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Aliens: Colonial Marines

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Aliens: Colonial Marines
File:Aliens CM.jpg
Developer(s)Gearbox Software TimeGate Studios[1]
Publisher(s)Sega
EngineRed Ring[2] engine
(Unreal Engine 3 with a new renderer)[3]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Nintendo 3DS[4][5]
PlayStation 3
Wii U[6]
Xbox 360
ReleaseMarch 31, 2012[citation needed]
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer, cooperative gameplay

Aliens: Colonial Marines is an upcoming video game in development by Gearbox Software and is to be published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360. The game is a first-person shooter based on the characters and creatures of the Alien franchise, particularly the film Aliens.

Gameplay

File:Alienscolonialmarines1.jpg
The player issuing squad commands to a team. The game lacks a HUD, but has a motion tracker to indicate enemy movement.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a squad-based first-person shooter in which the player controls four Colonial Marines, each with a different personality and primary weapon. Each player character can carry additional weapons including a flamethrower, pulse rifle, smartgun, pistol, RPG, and many types of grenades.[8]

The player controls one marine at a time, issues orders to the others using context-sensitive commands, and may switch between characters at any time.[9] The player will also occasionally be required to control a particular location, using tactical positioning and turrets to fend off attacks.[9] Aliens: Colonial Marines will have no HUD to provide the player with onscreen information.[10]

The primary enemies of the game are Xenomorphs which will generally attempt to sneak up on or outflank the player, forcing the player to use tactical combat to confront them. Several different types of Aliens will appear and will attack differently. Facehuggers will attempt to attach themselves to the player character's face, implanting an embryo inside them which will then kill them. "Warrior" Aliens are the primary enemies and are based primarily on the appearance of the Alien in Aliens. "Runners" are faster and will spy on the player characters' activities. They will work in small groups or alone. These Aliens will be based on the appearance seen in Alien 3. "Drones" primarily carry and position eggs and work in the heart of the Hive serving the Queen; they were originally going to be in Aliens along with the "Warriors". An Alien queen will also appear as a "boss" enemy.[11] Quick time events will be used for one-on-one combat between the player characters and Aliens. The Aliens will occasionally flee rather than attack when confronted by more than one marine. Quick time events are also the primary mechanic when the player is attacked by a facehugger.

Multiplayer

The game will allow two players to play cooperatively on the same console, using a split screen to show the two perspectives. Online multiplayer will allow up to four players to play cooperatively, each using their own console and screen.[12][13] Competitive multiplayer modes have been announced, but the development team has discussed the possibility of competitive online play based on the "Gloom" mod of Quake II.[10]

Story

The story of Aliens: Colonial Marines is being written by Battlestar Galactica writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle.[14] The events of the game are set between those of the films Aliens and Alien 3.[15] A Colonial Marine search and rescue team has been sent to investigate the U.S.S. Sulaco in search of Ellen Ripley, Corporal Dwayne Hicks, and the rest of the missing marines who were dispatched to LV-426. The Sulaco, LV-426, and the derelict alien spacecraft from Alien all serve as environments in the game, as well as other locations yet to be detailed.[16][17]

Development

File:Aliens- Colonial Marines.jpg
A preview screenshot of the cancelled 2001 Aliens: Colonial Marines for the PlayStation 2.

A previous game titled Aliens: Colonial Marines was developed by Check Six Games and was to be published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, but was cancelled before its release. A more traditional first-person shooter, it shared the same subject matter and setting as the upcoming Gearbox-developed game. Its story was to be set between the events of Aliens and Alien 3, concerning a rescue team of Colonial Marines searching for the Sulaco. Despite the similarities in gameplay and story, however, Gearbox has claimed that their upcoming game is unrelated to this early version.[18][19]

On December 11, 2006, Sega announced they had purchased the electronic rights to the Alien franchise from 20th Century Fox.[20] On December 15, Gearbox Software and Sega announced that they were working on a completely new game based on the franchise.[17] In February 2008 the game's title was officially announced as Aliens: Colonial Marines and it was featured as the cover story of Game Informer magazine.[18]

The development team took great pains to recreate the vehicles and settings of the films by using original set designs to recreate the exterior and interior of the Sulaco and LV-426.[17] Concept artist Syd Mead, who had worked on Aliens, was hired to design areas of the Sulaco that did not appear in the film but would be used in the game.[13]

A Shacknews article dated November 21, 2008, reported that the Aliens: Colonial Marines game had been delayed, supposedly because of layoffs at Gearbox Software. However, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford insisted that development on the game continues.[21]

According to a Kotaku article, Sega said that their new Aliens vs. Predator game is to be released in early 2010 would be the first of their Aliens games to be released, meaning that Aliens: Colonial Marines will be sometime afterwards.[22]

At the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), Gearbox showed five new screenshots and stated that the game remains a priority for them.[23][24]

In the beginning of June 2011, Gearbox unveiled a teaser trailer and officially announced that Colonial Marines would be presented on E3 2011 and that the game is expected to be released in spring 2012.[25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318736/
  2. ^ Seid, Kurtis. "E3 2011: Aliens: Colonial Marines Demo Preview". GameSpot.
  3. ^ Nelson, Mike. "E3 2011: Aliens: Colonial Marines is the Game Gearbox Was Born to Make". 1up.
  4. ^ "Aliens Coming To DS". Official Nintendo Magazine.
  5. ^ Thorsen, Tor. "Aliens: Colonial Marines still alive, DS edition planned". GameSpot.
  6. ^ "E3 2011: Aliens: Colonial Marines Confirmed for Wii U". IGN. 2011-08-06. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  7. ^ url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110550-Sega-Clears-Aliens-Colonial-Marines-For-2012%7Cpublisher=The Escapist|accessdate=June 1, 2011|date=June 1, 2011
  8. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 49
  9. ^ a b Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 51
  10. ^ a b Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 53
  11. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 54
  12. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 52
  13. ^ a b Official Xbox Magazine, Issue 86, August 2008, p. 32.
  14. ^ Aliens: Colonial Marines in late 2008, 4-player co-op. Joystiq.com, February 21, 2008.
  15. ^ Gies, Arthur, [1], "E3 2011: Aliens: Colonial Marines - Love and a Power Loader," 8 June 2011
  16. ^ Sefton, Jamie (2008-04-03). "First look: We're on an express elevator to hell". CVG. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  17. ^ a b c Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 47
  18. ^ a b Game Informer March Cover Revealed. GameInformer.com, February 13, 2008.
  19. ^ Game Informer, March 2008, Issue 79, p. 55
  20. ^ var Matt Wales (2006-12-11). "SEGA Hunts Down Alien, ''IGN UK''". Xbox360.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  21. ^ Breckon, Nick. "Sources: Gearbox Shelves Aliens Title Amid Layoffs (Updated)". Shacknews.
  22. ^ Fahey, Mike. "Aliens Fight Predators Again In 2010". Kotaku.
  23. ^ "A Brief, Surprise Glimpse At Aliens Colonial Marines". Kotaku.
  24. ^ "Gearbox Software Acquires Rights To Entire Duke Nukem Franchise, Free Level Cap Upgrade For Borderlands". G4tv.
  25. ^ "Aliens: Colonial Marines shipping Spring 2012 and will be at E3 + Teaser Trailer - Gearbox Software Forums". Gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  26. ^ Aliens Colonial Marines: Teaser Trailer on YouTube
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