After over six years of waiting, Aliens Colonial Marines is finally released today in America, UK and Australia for PS3, X360 and PC formats. The game is available in a Regular Edition as well as a more expensive Collector’s Edition which includes a Power Loader figurine, a USCM Dossier and exclusive in-game content. The Wii U version will follow at some point in the near future.
So what did you think of the game? Loved it? Hated it? Tell us what you thought in the Fan Reviews topic and of course be sure to visit the Aliens Colonial Marines forum this week. We’ll be working on our review of the game as well as a few other articles and features.
Ah i read this the other day and it was very well done.(good blog BTW Valaquen)
People don't seem to realize that GBX kept shoving it in our faces how big an they were of the series and yet they made so many mistakes,so we have a right to be nitpicky.It seems people keep missing the point as to why we are pissed about hicks<I like many other people here don't have a problem with him being alive its just how it was was/was not explained at all.
I agree that concept art is pretty epic and would have been alot better then trying to shoehorn Hadley's hope in dispite a little thing like a 40 megaton explosion going off.
I haven't even entered that part of my brain where I'm seriously contemplating Hicks being alive, because the game shoved it in my face in such a blatantly idiotic way that the plot isn't even a plot.
It doesn't have any of the qualifications of a real plot, no research, no attempt to make any sense or fit in in the universe in any way, and barely any cohesion with its own mess of rushed and impossible events. I mean it's sub-AvP level for how little sense it makes and how hard it charges forward narratively, fueled by this absolutely contrived nonsense.
Why would you respect a story like that, when there are so many writers who work their ass off and bend over backwards to make their stories plausible, coherent, etc...
No thanks dude, it's okay to like the game.. but be honest. Bad is bad is bad is bad is bad, even though I love the mp. The story is the definition of how you insult fans. It's textbook.
Suspension of disbelief doesn't even begin to cover it. A:CM wants us to practice "suspension of intelligence" in order to enjoy this.
Great Review Valaquen, I wish to know what happened in this space station and futuristic colony.
The concept art were so promising back in the day, I don't know why they tried to focus on LV-426.
Derelict is okay but Sulaco and Hadley's Hope were obviously to be erased.
Butt... hurt...
Yeah I saw that. Cheers.
The piece is getting a lot of love over at the GBX forums.
Val, I can't even hardly watch any of the pre-release videos. Just the sound of Pitchford's voice has now been inseparably linked to a list of very negative emotions. That must have been rough.
Damn fine work.
Really well done, excellent read.
The only possible typo I saw was hear - "(you can probably expect to be asked to play for DLC to explain the whole debacle)".
I think you mean "pay for DLC"?
Otherwise, an excellent summation. I'm glad someone did it and that it wasn't me.
The honchos at Gearbox look unbelievably foolish.
At least Mikey was quite candid about what we would be getting...
http://alienseries.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/aliens-colonial-marines/
It's like the "Guile Theme Goes With Everything" videos. Sheer perfection.
Apparently Hitler doesn't like it either.
Nothing was 'game breaking' after I figured out how to re-equip your weapons to get rid of the empty hand glitch, but it was so consistently inconsistent and buggy that it upheld it's lofty title as buggiest game I've ever seen.
I can speak for myself, and I had nice Marine AI actually! Meaning that I even yelled at them for killing the Xenos off and not letting me kill them! I am serious! Other times, though, I would find myself killing the ones that sneaked up behind us and get attacked from behind, because my guys were doing God knows what! But I have to tell you, that I had minimal bugs as well! I played on the PC and I never had the troubles most of my fellow fans had! I know the consoles' version was troubled, but my PC one didn't have the Aliens dancing and doing weird stuff! Yes, they were always ignoring the other Marines to get to me, but I understood that, because otherwise, if my Marines were perfect, I would never even have time to get any! HAHAHAHA Actually, O'Neal and Bella were quite useful... Sometimes, WAY too much! In some parts of the Wey-Yu facility outside levels, they annoyed me because I would go ahead and they would take care of the recycling Xenos that would show up... So, unless I moved on, They would stick in there forever killing Xenos...! I kid you not! So, I didn't have the AI problems other had, but I never said anything, because I saw the console version and often times, the console version is crappy with regards to the PC versions and some other times, the other way around...
SO, yes, I agree with you, acrediblesource... Having said that though, the game still has an awful story, the AI is sometimes chaotic, but that adds to the chaos of the battle... You never know whereas a Xeno is going to charge you or going for your teammates, and when you're fighting a Xeno, another comes back from behind you... BUt yes, I never experienced the incredible bugs some have reported, to be honest...
The Xenos look crappy, though... And the death animations, bleargh!
PS - Having seen the Youtube videos, I am wondering if those AI problems weren't caused by Co-OP... I mean, there could be some AI tracking issues because of the programmers not factoring in your friends and the O'Neal AI, for instance... Just some random thoughts...
BUT
We all know that never came to pass in the movies! Wey-Yu, by Alien3 and 200 years later, in A:R, never got their hands on a Xeno specimen, whether a hugger, burster or full-grown Xeno! So, when confronted with the obvious question 'which is canon, the games or the movies', especially when they so blatantly contradict eachother, I woul bet all my money on the movies! So, ACM is not canon, and will never be, unless FOX is willing to explain what do they value more as canon, the games or the movies! HAHAHAHA
Pretty damn spot on I'd say, fella.
The Hicks thing was so irritating,
Don't set up a narrative around a mystery if you can't be bothered to explain it. At the very least include the location with the egg from the start of Alien 3! So disappointing.
Still quite enjoy playing it, though, so maybe I am the proverbial bigger fool.
Ah well.
I pretty much agree with the big majority of it.
My review is online now.
...well all these reviews by now is pretty obvious what are all about but the 2nd part the guy tells intresting stories about earlier gbx events
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEE2ZHo8jyI#ws
I liked the motion tracker and the fact it showed collectables - it made sense to use it. I liked the story as much, as I like some of the better Aliens comic books - when compared to movies, they suck horribly, but they're enjoyable on their own. I was really into the atmosphere. And as for the graphics (X360 version) - yeah, blurry textures here and there, but I don't mind that, as a guy who thinks Quake 4 is one of the best games ever and plays it every month. At least A:CM was smooth (with noticeable screen tearing only during some of the cut-scenes). I liked the fact everything looked "real", like it was used by people, not like some random scenery. I absolutely loved the look of W-Y labs.
I haven't really experienced bugs and glitches (well, an Alien froze here or there, and O'Neal fell through the floor of an elevator once). Although the A.I. was as simple as it could be, I died pretty often and I think the game was pretty challenging, at least for a post-CoD:MW game.
I'd like to see more audio diaries, some written diaries, more levels with just exploring without fighting - because the atmosphere was really, well, if not creepy, then at least science-fictiony and engrossing.
Bottom line: the only thing I care for in video games is how much fun they give me. They may be bugged as hell, but if I enjoy playing, I don't mind it at all (I think Skyrim fans will understand it). I enjoyed A:CM immensely, and that's why, despite technical difficulties, I give it 9/10.
By the way:
it's near to impossible to find real in-game screenshots on the Internet. Could someone start a thread where PC-version owners would post their own, undoctored screenshots? It would give us a chance to compare "official" screenshots with what's really in the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk3aruZIZyo#ws
I have mixed feelings about Hicks, on the downside I'm not convinced enough of his role in the game canon wise, mainly his 'story' and how he was in W-Y hands and not dead like depicted in Alien 3, it still doesn't make sense. But on the flipside of that, you know when you get a riddle thrown at you and your clueless as to what the answer is, then you get the answer and you're in awe (a good kind of awe)? I highly doubt the people behind this game actually have a good answer but I like to think there is somewhere in the universe, will I get it? Probably not. On the bright side I just enjoy seeing one of my favourite characters again, he even has the voice! Canon/story wise? Not exactly thrilled, but fan wise it's cool to just see and hear him again. Using 'his' shotgun would be cooler if it didn't have "No Fate" on it (this isn't Terminator) and if I didn't see what Hudson did with it inn the movie (I think his shotgun was damaged beyond repair by acid blood, though it's not seen it seems like an obvious given). I have similar feelings for Bishop but kinda less only because I feel I've already seen him before (AvP2010), though I like how his presence feels more 'Aliens' rather than 'AvP' (not that AvP is terrible, but this is an 'Aliens' game). It can make more sense than Hicks as to why he's in the game, he's an android off the production line, but still cool.
I think it may or may not have been from playing so much but last night I actually had a dream that I was in a store and I met Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen all at once, it was awesome. Would of been more awesome if Sigourney Weaver was in there too.
Anyway, Graphics are still poor in quite a few places but I don't typically buy a game for the graphics.
Overall as a general gamer it is poor but as a fan it is quite 'enjoyable', particularly in multiplayer and nostalgia. A lot of people just say it's garbage and leave it at that but I can see the bright side in it.
Finally, my progress. I am finished two columns of challenges, in the third column I am on "Uncrushable" (kill 5 Crushers in multiplayer), the challenge I've waited so long for. In multiplayer I'm level 35ish as an Alien and I'm level 60 as a Marine (the max I believe). I'm still lovin' the pump-action shotgun.
I had a glimpse on the game demo clips out of curiosity. All the guys p*ssed of on the final version have right - the demo looks completely different, and a lot better.
Frankly, I don't know what's wrong with developers today. They know the final version's gonna be bad, still - they make nothing about it. Or worse - they outsource the production somewhere, were it is incredibly cheap, and they get equally cheap result.
I've played A:CM for 2,5 hours and, well, it's not that bad, really. I've patched the game so bugs aren't annoying (aside from the one that makes the sound louder or quieter at times), and the biggest flaw of the game is... the flashlight. Its beam is so large it basically brightens whole screen - there's no darkness at all. I miss the small flashlight from AVP2010, that made you feel the darkness.
Also, yes, the aliens are too small and too weak, but the bigger problem is their punches have no... punch to them. When an alien bit you in AVP2010, the screen was brutally shaken, and the sound fx were raw and loud. Here, everything is too calm. As for AI, aliens just charge at you - I don't mind that, especially since they sometimes try to regroup or hide. I liked the moment in Hadley's Hope when they started crawling under the floor. The problem is they're so weak that usually before they hide I'm able to kill them. They shouldn't be faster, but tougher, like AVP2010 aliens.
The story? Well, let's not pretend anything else than first three movies and the main AVP comic book isn't crap. I wasn't expecting much in terms of story - I just wanted to shoot aliens.
W-Y opponents? Quite fun to fight, but they appear too soon. Still, nothing really annoying. I wouldn't mind a Colonial Marines game - where you fight rogue colonists or something for the most part, and the last chapter of the story starts when you receive a distress call from Sulaco.
Multiplayer? I don't know, I don't like multiplayer and I don't play it.
So, all in all, it didn't really enchant me, but it didn't kill too many of my brain cells either. It's passable, and it has some strong moments.
For now - 6+/10
Most of the first few level were dull. Thing got interesting at the point when our party rushed to leave the Sulaco.
The music had to do a lot for the really good atmosphere, I recall the themes were put together mainly by the Alien 1& 2 OSTs, and each music theme appeared on a proper place.
The game I don't find that much different by any other alien shooter I played so far - or of any other FPS if we are talking about the fights with the PMCs. Most of the weapons are already familiar, the only one I found completely useless was the flamethrower.
I really was missing having the Smartgun along the whole time.
The game has its issues anyway. For start, the marine company with you isn't that effective (expected, the game shouldn't "play itself"), what is even stranger is that they are really immortal (I don't know if they can die in the campaign). At least they can be incapacitated for a while.
The scripting is just awful. I bust into a room, shoot two scientists, O'Neal rushes in seconds after that, yelling "He's heading for the alarm, shoot him!"... Also, there could be some real treat for the player in some situations (which I enjoyed as it is) -
The boss fights were rather lame. Never tried the multiplayer, so I'm completely unaware how are things there. Some people mention the graphics are poor - well, it might be so. But, since even the best visual will be considered obsolete in like 5 years, and we all keep playing AVP1&2 today, I don't think it's a major issue.
In general I liked ACM better than AVP3.
Honestly I had no real intrest in this game's campaign even before I pre-ordered it. Shooting a bunch of Aliens is not something new and even paticularly enjoyable in most Alien games because of the poor Alien AI and powerfull weaponry. I was holding onto the slight hope that the Aliens would get your heart pumping in the campaign but that quickly faded. Its like hunting birds with a shotgun, and the the other Marines in the campaign don't help things. I might be a little harsh on the campaign considering I have not even bothered to try and finish it after I started having some awkward shootouts with the corporate Marines but the reviews I have read don't make me feel like I am missing much. That leaves the multiplayer which for me is hit and miss. I will jump at the chance to play as an Alien at almost every opportunity and this was no different. However I quickly learned that starting even as early week after the game came out was a mistake. The Marines shot me to pieces repeatedly as I struggled to adapt to the controls and enviorments, usually together. I walked over mines, into rocket fire, and snipers at a rate that was admitidly disheartning. Then I started to understand. Since then I have started to enjoy playing as the Xeno's but some flaws became apparent. Wall climbing is clunky which has led to some bugs, lag is an ever present issue, and Ripley's flamethrower can be a serious pain in the a** sometimes. I know that it kinda sounds like I hate this game but I still have had some good times with it. I might have rated the game lower if I wasn't a fanboy but giving an Aliens title a rating lower than 6/10 felt just plain wrong.....
This pretty much sum's it up.
Glorious.
f**k, this game is so f**king shit.
Amazing!