Aliens: Colonial Marines Message Board older than one year ago

It’s impressive how effective the ping of the motion tracker from Aliens is, even after all these years. It tensed me right up the moment it hit in this trailer, but then it showed that the tracker was actually pinging an Sega logo and it all drained away. I’m not scared of corporate logos. Then a man with a beard appeared and told me what tension was, which I believe is probably the definition of ‘untense’. By the time another man in the hat turned up, I was positively blaise. No matter, it’s more of a discussion about how they’re hoping their game will be tense, rather than making me ten – what, what was that noise…? Er, there’s a Sega logo crawling towards me.(more…)

Gearbox is excited about developing Aliens: Colonial Marines. That's all good and fine, but what we want to check out is that lefty Xbox controller at the 1:39 mark of the clip. Sadly, we think it's simply a case of reversing the image in editing.

The developers share their excitement for creating a video game sequel to Aliens.

This has nothing to do with the game, but man, I could watch Randy Pitchford dramatically put on his glasses pretty much forever.

I have to admit, I do default to somewhat ignoring Aliens-based games these days. So many ploppy ones in a row hasn’t done the license any favours. But of course Aliens: Colonial Marines is Gearbox, and if we just rather quietly forget about Duke, they make splendid action games. I should probably catch up a little. A good way to do that is via their first edition of a rather overblown developer diary, that along with high-def shots of developers adjusting their glasses as a computer readout from 1989 scans them, shows some in-game footage. Also, they were going to make a Bladerunner game?! I WANT THAT ONE!

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Excellent news, troops. Reinforcing the ranks of impending PC games show Rezzed – orchestrated of course by Eurogamer and this here website – is lord of the Borders Randy Pitchford. The Gearbox head and former magician whose surname isn’t but should be Pitchfork, veteran of Borderlands, Brothers in Arms, Half-Life: Opposing Force and Ukeday Ukemnay Oreverfay, will take to the stage in Brighton on Friday 6th July at 2pm for a live demo of Borderlands 2, followed by a bout of answering your questions. Randy’s company Gearbox will also be presenting Aliens: Colonial Marines at the show, incidentally, so I guess you could also shout “yeah man, but it’s a dry heat!” at him and he won’t be too confused.(more…)

Gearbox Multiplayer Producer, Chris Brock, explains that it's strength in numbers for the marines in Aliens: Colonial Marines' team deathmatch mode.

Stick with your squad if you expect to survive the army of Xenos in Aliens: Colonial Marines.

#aliens I checked out the multiplayer mode for Aliens: Colonial Marines at this year's PAX East, but E3 got a new map and a new shotgun to play around with. More »

All-Access developer interview with Gearbox's CEO on Aliens: Colonial Marines.

The images we've received for Aliens: Colonial Marines at E3 2012 are rather unimpressive. Not a whole lot going on. To make up for it, we've included old galleries you may have missed from the recent past after the break.

Play as a Marine or a Xenomorph in the multiplayer mode of Aliens: Colonial Marines.

#aliens Don't think of Aliens: Colonial Marines February 2013 release date as a painfully long waiting period. Think of it as eight months to save up $99 for this freaking amazing collector's edition package. More »

#wiiu Nintendo has yet to release the official hardware specifications for the Wii U, and it's something Gearbox's Brian Burleson, senior producer on Aliens: Colonial Marines, won't discuss directly. But, he said to Eurogamer, the Wii U will get the best-looking version of the game because it has "more modern tech." More »

Back in February 2008 when Kieron first wrote that Gearbox were working on an Aliens game, you’d have had to be the sort of maniac who believes Prometheus is a sensible name for a hubris-invoking scientific expedition to propose that the game wouldn’t be released until February 2013. Today, any such maniacs can be released from the padded cells that hold them because it turns out they were right all along and it’s the rest of us who are mad for not invoking The Walker Principle with enough gusto. Randy Pitchford has today taken to the airwaves and declared that Colonial Marines will be released on February 12, 2013. There’s also a new trailer to get you all excited about something that is happening more than a half a year from now.

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#breaking You'll finally get your chance to snuggle up to the deadly Xenomorphs of the Aliens film franchise when Aliens: Colonial Marines hits consoles and PCs early next year. More »

In 1986, James Cameron’s Aliens hit theaters, instantly becoming one of the most iconic science fiction movies in cinematic history. This movie was a huge success and was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The film that had so many great elements to it: blistering action, Marine camaraderie, creeping tension, and of course, the xenomorphs.

When people ask me what it is like working on a game based on Aliens, a game that is the actual sequel to the movie Aliens, it is tough to put the experience into words. First of all, “passion” is a key word in the development of this game. The team at Gearbox is very passionate not only about Aliens but storytelling and the game experience. It is so important to all of us to do this game right — the Aliens franchise deserves an awesome video game. Another key word is “intimidating,” because Aliens is a revered franchise with fans all over the world. I have been lucky enough to show Aliens: Colonial Marines to fans at PAX, E3, Gamescom, Igromir and more. And I have found that people all around the world, people of all ages, love Aliens. When fans see our demo they tell me that it’s looking great…but then warn us not to “mess it up.”

Today we have released our new trailer, which we have dubbed “Suspense.” Our earlier ACM demos and videos showed some of the action in the game but a big part of the Aliens world is also tension and suspense – the universe of Aliens is a scary place. In Aliens: Colonial Marines you get to play the part of Winter, a Marine on the ship Sephora responding to the rescue beacon that was sent out in the movie Aliens. You might remember this scene from the movie:

Ripley: How long after we’re declared overdue can we expect a rescue?
Hicks: Seventeen days.
Hudson: Seventeen days?! Hey man, I don’t wanna rain on your parade, but we’re not gonna last 17 hours!

Now, 26 years after the release of the movie Aliens, you are part of that rescue mission – returning to LV-426 17 weeks after the beacon was sent out. But during those 17 weeks, Weyland Yutani has been busy: They found the Sulaco, brought it back to LV-426 and have restarted their operations to capture and control the xenomorph. That is, as you know, easier said than done. Chaos ensues.

One of the very exciting parts of this new trailer is that we are also firmly announcing our street date: February 12th, 2013. All of us on the development team see the end of this project coming closer, and this cycle of development is always very exciting. Everyone involved with ACM wants to make an Aliens game that does justice to a vision James Cameron started so many years ago. We want to make a game that all of us can be proud of.

I hope you enjoy the trailer. We will continue to release more information about the game in times to come. In the meantime, back to work for me. I have a game to finish.

If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the recent Prometheus trailers (spoilers!) over and over, pausing only to wipe the frothy spittle off your chin. If you’re really like me, you’ve also been wondering, “what’s it gonna take for some talented studio to create a killer game based on the Alien films?” Luckily, Gearbox Software is building an increasingly compelling case with Aliens: Colonial Marines, an upcoming big-budget PS3 shooter that aims to pick up where James Cameron’s seminal 1986 film Aliens left off.

While we know a good bit about the game’s tense single-player campaign, details about its multiplayer component have remained frustratingly elusive. So we took to Twitter and posed @PlayStation followers a simple question — what do you want to know about the multiplayer mode in Aliens: Colonial Marines?

We received a flood of questions — some insightful, some maniacally detail-oriented — and presented them to Gearbox Software Multiplayer Producer Chris Brock. Though Gearbox is keeping tight-lipped concerning certain specific details for the game, some of your questions did manage to penetrate their veil of secrecy with all the effectiveness of a 10mm explosive-tipped pulse rifle round. Read on to learn more, and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more revelations during E3 2012 this June.

What different multiplayer modes will there be? And how many players are supported in multiplayer matches? (asked by @Pogo_05)

Chris Brock, Multiplayer Producer: We’ve only announced and shown Team Deathmatch at this time, but there are additional modes that we’ll be showing before too long. These modes are more objective based and we can’t wait to put them out in front of people. As far as player counts go, we’re still testing out what feels right on a per-mode basis.

How many maps are there for competitive multiplayer, and how many players does co-op support? (asked by @Nekrospike)

CB: We’re working on many multiplayer maps at the moment. We don’t have a specific number at this time but it will be a good selection of maps that will be our best! The co-op campaign will support up to four players.

Will multiplayer weapons be in-map pickups or loadouts? (asked by @LingeringRegime)

CB: Or a combination thereof, perhaps? :-)

Will it support splitscreen on PS3? I would like to see more games having a split-screen option (asked by @TRIEDGE_68)

CB: Yes!

Will there be multiplayer maps based on other alien movies like Alien, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection? Will the Predator make a cameo? (asked by @JDas2k)

CB: The Predator is something that you will not see in Aliens: Colonial Marines. AvP is a fun and compelling universe, but a separate one from the original Aliens universe. We draw inspiration for multiplayer maps from all the films, in addition to concept art and expanded Aliens universe content.

What’s it like to control a xenomorph in multiplayer combat? What attacks and abilities do they have?

CB: Awesome ones! Xenomorphs are obviously much more agile than their human counterparts, so they’re very quick and have the ability to maneuver about on walls and ceilings. As you’ve seen before, every part of a xenomorph is dangerous, from their claws and tails to their “little mouths” and acidic blood. They have a wide variety of ways to attack the marines.

Several other titles have enabled players to control xenomorphs. Where did those approaches fall short, and how does Aliens: Colonial Marines improve on that approach?

CB: We feel it’s key to keep the xenomorph player’s perspective in third person. Xenos have to be sneaky and agile, so the wall and ceiling climbing is a necessity. That said, playing in that style, in first person, can be quite disorienting.

Can aliens kill humans in multiple, theatrical ways? And what can a marine do in close quarters to ward off an alien attack?

CB: Xenos can kill humans in many ways. What can a marine do in close quarters to ward off an alien attack? Pray! In all seriousness, a marine’s best bet is to stay with other marines and cover each other.

Will ACM’s multiplayer include customization for the humans and aliens and, if so, what are some examples of abilities that can be enhanced for both species?

CB: We’re not talking too specifically about the metagame yet, but there’s a wide amount of customization in both appearance and abilities.

Will the game include weaponry not depicted in the films? Can weapons be modded and improved?

CB: The films allude to a lot of weapons that are never shown. As you might imagine, we’re pretty excited to show you what those might look like.

#aliens Gearbox, the guys making Aliens Colonial Marines, have been working on the game since, oh, before you were born. In that time, they've racked up a ton of reference material from James Cameron's sci-fi classic, none as badass as this replica pulse rifle from the 1986 movie. More »

Thanks to Johnny4 for the heads up!