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Syd Mead Talks Aliens: Colonial Marines

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SFX Magazine has recently published an interview with conceptual designer & creator of the U.S.S. Sulaco, Syd Mead. In this new interview, the artist talks about his involvement with the soon-to-be-released videogame Aliens: Colonial Marines. You can click on the image below to read the full thing:

“The original design for Aliens of the Sulaco were the exterior, the mess, the drop ship bay and the weapons bay. Designs that were not used included a corridor, the dropship and assault tractor and the loader. I designed these but when the production went to Pinewood studios, those designs were done on site to satisfy limited budget considerations”.

Syd Mead Talks Aliens: Colonial Marines
Additionally, a small number of early reviews for Aliens: Colonial Marines have hit the net today. Find out what press and gamers think of Gearbox Software’s latest sci-fi action title below:

For an updated list on all new reviews for the game, please check this thread on the forums.


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Comments: 65
« Newer Comments 12 Older Comments »
  3. Syrath101
    Posted
    Quote from: Salt The Fries on Feb 12, 2013, 09:07:38 AM
    http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/02/12/aliens-colonial-marines-360ps3-review

    4.5/10 from IGN UK :D

    Here's their final verdict;

    Aliens: Colonial Marines looks like Aliens, and sounds like Aliens, but unfortunately it just doesn't feel like Aliens. Instead, it feels indistinguishable from almost every shooter you've played in the past twenty years. There are some feelings of nostalgia to be enjoyed, but it soon wears off and all that is left is some bog standard run 'n' gun action that brings little of note to the FPS table. Aliens: Colonial Marines has definitely been crafted with a lot of love for the franchise, it just needed a little more polish and a lot more imagination.
    Reply
  6. ikarop
    Posted
    http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3218425/aliens-colonial-marines-review-stay-frosty-and-alert/

    http://digitalgaudium.com/?p=11253

    http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/sega-alien-shooter/1227396p1.html

    http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/12/aliens-colonial-marines-buggy-hunt/

    http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/02/aliens-colonial-marines-review-xenophobia/

    http://www.nowgamer.com/xbox-360/xbox360-reviews/1799776/aliens_colonial_marines_review.html

    http://www.polygon.com/game/aliens-colonial-marines/3159

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-12-aliens-colonial-marines-review

    http://www.gamespot.com/aliens-colonial-marines/reviews/aliens-colonial-marines-review-6403640/

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2013/02/12/review-aliens-colonial-marines/
    Reply
  7. RagingDragon
    Posted
    I feel you dude, the money looks different once you've got kids. I hardly buy things for myself anymore, probably like most parents.

    I've made a special exception with this game, though, and oh how silently angry I'm sure I'll be. :laugh: But it's always more fun to dive into regrets with friends, so I'm glad to be feeding Pitchford's kids along with the other 30 people that will still buy the game come midnight!

    About 40 minutes left here! My regret generators are warming up as I type this.
    Reply
  8. Valaquen
    Posted
    Quote from: RagingDragon on Feb 12, 2013, 05:14:13 AM
    Redboxes are great, Val. Little robotic credit-card movie rental machines outside of gas stations, grocery stores, and fast food restaraunts. They just started getting games awhile back, too! Technically each rental is only about $1 a day, plus tax, and they charge you for however long you keep it until you've eventually paid for it if you never take it back.

    Great for small towns like mine, where all of the good old video stores went tits up thanks to Netflix, Amazon, etc... lol.
    Ah, I see. I'm in Scotland - I looked online and Redbox seems to be restricted to the US. I rely on Lovefilm to deliver games and I can stream movies too (like Netflix... but I think the catalogue is inferior). It beats blind buying, especially since money is tight.
    Reply
  9. Aceburster
    Posted
    I preordered it anyway. Most things ive read have to do with graffix and animations. I understand how thats a big deal for lots of people and its cool. I just wanna know that the gameplay is satisfying and the thing works correctly. AvP 2010 looked really nice but the gameplay for single/multi was paper thin. Still managed to enjoy that game somehow so no worries here. Yet...
    Reply
  10. RagingDragon
    Posted
    Redboxes are great, Val. Little robotic credit-card movie rental machines outside of gas stations, grocery stores, and fast food restaraunts. They just started getting games awhile back, too! Technically each rental is only about $1 a day, plus tax, and they charge you for however long you keep it until you've eventually paid for it if you never take it back.

    Great for small towns like mine, where all of the good old video stores went tits up thanks to Netflix, Amazon, etc... lol.
    Reply
  12. Krycek
    Posted
    Pass. I am so sick of developers of these titles professing their love of the source material then producing a fart of a game. I'm sorry but even a 7/10 should not be good enough for this fanbase.

    PS If you read the review from IT News Africa you will notice that it rarely contains anything positive at all. 7.9 out of 10 is a weird score considering how much they bash the game.
    Reply
  17. hfeldhaus
    Posted
    im gunna pick it up tomorrow, im not holding out for the campaign much but the MP looks so much better than AVP2010. seems they have the balancing right, at least from the videos i have seen. im predicting similar scores to AVP
    Reply
  19. Wobblyboddle77
    Posted
    I haven't been this conflicted about getting a game for ages, i didn't mind avp 2010 . I dunno about this one though, it looks decent but the overwhelming issues i'm reading about such as bugs and dodgy a.i. is putting me off.
    Reply
  25. Roargathor
    Posted
    Yeah, looks like this one is a dud guys.  I wasn't expecting the next best FPS experience.  I was just hoping the game would capture the feel of the movie we all love so much.  From what I've seen it seems to try harder than all other games we've had so far.  I'm still hopeful, but I fully expect this one to end up in the same bin as AVP2010.  Sega screwed over rebellion, and they will screw over Gearbox too. 
    Reply
  27. JayHy17
    Posted
    you know somethins wrong when the big dogs have not released reviews yet... no ign, no gametrailers, no gameinformer, no gamespot...    lets hope im wrong.   god damn it im nervous.   im gettin mine at midnight. i'll let you know around 2 a.m. how it is... (Central time  usa)
    Reply
  29. Jonesy23
    Posted
    I don't know, It's not as big of an issue with me as it may look in text, but I'm actually feeling for the xeno players on this one. If they don't do coordinated and sneak attacks, they go down pretty easily. It would just make the MP more fun overall. I really do hope the servers don't drop like AVP although I'm sure people will drop out eventually for nitpicky reasons but I still think we'll have a little more time with this MP.
    Reply
  31. Elicas
    Posted
    Quote from: Jonesy23 on Feb 11, 2013, 11:09:27 PM
    I've come to realize that the game has many flaws, but there are still fun things in it. The story may be crap and the AI is random but the MP is fun as long as it's played right and the controls feel really nice.

    Honestly. 100% honestly. How many matches do you think you'll get where the Aliens are played right? Maybe 50% while the population is at it's highest? Once the pop % tails off and you're struggling to find games (if this goes the way of AVP10) maybe 1 in 10 games?
    Reply
  32. Jonesy23
    Posted
    I've come to realize that the game has many flaws, but there are still fun things in it. The story may be crap and the AI is random but the MP is fun as long as it's played right and the controls feel really nice.
    Reply
  33. Njm1983
    Posted
    The reviews are already decidedly not on the good side, fanboys should just learn from their mistakes and take the rose tinted glasses off. Sorry its too hard for some of you, I paid $60 for AVP 2010, I chose not to go down that road with A:CM. Whats done is done, but I feel justified just seeing these super low reviews, and the general reactions from those who had the game early.
    Reply
  34. PRI. HUDSON
    Posted
    Quote from: Elicas on Feb 11, 2013, 10:15:51 PM
    Quote from: PRI. HUDSON on Feb 11, 2013, 09:41:08 PM
    Quote from: Bjørn Half-hand on Feb 11, 2013, 07:40:36 PM
    No doubt a whole bunch of people are going to totally ignore negative reviews, only take the positive from mixed reviews and praise the positive reviews, completely ignoring the games faults or making excuses for them, or simply saying ''never cared about graphics, story, AI, never thought it'd be best game ever, a 6 out of 10 game sounds good to me''. Oh the denial.
    The averge review score so far is 5.7 out of 10

    It's not denial. I never base AI in my score tally. I don't think the AI in Halo 4 is overly great at time. It's not stellar in ACIII either. Same with graphics. I am more about story, gameplay (SP and MP), replay value, sound, etc.

    You should always base AI in your score, it's the thing that makes the game re-playable. It doesn't matter how many shinies they put in a game, how good the gameplay is or whether the story could have been a novel best seller, if the AI you're up against is shit the whole thing falls down.

    It's like playing an RTS that only understands tank rushes, or playing a 4x game where the AI doesn't research or explore but only builds fleets, or playing the latest Madden where your opposition only knows one play, or playing Mortal Kombat and the AI only knows three move combos. Games flop without a good AI to run up against (unless of course they are dedicated MP only games), this game could have so many of it's bad points forgiven if it had given you authentic Aliens, moving in sneaky, smart and unbuggy ways.

    In a game like Madden I agree. But in Halo 4 I play more MP than anything else. AI is irrelevant at that point. Yes, in some games AI is crucial but in the games I own I don't find the AI to be exceptional in any of them.
    Reply
  35. OpenMaw
    Posted
    Quote from: Elicas on Feb 11, 2013, 10:15:51 PM
    It's like playing an RTS that only understands tank rushes, or playing a 4x game where the AI doesn't research or explore but only builds fleets, or playing the latest Madden where your opposition only knows one play, or playing Mortal Kombat and the AI only knows three move combos. Games flop without a good AI to run up against (unless of course they are dedicated MP only games), this game could have so many of it's bad points forgiven if it had given you authentic Aliens, moving in sneaky, smart and unbuggy ways.


    I could even forgive the cannon fodder nature of the aliens. If their AI didn't VISIBLY bug out constantly.
    Reply
  36. Jonesy23
    Posted
    Enemy AI really is important. It's the reason I had such an issue with games like Crysis 2 and Black Ops 2 mostly because the AI in those games were random. One moment the enemies will let you walk right up to them and put a bullet in their head, but then you get enemies that not only do what they're supposed to, but they do it too well and become annoying. It seems like A:CM is heading in this direction, but I can't be sure.
    Reply
  37. Elicas
    Posted
    Quote from: PRI. HUDSON on Feb 11, 2013, 09:41:08 PM
    Quote from: Bjørn Half-hand on Feb 11, 2013, 07:40:36 PM
    No doubt a whole bunch of people are going to totally ignore negative reviews, only take the positive from mixed reviews and praise the positive reviews, completely ignoring the games faults or making excuses for them, or simply saying ''never cared about graphics, story, AI, never thought it'd be best game ever, a 6 out of 10 game sounds good to me''. Oh the denial.
    The averge review score so far is 5.7 out of 10

    It's not denial. I never base AI in my score tally. I don't think the AI in Halo 4 is overly great at time. It's not stellar in ACIII either. Same with graphics. I am more about story, gameplay (SP and MP), replay value, sound, etc.

    You should always base AI in your score, it's the thing that makes the game re-playable. It doesn't matter how many shinies they put in a game, how good the gameplay is or whether the story could have been a novel best seller, if the AI you're up against is shit the whole thing falls down.

    It's like playing an RTS that only understands tank rushes, or playing a 4x game where the AI doesn't research or explore but only builds fleets, or playing the latest Madden where your opposition only knows one play, or playing Mortal Kombat and the AI only knows three move combos. Games flop without a good AI to run up against (unless of course they are dedicated MP only games), this game could have so many of it's bad points forgiven if it had given you authentic Aliens, moving in sneaky, smart and unbuggy ways.
    Reply
  38. Jonesy23
    Posted
    I don't think a lot of people are in denial, I think they're just like me in wanting to have a go at it for themselves before they critique it. I've really never cared about graphics though, but I will admit the story is spotty in a lot of places and the game has some bugs that will likely be fixed overtime.
    Reply
  39. PRI. HUDSON
    Posted
    Quote from: Bjørn Half-hand on Feb 11, 2013, 07:40:36 PM
    No doubt a whole bunch of people are going to totally ignore negative reviews, only take the positive from mixed reviews and praise the positive reviews, completely ignoring the games faults or making excuses for them, or simply saying ''never cared about graphics, story, AI, never thought it'd be best game ever, a 6 out of 10 game sounds good to me''. Oh the denial.
    The averge review score so far is 5.7 out of 10

    It's not denial. I never base AI in my score tally. I don't think the AI in Halo 4 is overly great at time. It's not stellar in ACIII either. Same with graphics. I am more about story, gameplay (SP and MP), replay value, sound, etc.
    Reply
  41. Elicas
    Posted
    Quote from: Jonesy23 on Feb 11, 2013, 09:29:49 PM
    It's two 7's against a 5 and a 4 so far. I'd say that sounds like a good count so far. I always remain positive until I actually have it in my hands. Sure, it's lead to games like Raccoon City being in my possession but hey you only know if you like something if you try it first.

    Ikarops main post shows a four, five, six and a seven, with one bad review with no score. Not two sevens. That's far from a good count.
    Reply
  42. Jonesy23
    Posted
    It's two 7's against a 5 and a 4 so far. I'd say that sounds like a good count so far. I always remain positive until I actually have it in my hands. Sure, it's lead to games like Raccoon City being in my possession but hey you only know if you like something if you try it first.
    Reply
  45. Samus007
    Posted
    Quote from: Elicas on Feb 11, 2013, 08:01:29 PM
    Not because we wanted to believe it might be good, but because it f**king damn well should be great! One of the best sci fi horror/action franchises in the history of cinema, and we can't get a decent game for it in nearly 12 years or a decent film for it in the best part of 20 years now?

    Seriously, this should be a f**king goldmine of awesome gaming, it's a tragedy that it isn't.

    Agreed.

    Just saw this on IGN: "Aliens: Colonial Marines hits stores tomorrow. Look out for IGN's review at 1:00 a.m. Pacific"
    Reply
  50. Elicas
    Posted
    Not because we wanted to believe it might be good, but because it f**king damn well should be great! One of the best sci fi horror/action franchises in the history of cinema, and we can't get a decent game for it in nearly 12 years or a decent film for it in the best part of 20 years now?

    Seriously, this should be a f**king goldmine of awesome gaming, it's a tragedy that it isn't.
    Reply
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