIENS: Colonial Marines - E3 2011

[Thedus]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7xFSYsy0rk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7xFSYsy0rk</a>

This is a little late in posting (almost 2.5 months), so I apologize if this isn't news to everyone.  I came across this on PSN last night, and thought I'd share this with the good folks here at AXP and the ALIENS community at large.  Especially since this particular video hasn't been shown here yet - to my knowledge. (...and no, I'm not leaving out you PREDATOR fans, but this is related to an ALIENS game - so just stick with me.)

Anyway, here is an 11 minute clip from E3 2011 - dating back to October.  Some of the footage is not new - it's been previewed elsewhere, but on a whole I rather enjoyed this, and it actually made me excited about the game.  ...I know.  I haven't exactly been chomping at the bit over this release, but after downloading it from PSN and seeing some of the game play at the size it would be on my TV, and not as a little YouTube video, it was pretty damned awesome.  ...Ironically that's what I've linked here: a little YouTube video.  But I encourage you to find this on PSN or XBox Live (I'm not positive it's available on XBox Live, but since the game is slated for release on that console I'd wager the video is available on that network too).

Some of Randy Pitchford's comments are little hammy, and he's obviously playing up the level of excitement to get people wrapped-up in the hype, but I found the video to be a relatively fun experience into what we can expect from the game.  Also keeping in mind that the gameplay that is demo'd is still from a work in progress is pretty cool.  Seeing this full-size on your TV really shows some of the nuances of texture, light, rigging, and particle dynamics - which, even at the WIP stage, are well handled.  And if this video footage is from a WIP then some of these will only get tighter by release date.

I'm not going to buy into this being a true sequel to the film until I play this.  As far as I'm concerned A3 is a great sequel, and if the continuity of the story line in film  is disrupted to make this game work as a sequel then this will exist only as a "what if" scenario only. ...besides, I have a hard time seeing video games as a true sequel to a film anyway.  But regardless of that - this looks like it may be more fun than I was giving it credit for.

So, with all of that said, check out the YouTube video.  As I said, I suggest you find this on PSN or XBox Live and see it full size.

[Hudson]

First of all, the environments look amazing. Incredible, especially when the Aliens first attack in the ops room with it's glowing red lights. Straight out of the movie, not much left in the development department in that area.

They need to work on some animations for the FPS elements such as the motion tracker and weapons being completely still on screen. Some movement would be appreciated.

Also, again, the sequence of an Alien attacking the player, throwing him down about thirty feet, and then getting knocked away with a shotgun is bullshit. The Marine wouldn't have survived the fall. The Alien would've killed him if he'd lived. And if he'd had a chance to shoot it the blood would have killed him. 

On the complaint people have voiced on not being able to sight in with the pulse rifle:

I never saw anyone do it in Aliens, so keeping with the spirit of the film (which wasn't tactically accurate at all, don't even try me) it makes sense. It keeps things paced faster and more tense. When Aliens attack, you don't have time to get a proper sight picture with a rifle, you just start shooting. Since this isn't a tactical or squad based game then it makes sense not to include that element. And if they include it in the final version, so be it. It'll just slow things down.

[severen76]

I'd like the option to use the sights. I hated not being able to in avp, you don't get a lot of ammo and you use most of it shooting near the aliens.

[SM]

Saw this when it first came out.  I reckon it'd be great fun to play - but the whole premise of Hadley's Hope surviving and still having power no less, is laughably idiotic.  And their explanations for it's survival are just insulting.

If they wanted to replicate the second film in video game format - then they should've done just that (like how they made a game out of Resurrection).  If they could've got Biehn, Paxton, Goldstein, Mathews et al to do voices imagine how awesome that would've been?  And you could've played out the film the way you wanted.  Like the Leading Edge board game where those who survive the sub level battle, can fight another day.

[Hudson]

That's pretty much been my dream game...forever. It'd be excellent with the first film as well. Pretty tense if they could master it and make it extremely hard to find and kill the Alien.

[BlackWatch]

Saw this when it first came out.  I reckon it'd be great fun to play - but the whole premise of Hadley's Hope surviving and still having power no less, is laughably idiotic.  And their explanations for it's survival are just insulting.

I had a pretty good rant about all of that when this first came out. If I wasn't so lazy I'd go find it and paste it in here. But you've basically given my Cliff Notes version of it.

[Limited Vertigo]

Meh...I'm still hoping for a survival horror type game taking place on the Nostromo with no guns.

[deezelboy]

I'd be quite happy with guns and an easy to kill Alien. Killing it wouldn't be a problem. Surviving the hull breach after you've killed it would be.

Aliens: Colonial Marines: Alright, marines! Proceed down the invisible corridor to your stated objective and keep your eyes peeled for scripted events.

[Hudson]

Well, I'm just glad the speculation is over and the damn game is finally getting released.

[Hieronymus]

Now that I think about it, it's been in development almost as long as Duke Nukem Forever, hasn't it?

[Thedus]

I don't think the squad-based Colonial Marines that was in development in the early 2000's is the same game.  I think they share the same name, but that's about it.

I tend to be more forgiving of issues like Hadley's Hope still standing in a video game than if it were done in a film.  So that doesn't really bug me.  What will bug me is if the game blow's its wad in the first 30 minutes and then just becomes more of the same as it progresses.

I agree with Hudson - the environments look fantastic - especially full-size.

[SM]

To be honest I'm more pissed at their fucktarded explanations for Hadley being there then anything else.  I didn't really have an issue with the Derelict still being there in AvP or Infestation (magically repaired no less) - but don't insult my intelligence.

[Hieronymus]

Refresh my memory - what was their explanation?  I think we discussed here that if the important parts of the AP were underground, then the blast would have been channeled mostly upward, likely severely damaging the colony and killing anyone left inside but leaving large parts of the structure intact.  I don't think I've ever heard an explanation from official sources, though.

[BountyHunter]

Yeah, what was the explanation?  I'm curious now.

[beckmen]

I don't think there was one, other than fanwank.

I dunno, maybe Bishop forgot to carry the one. Overestimated the destruction.