ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES (X360)
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Publisher: SEGA.
Developer: Gearbox Software. Released: February 2013. Genre: FPS. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 20th March 2013. By Shane Battams © 2013 |
As we entered the final year of the seventh-gen consoles, 2013 finally saw Aliens: Colonial Marines escape development hell, the oft-delayed shooter which had Alien fans clamouring for a release since its announcement in 2006. Promising an interesting bridge between Aliens and Alien3, Gearbox had also established themselves as a reliable developer as their duo of Borderlands games were met with critical and commercial success. One would expect this title to be of a similar quality, but as stories of a hellacious development and tensions between SEGA and Gearbox arising soon after launch, one thing was clear: Colonial Marines ended up a poor shooter.
Perhaps the greatest facet of Aliens: Colonial Marines is how it captured some of the spirit of the film series, such as the opening moment when Winter loads his Pulse Rifle. The audio design contributes to this greatly. Every weapon taken from the film sounds exactly like its movie-screen counterpart, every screech from the xenos is just as spine-chilling and the music offers a good reinterpretation of what we were treated to with the film scores. Unfortunately, the dialogue wouldn’t achieve the same level of charm as the film, with the days of Hudson’s banter long gone. The grunts who accompany you have little personality, with one moment where two characters awkwardly exchange “good talk” highlighting the lacklustre dialogue. Also, get ready to hear “ooo-rah” more times than is bearable.
This lack of charm seeps into a middling plot, which feels both underwhelming and nonsensical at times. You take the role of Sgt. Winter, who is part of Rhino 2-1 Actual. After opening with a distress signal from Aliens hero Corporal Hicks, squad leader Cruz details how the Sulaco has reappeared in LV-426’s orbit. With Cruz’s initial squad going MIA, Winter and his comrades follow suit and try not only to find the missing marines, but also investigate just what is killing everyone off. There’s certainly plenty for fans to find, chiefly Easter eggs and hidden references, but this yarn pales in comparison to the engaging story spun in Aliens, whilst a late-game appearance from a character presumed dead disrupts the entire canon.
More damning is that Colonial Marines felt like a shooter rooted in the past. It featured some of the most rigidly-structured and unimaginative shooting in recent memory, even if the mechanics are at least functional. While you can scour for hidden goodies to a point, most of the game is a linear corridor, with fleeting instances of spacious gunfights. Moments where you don the Smartgun are fun, but these are a rarity. What’s worse is that the xenomorphs had been curbed to the point of resembling household pets. They attack with very little speed, aggression or intimidation, removing almost all of the tension that was so synonymous with the films. This also makes the game ridiculously easy: even on the hardest difficulty, you’ll find yourself having more trouble with Weyland-Yutani soldiers than the iconic creatures, and that’s just wrong. Though tougher, the soldier A.I. isn’t much better, often lingering in the open with little tactical awareness.
More damning is that Colonial Marines felt like a shooter rooted in the past. It featured some of the most rigidly-structured and unimaginative shooting in recent memory, even if the mechanics are at least functional. While you can scour for hidden goodies to a point, most of the game is a linear corridor, with fleeting instances of spacious gunfights. Moments where you don the Smartgun are fun, but these are a rarity. What’s worse is that the xenomorphs had been curbed to the point of resembling household pets. They attack with very little speed, aggression or intimidation, removing almost all of the tension that was so synonymous with the films. This also makes the game ridiculously easy: even on the hardest difficulty, you’ll find yourself having more trouble with Weyland-Yutani soldiers than the iconic creatures, and that’s just wrong. Though tougher, the soldier A.I. isn’t much better, often lingering in the open with little tactical awareness.
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The "put the gun down and talk" method apparently doesn't work with xenos
It’s a shame that the combat is so devoid of tension, as some semi-interesting systems tied the game together. Playing single-player levels up your Marine, each rank adding a Gear Upgrade. All of the Primary Weapons can be customised with upgrades such as silencers, laser sights and even paint jobs. It’s cool, even if it’s a little limited. Finding collectibles is worthwhile as not only do they add insight to the story, they also reward XP. These systems can only go so far to extending the replay value though, as Colonial Marines clocks in at little over six hours. While harder difficulties slightly increase the challenge, it’s still a really short game. Co-op is available too, but is extremely dated. Co-op characters are not acknowledged, you can’t drop in or drop out without having to restart the mission and the combination of tight corridors and friendly fire show how poorly integrated co-op is.
Multiplayer proved little more than a rip off of Left 4 Dead. It pits the Marines against xenos in all modes, and four game-types are in place. Along with standard deathmatch; Escape tasks the marines to flee a level while fighting off xenos, Survive asks the marines to hold out as long as possible and Extermination serves as the capture mode. The main problem is that the two races feel unbalanced, particularly during deathmatch modes. Marines can easily hunker down and block xenos with little chance to break through, worsened by the fact players can carry upgraded armaments over from the campaign. And while you are forced to swap each half, it doesn’t reduce the frustration playing as the xenomorphs brings, offering little incentive to try.
Multiplayer proved little more than a rip off of Left 4 Dead. It pits the Marines against xenos in all modes, and four game-types are in place. Along with standard deathmatch; Escape tasks the marines to flee a level while fighting off xenos, Survive asks the marines to hold out as long as possible and Extermination serves as the capture mode. The main problem is that the two races feel unbalanced, particularly during deathmatch modes. Marines can easily hunker down and block xenos with little chance to break through, worsened by the fact players can carry upgraded armaments over from the campaign. And while you are forced to swap each half, it doesn’t reduce the frustration playing as the xenomorphs brings, offering little incentive to try.
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He'll be fine. Just a scratch. On to the next room!
Perhaps the crudest aspect of this Aliens game is its visuals. Some appeal, at least, lies in the recreation of Hadley’s Hope and the Sulaco, which feel authentic on a basic level and the xenos look pretty spot-on. However, everything else feels like a throwback to 2006. There’s a laundry list of problems: textures are flat and pixelated, animation is as stiff as a board, the frame-rate can’t keep steady in intense situations, lighting is just completely dull and frequent glitches only add to the visual woes. Occasional cut-scenes showcase higher quality lighting and detail, but it’s not enough. Despite seven years in development, it somehow looks worse than most titles the Xbox 360 would see.
A dark stain on the catalogues of SEGA and Gearbox, Aliens: Colonial Marines was immensely disappointing for fans of the iconic sci-fi series. Despite long being stuck in development hell, it somehow felt more like a game that was scrapped together in time for a big movie release. Awful visuals, dated gameplay and a story that feels disconnected from its source material all spell game over for this one. There is some old-school appeal in the simplistic action. The XP and weapon systems are interesting, but neither can extend the brief lifespan and lack of horror. Not even pitting Xenos against marines in multiplayer can save this one. Avoid like an express elevator to hell.
A dark stain on the catalogues of SEGA and Gearbox, Aliens: Colonial Marines was immensely disappointing for fans of the iconic sci-fi series. Despite long being stuck in development hell, it somehow felt more like a game that was scrapped together in time for a big movie release. Awful visuals, dated gameplay and a story that feels disconnected from its source material all spell game over for this one. There is some old-school appeal in the simplistic action. The XP and weapon systems are interesting, but neither can extend the brief lifespan and lack of horror. Not even pitting Xenos against marines in multiplayer can save this one. Avoid like an express elevator to hell.
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VERDICT
Visual: 2/10
Audio: 7/10 Gameplay: 4/10 Longevity: 4/10 OVERALL: 4/10 |
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Alien Isolation (2014, PS4)
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