Grave Gamer News & Views — aliens colonial marines

Aliens: Colonial Marines Tester Sheds Light on the Game’s Dark History

Hardly a week since its release the internet has been swept up by the behind-the-scenes controversy encircling Gearbox Software’s licensed abomination, Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Following the anonymous allegation that Gearbox outsourced the majority of the title to different studios, namely TimeGate Studios (Section 8, F.E.A.R. Files), a recently yanked Reddit AMA with a “confirmed” Sega employed tester has been brought to light.  Obviously breaking their non-disclosure agreement in two, user “soetester” not only says Colonial Marines was handed over to TimeGate early on, but also claims Gearbox was using Sega’s Aliens financing to secretly fund both Borderlands installments.

More shocking, soetester says the title didn’t degrade from the promising E3 2012 demo that sent fans’ hopes skyward.  In fact, the tester alleges Sega never got their hands on anything like that demo, that the gameplay shown wasn’t even running on Unreal 3 (like the final game), and lambasts the footage as “100% false advertising.”

While the AMA was removed – giving it an air of inadvertent legitimacy – you can still view a capture of the session here.  Below are some highlights:

• The game wasn’t released under the pretense it was anything more than awful.  By the time Gearbox turned its attention on it “the damage was done.”
• Sega only received it to test in the middle of last year.  Unwilling to delay it further (and lose more money), the game released as you see it today.
• soetester posits Sega may take legal action against Gearbox.
• The Wii U version may very well be “the worst” of them all.  Framerate issues, slow texture loading, and poorly conceived GamePad mini-games may keep the Wii U A:CM from seeing the light of day.
• Gearbox “did much more of the game than [TimeGate]” evidently.  soetester admits TimeGate’s contribution left the game in a horrid state, though.
• Cutscenes better explaining some of the game’s shittier plot choices were cut; interactive parts of the game including a proper, playable introduction to the marines and the Sephora were folded into cutscenes.
• In response to how much the tester enjoyed the game: “I hate it.”
  

In more hopeful news, the Sega tester also claims they’ve seen a build of Creative Assembly’s Alien game which is intended for next-gen hardware.  The tester says their game’s shaping up to be dark, atmospheric, and “slow paced (in a good way)."  I think after this disaster, the gaming public would openly embrace more horror and less horrible.

If you need another stern warning against Colonial Marines, check out my review.

On paper Aliens: Colonial Marines sounded absolutely ace.  A direct continuation to one of the most influential and timeless science fiction films of the last fifty years signed off as official canon by 20th Century Fox, developed by Gearbox Software, one of the most renown and rejoiced gaming studios of this generation.

Colonial Marines should have been great.  Living and breathing Jimmy Cameron’s universe, a perspective on the future that countless, countless games, novels, and films still unabashedly rip off to this very day, should have made for an engrossing interactive experience that its imitators could hardly match because, instead of playing loose homage to the 1986 film, Colonial Marines had free reign to tap from the source.

I’ve been a huge fan of this franchise since early childhood; my immediate, almost unconscious response to “What’s your favorite movie?” is always “Aliens” without hesitation, and I’ve been excited about this game for a very long time.  By the time this review posts, you’re likely to already have heard the sordid truth.  It hurts me to say that Aliens: Colonial Marines doesn’t just miss the mark, it makes a vapor cloud the size of Nebraska fifteen miles away from it.

Aliens: Colonial Marines - New, Redeeming Trailer and Season Pass Info

Gearbox has once more let loose a new trailer for their canonized, video game sequel to 1986’s Aliens, and thank Weyland for that because the recent “Kick Ass” Trailer was so tremendously shitty, it had the distinction of being the only piece of marketing to actually jam a hazy cloud of doubt into my head about Colonial Marines....

Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC/PS3/Wii U/X360) - February 12th, 2013

You’re looking at a game built from the ground up on fan service.  From the multitude of xenomorph designs including H.R. Giger’s original palpitation inducing concept and Cameron’s spiney, perpetually pissed off war machines to the hulking derelict wreck prevalent in Ridley Scott’s Alien and Prometheus…Even the sound design is plucked directly from the films for authenticity’s sake.  This is the Aliens game we’ve been craving since we first heard the hollow sputter of a pulse rifle burst and, more than that, pre-release buzz has it that this one’s an extreme amount of fun.

Gearbox, you have my trust and, soon, you’ll have my money.

9/9/2012

Why, hello out there!  I didn’t see you there.  Or, rather, you didn’t see me here because I haven’t committed to a Roundup for damned near weeks now.  First of all, sorry.  Second of all, kindly step off my dick.  Third of all, sorry for snapping at you.  Fourthly, if I had to be honest, you are kind of needy and I know you hate hearing that because more than one ex has tossed that word at you, but come on, seriously, you’re gonna chalk that up to coincidence?

…Fifthly, sorry again.  Video games.  I don’t know why you let me get sidetracked.  Welcome back to the Roundup, anyway.