Well my scanner is being a dick to me, so ill type up the article.
!!!WARNING!!! LONG POST
This time it's war...
We're currently sitting in Gearbox's studio in Dallas and it's very clear that these guys are nuts about Aliens. The studio is swarming with toys, full-size statues and actual props from the 1986 sequel. They're almost coming out of the walls. The only thing missing is a full-size Alien Queen in the basement, but they're probably working on that to.
As the franchise that inspired Doom, Halo and seemingly hundreds of other FPS games. Aliens has left an amazing legacy. All that means that Gearbox has to aim a lot higher than making just another solid shooter. It's hard to put into words how exhilarating the movie still is, not to mention the fact that we can still recite almost every line. The game thus has a lot to live up to, and the good news is Gearbox is treating the franchise as it were its own.
Set after the events of Alien 3 (and Ripley's death), Aliens: Colonial Marines has an original storyline that's been penned by two talented writers from Battlestar Galactica, Bradly Thompson and Dave Webber. You control the team of colonial marines sent aboard the USS Sulaco to find out just what happened to the surviving crew members. It's producer Stephen Palmer's job to come up with game scenarios, then his team finds a way to build a storyline around them.
"when I get the script back and it scares me, we've succeeded," he says. "A lot of times they really do surprise me with what they've come up with."Rip's OFF
So what about Ripley? Is there any room for Sigourney Weaver's Character in the game? Well. in the words of Creative Director Brian Martel, "She's dead!" He's referring to the character's demise in
Alien 3, and he gives us the impression that he's not going to mourn her loss. "I don't think it would have been as exciting a story unless we could create new characters," he adds. "It was better for us to not have one single character as the main focus, but to have more about the squad. It was also a way of creating a military game and getting back to the Colonial Marine experience."
Despite our best attempts at sweet talking and coaxing. Martel remains tight-lipped about the rest of the plot. Concept art on the walls is a little more revealing, however, with glimpses of the Alien Derlict, the Space Jockey, a cargo ship and Blade Runner-style city. Palmer assures us, "We're tapping into the entire Alien universe. We want to present players with places they haven't gone to before and extend the game beyond the tight, cramped interior spaces to incorporate some outdoor combat as well. That said, all the locations will remain true to what we've come to expect from Aliens.
Our demonstration of the game begins with a bried walk through the USS Sulaco, the game's opening mission. Palmer orders one of his A.I. squad mates to hack open the door to the crew's Cryo-bay, now suspiciously empty. As his torch cuts through the darkness, we can see the walls blackened and charred through fire damage and acid burn. The attention to detail is really impressive. There's even a small upside-down egg - the cause of all the troubles in
Alien 3.
In an effort to maintain consistency Gearbox recruited the film's original concept artist to flesh out the environment beyond what was seen in the movie. And we've already mentioned , props and replica weapons can be found in almost every corner of the building. They're not just for fun (although thats a big part of it), they're also used for reference.
Martel tells us: "Bob Burns was given all the models from Alien and Aliens. He was a special effects modeler who was interested in all the stuff and they didn't want it an more so they just gave it to him. That includes the big Derelict ship, which is about seven-feet long. He also has the Sulcao, the Queen alien, face-huggers and all kinds of stuff, so we've arranged a meeting with him to go and check out the Sulcaso."
Like Gearbox's other work-in-progress titles
Brothers in Arms 3 and
Borderlands, Aliens uses the Unreal 3 engine. "It's amazing what we've been able to pull off with the graphics." says Art Director Brian Cozzens. "we recreated the Sulcao's drop ship hangar and we've actually added more assets in there than the move had."
Make a stand
The second level we saw takes place on a colony, looking very similar to LV-426 (the moon which the Nostromo lands in Alien(. This combat-based mission known as the 'Make a Stand' scenario, requiring the player to set up a defensive perimeter before the aliens start swarming in. The marines special abilities come into play here, as Cozzens orders them to build turrets , wield doors shut and set traps.
While the opening mission was a tension-builder, this one taps into the fear of being outnumbered. Aliens pour out the vents and burst through the floor tiles. The environment seems to come alive with glistening xenomorph skin. Their movement seems a little jerky, but this si far from finished. "We didn't use a dude (for motion capture) because we wanted to get away from the 'guy in an alien suit' feeling the movies had."says Cozzens. "we're going to have double joints on the arms and other cool stuff that wouldn't be possible with an actor."
Team tactics
They've saved the best for last though. Another designer plugs in his controller and immediately takes direct control of one of the marines.
Aliens is going to feature jump-in, jump-out co-op for up to four players! And this isn't just over Xbox Live, but system link and split screen too. We can just imagine saying things like "Jonty, run a bypass!" though your headset, or screaming "Game over, man!" when things get hot.
In terms of action.
Aliens is looking like a must-have game for 2009. We'll be taking another look at it in the near future and will hoping for some great characters and gripping storylines worthy of the franchise. Palmer laughs: "We've got a whole lot of ways to do terrible things to a whole lot of people". We can't wait!
BELOW ARE SOME CAPTIONS"THERE"S SOMETHING MOVING AND IT AIN'T US..." - The motion sensor first appeared in Ridley Scott's 1978 classic
Alien and worked as an excellent tension-building device then. It's worth pointing out, though, that any movement at all will set it off, not just the Aliens, so expect some red hearings!
"I LIKE TO KEEP THIS FOR CLOSE ENCOUNTERS..." - All the weapons from the film will appear in the game, including the pulse rifle, smart gun and Hick's favorite, the Remington shotgun. There's no in-game HUD, so all the ammo counters appear on the sides of the weapons.
I found a little secret treat that may be something on page 17.
Next Issue
PREDATOR VS. ALIENS
We've seen Aliens, so what gaming form should it's rival take?
Send in your Arnie-starring ideas: wishlist@futurenet.co.uk or tell us on the forum
