S&S Review: Aliens: Colonial Marines

Title: Aliens: Colonial Marines
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Gearbox
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

Aliens: Colonial Marines was one of the more highly anticipated titles for 2013, keyword being WAS.  The game hasn't lived up to the hype, many players and critics alike have discussed the many problems found in the game.  In the end, the game just feels unfinished.

Story and Presentation:
Fans of the Aliens movie may be able to seek refuge in the game's narrative, despite all of the technical issues engulfing it.  There are a ton of easter eggs from the film, and a lot of subtle nods and references that are completely for the hardcore fans of the iconic film.  As Corporal Winter, you're sent in with your marines on a rescue mission to infiltrate the U.S.S. Sulaco.  The game is basically setup as a sequel to the original film, and you're just revisiting some of the great areas from the film.  Its purely nostalgic, and I don't see non-fans of the film getting any kind of kick out of seeing such places like Hadley's Hope.  The story ends up being pretty lackluster, even when you come across iconic characters, it just doesn't have that spark.  The dialogue is wooden across the board, as lines are delivered without any real sense of urgency or emotion.  The characters are only stiffened by their robotic animations and lack of facial emotion.  The visuals don't help the game in any way, there are bugs galore.  The most obvious being the player animations, they just don't move naturally.  The frequently jerk in and out of new animations, it will always pull you out of the experience when the game desperately tries to pull you in.  The eerie environments and claustrophobic spaces may be the only bright spot in the game, along with the music.  These elements combine to make a pretty tense environment, but the problems I mentioned keep it from being great.

Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:
This game is clearly a first-person shooter, and it's a pretty average one at that.  The shooting feels solid, but the one element that could have separated this game from other FPS games, were the actual aliens themselves.  The once horrifying creatures rarely come in packs, where they are most deadly, and they end just hurling themselves into the nearest marine.  Where you proceed to mow em' down, and anxiously wait for the next one.  It's never challenging, since the A.I. is so mundane, they never challenge you combatively.  The weapons are pretty unbalanced as well, you basically use the overpowered shotgun for the entirely of the campaign, and it'll work like a charm.  The fact that you can carry basically every weapon you pick up doesn't help either, this takes away a bit of the tension, since you know you always have a weapon with ammo at your disposal.  The A.I. in Aliens: Colonial Marines maybe some of the worst I've seen in a while, enemies and allies alike.  Your marine buddies don't move with grace, and they don't necessarily use the idea of cover, this goes the same for the aliens.  You'll frequently have your marines and aliens mindlessly running directly end to each other, only to have you shoot the aliens from afar.  Your allies are basically, living, breathing, bullet sponges.  This is basically the gist of the campaign, and it won't take you long at all to get through it.  The campaign will only last you six hours, or maybe even shorter if you push through.  Multiplayer helps to dim the frustration a bit, when you bring in three other friends to playthrough the campaign, it can be a lot more fun playing it with friends.  There are four other competitive modes to play as well, Team Deathmatch, Extermination, Escape and Survival.  Escape is the coolest, and it's mostly resembles the Left 4 Dead's gameplay mechanics.  The sense of urgency is greatest in this mode, as you try to escape specific area while you're being hunted, sadly there's only two maps.

Final Thoughts:
Aliens: Colonial Marines may be the year's first big hit and miss, there had been reports of a troubled development cycle, and it clearly shows in the game.  The game does have a couple of bright spots in it, but it doesn't make up for all technical bugs and glitches that plague it.

S&S Rating: 6/10

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