Preview Event Coverage - Extermination Mode & Gameplay Videos

[PFC Hudson]

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

[PsyKore]

SP mode doesn't look terribly exciting. It might as well be a modern military shooter with aliens. I'd probably say it looks just plain bad if that's any indication of the whole campaign. And I dunno if it's just me but I can't feel any sense of atmosphere. I just don't feel it.

Escape mode looked fun, though.

[Gren_86]

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

[Predaker]

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

A:CM was declared content complete around the time of NYCC and it should be in the console certification phase at this point. There is no tweaking or polishing left although I expect to download a patch or two during the first few weeks of release.


From OPM 

"There's nothing implicitly wrong with that approach to level design –Bioshock nails it, for example –but here it feels inhibitive. Like if you fled in the wrong direction from the horde of xenos you'd fight a group of set gaffers, stubbing out their breaktime cigarettes and staring at you in bemusement. Don't get the wrong idea, it's playable, even enjoyable; but the reality is Aliens Colonial Marines is a quite good shooter about to be released into a snake pit of rabid sci-fi and shooter fans who demand nothing less than in-canon perfection."

[acrediblesource]

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

You do realize AVP speed and ferocity was due to them jumping everywhere and lacking serious animations? I mean you barely saw aliens animate asides from swipe and leap.  In this SP, everything is uniquely presented. Every alien coming in , to every alien death animation. What you saw in the MP trailers are exactly what you got in AVP 99. And I'm LMFAO at it.

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

A:CM was declared content complete around the time of NYCC and it should be in the console certification phase at this point. There is no tweaking or polishing left.


From OPM 

"There's nothing implicitly wrong with that approach to level design –Bioshock nails it, for example –but here it feels inhibitive. Like if you fled in the wrong direction from the horde of xenos you'd fight a group of set gaffers, stubbing out their breaktime cigarettes and staring at you in bemusement. Don't get the wrong idea, it's playable, even enjoyable; but the reality is Aliens Colonial Marines is a quite good shooter about to be released into a snake pit of rabid sci-fi and shooter fans who demand nothing less than in-canon perfection."

Again, the question is are these trailers from the beta or are they from the gold?
Again, read my comment on the atmosphere processor, hole in the wall scene. (10min demo vs this Dec11 trailer) which is newer?

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

You do realize AVP speed and ferocity was due to them jumping everywhere and lacking serious animations? I mean you barely saw aliens animate asides from swipe and leap.  In this SP, everything is uniquely presented. Every alien coming in , to every alien death animation. What you saw in the MP trailers are exactly what you got in AVP 99. And I'm LMFAO at it.

The Aliens look really easy to kill in both SP and MP. The MP can be fixed by just having experience players in the game. I just hope the difficulty can be adjusted for the SP. I don't want to blow through the whole game mowing down everything.

Agreed and it would be beneficial to developer and gamer alike to fix the slugish behavior of the xenos in SP.
I personally crave for the same speed and ferocity that was introduced in Rebellion's AvP (1999). IMO the game looks promising considering those to be outdated PAX trailers but still needs a lot of tweaking and polishing up to do.

A:CM was declared content complete around the time of NYCC and it should be in the console certification phase at this point. There is no tweaking or polishing left.


From OPM 

"There's nothing implicitly wrong with that approach to level design –Bioshock nails it, for example –but here it feels inhibitive. Like if you fled in the wrong direction from the horde of xenos you'd fight a group of set gaffers, stubbing out their breaktime cigarettes and staring at you in bemusement. Don't get the wrong idea, it's playable, even enjoyable; but the reality is Aliens Colonial Marines is a quite good shooter about to be released into a snake pit of rabid sci-fi and shooter fans who demand nothing less than in-canon perfection."

[Predaker]

This is pretty much the game we are getting. Thankfully the pulse rifle and smartgun finally sound amazing. Combined with the music and deferred lighting it looks really good. I love the new deferred lighting especially. Areas go from almost totally dark to lit up with shadows from muzzle flash. Yum.

I expect to download a patch or two within the first few weeks of the release.

[ikarop]

Updated the OP with a few more previews and interviews.

Also, can you spot Hicks' shotgun or Apone talking in the Escape videos?

[Capitalist]

I don't remember, from Alien or Aliens, the xenos ever moving as fast as they did in AVP99.
They were agile, sure, but when marines fell, it was because xenos snuck up on them.  IIRC, not one marine was "run down" in the film.

From Aliens, compare the first encounter in the hive to the second encounter in medlab.  Marines were wiped out because they were already surrounded and repeatedly getting snuck up on (see Dietrich and Apone).  I understand they didn't really have ammo, but they still fell to surprise attacks.  Fast forward to medlab (a more open area) where 3 marines were holding a horde until Hudson was grabbed (again, snuck up on). 

Xenos don't stand a chance in an open hallway and I think the film illustrated both that and their tendency to be stealthy (even newt was snuck up on).  Of course, as the movie went on, the xenos tried attacking in sheer numbers (but I suspect this was to build suspense) and the xeno death count steadily increased.

My point is, if the game follows the movie, i don't expect the xenos to be fast enough to overrun a group of marines simply by rushing at them (and IIRC there were a couple posts a while ago voicing concerns that xenos would just run at you instead of trying to sneak up).  The SP campaign shows the marine weapons are too powerful for the xenos to simply run at you.  I think this is accurate.  Xenos will need to rely on stealth and surprise instead of sheer speed (which, in my opinion, is being true to the films).

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's a section of the campaign where the tracker is absolutely essential, otherwise you will be snuck up on and killed/taken.

[9th_Stew]

trackers need to be blue to add suspense.

[acrediblesource]

trackers need to be blue to add suspense.

No they need to be rounder and more oblongness. See canon bible. 

[Predaker]

trackers need to be blue to add suspense.

That won't work unfortunately, unless the motion tracker is part of the HUD. Then you lose the aspect of choosing when to have your weapon or motion tracker out, which is a big part of gameplay. Not to mention its more immersive to have an actual motion tracker in your hand. Gearbox made a deal with the devil. You want to hold the motion tracker? Make the dots red!

[chupacabras acheronsis]

no it doesn't.

[Predaker]

Updated the OP with a few more previews and interviews.

Also, can you spot Hicks' shotgun or Apone talking in the Escape videos?

Thanks for taking time to organize all the new screenshots, previews, interviews, etc.

Hicks' shotgun looks mean and Apone's voice is great. I am definitely looking forward to A:CM.

[reecebomb]

Something new that bothers me from the sp video, weird looking xenomorph corpses bodies lying around before the first alien encounter. It kinda ruins the atmosphere, and for a alien game, atmosphere is vital. Prefer if there would be just acid bath aftermath holes like in the film. I know that we fans, know how aliens look by heart and won't experience any surprise element regarding aliens, but there still there might be new players that have no idea who they will be fighting in the game.
Overall im more optimistic about the game than i was a week ago, but still afraid that it wont fulfill the massive potential. Can`t wait to try this. 

[Speedy_J]

People should be aware that the reason why the Aliens moved so slow and were easy to kill was because it was a demo, demos usually are like that.